FOUNTAIN, Minn. — Our snowy winter is but a fading memory, Minnesota's landscape is greening up and it's once again time to take in the best our state has to offer from a bird's eye view.
Yes, KARE in the Air is BACK, and we're kicking things off with the self-proclaimed "Sinkhole Capital of the Country."
We recently flew our trusty drone over Fountain, Minnesota, a community and geographic region about two hours south of the Twin Cities where there are literally more sinkholes than people.
From above sinkholes look a bit like tree groves, and there are an estimated 10,000 of them dotting the landscape across Fillmore County. Some of the easiest ones to see in Fountain are right near the welcome sign when you pull into town, and at the Root River trailhead where there's also a viewing platform.
We're told sinkholes are a common feature of karst topography, created when water and carbon dioxide mix to form an acid that eats away at the limestone bedrock common in this area. It can also create caves and springs, which are also common throughout Fillmore County.
"Unlike places like Florida or Mexico, where they have a higher water table, the activity is so much more dramatic there," explains Fillmore County Historical Society executive director Sara Sturgis, who hopes the sinkholes will become a tourist attraction. "Here it's not massively active, this stuff is happening over eons."
Oddly, the sinkholes near Fountain look more like tiny woodland groves than dramatic, gaping holes in the earth. Trees ring the diameter of the holes and are held together with a tangle of brush and roots.
Sturgis tells KARE 11 the history of sinkholes in Fountain is as widespread and varied as their stories — from serving as a dumping ground for appliances to the new one in the center of town that's not far from Karst Brewing, aptly named for the hallmark landscape.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more KARE in the Air:
Check out amazing drone video of Minnesota's most beautiful and iconic spots in our YouTube playlist: