Spring is an exciting time to see wildlife in Minnesota.

Birds are returning from their winter homes, but this winter has been too long for many species, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Many bird species are back to Minnesota to nest, but they’re dying of starvation.

Prior Lake and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community will team on a compost operation on tribal land near county roads 42 and 83.

The tribe has operated the compost site since 2005, but use of the site has been at “less than capacity,” said Danette Walthers-Moore, the city’s community development and natural resources director.

This summer the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community will begin the installation of a 2-megawatt wind turbine next to its pow wow grounds.

Several years ago, the SMSC installed a wind anemometer to determine if a wind turbine would yield satisfactory results. The results were encouraging, so the project moved forward.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is turning waste into energy, as the SMSC is in the process of turning waste oil into bio-diesel for use in SMSC vehicles.

The SMSC’s nine restaurants and the tribal government generate 28,000 gallons of waste vegetable oil each year.

The retreat of ice from Minnesota’s shorelines may soon leave a grim reminder of winter’s effects around some ponds and lakes, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

According to the DNR:

In most cases the dead fish are the result of a normal process known as “winterkill.”

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is reminding lakeshore property owners that removing aquatic plants, treating nuisance algae, swimmer’s itch control or altering the shoreline may require a permit from the DNR.

According to a DNR press release on April 8:

The environmental review process for the future extension of County Road 21 is complete, allowing the project to move forward.

The Scott County Board on Tuesday determined that the final environmental impact statement for the road extension and associated transit station project adequately meets state law.

Three Rivers Park District will operate aeration systems on
Cleary and Murphy lakes beginning in early January, which may result in unsafe