May 31, 1993 - Mainstreet Radio’s Leif Enger reports on the debate over walleye stocking in the lakes of Minnesota. The DNR used to pride itself on its walleye stocking program with more than 1,200 lakes on the list. It's the largest such effort in the country…but some biologists believe the hatcheries may be a waste of time and money.
June 23, 1993 - Mainstreet Radio’s Leif Enger profiles Bob Lessard, a Minnesota state senator known for his strong environmental and natural resource stances. His views have supporters and critics from both ends of the ecological debate in northern Minnesota.
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 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.
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.