September 21, 1998 - Pollution that that has killed tens of thousands of fish in a southern Minnesota creek is spreading slowly downstream toward the Minnesota River. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is investigating to see if a pipe leak reported September 14th by a vegetable processor in Montgomery is the main cause of the fish kill. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports. Around 15 miles of Sand Creek-- a tributary that flows north to the Minnesota River--are now contaminated. What DNR officials describe as a "black slug" water has moved downstream from Montgomery and is now a few m
September 18, 1998 - Margaret Mee pronouncer---make sure to say the name Mee clearly so it doesn't sound like Mead, as in Margaret Mead the famous anthropologist. Environmental advocacy can take many forms. While some lobby government, and others chain themselves to bulldozers... Margaret Mee used watercolors. She was an English botanical artist who explored the Amazon Basin for rare flowers and painted them in their natural settings. An exhibit of her work opens tomorrow at the University of Minnesota's Bell Museum of Natural History. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.
September 16, 1998 - The state patrol arrested two activists this morning in the protest against the rerouting of Highway 55 in Minneapolis. Members of Earth First! and other groups have been camped (out) in the path of the proposed highway expansion for more than a month, but today marked the first arrests. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports. Officers arrested two men who had chained themselves to heavy equipment. The bulldozers were sent there to remove water and gas connections to houses condemned to make way for the highway. Earth First! and other groups including the American Indian Movement, the Indiginous Environmental Network, and the Mendota Dakota have
September 1, 1998 - The airport isn't the only place that's unusually quiet due to the Northwest Pilots strike. Residents---both human and non-human--- of areas near the runways are getting a respite from jet noise as Northwest planes sit idle. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports. out: this is long meadow lake, long meadow lake is about a 2 thousand acre wetland and a wide variety of wildlife use it, waterfowl, waterbirds, it's just a great area.
June 10, 1998 - Scott County and the city of Savage have abandoned their plan to extend a highway through a rare wetland known as the Savage Fen. The proposed road was blocked by the state Department of Natural Resources in order to protect the wetland and its rare and threatened plants. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports. SFX bird sound The Savage wetland is what scientists call a
June 3, 1998 - In the years since the first reports about the disappearance of frogs worldwide, many researchers have warned the plight of amphibians may be an early sign of environmental problems that could affect humans. More recent reports of DEFORMED frogs have added to these concerns. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure has the final report in our series on vanishing frogs. Around the world, frogs are disappearing for reasons scientists don't understand. Now, that mystery has a new twist---the DEFORMED frogs first reported in Minnesota in 1995, and later from many other states.
June 3, 1998 - An MPR special on the environmental implications of the deformed and declining populations of frogs. Ron Heyer, Curator of Amphibians & Reptiles at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and the Chair of the Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force, discusses the issue and answers listener questions. Program begins with a report from MPR’s Mary Losure, who interviews various experts in the science community.
June 1, 1998 - Frogs and toads have lived on earth for more than 100 million years. They survived whatever extinguished the dinosaurs, yet in our age, they seem to be vanishing. In a three part series beginning today, Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure examines this scientific mystery. It's a detective story in which the victims are frogs, not people--but people may have a big stake in the mystery's solution. Amphibians are sensitive indicators of environmental problems. If we can find out what's killing frogs, we may also learn if it will someday harm us.
May 19, 1998 - The environmental safety of the Koch Refinery is in question again. Concerns about possible health risks from air emmissions from the refinery have delayed the company's request for a new air quality permit. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency citizens board plans to take a second look at a massive study that assured local citizens the air around Koch's Rosemount refinery was safe to breathe. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports. Koch Refining Company's request for a new, flexible air quality permit had already been under intense scrutiny because of the company's poor environmental track record. The permit could allow Koch t
May 19, 1998 - [note: Koch signed late Monday afternoon so this story is good for Tuesday m.e.] Officials for the Koch Refining Company will take their request for a new, flexible air quality permit before the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency citizens board today, for a second time. The permit could allow the company to expand operations at its Rosemount Refinery, at a time when it's under increasing fire for widespread contamination in Minnesota and in other states. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports. Koch Refining Company's request for a new air quality permit first went to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency citizen