Think small and local: Young farmers creating new food systems in northeastern Minnesota
A new generation of small growers is stepping into the complex world of farming. They hope to change our fragile agricultural systems.
A new generation of small growers is stepping into the complex world of farming. They hope to change our fragile agricultural systems.
The refinements announced on Tuesday include a new definition of a “wild rice water” and adjustments to an equation that determines a “protective sulfate concentration.”
The number of Cook County’s residents with solar electric systems is roughly 10 times the statewide average, says Department of Commerce.
MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine said he has set the permit work aside to concentrate staff efforts on developing a standard for sulfate in wild rice waters.
Laura Gauger was living in northwestern Wisconsin when a small copper mine was built near Ladysmith. Now she’s written a booklet comparing the now-closed mine to PolyMet’s planned mine.
In comments submitted to the MPCA, environmental officials at the Fond du Lac and Grand Portage bands pointed out that the water permit does not set specific limits for sulfate, mercury, copper, nickel, zinc or cobalt in water leaving the mine site.
If Philip Cook’s thesis – that small fibers matter — is accepted by other experts in the field, it could ultimately prompt the government to tighten workplace safety standards.
The sampling was to be done on U.S. Forest Service land, and the project was given a green light by Superior National Forest officials.
They’re on a quest to find out which of the fabled North Shore streams are likeliest to be successful homes for brook trout in a warming climate.
Earth Economics conducted the study, which was commissioned by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
The chief concern is about the potential for acid runoff from exposed sulfur-bearing rock.
A new permit would require Minntac to cut back on its sulfate emissions, but the MPCA recently decided to allow Minntac to continue operating under its expired permit for now.
At the river’s beginning, the margins of land and water meld as the river meanders through bogs and wetlands that purify water, control flooding and grow wild rice.
Questions abound about details of what’s ahead; officials said testing in 1,300 lakes and rivers for iron and carbon content is in progress.
A landowner near Duluth hires horse loggers to selectively cut aging aspen, fostering the growth of young maples and oaks.
It will be a 10-year, $1 million-plus project, says wildlife biologist Mike Schrage – and that’s if everything goes well. He is asking for state money from the lottery to research the idea.
Environmental groups and a Chippewa band are criticizing the MPCA’s plan to allow the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District to continue discharging the pollutants.
Scientists are also concerned that a recent ruling could cause Congress to make an end run around the Endangered Species Act, as it did in 2011.
Researchers were unable to sort out which type of fiber exposure was correlated to mesothelioma.
Northshore Mining wants to expand its Peter Mitchell taconite pit south of Babbitt into an area that contains sulfur-bearing rock.
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By Stephanie Hemphill
Oct. 31, 2014