Recent content from Greg Stanley
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.
Surprising mercury pollution improvements in Minnesota lakes raise questions, give hope
Scientists are rethinking how much local efforts might pay off.
Minnesota ranchers in wolf range to get help to protect livestock
The latest round of grants from the state Department of Agriculture will help ranchers build pens and fences, and buy guard donkeys
Minnesota's cleaned-up lakes, rivers show a path forward
Eagan proves it's far easier to shield lakes from pollutants than to clean them up, but it can be done.
As winters warm, Minnesota lakes have lost about two weeks of ice coverage over last 50 years
Lakes are freezing later and thawing earlier.
Minnesota's forests at risk as invasive jumping worms spread
The worms, which lay waste to soil, have spread to forests throughout the Twin Cities area.
Bernadette Christiansen, leader at the Guthrie Theater and McKnight Foundation, dies at 63
Christiansen died Nov. 8 at the age of 63.
Minnesota's river giants steadily returning after dams removed
Paddlefish and sturgeon are finding breeding grounds they haven't been able to reach for a century.
How many of Minnesota's plants and animals can survive in small pockets of old forests?
Researchers aim to find how many species can live in small fragments of the state's old Big Woods.
Are Minnesota's creek restorations working?
Researchers hope to find out by studying restored creeks over several years.
MPCA to ask hundreds of businesses to begin monitoring for PFAS
The voluntary monitoring, which will focus not only on finding and reducing contamination in rivers and lakes, but also identifying sources of air, soil and groundwater pollution, would begin this winter.
State adds more than 300 polluted lakes, rivers to impaired waters list
The most common problems in recent years have sprouted from pollutants that have many sources, including some from miles away or even from out of state, which makes them especially daunting to regulate.
Gov. Tim Walz appoints Katrina Kessler to head Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
The agency veteran replaces Laura Bishop, who resigned in July.
Police: Farmington man killed his mother, father and brother
Prosecutors say there is no known motive for the violence.
Minnesota's drought shows signs of easing with steady rain
For the first time since spring, more than 1/10th of the state — primarily in southwestern Minnesota — is no longer abnormally dry. The north still is seeing dry conditions.
Twin Metals appeals rejected permits for mining rights near Boundary Waters
The federal government recently rejected pending lease rights and prospecting permit applications.
Minnesota Zoo tests vaccine against spread of emerging deer virus
The virus killed four reindeer last year, as well as dozens of wild white tailed deer.
Nature Conservancy to expand protected wetlands to save Minnesota turtles
Why did the threatened Blanding's turtle cross the road? Soon, you won't have to ask.
Who or what is killing the bass in Green Lake?
Several dead fish with large wounds have raised concerns that an old fight is back.
Minnesota DNR to accept public comments on mining rules near Boundary Waters
The comments are part of a court-ordered review related to the proposed Twin Metals mine near Ely.
Contaminated drinking water found in Andover, Gem Lake
State officials are investigating the sources and scope of the leaks.
A trout stream struggles in Minnesota farm country
Irrigation pumps up crops but threatens state's rivers and streams.
![The Minnesota River in July 2020 at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington. ] RENEE JONES SCHNEIDER renee.jones@startribune.com](https://chorus.stimg.co/22858004/ows_f19a07ce_4143_4a9c_bd1a_06975dfb49d8.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Drought offers rare chance to study phosphorus pollution from Minnesota sewers
Stricter discharge limits have never been tested under low river conditions.
Edina police: Missing toddler last seen near Rosland Park
Edina police are searching for a 2½-year-old girl last seen near Rosland Park on 66th Street.The girl, Iklas Abdullahi Ahmed, has been missing since around…
Minneapolis lifeguards pulled two boys out of Lake Nokomis
The boys, 10 and 14, were in critical condition Monday night
Ban on common insecticide will force Minnesota soybean farmers to find alternatives
Chlorpyrifos, widely used on soybeans, found to pose risks to children, fetuses.
![A fox crosses a Minneapolis street, in front of a woman on a walk with her dog Wednesday, June 27, 2018, in Minneapolis, MN.]
DAVID JOLES • david](https://chorus.stimg.co/22824931/merlin_50894830.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Are more wild animals moving into Minnesota's cities?
Drought conditions may embolden animals looking for food in the urban core.
David Preus, Lutheran bishop and pastor, dies at 99
At the height of the Cold War, David Preus led a Lutheran delegation into East Germany. The World War II veteran and longtime Twin Cities…
Drought at levels not seen in Minn. since 1988, the Dust Bowl
The DNR put much of the state in a 'restrictive phase' on Wednesday.
