Recent content from Greg Stanley
Minnesota bans commercial turtle trapping after 20-year effort
About 20 commercial trappers took 10,000 wild turtles a year.
Minnesota voters will decide whether to keep using lottery dollars for environmental restoration
A constitutional amendment will be on the ballot in 2024 to use 40% of lottery dollars on the environment.
Air quality alert issued for Minnesota as smoke from dozens of wildfires covers state
Air pollution will reach dangerous levels until Friday morning
Lawmakers reach historic deal on environment, climate, energy
The bill features a broad ban on PFAS and $1 billion in new spending for environment and energy projects.
Minnesota set to close state park, return land to Dakota tribe
A bill at the Legislature aims to return historic homelands that now make up Upper Sioux Agency State Park.
Minnesota leads U.S. in wild bird deaths caused by avian flu
This year, the number of cases has fallen significantly in the state and across the U.S.
Minn. gas station owners ignored leak for more than a month, MPCA says
A resident near the gas station in Elgin, Minn., smelled gasoline from his faucet. A trout stream was also polluted.
Hungry Minnesota bear gets a little too close with wildlife biologist
Alexander Aman captured the encounter on video.
Flooding begins as record-setting snowfall melts into state's rivers
Gov. Tim Walz signed a bill Monday moving $40 million into a disaster assistance fund for immediate use.
'Astonishingly large' swings between floods, droughts common in Minnesota
Climate change has made rain and snowfall more intense.
How bad will spring flooding be in Minnesota? 5 key questions answered — and a silver lining
After a winter of record-setting snow, a predicted warmup next week will send water into every river basin.
Compromise deal aims to keep White Bear Lake from drying up
The study could help save an overpumped aquifer that has been draining the lake.
Minnesota lawmakers consider steeper fines for violating limits on water use
The proposals follow revelations of excessive water use by farmers and others during the 2021 drought.
Record number of invasive silver carp caught in upper Mississippi
Commercial fishermen pulled up the carp this week near Winona. The catch shows that the invasive fish are on the cusp of becoming intractable in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Chances of major flooding still high in Stillwater, Red Wing, forecast says
Slow melting in the next 7-10 days could ease the flood threat, the National Weather Service outlook said.
An 'uncommon common man': Minnesotans mourn Bud Grant
To those who knew him and those who didn't, Bud Grant was a quintessential Minnesotan.
Lakes vulnerable to toxic algae blooms can be seen from space, EPA scientists say
A pigment in dangerous bacteria can help forecast outbreaks before they start.
The MPCA was supposed to limit nitrates a decade ago. Officials say they can't
Studies have found that more than 70% of Minnesota's nitrate pollution comes from agriculture. Less than 10% comes from point sources such as wastewater treatment plants, that MPCA could regulate, leaders say.
DNR: Bottled water plant proposed for Elko New Market poses no threat to environment
The agency doesn't believe a California-based company's plans to bottle and sell up to 310 million gallons a year will have a significant impact.
Minnesota's drought is finally easing under deep snow cover
The state is off to one of the snowiest starts to a year in decades.
Fighting drought, potato farmers in northern Minnesota overdrew their water permits by tens of millions of gallons
They likely face few consequences, because of laws that one regulator says are inadequate.
Rush Creek fish kill likely caused by manure, pesticide runoff, MPCA says
No single culprit was found in a seven-month investigation into what killed more than 2,500 fish.
Winona County feedlot sues nonprofit members, public officials over expansion denial
Daley Farm says the process wasn't fair. Opponents say the lawsuit is an intimidation tactic.
2040 carbon-free energy bill advances to Walz for signature
The state Senate narrowly approved a requirement along party lines that utilities meet escalating carbon cuts over the next 17 years. The House passed the bill last week.
Minnesota counties are changing logging rules to protect endangered bats
Aitkin and Carlton counties are the first in Minnesota to update logging plans with northern long-eared bats in mind.
When humans kill a single wolf, it can decimate an entire wolf pack
The ripple effect from the killing of wolves by humans was less apparent when they die of natural causes.
