Animal Pandemics?

On this week’s How on Earth, Beth talks with author and science journalist Liz Kalaugher, about her new book, The Elephant in the room:How to Stop Making Ourselves and Other Animals Sick. Think about it this way: When new diseases spread, news reports often focus on wildlife culprits–rodents, monkeys and mpox; bats and COVID-19; waterfowl and avian flu; or mosquitoes and Zika. But, as Liz points out, we see it often works the other way around–humans have caused diseases in other animals countless times, through travel and transport, the changes we impose on our environment, and global warming. In her deeply researched and often entertaining book, Liz introduces the wildlife we have harmed and the experts now studying the crosscurrents between humans, other animals, and health.

Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Show Producer: Beth Bennett
Additional Contributions: Joel Parker and Shelley Schlender
Engineer:Jackie Sedley

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IF Federal Environmental Protections Go Away . . . EDF Speaks Out.

World Climate Talks (Starts 1:00)  CU Boulder Director of Environmental Journalism Tom Yulsman gives an update on COP29 United Nations 29th Conference on Climate Change, in this hottest year on record, and threats to shut down NOAA.

Methane Leaks, Trump and the EDF (starts 4:10) EDF — Environmental Defense Fund’s Rosalie Winn, explains why reducing methane leaks is crucial, and what to do if many federal environmental protections against methane leaks or air pollution go away.

Executive Producer/Show Producer: Shelley Schlender
Additional Contributions: Tom Yulsman, Joel Parker
Engineer: Jackie Sedley

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Wildfire Mushrooms for Wildfire Mitigation

WIldfire Mushroom c Coldfire Project

Wild, local mushrooms can break down deadwood into healthy soil, and they can do this surprisingly fast.  Used correctly, fungi are an emerging way to reduce the forest tinder that makes mega-wildfires more likely.   But there’s a wrong way and a right way to use mushrooms for mitigation  Our experts today will talk about the ways that are safe for the environment, and the results.

Our experts today are Jeff Ravage of the Coldfire Project and Zach Hedstrom of Boulder Mushroom .  They describe efforts underway to use mushrooms to break down deadwood into soil — to reduce forest tinder and also for sequestering carbon in soil.

Host/Show Producer: Shelley Schlender

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Invasive Weed Management in Boulder County

On this week’s show Beth speaks with Joe Swanson and Laura Backus to discuss some of the invasive weeds that are plaguing Boulder County. Joe is the County Weed Coordinator for Boulder County Parks & Open Space. Joe has worked for over 17 years in rangeland and natural areas management and has been on the forefront of Boulder County Parks & Open Space natural areas invasive weed management program. Laura is a local ecologist with several decades of experience and concern in the same area. The efforts they describe are helping to restore the ecology and ecosystem function in our incredibly diverse open space lands. Photos of invasive weeds are available on the county website as is a form for reporting them.
Executive Producer: Susan Moran
Show Producer: Beth Bennett
Additional Contributions: Shelley Schlender
Engineer: Jackie Sedler

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Fire Resistant Homes

In this fire prone season, we talk with experts about an ancient building technique that might reduce the chance that a building’s going to burn. Unfired, compressed earth blocks are a building material that involves clay, sand and lime.  Our guests are architect-engineer Lisa Morey and one of her clients, Matteo Rabescini, who had such a home built in Superior, Colorado after the 2021 Marshall fire.  You can read more at Colorado Earth/Nova Terra, Heart of A Building, and Lisa Morey’s substack.

Hosts: Esther Frost, Joel Parker
Show Producer: Shelley Schlender, Joel Parker
Engineer: Joel Parker
Executive Producer: Susan Moran

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Wildfires & Smokey Skies

credit: Maeve Conran. The Flatirons in Boulder shrouded in wildfire smoke on Wednesday, July 24, 2024. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment issued an air quality alert due to particle pollution and ozone levels.

Wildfire smoke has marred the Front Range in recent weeks, due to Megafires that are likely to become more frequent.  And more smoke is likely.

Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World (Starts 00:00) Beth Bennett speaks with author John Vaillant about the Canadian firestorm that forced 100,000 people to run for their lives . . . and why firestorms like this are becoming more common.  (For extended version, go here)

Smokey Skies (Starts 15:00) The Front Range is getting eye-stinging smoke from wildfires over 1,000 miles away . . . last week, from Canada, and this week, likely from California, according to the Colorado Smoke Blog.  University of Utah Atmospheric Scientist Dr. Derek Mallia speaks with Rocky Mountain Community Radio Director, Maeve Conran, about why wildfire smoke travels so far, and how people can protect themselves from its toxic effects.

Host/Producer: Shelley Schlender
Additional Contributions: Beth Bennett and Maeve Conran
Executive Producer: Susan Moran

 

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John Weller – Saving Antarctica

c John Weller Photography

Boulder native and wildlife photographer John Weller talks about his efforts to save The Ross Sea in Antarctica.  The Ross Sea is the world’s largest Marine Protected Area.   Weller’s photobooks and documentary films have been a big part of explaining why this area is special, and why protecting it is a crucial part of restoring health of all world oceans.  This show also includes John Weller on a hike with Boulder Naturalist Steve Jones and the Boulder Audubon Teen Naturalists, and discussion about why recent CU-Bouldeer research about rising carbon dioxide, and how it increases ocean acidity warns of disaster ahead the small shrimp-like krill at the bottom of the food chain, as well as for whales, penguins . . . and people . . . at the food chain’s top.

Host/Producer: Shelley Schlender
Executive Producer: Joel Parker

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A New Year and the Same Old Environmental Issues

On this week’s show, we focus on the ongoing challenge of climate change. In addition to headlines about this issue, we replay an interview with author John Vaillant, who has written extensively about the natural world over his long career. In his new book, Fire Weather:A True Story from a Hotter World, he explores the phenomena of fire, the wildland urban interface, and climate change in the context of a precedent-shattering combustion in a modern city.This colossal wildfire in Alberta in 2016 almost consumed a city of nearly 100,000. In the process the fire blew up expectations and responses to wild fires. Vaillant gives an in depth exploration of the rapidly changing relationship between fire and humankind along with personal stories of loss and bravery on the front lines of this horrifying event.

Executive Producer: Joel Parker
Show Producer: Beth Bennett
Additional contribution: Susan Moran

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Western Water

This week on How on Earth, Beth speaks with Robert Crifasi about his new book, Western Water A to Z: The History, Nature, and Culture of a Vanishing Resource. This book is the first ever field guide to Western water. Organized as a collection of terms, the book addresses the most salient water issues and provides helpful background information regarding their origins and implications.

Executive Producer: Beth Bennett
Show Producer: Beth Bennett
Additional Contributions: Shelley Schlender
Engineer: Shannon Young

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Welcoming Biodiversity Back To Cities

Photo by Benita Lee

In this week’s How on Earth, we focus on how cities can foster biodiversity in an effort to mitigate the effects of climate change.

First, we speak with author and journalist Tony Hiss (4:29), who says that while the Earth is rapidly losing species, we can still do something about it. In his latest book, Rescuing the Planet: Protecting Half the Land to Heal the Earth (Vintage), Hiss recounts the numerous ways in which grassroots movements around the world are creating habitats that are allowing biodiversity to thrive, including in least obvious of places — cities.

Next, we discuss how this is being done in Colorado by the nonprofit organization, Denver Urban Gardens (DUG). Creighton Hofeditz (14:37), the Director of Permaculture and Perennials at DUG, tells us how he turns empty city lots into “food forests” — a type of agroforestry — for residents in the metro area. The creation of these gathering spaces for humans also gives nature a place to thrive.

Hosts: Beth Bennett, Benita Lee
Producers: Benita Lee, Alexis Kenyon
Engineer: Shannon Young
Executive Producer: Beth Bennett

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