For Minnesota’s Climate Action Vision, Powerful Landscape Look For a Spot

(By Mike Moen. Minnesota News Connection) – Minnesotans have until midnight November 9 to weigh in on the state’s updated blueprint for fighting climate change. Conservationists point out there’s one tool, thousands of years in the making, already doing its job but in need of protections.

Sometimes referred to as a climate superpower, peatlands are ancient, waterlogged ecosystems – made up of partially decayed plant matter – that work to store carbon.

In Minnesota, peatlands keep at least 4 billion metric tons of carbon under wraps.

Brad Gausman, executive director of the Minnesota Conservation Federation, said when people drive in the northern half of the state to see fall colors or relax at their cabin, these wetlands will look familiar.

“They are such a rich and vibrant ecosystem within our state and something that makes Minnesota unique,” said Gausman. “And so, there’s just really an opportunity for Minnesotans to appreciate these lands, kind of help lend their voice and support to restoring damaged peatlands.”