Before joining MinnPost as the reporter covering drinking water in Minnesota, Claire Carlson was a reporter for the Daily Yonder, where she spent four years reporting on the nexus of climate change, food systems, and rural communities. She also worked as a freelance journalist for Civil Eats, Offrange, FoodPrint, Minnesota Reformer, Sierra Nevada Ally, and other regional and national publications. She credits her career to the single journalism class she took in graduate school that showed her how to write a lede, nut graph, and how to pitch editors (and not get her feelings hurt when rejected). She holds a master’s degree in environmental studies from the University of Montana and a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from the University of Nevada-Reno.
Beat: Drinking water in Minnesota
A range of threats — PFAS, agricultural runoff, lead pipes, climate change — are affecting drinking water sources in Minnesota. As the Mississippi River headwaters state, how well Minnesota manages its vast water resources has health consequences for millions of people within the state and downstream. The drinking water reporter investigates threats, uncovers creative solutions, and explains what it takes to ensure access to clean, safe drinking water now and in the future.