John Bluemle’s new book, North Dakota’s Geologic Legacy (actually published in 2016 and now in its second printing) is a culmination of a career of more than 40 years he spent with the North Dakota Geological Survey, researching all facets of North Dakota’s geology, carrying the title of State Geologist. It’s his fourth in a … Continue reading Read Bluemle’s New Book

The North Dakota Legislature approved, and Gov. Doug  Burgum signed, legislation last May authorizing the use of water from the Little Missouri State Scenic River for fracking oil wells. Now our State Engineer, Garland Erbele, has issued industrial water permits authorizing more than 2.1 billion (that’s 2,142,000,000)  gallons of water to be taken from the … Continue reading Conflicts of Interest Could Plague Scenic River Commission

“Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it,” the wise man said. And you might not like what you get, I might add. That’s what I was thinking about four hours into last week’s second meeting of the newly reconstituted Little Missouri Scenic River Commission. I’ve been harping for a couple … Continue reading Maybe the Governor Shouldn’t Send Engineers to Represent Him

One more time around for pheasants and Paul Southworth Bliss, in honor of Saturday’s 2017 Pheasant Season Opener. This will be my 59th pheasant season. Actually, more, because before I was 12, when my dad bought me my first shotgun, in 1959, I had tagged along since I was able to keep up with him … Continue reading The Cry of the Pheasant

I want to tell you a story today about a really remarkable woman, a true North Dakotan, a real character, and my favorite relative: my Aunt Deloris. Deloris Boehmer is my last living aunt. She’s the only remaining member of my parents’ generation in our family. She’s 88, and lives in Edmore, North Dakota, about … Continue reading ‘Quit Farming? Heck, What Would I Do?’

Last week William Prentice, the slickster CEO of Meridian Energy, which wants to build an oil refinery 2 ½ miles from Theodore Roosevelt National Park, blew a bunch of smoke up the ass of a young reporter for The Dickinson Press, and the kid, who’s actually a pretty good writer, wrote a real puff piece … Continue reading Refinery Company: Still Blowing Smoke, Still Sleazy

Sometime after I went to bed last night I completed my 70th trip around the sun. Today I begin my 71st.  They’ve been interesting trips. I’ve enjoyed most of all of them. They’ve all been different. If I could do them over, there are probably a few different roads I’d choose, a few different off-ramps I’d … Continue reading Another Trip Around the Sun

So it begins. North Dakota has its first official candidate in the 2018 election. Given all the weird shit (read: Trump) that’s been going on over the last 8 months or so, I’m eager for a fresh start, and my young friend Ben Hanson has provided that. Thank you, Ben. Ben sent me an e-mail … Continue reading Ben Hanson for Congress: A Good Idea

A short report on last night’s first meeting of the Little Missouri Scenic River Commission in ten years. If I don’t report, you’ll probably never hear or read about it. Nothing happened. The meeting was chaired by State Engineer Garland Erbele, and was engineered by two state employees, Jon Patch, an engineer from the State … Continue reading Somebody’s Finally Looking Out for the Little Missouri State Scenic River

  If you’ve been following the saga of Jason Halek on my blog for the last four years, you know that on July 31 he was supposed to be sent off to jail for dumping 800,000 gallons of poisonous oilfield brine down an abandoned well south of Dickinson. I last wrote about him on April … Continue reading Halek Sentencing Delayed Again