Dr. Sarah Fortner

Robert F Kennedy Jr: 1 year of failure In his first speech as Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Robert F Kennedy Jr laid out a plan to restore trust. The COVID-19 pandemic saw public faith in Federal health...

From one of our most prestigious and well respected journals, the Lancet. “ The destruction that Kennedy has wrought in 1 year might take generations to repair, and there is little hope for US health and science while he remains at the helm.”

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

It's not getting much press coverage, but last month the Department of Education quietly stopped fighting a lawsuit challenging the infamous DEI "Dear Colleague" letter. This effectively means the letter is unenforceable. This is a huge win that deserves celebrating, and we can thank unions!

Climate literacy "an understanding of the essential principles of earth's climate system, assessing scientifically credible climate information, learning to communicate about the climate in a meaningful manner, & making informed & responsible decisions regarding actions that may affect the climate."

A climate literacy seal bill in Minnesota | National Center for Science Education

Minnesota's Senate Bill 3659 would, if enacted, establish a climate literacy seal "to recognize graduating high school students ... who demonstrate mastery in climate literacy disciplines and attain green skills or technical green skills."

share.google/u5Ip6e2l9iWU...

NSF has put out a “Dear Colleague Letter” asking how to dismantle NCAR, the premier public atmospheric sciences center in the US. We must reject the premise. As a dedicated center bringing together scientists across disciplines and across the world, NCAR science has saved lives for over 65 years.

Thanks! I thought I had, but alas… fumbled.

Well said Julie Palais.

On an Ambitious Antarctic Quest, One Nation Is on the Sidelines

“We invited scientists from other countries to join our field programs to take advantage of our logistics. Now, it is our turn to come begging to other countries, not so much as payback, but… as a way to help us bridge this difficult time in American science.”

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/c...

Native patrols continue in Minneapolis as community tracks ICE sightings Native American patrols are continuing across south Minneapolis as community members track ICE activity and share sightings in encrypted chats.Patrols have grown in the wake of January reports that Og...

nit.com.au/20-02-2026/2...

How Rare is Rare? Understanding Apostle Islands Ice Caves Access (U.S. National Park Service)

Check out the Lake Superior Ice cover trends. In the 1970-1995 only 4 years had maximum ice extents of less than 60%, but that became commonplace in subsequent decades. The window for caves which call for 90% even fewer.

www.nps.gov/articles/000...

Here today, gone tomorrow: Open water where visitors thronged Apostle Islands ice caves days ago On Monday, visitors walked across the frozen surface of Lake Superior to see the ice caves at the Apostle Island National Lakeshore. By Wednesday morning, any chance of getting another glimpse at that...

The next time these caves form could be amongst the last, so I will go north…

lost winter as sustained periods of cold & stillness are fewer days and further apart.

www.wpr.org/news/open-wa...

Concerned about ICE's $45 billion plan to convert warehouses into immigration detention centers? This is what they'll look like inside. From ICE's plan for the Social Circle, GA facility. Each little dot: a person. www.socialcirclega.gov/home/showpub...

Last years Earth Day theme in Northfield focused on flooding & engaging for a thriving riverfront development & dam removal. As that project starts to shape, this year’s Earth Day will focus on advocacy for grid updates & what we still can do now.

🤯⚒️🧪❄️ "Preliminary dating, based on the presence of fossilized algae that only existed during specific geological periods, suggests that the core represents an archive of the past 23 million years" in West Antarctica

“Pritzker noted that Trump is making life harder for everyday Americans w tariffs that raise costs for working families & small businesses; trade wars that are devastating farmers; cuts to healthcare, nutritional assistance, & education; increased bureaucratic demands on states; & low job creation.”

Important News - Climate Generation February 18, 2026 Dear Community,  We have an important announcement: As you may have already seen, Climate Generation has made the difficult decision to wind down organizational operations.  We know ...

@climategenorg.bsky.social I will miss you. It was great to interact in the Midwest Climate Collab & I had great Carleton students who were inspired in high school by your youth climate advocacy programs, & teachers in your summer institutes. We absolutely must #teachclimate

climategen.org

Thanks to EDF for this fact sheet that makes clear what the cost is to wallets & lives of repealing the Endangerment Finding & our capacity to regulate GHG emissions. State by state results show 21 billion in added fuel & 16 billion to health in MN by 2055.

library.edf.org/AssetLink/81...

I have been impressed with the education response, including mathematically quantifying impacts of grid congestion & thinking through evidence based advocacy. We can still stand up for what we want and build will.

The Northfield grid map is disappointing, red areas we can’t connect solar build year over year. My child came home from a city council meeting updating council on how this lack of utility upgrades meant climate efforts have stalled.

www.xcelenergy.com/hosting_capa...

What will climate change cost Coloradans? Up to $37 billion, a new study says. The real cost of climate change for Coloradans over the next 25 years is tens of billions of dollars, a new study says.

What a time to roll back national accountability. Pick a state, a country, the world.

coloradosun.com/2026/02/16/s...

The Memo: www.governor.nh.gov/sites/g/file...

ICE memo outlines massive $38.3 billion expansion of concentration camp network The US government is spending billions acquiring warehouses across the country to “process” those it deems “illegal.”

This is difficult to read & important to read. www.wsws.org/en/articles/...

Thanks!

Taking the advice of a Carleton history professor & ordering Madhouse at the End of the Earth to continue my obsession with icy adventure reads…

Scientists no Longer Find Twitter Professionally Useful, and have Switched to Bluesky Synopsis. Social media has become widely used by the scientific community for a variety of professional uses, including networking and public outreach. For

Bluesky is the new science Twitter, new study by @whysharksmatter.bsky.social and Julia Wester concludes!

"Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter."

My professor said ‘Black people are not interested in the environment’. I set out to prove him wrong Environmental sociologist Dorceta Taylor has helped her field to be more welcoming to researchers of colour.

The latest #Changemaker Q&A features environmental sociologist Dorceta Taylor who is a fierce champion of early-career Black researchers and their contributions to environmental, climate change and conservation science. As told to @virginiagewin.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Trump revokes EPA finding on greenhouse gas threat in huge blow to climate change regulations EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin officially revoked the endangerment finding, in a huge blow to U.S. efforts to fight climate change.

Heartbreaking.

www.cnbc.com/2026/02/12/t...

Local Climate Action Program drives measurable statewide climate leadership | Penn State University Since 2019, Penn State’s Local Climate Action Program has helped communities across Pennsylvania take measurable steps toward addressing climate change through applied research, greenhouse gas account...

Cool model! Students expanding climate action planning statewide. www.psu.edu/news/penn-st...

Please call the Senate they will vote very soon on whether to allow dangerous sulfide-ore copper mining on the edges of Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Tell them to vote NO on House Joint Resolution 140 (H.J. Res. 140).

halftime show

what a shot