DULUTH, Minn. — The Lester River Race happens during the spring thaw challenging expert paddlers from the Midwest to help kick start the white-water kayaking season. The date of this year’s race has been up in the air this past month with organizers waiting for perfectly thawed conditions. After the snow melts, it’s much easier to avoid rocks when flying…
DULUTH, Minn.- At Lester River Saturday morning, more than 50 lakewalk-lovers gathered once again to celebrate earth day picking up around 20 bags of trash along the lakewalk through Brighton Beach. Organizers with friends of the lakewalk said the weather’s nothing when it comes to taking care of the planet. “Right now it started to pour and people are still…
DULUTH, Minn.- Another environment-loving event over at the Depot Saturday provided some gardening guidance and also promoted support for the people of Ukraine. The St. Louis County Extension hosted their Spring Gardening Extravaganza at the depot for the first time. About 150 people showed up to check out displays and presentations on growing all types of fruits and warm-season veggies,…
County Road 65 is temporarily closed approximately 1.2 miles west of State Highway 73 due to a culvert washout. Repairs are expected to be done next week. ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Minn.- St. Louis County Public Works crews closed parts of several roads in the Northern part of the county, due to excessive rain and snowmelt Saturday. According to Public Works…
DULUTH, Minn. — In honor of Earth Day the communities beloved Lakewalk is getting a cleaning tomorrow morning. Volunteers with friends of the Lakewalk will be meeting on Saturday morning at 9:30 at the Lester River Bridge for the Lakewalk cleanup. The biggest issue is the trash that has built up through the last year, and through the winter so…
DULUTH, Minn. – AJ Axtell, environmental program coordinator at the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD), stopped by the 8 a.m. hour of FOX 21’s morning show to talk about ways to be better to the planet. Click the video for Axtell’s chat with Dan Hanger and Ken Slama, and see some information below. “Earth Day is an opportunity to…
DULUTH, Minn.- Thanks to upgraded jets, the pool in UMD’S Sports and Health Center can now better train kayakers, surfers, and swimmers in rough water conditions through their Rec Sports Outdoor Program (RSOP). The lap pool now has a “flow pump” system. It has one setting for swimmers to practice in smaller waves, another for surfers to work on maneuvers,…
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The state Department of Natural Resources has restarted efforts to set standards for bacteria in groundwater after conservatives on the agency’s policy board killed the attempt in February. The Wisconsin State Journal reports that the board on Wednesday authorized a public hearing and comment period on a new rule-making process to set groundwater standards for E….
DULUTH, Minn. — If you enjoy using the parks and trail systems throughout Duluth, and maybe have a couple of ideas on what you would like to see improved, Duluth Parks and Rec is holding in person feedback sessions this week to hear your thoughts. Wednesday was the first of three community workshops to share feedback on Duluth parks and…
DULUTH, Minn. — When you throw out your food scraps, you might not realize the negative impact it can have on the environment, but there is a way to prevent that. The Western Lake Superior Sanitary District is reminding people to separate their leftover food scraps from their trash to drop off at various compost sites around town. When these…
-Minnesota North Shore With the spring weather returning to the Northland, some folks are eager to once again get out and enjoy the natural beauty of the North Shore. Rick Pelky, of Brainard, put it simply, “It’s just a nice, calming, relaxing place to come to. Beautiful.” From sunrise to sunset, the North Shore of Lake Superior boasts stunning rocky…
DULUTH, Minn. – Erickson Library at Lake Superior College played host to a wolf fair Tuesday. Representatives from the International Wolf Center, the Wildlife Science Center, Timber Wolf Alliance, Wildwoods, and the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission provided information on the role wolves play in the Northland’s ecosystem. “We have a passion for wolves,” says Kath Rolfe, one of…
DULUTH, Minn.- A brush fire Sunday out in Gary New Duluth is a reminder, firefighters say, that we’re entering one of the seasons where grass and wildland fires are common. According to firefighters out at Station 10 in Gary, sparks from railway tracks off Becks Road, which is near Grand Avenue, likely started a brush fire that burned for about…
DULUTH, Minn. — Sunday evening over in West Duluth, Scouts of Troop 25 got together to continue working on their conservation service projects. Last spring the scouts visited the Sax-Zim Bog, and this spring, they’re building ways to give back and help preserve it. They’re building bird houses for the blue bird and kestrel population to provide a place for…
DULUTH, Minn.-UMD students in the engineers without borders group are on a mission to help provide clean water in Kenya, and on Friday they were looking for help from the community at hoops brewing in Canal Park. In 2020, a few students visited Nyansakia in Kenya, a village of about 2,000 people, to assess the village’s water needs. They found…
