LAST CHANCE FOR 5X MATCH! Join our Spring Member Drive by midnight to have your gift matched 5 times by a generous donor.

Happy Earth Day 🌎

Eight Minnesota hikes that sing of spring A curated list of trails offering fresh blooms, wildlife sightings and varied terrain for all kinds of hikers.

Block some time on your calendar. You're going to want to do them all.

This Earth Week, we're inspired by the students of Conservation Crew—our student-led extracurricular program for middle schoolers. Rooted in service learning, students develop leadership skills by designing and implementing conservation projects to impact their schools and communities.

Minnesota is home to the second oldest state park system in the country. Our first state park was established on this day in 1891. Itasca State Park includes old growth forests and Lake Itasca, the headwaters of the great Mississippi River.

2026 Blazing Star Award—Celebrating Local Conservation Action This year’s winners demonstrate the positive impact local governments can have at home and beyond their borders, whether that’s reinvesting in accessible playgrounds that strengthen community connecti...

We announced three Blazing Star Award winners this year—and their projects give us real hope for the future. Read all about them here.

Power Minnesota's sustainable future!

MATCH EXTENDED! Our anonymous donor has generously offered to extend their 5x match until Earth Day. Join our Spring Member Drive by next Wednesday to have your gift matched 5 times.

Do not lose hope. This fight is not over. We should all be so proud of the coalition we built to fight this. Tribal Nations. Outdoorsmen. Conservationists. Public lands advocates. But most importantly, Minnesotans who deeply appreciate what these waters mean to us and our shared obligation to safeguard them for our kids, our grandkids, and every generation thereafter.

One day, the shoe will be on the other foot, and they will regret what they did to the Boundary Waters today — because this was a mistake. They've set a new precedent that no public lands are ever truly sate, including those in Montana. Utah. The Dakotas. Idaho. Republicans privately told me they knew this is wrong, and I wish they had voted their conscience. Tonight, we take a much-needed rest. Tomorrow, we figure out what comes next. -Tina

Save the Boundary Waters

Do not lose hope.

Senators Klobuchar and Smith will vote no on this dangerous legislation—but now is the time to ask your friends and family in other states to call their senators before the vote is taken later this morning to overturn the federal 20-year ban on mining in the Boundary Waters watershed.

Can ‘forever chemicals’ be destroyed? A Minnesota city is trying — at its sewage plant. St. Cloud’s wastewater treatment plant will test ways to remove PFAS from sludge.

"The projects could provide hope for cities across the globe looking to eliminate these chemicals before they can re-enter our water sources, atmosphere, farmlands and bodies."

Photo of a canoe in the Boundary Waters. The waters are so still that the sky is reflected on the surface.

The threat to the Boundary Waters isn’t just about Minnesota — the legislative gymnastics being thrust upon us to allow copper-nickel mining in this watershed would mean no public lands are ever truly protected.

We would be opening Pandora’s box… for what? The profits of a foreign mining company?

River in the Boundary Waters is again named to list of country’s most endangered waterways American Rivers says the South Kawishiwi River is threatened by proposed copper mines in the watershed. The clock is ticking on a Congressional effort to reverse a 20-year mining ban in northeast Minn...

"Twin Metals, a subsidiary of the Chilean mining giant Antofagasta, has proposed building an underground mine for copper and nickel along the pristine river’s shoreline near Ely, just south of the Boundary Waters."

Ask your Minnesota legislators to ban paraquat

Even small amounts of exposure to paraquat could be fatal—and research has linked it to long-term health impacts, including an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Ask your legislators to support HF3965/SF4160, a bipartisan bill that would prohibit paraquat in Minnesota.

All Recent Awards / Public Facilities Authority All Recent Awards

Today, the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority announced $197.6 million in loans and grants for wastewater and drinking water infrastructure projects in 15 cities across the state. Find details at the link.

Support free, responsible battery recycling

Battery waste is detrimental to the environment and costly to Minnesotans. Ask your legislators to support SF 1690/HF 1426, which would require battery manufacturers to fully fund battery recycling in Minnesota.

That's a folder full of constituent postcards that Conservation Minnesota's James Lehner is hand-delivering at the Capitol. It's important our legislators hear from Minnesotans on the issues that matter most—like keeping Minnesota's promise of 100% clean energy by 2040. Thanks to everyone who wrote!

Power Minnesota's sustainable future!

Clean energy—like wind and solar—is now the cheapest form of energy. Become a Conservation Minnesota member and help advance clean, affordable energy in our state.

Celebrating 51 years of Voyageurs National Park, established on this day in 1975.

Pulling back on PFAS law would be a cowardly retreat from a nation-leading solution • Minnesota Reformer Minnesota Legislators are advocating this legislative session for new spending and borrowing for infrastructure projects in their districts. It’s an important process. But as conversations about spend...

"To weaken or delay this law now would send the wrong message — that when billion-dollar industries apply pressure, public health takes a back seat."

Farm experiment in southern Minnesota shows promise for cleaner groundwater A nitrogen experiment in Rice and Steele counties is showing how reduced fertilizer and manure application could cut down on nitrate runoff while resulting in similar yields.

"The trial could prove beneficial for farmers and environmentalists alike — farmers could save money growing crops using a different nitrogen formula, while less farm runoff would make its way into waterways already degraded by nitrate pollution."

Lake Minnetonka Klondike Dog Derby ending permanently due to climate change The dogsled race, which started in downtown Excelsior, Minnesota, and ran 40 miles on Lake Minnetonka, was axed in 2024​, 2025​ and this year, with organizers citing unsafe conditions each time.

After having to cancel three years in a row, the Excelsior dogsled race is now shutting down for good.

Report: Minnesota home insurance premiums to continue rising amid extreme weather The state could rank No. 9 for most expensive premiums by the end of the year as damage from storms and floods drive up costs.

"Minnesota’s most powerful rainstorms now hit twice as often as they did between 1970 and 1999."

Minnesota's annual frog and toad survey is ribbeting It’s once again time for the DNR to teach volunteers how to eavesdrop on the state’s 14 native amphibian species.

Want to help protect Minnesota's frogs, toads, and wetlands? The DNR has one more opportunity to train to be a FrogWatcher this spring.

Happy spring :)

Report: Minnesota to see billions in costs from impacts of climate change The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency report found that the costs of inaction, including health effects and damaged infrastructure, far exceed the cost of climate adaptation measures.

"A new report estimates that climate change could cost Minnesotans more than $20 billion a year by 2040, if global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and the state doesn’t take action to adapt to a warmer climate."

A herbicide linked with Parkinson’s disease could soon be banned in Minnesota Supporters of a new bill aim to end the use of paraquat, which is used to remove cover crops on farms.

"Paraquat’s use is rising as more people implement cover crops. According to the Agriculture Department, 125,000 pounds were sold in Minnesota in 2024, double the previous year."

Spring 2026 Newsletter We know renewable energy sources are not just cleaner but cheaper because our neighbors are seeing it reflected in their energy bills. The states in our region that are using the most wind and solar a...

Our spring newsletter is all about the transition to clean, affordable energy. Read it to see how Minnesota stacks up to our neighbors.

House Floor Session 3/12/26 YouTube video by MNHouseInfo

Last week, the MN House voted unanimously to rename the Community Solar Garden Program after Melissa Hortman. Melissa was a great champion for clean energy, and it is only fitting to see her honored this way. Listen here to Rep. Patty Acomb’s comments from the floor ahead of the vote.