The Boundary Waters Canoe Area wilderness is the most popular Wilderness area in America. At 1.1 million acres in size, it is the largest wilderness area east of the Rockies and north of the Everglades. The Boundary Waters offers 1,200 miles of canoe and kayak routes, 237.5 miles of overnight hiking trails and 2,000 designated campsites, and is home to iconic wildlife including lynx, wolves, moose and loons. The Boundary Waters is now jeopardized by recent proposals to bring sulfide-ore copper mining – a risky type of mining that has never before been permitted in Minnesota – to places where pollution will drain into the Wilderness itself. Byproducts of sulfide-ore copper mining include hazardous pollutants such as sulfuric acid and heavy metals, which could permanently ruin the pristine water and unspoiled forests of this place. Pollution from these mines would flow right into the Boundary Waters as well as impact Voyageurs National Park. These beloved national treasures offer unparalleled outdoor experiences to millions of people, and help drive the economy of Northeastern Minnesota, where tourism supports 18,000 jobs and brings $850 million in sales annually to the region. Please make preserving these pristine waters and unspoiled forests, and the sustainable regional economy, a priority. Toxic mining pollution would damage the rivers and lakes that flow into the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park. The National Park and Wilderness Waters Protection Act safeguards America’s most popular Wilderness and Minnesota’s beloved National Park by helping prevent sulfide-ore copper mining in the Rainy River Drainage Basin. The bill emphasizes the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park as national treasures, and that their protection is the responsibility of the entire country. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. This is the time to act to protect Minnesota’s National Park. Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, which established the Boundary Waters as a federally designated Wilderness area. This bill takes an historic step in completing efforts to permanently protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area from sulfide-ore copper mining. The National Park and Wilderness Waters Protection Act is extremely important to preserving these two national treasures. We applaud Congresswoman Betty McCollum for taking bold action to ensure their protection. And we are asking you to ask your Representative and President Obama to join Rep. McCollum in preserving the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Voyageurs National Park.

Naturligtvis måste vi ha en ordentlig badplats i bygden så att alla kan få njuta av sommarens härliga bad i vår lilla insjö!

I have lived in St. Louis Park for most of my life and have watched these developments pop up repeatedly in my neighborhood in the last couple of years, near Edina and Linden Hills. The final straw was being notified that a "vacant" lot (where four 150-year-old Bur Oak trees reside) is going to be developed into a 3700 square foot single family home that removes two of the largest trees. The city is being tarnished by all of the new development. Despite the city requiring neighbors to be notified of new construction and having a tree preservation ordinance in place, there is little that the city does to intervene in cases of new house construction (the tree preservation ordinance doesn't even apply to single family homes). There is nothing else for us to do besides take action and try to preserve what history we have left. UPDATE: Our efforts are being noticed. The City Council has responded and the media are taking an interest. We were on WCCO radio yesterday and have started a Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/saveslptrees/timeline). The developer has offered to sell us the property back so we need to take action now. Stay tuned...

We are on the cusp of achieving something we’ve never had before in Maryland: a law that would put an explicit, binding moratorium on the dangerous practice of fracking for natural gas. On Friday, April 10, the Maryland General Assembly passed a bill, HB 449, that would guarantee fracking stays out of Maryland through at least October 1, 2017. This bill, passed with broad, bipartisan support, now heads to the desk of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who has not yet indicated whether or not he’ll sign it. Polling shows a clear majority of Marylanders oppose fracking. Evidence is mounting that fracking pollutes the air we breathe and the water we drink. And research is only beginning to emerge on the long-term health risks. Please add your voice: Tell Governor Hogan to sign the fracking moratorium bill into law to protect our health and communities!

I live in an historically progressive state who has now lost its enlightened way due to right-wing bullying and misinformation. I own land and live on this earth which we all share. The bit-by-bit destruction through false ideology of all we hold dear in Wisconsin simply cannot continue if we expect our kids and grand kids to successfully live in this state and the planet it is part of, a planet we cannot realistically leave after we have trashed it.

We must put an end to ALEC writing Wisconsin's legislation and stop their war on science.

Iowans like my daughter and my grandchildren are exposed to cancer-causing runoff water that is dangerous to our health and adversely impacts future generations. If you drink water in Iowa, sign this petition now to call on Gov. Branstad and the Department of Natural Resources to clean up their act and enforce the law.

Without water we will all perish. It is time we regrouped and figured out how to best take care of us as a community. Bottled water is a true detriment to the environment in many ways. Let us join hands and try to reduce water consumption and also be proactive in the ways we use water Here is the reason why we need to stop using bottled water https://youtu.be/Se12y9hSOM0 We could turn this to a win win situation where Nestle can HELP the State of California by shipping bottled water to us from another State that is not suffering from a drought - A truly win win situation ...

The drought in California will affect the world economy and food sources on a detrimental scale. Alfalfa wastes thousands of acre-feet of water with the majority being exported overseas with minimum benefit to Americans. We need to stop the cultivation of alfalfa and other feed crops that are bound for export so that California and the United States can sustain themselves during drought years.

GMOs represent a clear and present danger to the health of the public and the security or our nation's food supply and economy. We must push forward on this issue and take the first step towards combating this hidden danger by identifying and raising public awareness through mandatory labeling. Public opinion and good science beat back the lobbies of other dangerous products such as tobacco and leaded gas. It's our time to do the same for GMOs.

Our national parks are one of our most valuable resources. For decades, democrats and republicans have worked together to keep them protected but in the face of big money and corporate lobbyists, they may be sold off for development and lost forever.

The Department of Natural Resources in Indiana is proposing the re-model of a landmark building to put in a restaurant and bar. They are leasing this building for $1500.00 a month, plus 2% of the net gross. They are also allowing a building to be built that would be used for weddings, meetings etc., and possibly in the future a Hotel. This park was just named the 7th best state park in the nation. They have been working on this deal for over 3 years, while telling the public they were working just on getting the building renovated. They told the public last week the contracts have been signed. This lease is for 30 years. Who gets to rent an existing two story building on Lake Michigan for 1500.00 a month? The parking lots are there for the people who come to the Dunes and the beach to use, not private enterprise. No alcohol is allowed in any state park, but it will be in this bar. Now the question is who owed who a political payback to reap this sweet deal. Stop the DNR from destroying this beautiful park.