DNR: Blaine operated wells without a permit, leaving some homeowners dry
The city says it thought it had permits for four wells, not just one.
Minnesota finalizes plan to keep wolf population stable
The state aims to keep the population at 2,200 to 3,000 wolves.
What the U.N.'s biodiversity agreement means for Minnesota
The U.S. did not sign the agreement, but the Biden administration supports the goals.
Why does Minnesota have so many lakes?
Minnesota's landscape has been transformed much more than its neighbors, even those once covered by glaciers.
Bottled water plant planned for south metro would triple water usage
Elko New Market residents have raised concerns about the plant, which would draw water from the Prairie Du Chien-Jordan aquifer.
After coexisting for millennia, beetles now eating away Minnesota's tamarack trees
Tamaracks were once the most common trees across Minnesota, but climate change has made them vulnerable to the eastern larch beetle's voracious appetite.
Mass extinctions are happening. Can they be stopped?
Three years after a U.N. report found that more than 1 million species are at risk of extinction, scientists conservationists and government representatives will gather this week in Montreal to decide on a plan to stop a stunning loss of plant and animal life around the globe.
Minnesota's northern long-eared bats added to endangered species list
Two other hibernating bat species are likely not far behind.
A wild turkey home invasion and other strange encounters: Readers tell their own stories
Readers responded to the Star Tribune's account of the recovery of the once threatened species.
Fungus likely cause of goose and duck die-off in southern Minnesota
The DNR ruled out viral causes, including bird flu, after the birds were found dead in Waseca.
From nearly extinct to occasional nuisance, the fall and rise of Minnesota's wild turkeys
Once nearly extinct, the wild turkey has become one of the United States' biggest conservation success stories. Flocks in Minnesota are now so comfortable that they verge on becoming a nuisance.
This otherworldly fish in Minn. survived the fall of the dinosaurs — but is struggling now
Paddlefish have survived in Minnesota for 125 million years, but dams and pollution threaten the silent, toothless river giants of the Mississippi and its tributaries.
The fate of a rare songbird depends on Minnesota's forests
Minnesota's forests are one of the few significant breeding grounds left for the golden-winged warbler. Now the question is whether conservationists can manage trees and shrubs in a way that will allow the birds' population to grow.
How you can help Minnesota's most endangered animals and plants
Across the state, people are taking measures to save vulnerable species at risk of extinction. Here's what you can do.
This butterfly disappeared from Minnesota. Biologists now fight to save the last few in the world
Beginning in the early 2000s, the Poweshiek skipperling population suddenly cratered in Minnesota, for reasons that aren't yet fully clear. Researchers at the Minnesota Zoo are part of a last-ditch effort to stop the species from dying out.
A bipartisan bill in Congress could mark a new chapter in the fight to preserve wildlife
The plan would spend $1.4B a year to save species.
Coordinated hunt for silver carp in Minnesota and Wisconsin comes up empty
But the invasive fish are still out there.
Destruction in southwest Florida hits home for many Minnesotans
Minnesota has deep ties to the region, and volunteers were poised to help.
Its habitat decimated, this charismatic Minnesota bird is dancing on the edge of oblivion
Minnesota's prairie chickens were once so abundant their flocks cast shadows on the ground. But like so many other species, they're dying out.
Nearly all Minn. deer exposed to pesticides tied to pollinator die-off
The pesticides, called neonicotinoids, were found in deer spleens collected from across the state.
Three dead, two wounded in shooting on St. Paul's East Side
Three people were shot and killed and two more wounded Sunday on St. Paul's East Side, and police were searching for suspects.
Endangered mussels reproducing in Minnesota's Cedar River for first time in decades
The black sandshell and mucket mussels have been thriving since being reintroduced by the DNR in 2019.
Minnesota investigators talk to more than 100 landowners about Rush Creek fish kill
More than 2,500 fish, mostly prized brown trout, may have been killed by contaminated runoff.
5 changes Minnesotans will likely see from the historic climate bill
The Inflation Reduction Act has the potential to transform the way we drive, heat our homes and grow our food.