![Visitors swim in White Bear Lake, where the lake has receded from the shore at White Bear Lake County Park. ] LEILA NAVIDI • leila.navidi@startribun](https://chorus.stimg.co/22753524/ows_e1bcfd11_2ae5_47ab_a19f_f4e25cbba365.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
White Bear Lake receding again as Minnesota drought worsens
Years after DNR fight, drought could trigger White Bear Lake restrictions.
River levels fall as drought worsens throughout Minnesota
The enduring drought spells growing trouble for the waterways of Minnesota.
Oak wilt reaches Crow Wing County, putting Minnesota's northern trees at risk
It's the farthest north the disease has been found.
Lawmakers seek $350 million a year to restore Mississippi
The proposal would create a federal program that would award grants to states, tribes and local organizations for projects throughout the Mississippi watershed from the headwaters at Lake Itasca to the dead zone where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
Fears of a brutal fire season as drought threatens Minn. trees
Without rain, state's trees helpless against fires. And more wildfires had already broken out across the state by mid-June than in all of last year.
Minnesota measure bans 'forever chemicals' in food packaging
The enormous reach of the proposed environment deal stretches from the Northwoods to farm fields to microplastic bits in the water — and it adds a 60th state forest.
Minnesota researcher makes the case to stop invasive carp at a lock and dam near Winona
The proposal to fortify the lock and dam brings excitement and skepticism.
Wolverines at Minnesota Zoo give birth to rare litter
The rare animals, wiped out of much for the Lower 48, are extremely difficult to breed.
Minnesota freshwater lakes are rapidly losing oxygen as temperatures climb
The problem has been affecting lakes in just about every temperate climate in the world.
Gilberto Vázquez Valle, KFAI host and lover of Latin American folk music, dies at 63
Gilberto Vázquez Valle, a longtime Twin Cities radio host on KFAI, guided listeners on Thursday nights through folk songs of Latin America. He saw folk…
Mini-State Fair event brings thousands, sense of normalcy
About 70,000 people attended this mini-State Fair, a fundraiser that ended Memorial Day to help the fair and some of its vendors recoup losses from the pandemic-canceled 2020 event.
Impasse over 'clean cars' rule continues to hold up Minnesota environmental funding
Millions of dollars for environmental efforts around the state remains in limbo.
New kind of wheat draws pollutants from soil, water
The perennial wheat Kernza was grown just west of Brainerd on a few acres immediately surrounding wells within corn and soybean fields. Over the past three years, it cut nitrate contamination from the cornfields by 96% and from soybeans by 86%.
U looks to wastewater plants to recover farmland fertilizer
Reusing the phosphorus would cut pollution.
Minnesota 'clean cars' rules may move forward
An administrative law judge said the MPCA has clear authority to adopt rules that address air pollution. Auto dealers and Republican state senators had objected.
Senate Republicans threaten to cut state parks funding over 'clean cars' rule
Senate Republicans say the emissions rules should have come before the Legislature.
As bats continue to die off, St. Cloud plans to transform old sewer into bat cave
Rerouting the sewer could give the bats habitat for a comeback.
Threatened Minnesota cactus species could be saved with relocation effort
Both surviving clusters of cactuses are in active granite quarries. But they could be relocated.
Minn. program added acres of bee, pollinator habitat
Minnesota homeowners have taken $58,000 from a new state program and used it to plant nearly eight football fields worth of pollinator gardens, meadows and…
Despite curfew, fifth night of Brooklyn Center protest ends with no dispersal
Late Thursday, only a few people remained from a earlier crowd of about 1,000 that had gathered outside police headquarters for a fifth night of protests over the killing of Daunte Wright.
Reflecting sunlight would cool the earth, but Minnesota researchers find far-reaching consequences
Tiny particles would mimic the emissions of volcanic eruptions to reflect sunlight and heat.
First collar video from wild Minnesota wolf shows fishing skills, adaptability
How exactly do lone wolves spend warm spring days?
Nearly 30 invasive carp pulled from Mississippi River in herding operation
State and federal agencies hunted the carp for first time in Minnesota waters.
Roadside fences show promise for reducing Minnesota turtle fatalities
Turtle populations have been falling for years, in large part due to traffic.
Lawmakers consider banning state's most widely used pesticide
The proposal to ban chlorpyrifos comes as federal regulators review its safety.
Minnesota cities seek power to ban certain pesticides amid pollinator collapse
Bees, butterflies have seen their natural habitats plummet.
Minnesota lawmakers may end commercial turtle harvest
About 10,000 painted and snapping turtles are captured and sold each year.
Lead contamination found in 7% of donated Minnesota venison
Fragments were found in 7% of carcasses since 2008, or 6,700 pounds of meat in past decade.
Insecticide known for killing pollinators found in deer across Minnesota
More research is needed to determine threat to deer populations.
As Minnesota considers wolf hunt, Wisconsin hunters blow past quotas
Wisconsin hunters killed nearly double their wolf quota in a three-day season.
