Publication archives

From the Start Tribune, by Tom Meersman Top Department of Natural Resources officials plan to travel to northwestern Minnesota next week to try to resolve a growing dispute about trail restrictions for off-road vehicles in state forests.

Contact: Patricia Fisher (202) 208-5634 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced today it is seeking proposals for private lands conservation funding through its Private Stewardship Grants Program. About $6.5 million is available FY 2005 through this grant program to support on-the-ground conservation efforts on private lands.

From the New York Times, by Felicity Barringer Countries from Northern and Central Europe and South America dominated the top spots in the 2005 index of environmental sustainability, which ranks nations on their success at such tasks as maintaining or improving air and water quality, maximizing biodiversity and cooperating with other countries on environmental problems.

From the Washington Post, by Blaine Harden QUINAULT, Wash. -- The first two weeks of the year were the rainiest in the history of Los Angeles, as nearly 17 inches fell and all of the state's major insurance companies declared a "catastrophe." Highways closed, hillsides collapsed and at least 15 people died across Southern California.

From the Star Tribune, by Tom Meersman The U.S. Coast Guard says it must find new ways to keep foreign species out of the Great Lakes, conceding that its regulation of transoceanic ships since 1993 hasn't done the job.

From the Star Tribune, by Tom Meersman Off-road drivers who damage public or private land in Minnesota would pay stiffer penalties under a legislative proposal unveiled Thursday.

From Star Tribune, by Dennis Anderson Wetlands, now valued by Minnesotans -- but hardly preserved -- were once considered a scourge, here and elsewhere in the eastern United States.