DULUTH, Minn. – Several of Duluth’s local and statehouse leaders are pushing for more action in Washington to combat climate change. Duluth Council Member Mike Mayou cites recent extreme weather events, from the flooding in 2012, to storms damaging the Lakewalk, to last year’s wildfires, as signs that action needs to be taken soon. “That’s when the climate crisis really hits…
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Minnesota animal health officials are imposing a ban on all poultry sales and exhibitions through the month of April after the presence of bird flu was found in the state. The ban, which includes poultry community sales, swaps, fairs, exhibitions, and other events where birds are brought together, is effective Friday and lasts through May…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth’s efforts to combat climate change is getting a boost from the U.S. Department of Energy. The city was one of 22 locations selected to take part in the Communities LEAP pilot program. Federal officials will be working with the city to provide guidance on how they can reduce air pollution, increase energy resiliency, and lower energy costs…
Categories: Environment, Minnesota, News, News – Latest News, Weather in the News
DULUTH, Minn.– There’s a vibrant new art exhibit being featured at the Great Lakes Aquarium’s rotating fine arts gallery, one that captures the beauty of the creatures of the deep. Naomi Christenson, a local Duluth artist says her inspiration for the collection, titled Deep Sea Dances, comes from her longtime interest in sea life, as well as he background in…
DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Mayor Emily Larson was face-to-face with fellow leaders and supporters Tuesday evening for her first in-person State of the City Address in two years because of the pandemic. The theme of the speech was “lighting a path forward” to focus on economic development, public safety, connectivity and sustainability. As for economic development, Larson said the city…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The bird flu has been confirmed in two poultry flocks in Minnesota. The state Board of Animal Health says the poultry flocks are in Meeker and Mower counties. Samples collected from both flocks were tested on March 25 and confirmed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture The state Board of Animal Health says it’s the first confirmed…
As part of the Advanced Assistance (AA) Coastal Resilience and Mitigation Study, the City of Duluth is asking for the public’s help to provide feedback through an online survey. Within the survey, citizens are asked questions about what coastal resilience concerns residents and visitors have in regards to Lake Superior’s coastline. The AA Coastal Resilience Mitigation Study is part of…
DULUTH, Minn. – Environmental concerns are growing involving that partially sunken retired tugboat in the Duluth Harbor. This comes as at least a gallon of oil has leaked out into the slip’s water, according to the Duluth Coast Guard. “We do now have some sheening from the vessel. And that’s where we have the contractor putting sorbent material in the…
DULUTH, Minn. – The U.S. Coast Guard released new information Wednesday about the retired tugboat partially sunken in the Duluth Harbor since Monday. The tugboat called Lake Superior remained partially under water Wednesday. The Coast Guard in Duluth said contractors are keeping the boat afloat and working to remove all potential pollutants like diesel fuel and oil. There have been…
DULUTH, Minn. – The arrival of spring weather means the emergence of baby animals in the wild. Wildwoods Wildlife Rehabilitation took their first assistance call of the season March 21, reuniting a baby squirrel with its mother. They are reminding people to watch for nests, burrows, and dens as they begin yard, tree, and garden work. Removing a baby animal’s home…
(AP Photo/Jim Mone, File) ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9/AP) – The damage to public groundwater resources in Minnesota from missteps during construction of the Line 3 oil pipeline is more severe than previously known, state environmental regulators said. Enbridge Energy crews ruptured three groundwater aquifers while building the 340-mile (550-kilometer) pipeline across northern Minnesota last year and the company faces…
DULUTH, Minn.- Water main breaks in the City of Duluth this year have not only been gushing out water but they’ve been forcing the city to gush out money for repairs. According to Duluth’s Chief Engineer for Utilities, Eric Shaffer in 2021 the City of Duluth spent roughly $1.6 million, fixing 103 water main breaks and 88 leaks. The record…
DULUTH, Minn. – Friday was the second day OF UMD’S Environmental Summit, an event put on by SEE Change and other local environmental organizations. SEE Change is an acronym for Social, Environment, and Economic Change, and that what the summit was all about. Thursday, the event featured a sustainability fair with community organizations from throughout the state and today presentations…
DULUTH, Minn. – The deadline to get those ice fishing shelters off the water for the season may be Monday, but the boost in melting air and more of it to come this weekend have officials hoping they don’t have to respond to any emergencies, especially on Lake Superior. “There’s never really a safe time to be on the ice….
