Blog
How hot is it? The hottest in 4,000 years
New research, published in the Journal Science, concludes that global temperatures are higher now than they have been in 4,000 years. The New York Times, in a report on the … Read more
Iowa farmers' attitudes on conservation compliance
Read a scholarly paper on Iowa farmers’ attitudes toward requiring compliance with conservation practices that protect soil and water. The article, published in the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, … Read more
The environment in the news
Take a look at the Star Tribune’s coverage this week of three environmental subjects: An article by environmental reporter Josephine Marcotty looking at two recent scholarly articles on agriculture and … Read more
A brief in support of conservation compliance
Conservation compliance – an effort to link federal subsidies for farmers’ crop insurance premiums to protection of wetlands and highly erodible land – is still a hot issue as Congress … Read more
Walz backs 'Sodsaver' crop insurance limit
U.S. Rep. Tim Walz of Minnesota has introduced a “Sodsaver” bill that would reduce the federal subsidy for crop insurance on land converted from native grasslands to row crops. The … Read more
No Raids, No Shifts, No Gimmicks
Conservation Minnesota, which has been publishing detailed analyses of state spending on conservation and the environment since 2002, has issued its latest report. It is an accounting of how the … Read more
Ikes set Summit on water Feb. 23
This year’s Summit, sponsored by the Minnesota Division of the Izaak Walton League, will be Saturday, Feb. 23, at Normandale Community College in Bloomington. The theme is Watershed-Water Management Solutions: … Read more
A moderating view on global temperature rise
So…are some reputable scientists starting to say that climate change is real, it’s human caused and its consequences will be severe, but that the global temperature increase from accumulating greenhouse … Read more
Minnesota moose herd down by a third
Minnesota’s slumping moose population has fallen further, and the Department of Natural Resources responded by suspending next fall’s moose hunting season. The moose population in Northeastern Minnesota dropped 35 percent … Read more
PFOS levels decline in the Mississippi
Levels of a chemical once manufactured by the 3M company — perfluorooctane sulfate, or PFOS — are declining in the Mississippi River fish below the Twin Cities, but the levels … Read more