September 4, 1995 - MPR’s Mary Losure reports on the symphony of different sounds that make up insect calls in summer days and nights. Includes a sampling of sound and matching identifiers.
September 18, 1995 - MPR’s Catherine Winter visits Vince Shute’s Place, an area outside of Orr, Minnesota. It’s where bears find refuge and food, thanks to humans…but not without concern and debate from wildlife officials.
October 13, 1995 - Mainstreet Radio’s Leif Enger reports on researchers trying to figure the reason for the smaller than expected annual moose count in Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge. If disease is the culprit, where are the bodies? It may come down to human error.
March 20, 1996 - With many fish hatcheries planning to stop stocking Lake Trout in Lake Superior after 1996, MPR’s Marianne Combs reports on the status of fish species and concerns over the obstacles fish still face in repopulating the lake.
April 8, 1996 - Don Arnosti, state director of Minnesota Chapter of the National Audubon Society, provides insights into the status of biodiversity in the state. Topics include Minnesota prairies, forests, and food crops.
April 22, 1996 - Mainstreet Radio’s Mark Steil reports that some citizens in southeast Minnesota are upset the Department of Natural Resources has spent a million dollars to buy a farm bordering the Mississippi River. DNR officials counter the land is worth protecting, calling it a scenic treasure state residents will be able to enjoy forever.
July 4, 1996 - Mainstreet Radio’s Rachel Reabe visited Itasca State Park in northern Minnesota as part of a report that years of bare bones budgets have taken their toll on Minnesota's park system. Officials say the resources and facilities are being neglected, as funding for parks has not kept pace with popularity.
July 6, 1996 - Every year, half a million people visit Itasca State Park near Bemidji. They go to see the headwaters of the Mississippi and to walk in groves of huge, old pines that have been growing since long before white settlers arrived in Minnesota. But the old growth forests in Itasca State Park are facing a serious threat…an explosion of pine bark beetles threatens to wipe out EVERY old growth pine in the park.
September 20, 1996 - Joanne Benson, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, discusses plans for “Minnesota Clean-up Day” and ongoing efforts in addressing pollution of Minnesota River.
October 21, 1996 - Less than a century ago, millions of acres of North America were covered with prairie, vast grasslands that were home to bison, wolves, and prairie chickens. Today, less than one tenth of one per cent of that prairie remains. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working on the Tallgrass Prairie Project, a plan to buy and protect some of what little prairie is left.