Legislative session was more a game of defense, rather than much momentum forward this year. In general we held the line on our priority issues and were happy that so many of you showed up to attend rallies and hearings, and in submitting letters of concern to your elected officials....
On Monday, April 20, 2025 Minnesota Trout Unlimited members joined an informational hearing on SF3083, a bill to regulate neonic treated seeds. In an informational hearing votes, amendments, or other actions aren't taken on bills, but they are an excellent way to demonstrate support, connect with others...
The Senate Environment Budget bill (SF2077) contains a provision that will make it less clear which streams and headwater tributaries are protected under state law as “public waters”, by repealing a clarification adopted by the Legislature in 2024.
On April 5 we joined with partners to celebrate the public lands that we collectively own. Public lands are vital for supporting trout and steelhead populations and providing public fishing access. Wild trout and steelhead populations are products of the forests on public lands in northern Minnesota. They provide clean water to...
The Minnesota Senate passed a bill including a requirement that state agencies identify the statutes and rules that should be changed to prevent fish kills in southeast Minnesota. This provision was rolled into the large Environment Omnibus bill HF2310. However, the House version of the bill does not contain this requirement. We need your...
While differences between the House, Senate, and Governor over the state budget have increased thelikelihood of a special session, the Legacy bill relies on dedicated revenues and can still be passed by theend of the regular session on May 17—with or without a budget agreement. Dedicated funding toprotect and restore...
For the past ten years the possibility of a new type of mining in northeast Minnesota has consumed the energies of environmentalists, conservationists, businesses, agencies, and politicians at all levels of government. The debate about whether, where and how to permit the mining of precious metals from sulfide ore deposits,...
Under the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposed “Sustainable Timber Harvest Analysis” plan, the DNR intends to harvest trees from 90% of the land the Fisheries Section owns along trout and steelhead rivers in Lake County. This includes riparian forests along premier rivers such as the Split Rock, Beaver,...
What do the Whitewater, Vermillion, Straight and Sucker rivers all have in common besides being popular trout streams? They all suffer from one or more impairments caused by pollution or degradation. This week the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency released its Draft 2020 Impaired Waters List identifying more than 500 additional stream...
The Environment & Natural Resources omnibus bill, SF2314, contains several provisions which, if adopted in the final bill version, would undermine basic groundwater protections and allow destruction of trout fisheries. The Senate version of SF 2314 has provisions (Sections 81, 82, 84 and 85) undermining intelligent groundwater management, which will lead...
