Stars aligned: Voyageurs National Park receives prestigious Dark Sky designation
Northern Minnesota’s National Park follows Boundary Waters in being certified by international organization.
Pollution
Keeping the skies clear in canoe country
Distant sources of air pollution affect visibility and ecology in the Boundary Waters and beyond — efforts are underway to help.
Superfluous stars: Boundary Waters gets rare “Dark Sky” designation
BWCAW awarded prestigious Dark Sky status from international organization concerned with light pollution.
Court rules that Minnesota pollution regulators obeyed law when working on PolyMet permit
Decision in lawsuit finds that agency tried to keep criticisms from public, but did not violate any statutes.
Rainy River restored after decades of abuse
Once badly polluted, the river that drains much of the Quetico-Superior region now boasts clean water and good fishing.
Baby dragonflies serve as sentinels for toxins in National Park waters
Citizens and scientists work together to collect larvae and measure mercury levels.
DNR rejects initial Twin Metals mine proposal as ‘incomplete’
State responds to first environmental review submission with long list of questions and concerns.
Flashback: A New Yorker tried to mine copper inside the Boundary Waters
George St. Clair’s efforts to exercise mineral rights he had inherited set off battles in the courts, the newspapers, and legislative bodies from St. Paul to Washington, D.C.
Numerous lakes and streams in northeastern Minnesota available for citizen monitoring
Volunteers are vital to measure how clear lakes and streams are, providing valuable information to track long-term health.
Federal court upholds Twin Metals mineral leases
Major blow to wilderness protection comes as judge rules in favor of reversal, restoring leases to company seeking to mine at edge of Boundary Waters.
Oil spill penalties will help protect Minnesota loons by promoting lead-free fishing tackle
Fines paid by BP for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill will help fund Minnesota’s expanded “Get the Lead Out” program to reduce loons deaths from lead poisoning.
PolyMet water permit court proceedings examine actions by regulators
Witnesses and additional evidence were examined after the Court of Appeals ordered a hearing into how state and federal officials worked together to convey concerns over mining pollution.
Minnesota court throws out key PolyMet permits in win for environmental interests
Court of Appeals finds that the DNR was wrong to deny a hearing over the mining and dam safety permits for proposed copper-nickel project in northeastern Minnesota.
More water bodies in northeast Minnesota fail state pollution standards
State agency finds many lakes and streams are contaminated by pollutants across the Boundary Waters, northern Minnesota region.
Microplastics found in Boundary Waters may threaten wilderness wildlife
Researchers find plastic particles at numerous sites in the wilderness, confirming another way humans are affecting the wilderness and its ecosystem.
Measuring dark night skies in Quetico-Superior a first step in light pollution protection
Wilderness rangers recently traveled through Quetico and Boundary Waters to take measurements of the night skies are, as regional efforts get underway to recognize and preserve its darkness.
PolyMet project put on hold while court considers permitting ‘irregularities’
Controversial copper mine in northern Minnesota will have to wait to move forward until courts consider possible agency cover-up.
Twin Metals proposes using “dry stacking” mine waste storage technique
Company announces change in plans to avoid using traditional, less safe waste storage technique that nearby PolyMet proposal will use. Some environmental groups have promoted dry stacking but questions remain.
EPA releases PolyMet water quality comments, begins internal investigation of possible cover-up
Environmental advocates pressure federal agency to make public the comments it only communicated verbally to state officials.
Lawsuits move forward against both major Minnesota copper mine proposals
Lawyers for environmental groups argued last week that Twin Metals’ mineral leases should never have been renewed, and that PolyMet’s land exchange was a bad deal for the public.