Initiative Focuses on Voyageur Legacy
A tourism initiative for the landscape between Thunder Bay, Ontario and Winnipeg, Manitoba plans to use the area’s legacy as the route of the voyageurs to draw tourists.
Hot Topics
Meeting to Connect Communities, Land
Finding new ways to connect local communities to the public lands near them is the thrust of an upcoming meeting of the Heart of the Continent Partnership scheduled for February 24-25 in Eveleth.
Harsh Winter Tough on Deer Herd
Cold temperatures and deep snow are beginning to have an impact on northern Minnesota’s deer herd, according to Minnesota Department of Natural Resources observations.
PolyMet Won’t Produce Copper Metal
PolyMet Mining’s plan to mine and mill copper, nickel, and precious metals near Babbitt won’t result in production of finished copper metal on-site, the company announced in a change of plans yesterday.
GPS-Collar Moose Study Underway
In an on-going effort to understand the reasons behind decline in Minnesota’s moose population, a study using global positioning system technology to track the massive ungulates in underway.
PolyMet Hires Former MPCA Commissioner
PolyMet Mining, the Canadian firm that hopes to build a $600-million copper-nickel mine near Babbitt, has hired former Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Commissioner Brad Moore as an Executive Vice President.
Broad Implications for PolyMet Loan Suit?
A lawsuit brought by a coalition of environmental groups questioning the legality of a Iron Range Resources loan to PolyMet Mining could have wide-ranging implications for projects supported by Minnesota state government money, some worry.
Coalition to Sue Over Park Air Quality
A coalition of environmental organizations intends to sue the Environmental Protection Agency and two other federal agencies over haze pollution in national parks and wilderness areas, including Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Wolf Lawsuit Stayed Until June
A lawsuit brought by two Minnesotans and joined by the state’s Department of Natural Resources calling of removal of Upper Midwest wolves from the federal Endangered Species List has been stayed until June.
Environmentalists Sue Over PolyMet Loan
Five environmental groups are suing the State of Minnesota over a $4-million loan that Iron Range Resources approved for PolyMet Mining as part of its plan to mine copper, nickel, and precious metals near Babbitt.
Voyageurs Continues Collared Moose Study
Nineteen adult moose will be captured and fitted with telemetry collars this month as part of a continuing project to investigate the potential effects of climate change and other factors on the long-term viability of moose in Voyageurs National Park.
McFarland Lake Shoreline Protected
Nearly 1,200 feet of shoreline on McFarland Lake just outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has been protected via a conservation easement facilitated by the Minnesota Land Trust.
Vermilion Comment Period Closes Today
The public comment period on the proposed master plan for Lake Vermilion State Park closes today. Interested citizens can still chime in on plans for the new 3000-acre park on-line.
Lawsuit Aims to Loosen Wild Rice Water Standards
A lawsuit filed Friday by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce seeks to loosen water quality standards in areas where wild rice is grown, saying current regulations are too restrictive and based on faulty science.
Copper Mining Firms to Merge
Duluth Metals, Ltd. has agreed to buy Franconia Minerals Corp. in a merger of companies hoping to mine copper and nickel in Northeastern Minnesota.
Critics Concerned by Loan to PolyMet
Environmental advocates are concerned with a $4-million loan granted by the state of Minnesota’s Iron Range Resources board to PolyMet mining which hopes to open a controversial copper-nickel mine near Babbitt.
PolyMet Seeks $4-Million Loan from State
PolyMet Mining is asking for a $4-million loan from the State of Minnesota to help it buy land that it will swap with the U.S. Forest Service for land at its planned mining site near Babbitt.
2011 BWCAW Permit Lottery Now Open
The lottery for 2011 permits for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is open until January 15, 2011 for BWCAW visitors who hope to assure themselves of permits for specific entry points on specific dates.
Klobuchar: Wolves Delisted in 2011
Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will remove Minnesota’s gray wolves from the Endangered Species list by the end of next year.
Regional Deer Harvest Up 20%
The number of deer harvested in northern St. Louis County during the recently concluded 16-day firearms deer season increased 20% from last year, according to Minnesota Deparment of Natural Resources statistics.