Dust in the wind (spreads toxic algae)
Pristine lakes in remote parts of Minnesota — and around the country — are beginning to suffer from blooms of toxic algae, and scientists are piecing together a troubling answer as to why. >>
Minneapolis parks are getting the wrong kind of blooms
The Parks Department is warning of potentially toxic algae blooms in some of Minneapolis's most-loved lakes. Here's what you need to know. >>
Bake for the river: Kernza in your kitchen
For the first time ever, home bakers can get their oven mitts on Kernza flour, a delicious and river-friendly perennial grain. Let us know if you try it out! >>
Growing diversity for climate resiliency in Minneapolis riverfront forests
In a gravel-bed nursery that captures stormwater at the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization’s office, we’re growing tree species predicted to do well as Minnesota's climate warms. These bare-root trees will be ready to plant at our habitat restoration sites this fall, where they’ll strengthen the resiliency of our riverfront canopy. >>
New Pig's Eye Lake islands on the way!
From road work to new buildings, construction projects are a constant for most Twin Cities residents. Soon, a new type of project is coming to St. Paul: seven small islands within Pig's Eye Lake.
We look forward to their benefits for wildlife, reduced erosion and climate change research. >>
Uncertainty amid promise of agriculture climate solutions (Yale 360)
As policymakers and advocates look to croplands to sequester carbon, a recent article from Yale 360 points out that flows of greenhouse gases into and out of soil are complex, and outcomes can be uncertain. >>
The flood forecast
A waterlogged 2019 makes for a floody 2020. Here's what Minnesota is gearing up for as the spring melt approaches. >>
Gov. Tim Walz forms climate sub-cabinet
Minnesota is falling short of meeting its climate change goals. A new government initiative seeks to re-energize state efforts and build momentum toward a better future. >>
FMR ecologist makes the cover of Science for earthworm research
FMR ecologist Alex Roth's earthworm research made it on the cover of the highly regarded professional journal Science at the end of October, the same journal that published the human genome for the first time. >>
The end of ethanol: Future-proofing Minnesota’s cropland
The electric vehicle transition will happen, and it has huge implications for American farms (not to mention opportunities for water quality). In the electrified world of 2050, demand for corn ethanol will have plummeted, and the agricultural economy will be nothing like the one you know today. If we invest in innovative clean-water crops now, we can improve the long-term outlook for our state’s rural economic prosperity and for our river. >>