July 28, 2003 - When Voyageurs National Park was created in 1975, there were still thousands of acres of private land within park boundaries. Voyaguers is in far nothern Minnesota nestled along some of the largest border lakes. The federal government immediately began buying up the privately held land. Home and cabin owners were forced to sell. But they were given a choice. Some sold their property outright. Many more purchased 25-year leases so they could stay longer. About 50 of those leases end this year. One of them is held by Norbert and Etta Jean Goulet. The elderly couple has been living alone on a small island on Rainy Lake for 40 years. Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson talked to the Goulets as they prepare to leave behind their pioneer island lifestyle.
August 1, 2003 - In most city neighborhoods, much of the rainwater that hits roofs, patios, driveways is shunted to storm sewers. From there, it washes pollution into rivers, lakes, and streams. But in the Fulton neighborhood of Minneapolis, a few hardy gardeners are taking steps to change that. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.
August 8, 2003 - The people in the cars whizzing over the Twin Cities' Mississippi River bridges this morning may not realize that they're passing over a National Park site. But they are. The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area consists of seventy-two miles of the Father of Waters and a host of parks, trails, and historic sites along the riverbanks in the Twin Cities area. This weekend, the National Park Service celebrates the opening of a visitor center in downtown Saint Paul to help acquaint people with the attractions along the National River. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports....
August 8, 2003 - Remember what happened at Alexandria, MN earlier this summer, at Roseau, MN last June, in the Twin Cities in the Spring of 2001, and all over the state in April of 1997, floods. Minnesota is subject to two kinds of flooding, that due to rapid and abundant spring snow melt, and that due to persistent and intense thunderstorm rainfalls.
August 11, 2003 - A team of paleontologists and geologists have just begun a dig in an area of Montana that hasn't been excavated in at least 100 years. Kristi Curry Rogers, the curator of paleontology at the Science Museum of Minnesota, is part of the group. Earlier this year she helped to uncover evidence of cannibalism among dinosaurs. For the past week, Curry Rogers has excavated in a remote area of Montana known as the Missouri Breaks National Monument area. Curry Rogers says site has potential to be a very useful and important area for paleontology.
August 12, 2003 - A new round of soil testing is underway at the St. Regis Superfund site on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation. The former St. Regis wood treatment plant operated near downtown Cass Lake for about 30 years. The plant left behind cancer-causing chemicals in the soil and water. The federal government has been working to clean up the mess since the mid-1980s. But the site is still contaminated and poses a health risk to people living there. Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports...
August 13, 2003 - Elk farmers in Minnesota are facing tough times. The fear of Chronic Wasting Disease has cut into the market for elk meat. For some farmers new regulations to limit the spread of the disease prevents them from selling their animals at all. One central Minnesota elk farmer says he's found a way to make money in the struggling industry. But state officials say the farmer's approach is illegal and inhumane. Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post reports.
August 13, 2003 - Some areas in southern Minnesota are experiencing drought-like conditions, and farmers are beginning to worry about their crops. Weather patterns have left the south-western part of the state especially dry. Joining us on the line is Jeff Strock, a soil scientist with the University of Minnesota's Southwest Research and Outreach Center in Lamberton, Minnesota.
August 14, 2003 - For the last three days Missouri River levels have decreased by as much as a foot and a half. In July a federal judge ordered the change in level for the river in Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. The Army Corps of Engineers complied with the order just this week. Environmentalists call it a victory for endangered species. Mainstreet Radio's Cara Hetland reports:
August 15, 2003 - People in northern Minnesota are gearing up to fight alien invaders. Plants that don't belong in Minnesota's forests are creeping in. This weekend, about a dozen people will spend a day learning about non-native invasive plants. The U.S. Forest Service is hoping to create a small army of amateurs to help them keep the weeds under control. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. {