Saving Minnesota’s Conifers
Minnesota’s iconic pine-studded northern forests are at risk and the habitat for conifer-dependent birds and animals is in decline. Crews and volunteers are responding by planting thousands of trees…
Environment/Ecology/Nature
Deer parasites deadly to moose focus of new scientific study in northeast Minnesota
Researchers will conduct extensive field work to collect data and high-tech analysis techniques to help understand how moose can survive in a warmer future with more whitetail deer.
Superior National Forest announces successful prescribed fire season
Forest Service officials say significant swaths of public land have been burned this spring to accomplish a variety of management goals.
‘Beaver believer’ visits Voyageurs National Park and extolls its ecosystem engineers
Environmental journalist who has reported on beavers around the world was awed by the extent of their impacts in northern Minnesota’s national park.
Bat surveys help Quetico assess population of insect-eaters and prepare for disease
Research in Canadian canoe country wilderness seeks to understand species that call it home and may be threatened by deadly fungus.
Birdhouses will help researchers study boreal bird challenges
Study will start in earnest this spring as scientists plan to put transmitters on chickadee chicks and watch where they go.
Hawk Ridge offers opportunity to witness spring’s northbound bird migration
Bird counters at the Duluth site report record-breaking numbers of migrators passing through as they race north to their nesting grounds.
Living Relicts – The North Shore’s Intriguing Disjunct Flora
The north shore of Minnesota is home to several rare plant species that are usually found much further north or in high altitudes and are separated from their normal ranges. These wildflowers, mosses and lichens are living ‘relicts’ of the past…
Researchers study how snow affects the water cycle in northern Minnesota
University of Minnesota-Duluth project seeks to understand the role of snow and melting in how water moves through the landscape, with climate and population change factored in.
Scientific symposium will share international research from across the Heart of the Continent region
Duluth event will feature presentations from scientists studying a broad range of topics in northern Minnesota and Ontario.
Researchers will track Isle Royale moose movements for first time in decades
Advanced tracking collars will give scientists an intimate look at the animals’ lives on the wild Lake Superior island.
Less ice cover on Lake Superior could reduce key fish species
Ripple effect of climate change may make it harder for cisco to reproduce and survive, causing problems for lake trout and other species that depend on the cold-water fish.
How do wolves hunt beavers?
How do you catch a semi-aquatic rodent that spends very little time on land? Turns out, with patience and a lot of waiting. Researchers use GPS-collars to reveal a predator-prey relationship…
Voyageurs National Park researchers record first-ever footage of wolves catching freshwater fish
Scientists tracking and studying wolves in the park on MInnesota’s northern border have documented the animals fishing, and it could be an important food source.
Jack pine in Voyageurs National Park is crowned national champion
A massive example of the iconic Quetico-Superior tree species growing on the edge of Namakan Lake has been declared the biggest of its kind in the country.
Algae with potential to harm trout habitat found in North Shore river
Bloom of unusual aquatic plant that can cover cold, clean river bottoms with slimy growth and hurt aquatic food web is discovered in Poplar River.
Study: Global warming will hurt northern tree species more than it will help
New research explains how climate change will likely disrupt natural processes that affect what grows where.
Journalism professors call for clearer communication about Isle Royale wolf reintroduction
Minnesota and Michigan-based academics say the decision to transport new wolves to the Lake Superior site was based on incomplete information.
First wolves in reintroduction effort could be brought to Isle Royale National Park this week
Project begins to restore predator population on popular island in Lake Superior, as managers seek to balance natural forces.
Several minor wildfires burn across canoe country
Lightning has started a handful of blazes on both sides of the international border, though the fires remain relatively small.