DULUTH, Minn. – Wild Birds Unlimited, the only bird feeding franchise store in northern Minnesota, is closing its storefront in Duluth next month. But the owners are going to try to keep doing business online. Misty Bristol has owned Wild Birds Unlimited since 2013 in the Burning Tree Plaza. She bought the business from longtime owner Bob Heller, who opened…
With the deep freeze moving past us, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter known as the Spar is on its way to its new home right here in Duluth. The Spar was commissioned in 2001 and originally based in Kodiak, Alaska. The 225-foot buoy tender left in 2020 for the Coast Guard Yard to undergo maintenance in Baltimore, Maryland. The Coast…
DULUTH, Minn. – As many people are getting anxious for warmer air to move in, some are getting anxious about flooding concerns, especially inside homes, which can quickly turn into a nightmare. Kevin Buck, owner of SERVPRO in The Twin Ports, said as ice melts off roofs, water can back up into a home’s shingles and get into ceilings and…
DULUTH, Minn.- Just in time for Duluth to welcome 7 Viking Cruise Ships beginning this May, the city has secured $5 million in federal CARES Act funding for the $8 million reconstruction of the aging seawall behind the DECC. “It’ll be ADA accessible, it’ll have, the whole plaza will be more pedestrian-friendly,” said Chris Fleege, Planning and Economic Development Director…
DULUTH, Minn.- The deadline is nearing for Minnesota anglers on frozen lakes north of Highway 2 and 10 to bring their ice houses back to shore. Midnight on March 21st is the cutoff for the Northern part of the state — a couple of weeks later than the March 7th deadline for Southern Minnesota, as the ice stays thicker longer…
Photo: U.S. Coast Guard Cutter SPAR Facebook Page DULUTH, Minn. (AP) – The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Spar is traveling from Baltimore to its new homeport in Duluth. The crew’s duties will include maintaining aids to navigation, domestic icebreaking, search and rescue, and law enforcement. The Spar was commissioned in 2001 and originally based in Kodiak, Alaska. The 225-foot buoy…
DULUTH, Minn-. The Northland is bracing for a winter storm bringing with it a mixed bag of elements we haven’t seen in a few months. “We’ve got quite the messy system that’s coming in this week, or, this weekend,” said Ketzel Levens, NWS Meteorologist. While winter storms over the previous months have brought colder temperatures and snow, forecasters at the…
DULUTH, Minn.- Experts say it was quick, but after almost blizzard-like conditions a snow squall Friday afternoon brought with it a blast of arctic air which made some roads a bit icy. “You can imagine if you’re just driving along and all of a sudden you have this just really quick burst of heavy snow that hits that leads to…
DULUTH, Minn. – It may still be winter in the Northland, but preparations are underway for summer activities at Hartley Nature Center. Their slate of summer camps are set, with registration beginning at 8 a.m. on March 21. Park officials say they will be offering more all day options for 3 year old through sixth grade. New this year will be…
DULUTH, Minn. — Earlier Thursday, President Biden visited Lorain, Ohio, touting a major investment to pump one billion dollars into a great lakes restoration program impacting communities from Duluth to parts of New York. This announcement from the president and the EPA means that we will see a significant portion of that money fund rehabilitating Lake Superior. This investment is…
DULUTH, Minn. — The 55th Duluth Sport Show is back at the DECC and people are excited to take a shot at some of their favorite or new outdoor activities. The show unfortunately had to take some time off due to the pandemic, so after two years of silence, duck calls, trout ponds, and crowds filled the DECC once again….
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) – President Joe Biden’s administration says the bipartisan infrastructure law will pump $1 billion into a Great Lakes restoration program. Biden travels to Lorain, Ohio, today to highlight the measure’s benefits for the lakes. Much of that extra money will help finish the cleanup of harbors and rivers polluted with industrial wastes in the last century. Thirty-one…
DULUTH, Minn. – The City of Duluth and Saint Louis County are beginning the planning process for projects that would limit the erosion impact along parts of the Twin Ports region shorelines. They are using a $258,000 grant from FEMA to look at how to best handle the matter on the bayside of Park Point, and the North Shore between Brighton…
DULUTH, Minn. – The City of Duluth has its first ever climate action work plan. City council members got their first look at it Monday, February 14, coming months after they passed a resolution declaring a climate emergency. You can read the full plan here. The plan is led by Mindy Granley, the city’s Sustainability Officer. “My job is to listen…
WRENSHALL, Minn.- A Northland egg farm has found itself in a bit of a scramble, in desperate need of egg cartons due to the supply chain crisis. Locally Laid Egg Company out of Wrenshall goes through hundreds of cartons a week. But now they’re running out, and not sure how they’re going to fill their orders this week. Since the…
DULUTH, Minn.- Millions of federal dollars are now going toward shoring up and improving the infrastructure of the Port of Duluth-Superior. It’s one of the first grants to go out for ports as part of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs act enacted in November. The act awards $19 million the Senator says to ensure the biggest port on all…
DULUTH, Minn. — Winter bike week 2022 has kicked off in Duluth, it’s a week-long series of community led events, celebrating, educating and empowering people-powered ways to get around town, while also promoting winter activity. Zeitgeist is hosting a series of in-person and virtual events. “So we have a lot of people in our community that can help inspire and…
DULUTH, Minn. – Friday would have been Rosa Parks’ 109th birthday. The civil rights icon will be remembered in Duluth and dozens of other communities nationwide through Transit Equity Day. A proclamation from Mayor Emily Larson honors Parks’ role in pushing for equal rights on public transit, which also comes during Black History Month. “Making sure that we are affirming and…
Courtesy: Marcus Asmus MINNESOTA- The Beargrease Marathon’s 300-mile trail was about 10 mushers lighter Tuesday morning, with defending champion Erin Letzring among those who scratched, due to warmth and snow conditions. According to Monica Hendrickson, spokesperson for the marathon, it’s possible more will drop as the race nears its end. Temperatures this year are too warm, Hendrickson said, and the…
DULUTH, Minn.- More ice is forming off the shores of Lake Superior in Duluth, but the Fire Department warns not to get too excited, as the big unpredictable lake can change with the slightest shift in winds. “Lake Superior is definitely more of a gamble so to speak than an inland lake or a smaller lake because of those currents,…
