The Northern Great Plains are home to one of North America's most diverse and productive grassland ecosystems. However, these prairies face an ongoing threat from invasive plant species that outcompete native vegetation, alter wildlife habitat, and create challenges for land managers. During my time working in North Dakota, I've spent countless hours battling four of the region's most notorious invaders: houndstongue, absinthe wormwood, Canada thistle, and leafy spurge.

Left: Spotted Owl, Right: Barred Owl

Artificial intelligence may feel weightless. A prompt goes in, an answer comes out, and somewhere far away a server thinks really hard. But behind that digital magic is something very physical: buildings packed with chips, pulling huge amounts of electricity and producing massive amounts of heat.

Imagine if there was a way to generate power more efficiently than both solar and wind combined using only water and the heat of the Earth… well, it exists. It’s called a hydrothermal or geothermal power plant. Instead of relying on sunlight or moving air, these systems tap into heat stored deep within the Earth’s crust. By drilling wells thousands of feet underground into hot rock and groundwater reservoirs, geothermal plants bring hot water or steam to the surface where it spins turbines connected to electrical generators. Once the steam has turned the turbines, the cooled water is often reinjected back underground where it can be reheated and used again, creating a continuous cycle of energy production.

The word radiation tends to spark immediate concern, often bringing to mind nuclear accidents, X-rays, or radioactive materials. Cell phones, however, operate in a completely different realm of physics. While they do emit radiation, it is not the dangerous, DNA-damaging kind most people worry about. Decades of research across physics, biology, and epidemiology paint a far calmer picture than popular fear suggests.

Bean Creek, originating from Devils Lake and flowing toward Hudson, Michigan, passes through an area of intensive agricultural activity (Figures 1, 2, and 3a). The rise of megafarms, particularly large-scale dairy operations, have created concern over water quality due to nutrient enrichment, chemical runoff, and ecological contamination. These concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) often utilize thousands of acres of cropland within a 5 to 10-mile radius of the central facility for feed production and manure application (MSU Extension, 2023; EGLE, 2024). Previous studies have linked large-scale agricultural operations to eutrophication, harmful algal blooms, and ecological stress in freshwater systems (Withers & Jarvie, 2014; Akinnawo et al., 2023). However, there has been little direct monitoring of Bean Creek in this specific reach and limited investigation into whether Devils Lake may play a role in filtering upstream pollutants.

They’re in your water. They’re in your food. They’re probably in your bloodstream. Microplastics, those teeny tiny plastic particles less than five millimeters in size, are becoming one of the most widespread pollutants on Earth. They’re showing up in places they shouldn’t: remote mountain peaks, deep-sea trenches, and even inside the human body. And the wild part? Most of us don’t even realize it.

Hunting is one of humanity’s oldest survival tools—but today, its role in the environment is anything but primitive. While it sparks debates over ethics and tradition, hunting remains a surprisingly powerful force in modern conservation. From managing out-of-control deer populations to funding habitat restoration, hunters have shaped the land in ways both visible and subtle. So, is hunting still an act of harmony with nature—or a relic of dominance over it?