Story archive for
Mary Losure
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| Date |
Title |
Description |
| 08/08/2000 |
Endangered Falcons Make An Encouraging Comeback |
For the first time in 40 years, peregrine falcons are nesting and raising young on the cliffs along the upper Mississippi River. They're taking back nesting spots that have sat empty since peregrine falcons were nearly wiped out by the insecticide DDT. It's one of the final stages in the spectacular comeback of the once endangered birds. |
| 08/02/2000 |
A Longer Life for the Stillwater Bridge? |
The U.S. Department of the Interior now says that it opposes the removal of the Stillwater lift bridge after a new bridge opens. Its previous determination that the 1931 bridge be removed as environmental mitigation had driven a wedge between environmentalists and historic preservationists, and has been another hotly-contested issue in an already controversial project. For state transportation officials, however, keeping the bridge might just be too expensive. |
| 07/21/2000 |
Genetics' Next Frontier |
What's next on the genetic front? Transgenic livestock. Already, scientists are developing goats, sheep and dairy cows with transplanted genes for use in laboratories. Those animals are producing human pharmaceuticals in their milk, athough the products have not yet been approved for commercial use. |
| 07/14/2000 |
Last Chance for the Higgins' Eye |
Biologists on the upper Mississippi River are making a last ditch attempt to save a little-known endangered species: a small, mud-brown mussel known as the Higgins' Eye. Hoards of non-native zebra mussels infesting the Mississippi have devastated native mussel populations, and nearly wiped out the Higgins' Eye. Now, scientists are trying to evacuate the Higgins' Eye to tributaries of the upper Mississippi - places free of zebra mussels, where the native mussels can find refuge. |
| 07/04/2000 |
Changing Course: A Greener Corps? |
For the Army Corps of Engineers, the Mississippi River was usually seen as a navigation channel, not as an ecosytem. That may be changing as the government acknowledges its practices have harmed wildlife and damaged the river. But change for the Army Corps of Engineers doesn't come easily. |
| 06/19/2000 |
The Sins of Pig's Eye |
Some places are called landfills. Pig's Eye was a dump. Beginning in the 1950s, it was the unofficial drop-off point for more than a half-million tons of household junk, city garbage, lead acid batteries, barrels of toxic waste, and more. It's leaked pollution into nearby Pig's Eye Lake and the Mississippi River ever since. Now, the state is finally moving to try to contain the problem. |
| 05/23/2000 |
A Win for Wetlands |
Residents of the Phalen neighborhood on the east side of Saint Paul are celebrating a redevelopment project believed to be the first of its kind in the nation. They're dedicating what used to be a shopping mall. Now, it's being restored as a wetland. |
| 05/17/2000 |
Whose River? |
For years, Midwest environmentalists have fought to stop an Army Corps of Engineers' plan for the upper Mississippi River. The Corps wants to spend $1 billion expanding the river's lock-and-dam system, so barges can move more freely. Environmentalists worry increased barge traffic would hurt the Mississippi's rich backwaters, which are critical habitat for migrating birds and other wildlife. But in recent months, the Corps' plan has been tainted by scandal. Now, environmental groups say for the first time in years, they have a good shot at defeating it. |
| 05/16/2000 |
Session 2000: Wolf Bill Signed; Lawsuit Next? |
Governor Jesse Ventura has signed Minnesota's controversial wolf-management bill into law. The legislation could ease the way for wolves in Minnesota to be taken off the federal endangered species list. But it faces strong opposition from some environmental groups, who may take the issue to court. |
| 05/16/2000 |
Seeding the Future: Genetically Modified Organisms |
The debate over biotechnology seems to get louder with each passing month.Critics of bioengineered crops say they're a threat to consumers and the environment. Most scientists dismiss fears about the health risks of genetically-altered crops. But there is no scientific consensus when it comes to their environmental impact. |
| 03/29/2000 |
X-Rays Shed Light on Frog Deformities |
A study of X-rays taken of deformed frogs lends new support to the idea that there are many different causes for the frog deformities found in Minnesota and many other states. |
| 01/26/2000 |
A Shortage of Stone? |
A report to be released finds an explosion of special-interest money in Minnesota politics over the past few years. The study gives ammunition to campaign finance reform supporters, who argue the 2000 elections are likely to be the most expensive in Minnesota history. |
| 12/15/1999 |
Renville County's Lagoon Blues |
Big factory-style hog farming first came to Minnesota in the early 1990s. Farmers in Renville County were among the pioneers of the new technology. They built two of the biggest and most controversial hog farms in the state. The farms stored millions of gallons of manure in open lagoons the size of football fields. Now both farms are in financial trouble. If they go under, Renville County taxpayers could be stuck with the cleanup. |