At least 2,500 fish killed in southeastern Minnesota's Rush Creek
The die-off marks the third massive fish kill in the area in recent years.
Prior Lake man held in Apple River stabbings that killed Stillwater teen
St. Croix County Sheriff's Office says suspect is in custody after stabbing five people, one of whom died. The other four were in critical condition.
Parts of Minnesota slip back into severe drought
Minneapolis and St. Paul had one of their driest Junes on record.
Former wrestling coach found not guilty of two sexual assault charges
Mustafa Shabazz, 45, was acquitted by two juries — one in Hennepin County, which wrapped up in June, and the other verdict this week in Scott County.
Minnesota DNR to remove dam on troubled trout stream
The state will remove its gates to correct an error of the past and, perhaps, inch toward a resolution to a decade-old fight pitting the water needs of agricultural irrigation against fishing and aquatic life.
A year later, some Andover residents still waiting for solution to polluted drinking wells
There are no signs that more than 50 Anoka County homeowners will be able to use their faucets anytime soon.
As species hangs in balance, what Minnesota's wolves can teach America
Minnesota has about as many wolves as the rest of the Lower 48 states combined, and is the only state outside Alaska to never exterminate them. The mysterious predators and the people who live alongside them hold the secrets to coexisting and show just how much more there is to learn.
State of Wolves: Learn more
Read up on wolves, follow them on social media or see some in person at places around Minnesota.
5 key takeaways about wolves in Minnesota
Minnesota's wolves have played a big role in research and the species' recovery.
Minnesota's wolves to be featured in new Disney, National Geographic documentary
The series, called "America the Beautiful," is available starting July 4.
Man shot and killed after argument in south Minneapolis
A man in his 30s was shot and killed Monday afternoon in south Minneapolis.Police believe a group of four people, who all knew each other,…
Minnesota plans to keep its wolf population stable, if federal protections are lifted
No decision has been made on future hunting seasons.
Four cities to test wells after audit raises pollution concerns
The Legislature gave $200,000 to the central Minnesota city of Paynesville, which will hire a firm and work with the cities of Alexandria, Blaine and Foley to test the sites of four known petroleum leaks.
A new forest takes root in a fire-scarred landscape in northern Minnesota
The Nature Conservancy planted 130,000 trees to help the woods recover.
Star Tribune's 'Unsettled' series named Pulitzer finalist
Poetry collection published by Minneapolis-based Graywolf Press wins Pulitzer.
Minnesota lawmakers consider allowing bigger, heavier ATVs
A proposed law would allow ATVs to be as heavy as some sedans.
Minnesota survey shows communities have made little progress in preparing for climate change
Only a small percentage have taken action on plans to adapt to a warming world.
Judge rejects DNR severe water restrictions around White Bear Lake
The order came in a long-running lawsuit over the depletion of the lake.
Avian flu causing unprecedented deaths in wild Minnesota birds
This strain of influenza has proven nearly always fatal to owls, eagles, hawks and other raptors and is unprecedented in size, scope and harm done to wild birds. The virus poses little threat to humans.
Minnesota bears may be fat and happy, rather than at risk
It's possible bears are growing so fast that their teeth are no longer accurate measures of reproductive age.
Minn. lawmakers would ban new captive deer farms to prevent spread of chronic wasting disease
Current trophy farm owners would be able to keep and pass their businesses down one generation.
Minnesota lawmakers want to ask voters to approve 25 more years of environmental fund
Lottery proceeds have supported $700 million worth of projects over the years.
Steady snow, rainfall lifted much of Minnesota out of drought
Drought in northern Minnesota is still severe, but conditions are greatly improved.
Does water really only flow out of Minnesota — not into it?
A rare intersection of North America's continental divides on the Iron Range has a big impact on the flow of water in the region.
Drastic water-use changes proposed to steady White Bear Lake levels
State regulators say court order would require them to limit people to 55 gallons of water per day, and cut off other water users such as schools and businesses altogether.
