Minnesota
Peatlands are protecting Minnesota’s ecosystem. Scientists are working to restore them
Here in Minnesota, scientists say we are sitting on a climate change superhero.
Peatlands, a type of wetland, cover more than 10% of the state — that’s the most of any in the lower 48. But over time, peatlands have been misunderstood and mistreated. Now some are trying to change that.
“You might feel like we’ve jumped into a Dr. Suess novel,” said Mark Felice, a peatland scientist with The Nature Conservancy.
At the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve in East Bethel, truffle top black spruces, cotton grass puffs, colorful mosses and carnivorous plants fill in where glacial lakes retreated.
“It’s just like a whole little world,” said Eric Seabloom, interim director of Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve.
Except in this world each step squishes shaking the ground around it.
“It feels like walking on a water bed,” said Felice.
Scientists say the moss-carpeted wetland is pure magic.
“Peatlands are basically areas where as plants die they fall on the ground and then slowly decompose like your compost pile,” said Seabloom.
When that happens, it pulls carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and stores it in the soil.
“So slowly little by little, layer by layer, we’ve built up the soil we’re standing on,” said Felice.
And while peatlands occupy just 3% of Earth’s land surface, scientists say they store about 30% of the planet’s land-based carbon. That’s more than double held by the world’s forests, according to the Nature Conservancy.
To capture their power, Felice brings along his portable greenhouse gas analyzer, which he says reminds him of R2D2 from “Star Wars.” He also carries with him laser sensors that detect methane and carbon dioxide emissions.
“Peat soil can hold about 20 times its weight in water,” said Felice
It acts like a sponge for both carbon and water, and can provide flood protection and water filtration.
“They’re sort of a hidden treasure that we don’t really think about,” said Seabloom. “Now we can understand better how these are really important, huge stores of carbon. We definitely need them.”
But over time scientists say peatlands have been misunderstood, drained for development or agriculture and scientists are now learning why that was a mistake and how we can fix it.
“People always thought of peatlands or wetlands as sort of a menace to society or something in the way to be drained away,” said Chris Lenhart, a restorationist at The Nature Conservancy. “We’re right along Cedar Creek here. This is the part that’s been straightened about 100 to 120 years ago.”
The Nature Conservancy says up to one sixth of Minnesota’s peatlands were drained in the early 20th century.
The soil of a drained peatland looks a lot like dirt.
“It’s breaking down the organic matter and releasing the carbon dioxide as opposed to holding it in place,” said Lenhart.
To fix it, restoration teams will take a straightened section of the stream and rewiggle it to it’s original form.
Restoring the stream to its original form slows the water, raises the levels, and rewets the peat soils on the shores, emitting less carbon dioxide and accumulating valuable peat once again.
The Nature Conservancy says restoring and rewetting farmed and partially-drained peatlands in Minnesota could cut roughly 6.36 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, which is like getting rid of nearly 1.5 million gas powered cars for a year.
“We can have a lot of impact by managing and taking care of a pretty small blueprint,” said Felice.
“Even around the world people know about Minnesota I’d say for peatland and wetland science and protection,” said Lenhart.
Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve is owned by the University of Minnesota. It’s an area with many active research studies and restoration projects. It’s also known nationally for its research.
The Portland Trail Blazers tamed the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday night, 111-84, in NBA Summer League action. Center Yang Hansen made a heroic return after missing the last game due to an illness, while two-way guard Chris Youngblood turned in a much needed all-around performance to pace Portland. With the Blazers 0-2 in summer league, the team came out with a sense of urgency to put a complete game together and grab their first win in Las Vegas.
After a slow start against Minnesota, Yang really took command in the second half, imposing his will on both ends of the floor. He finished the game with 18 points on 7-8 shooting, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 turnovers (3 in the first half). He still has a ways to go, but when he gets into a comfortable rhythm, good things happen. Youngblood poured in 20 points on an efficient 5-11 shooting, to go with 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Donovan Williams led Minnesota with 21 points. Center Rocco Zikarsky finished with 18 and 6 rebounds. G league point guard Zyon Pullin scored 16 and dished out 10 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. He was the only Minnesota starter with a positive plus/minus.
Yang got off to both a good and bad start, recording 2 points, 2 fouls, 2 turnovers, a rebound, and an assist in the first 3 minutes of the game. That sent him to the bench early. His center counterpart for the T-Wolves, 7’3”, 20-year-old Australian Rocco Zikarsky came out on fire. He scored 10 points in the first quarter, including two shots behind the arc. Youngblood provided a much needed good shooting start, while newly signed former lottery pick point guard Kira Lewis Jr. came off the bench with instant offense – 5 points in 4 minutes. The Blazers ended the first quarter up 24-17.
