Watching housing developments pop up like weeds across Minnesota and lake lots gobbled up in a frenzy, David Hartwell asked himself a question:
Who's paying attention to what the state will look like in 25 years, when 1.2 million more people will live here, or in 50 years?
The answer was no one. And so Hartwell, a 49-year-old Minneapolis businessman with a long-standing interest in the outdoors and a penchant for the big picture, decided he would. More than a year ago, he called together a small group of prominent conservationists and environmentalists, posed all sorts of questions and hit up business associates for at least $25,000 each to pay for an ambitious research effort to answer them.
Today, he'll unveil the product, the first comprehensive assessment of what's happening to Minnesota's abundant natural resources, the pressures bearing down on them and what might happen to what's left.
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/local/13938432.htm
Posted by Dave at February 23, 2006 08:35 AM