| 12/13/1999 |
End of the Road? |
The four oak trees that protesters of the Highway 55 reroute in south Minneapolis quite literally rallied around are gone; removed by state crews over the weekend. Members of the Mendota Medwakanton Dakota Community claimed the trees were sacred. But even with the trees gone, reroute opponents say they'll fight on. |
| 11/04/1999 |
The Road Too Travelled? |
Saint Paul city planners want to make a stretch of highway, known as Ayd Mill Road, into a connection to the regional freeway system. A group called Neighborhoods First! wants to dig up the road and turn it into a park. |
| 10/18/1999 |
The Seeds of Discontent |
Seed companies first introduced genetically-engineered corn and soybeans to the Midwest just four years ago. Farmers welcomed the new technology. This year, around half the soybean crop and a third of the corn crop came from genetically-altered seed. But now, some Midwest farmers are having second thoughts about the high-tech seed, and biotechnology companies are scrambling to contain a backlash in what was once a stronghold of bioengineering. |
| 09/28/1999 |
What Price Success? |
Perham, Minnesota may be the french-fry capital of the world. It also may be an environmental disaster in the making, and some of its residents say politicians, local officials, and agriculture interests are using them as human guinea pigs. Second of two parts. |
| 09/27/1999 |
Spud King's Success Comes at a Price - Part One |
Ron Offutt grows more potatoes than anyone else in the world. He grows potatoes that are perfect for french fries. Press reports call him the Sultan of Spuds and the Lord of the Fries, but his success has a price. Growing the perfect french fry has an environmental downside, as people in small towns near Offutt's potato farms have learned to their dismay. |
| 07/20/1999 |
Back to the BWCA |
The July 4th storms haven't dampened the enthusiasm for the nation's most popular wilderness area. But decidings its future includes asking ourselves how much wilderness should a wilderness have? |
| 05/28/1999 |
The River vs. The Farm |
What happens when the Midwest's farming industry threatens one of the finest trout streams in the region? |
| 05/17/1999 |
A New Approach to End Floods |
Dams are out in a new view of how to prevent river flooding in Minnesota. |
| 03/22/1999 |
The Elders Speak |
Native American elders meet officials who want to route a highway over their sacred ground. |
| 02/04/1999 |
Highway 55 Revisited |
Protesters of expanded highway are back and armed with new support. |
| 01/29/1999 |
Legislative Audit Criticizes Pollution Agency |
A report by the State Legislative Auditor finds "numerous weaknesses" in the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's feedlot program. |
| 01/25/1999 |
An Environmental Time Bomb? |
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has allegedly been lax in preventing feedlots from killing fish and polluting water. |
| 01/06/1999 |
Hope For Hemp |
Is industrial hemp the salvation of Minnesota agriculture or a link to the "drug culture"? Governor Jesse Ventura and the Minnesota Legislature are about to decide. |
| 11/20/1998 |
Rare Raptor May Restrict Clear-cutting |
The goshawk may be the tool needed by environmentalists to preserve old-growth forests. |
| 11/18/1998 |
Clear-Cutting Moving Faster than Timber Reform |
Many feel as though commerce is outweighing the need to preserve old-growth forests. |
| 11/18/1998 |
Clear-Cutting Changes Wildlife Habitat |
As clear-cutting methods become more efficient, many are concerned the wildlife that depends on older, diverse forests will suffer. |
| 06/04/1998 |
Frog Deformities May Warn of Human Risk |
Part III of the series: Disappearing Amphibians. |
| 06/02/1998 |
Vanishing Frogs of the Panamanian Rainforests |
Part II of the series: Disappearing Amphibians. |
| 06/01/1998 |
Multiple Threats to Amphibian Populations |
Part I of the series: Disappearing Amphibians. |
| 05/15/1998 |
Pollution Control Series - The New MPCA Philosophy and Its Impact |
Could the agency's approach itself be at the heart of many environmental problems? |
| 10/02/1997 |
Logging to the Limit |
The move to set aside more wilderness for motorized transport has focused new attention on timber-cutting around the BWCA. |
| 08/27/1997 |
Controlling the Use of Personal Watercraft Part Two: Loud Splash in Still Water |
Lake shore residents speak out against personal watercraft. |
| 08/04/1997 |
Frog Deformities |
Because of their permeable skin, frogs are sensitive indicators of environmental problems. The recent rash of deformities is raising awareness across Minnesota. |
| 06/10/1997 |
Finland Was a Poor Country |
Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure and Dan Olson produced this feature about the Finns who came to northern Minnesota at the turn of the century. The voices of early immigrants are from taped interviews preserved in historical archives. |
| 06/01/1996 |
Signs and Wonders |
To the believer, speaking in tongues is a way of communicating with God in a way that transcends words. |
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