Land & Water​

Cattle move through a pasture in a rotational grazing operation. (Photo by Ann Wessel, BWSR)

Rotational Grazing: Pipeline to Water Quality and Soil Health

Ann Wessel reports on a Fillmore County farmer who is converting CRP ground into productive pasture.

EllenTitus of The Nature Conservancy checks on the goats helping restore goat prairie.

Conservation Ballot Initiative Key to Trust Fund Renewal

John Weiss reports on the conservation trust fund initiative on the Minnesota November 2024 ballot. Voters are being asked to extend the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund through 2050.

<span style="font-size: 14px; color: #6c6b6b; ">Brady Thill, 9, Josie Swing, 10, and Harper Hines, 10, all of Galesville, Wis. have fun in kayaks during the BaseCamp event in Winona. (Photo by John Weiss)</span>

Outdoor Adventures Abound at BaseCamp

Participants in the annual BaseCamp outdoor adventure held in Winona learn about the Mississippi’s history and those who have worked to protect it for future generations. John Weiss shares insights from the 2024 summer gathering.

<span style="font-size: 14px; color: #6c6b6b; ">Three-year-old rainbow trout 'coming of age' in a hatchery raceway. (Photo by Renee Bergstrom)</span>

Go Fish: The Lanesboro State Fish Hatchery

Tom Brudvig takes us behind the scenes at the Lanesboro State Fish Hatchery.

The Root River's North Branch takes an unnatural twist to the north at the site of a former hydroelectric dam. The river channel originally curved to the right – now mostly grown over with trees. (Photo by Dan Brown)

To End Erosion at a Former Dam, Engineers Shifting Root River Back to its Original Bed

Dave Shaffer, with photographer Dan Brown, reports on plans to address a massive erosion problem on the North Branch of the Root River northwest of Lanesboro.

<span style="font-size: 14px; color: #6c6b6b; ">La Crescent volunteers plant trees on Arbor Day 2024. (Photo provided by the city of La Crescent)</span>

More Trees and People to Care for Them in La Crescent

John Weiss checks in with the tree planting and care in Tree City USA, La Crescent.

The Root River Trail is a tourist destination for recreationalists in southeast Minnesota. A six-mile trail expansion will extend the trail from Harmony to the Iowa border. (Photo by Renee Bergstrom)

Trail Extension South of Harmony is Under Construction

Dave Shaffer reports on the bike trail extension to the Iowa border.

<span style="font-size: 14px; color: #6c6b6b; ">Retired geologist Jeff Broberg is framed in the doorway to his Winona County well house at his home near Elba. The water from his well exceeds the guidelines for nitrate contamination. (Photo by Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)</span>

Southeast Minnesota Runoff Pollutes Beyond Local Area

Southeast Minnesota’s nitrate pollution affects health and recreation beyond the local area; Madeline Heim traces its impacts to the Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone”.

<span style="font-size: 14px; color: #6c6b6b; ">Staff with the Minnesota Department of Health welcomed well owners to a nitrate open house June 26th in Rushford. (Photo by John Torgrimson)</span>

Minnesota Officials Launch First Phase of Nitrate Mitigation Plan

The first phase of the Minnesota Department of Health’s nitrate mitigation plan for southeast Minnesota is underway. John Torgrimson has the latest.

<span style="font-size: 14px; color: #6c6b6b; ">A timber rattlesnake utilizing woodland habitat. (Photo by Stephen Winter)</span>

Rattlesnake Responders Work to Bring Timber Rattlesnakes Back from the Brink

Hugh Gabriel goes on a timber rattlesnake rescue with the Minnesota DNR’s Rattlesnake Responders.

<span style="font-size: 14px; color: #6c6b6b; ">Nitrate pollution enters groundwater, streams and rivers through many sources including runoff from area agricultural fields. (Photo by John Weiss) </span>

Minnesota Nitrate Concerns Inspire Iowa Groups to Seek EPA Help

Southeast Minnesota’s nitrate pollution issues inform groups working to mitigate similar concerns in Iowa’s Driftless area.

<span style="font-size: 14px; color: #6c6b6b; ">Trees along the lowest part of Mill Creek were cut down a few months ago, but part of the trunks were left so the roots and lower trunk could be buried in the creek’s bank for trout habitat and to protect the shoreline from erosion. (Photo by John Weiss)</span>

Mill Creek in Chatfield Gets Partial Makeover

John Weiss explores the Mill Creek Trout Stream improvement project near Chatfield.

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