Youngblood, one of the Blazers on a two-way contract, has a reputation as a sharpshooter. However, coming into tonight’s game he was 1/13 from three through the first two games. He put together another solid run in the second quarter to lead Portland with 17 points, while helping double their lead at the half, 58-44.
The Blazers continued to dominate the third quarter. Yang punished Minnesota when they went to a smaller lineup. When Yang gets comfortable in the flow of a game, his confidence level rises. You can see the wheels turning in real time when he makes plays. He tries to parlay that into as much production as possible. He even impressed with his ability to bring the ball across half court a few times. He feasted in the paint and on the boards, registering 10 points in the third quarter alone. Blazers guard Quincy Olivari heated up with 9 points in the quarter.
The fourth quarter started with the Yang Hansen Show. He made a couple of impressive passes and drove the lane for a rim-rocking dunk! He was gassed after stuffing the stat sheet in the second half. He was subbed out with 6 minutes left and began pounding the Gatorade on the bench. After a tough start, Yang regrouped to play a very disciplined game.
The Blazers (1-2) get a couple days off, then return to action on Thursday when they take on the Denver Nuggets at 7 p.m. PDT. That game will be available Prime Video, BlazerVision and KUNP.
(FOX 9) – Minnesota is joining a legal challenge targeting the largest media merger in history, arguing that it would ultimately be a bad deal for customers.
AG Ellison joins lawsuit to block Warner Bros.-Paramount merger
What we know:
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has joined a coalition of 11 other attorneys general, filing a lawsuit to stop the $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount Skydance Corporation.
The suit alleges the merger would violate antitrust laws by creating a media conglomerate that would control nearly one-third of all U.S.-based theatrical movies.
The combined company would control about 27% of the market for wide-release theatrical films and basic cable channels. Only three distributors would control 75% of wide-release films, and four — including Disney, Universal, and Sony — would control 86%, the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit also points out that Warner Bros. is currently the second largest and Paramount the third largest in licensing basic cable channels, and together they would control 27% of that market. The merger would combine two of Hollywood’s five major film distributors and two of the five major basic cable companies, eliminating competition and harming movie theaters, cable distributors and consumers.
What they’re saying:
“Minnesotans deserve a fair and competitive marketplace, not one where a handful of giant corporations control what we watch, what we pay, and what choices we have,” AG Ellison said in a statement. “This would be the largest merger in media and entertainment history. It will raise prices, limit innovation, and reduce the variety of voices in media and entertainment. I’m taking action because this goes too far in consolidating power with a few at the expense of the public.”
What’s next:
The coalition has asked Warner Bros. and Paramount not to close the merger until after the judicial process concludes. If the companies refuse, the attorneys general plan to file a temporary restraining order to halt the deal.
The Source: Information provided in a statement from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
WASHINGTON (7News) — The debate over the National Guard presence in the nation’s capital is intensifying after the Pentagon told 7News the Guard mission connected to President Donald Trump’s crime initiative could continue through Inauguration Day 2029 unless it is ended sooner by the president.
The development comes as one governor has decided to withdraw troops from Washington, while D.C. leaders are urging other states to do the same.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is pulling his state’s National Guard members out of the District earlier than originally planned.
Walz’s office says its mission to support America 250 celebrations has concluded. The decision follows concerns about whether some Guard members were being used beyond the security mission tied to those events.
RELATED | Pentagon to keep National Guard activated in D.C. through Inauguration Day 2029
The D.C. Council is also pressing other states to reconsider their deployments.
All 13 councilmembers signed letters to the governors of Michigan and the U.S. Virgin Islands asking them to withdraw their National Guard troops from the District. Council leaders argue those service members were deployed to support the nation’s 250th anniversary events—not a broader federal public safety mission.
“They’re just doing their job, but it still hurts the city. It hurts our image. It creates resentment,” D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said.
SEE ALSO | 13-year-old boy shot and killed in Northeast DC home
“The letters were sent to two states that we were surprised when they decided to send the guard. Now, they sent the guard, as I understand it, to support the America 250 events. So it would be nice if they just kind of go back home,” Mendelson added.
According to the Joint Task Force overseeing the deployment, more than 5,100 National Guard members are currently assigned to the District, including troops supporting Freedom 250 events and other summer activities.
While Minnesota is ending its deployment, governors in states including Georgia and Mississippi have said their Guard members will remain in Washington to support the president’s mission.
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