The Not Really Renewable Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. You may have heard there's movement afoot for Massachusetts to go 100% renewable energy, yes? What you should also know is the Gov, the wood pellet and chip industry, various odd politicians and even some climate activists want large-scale wood biomass included as "renewable energy". We don't think so! Carol Oldham, Executive Director of Massachusetts Climate Action Network calls in to talk about the issues. [UPDATE: Go here] Also, Michael Kellett from Restore The North Woods gives us a call with an update on the latest machinations from the biomess crowd. Once again we'll also take you see our Fool-on-the-Hill and to mock His Malignancy's latest tweets, as well as another journey into The Enviro Show Echo Chamber, but first it's time for.........Revenge of the Critters! Wild turkey gets into the car chase scene......with a cop, of course.

Another cameo appearance for this week's Fool-on-the-Hill. It's far-right Climate chaos denying House Science and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith again.  This time our favorite nut job Texan is demanding Facebook turn over info on anti-fracking ads, ostensibly bought by the Ruskies (but more likely in an effort to track down all you tree hugging solar moles who may have clicked on such ads). So Lamar, what other ways do you have to waste taxpayers money anyway?

On to His Malignancy, The Mad King. Where to begin with the "gift" that keeps giving?? How about His Malignancy's own Katrina! His woefully ongoing inadequate and down right mean responses to the climate disaster in Puerto Rico is actually classic Mad King and his clueless dishonest comments during a visit to that devastated island were more of the same. Under His malignancy's watch the richest nation on Earth was days late and dollars short with emergency response. The Mad King and his court lied and continue to lie in a lame effort to cover up their sins. Given the present occupants of the White House and their lackeys are all about "alternative facts" should we be surprised they also want to change the definition of "waters of the United States" too? Nah! And this: if you're stumped about what to dress up as for Halloween this year how about a Trump Swamp Monster? It looks like his promise to "drain the swamp" in DC went south on His Malignancy, in fact it seems to have dragged him under! Elsewhere in the swamp we find The Mad King's guy in the Environmental "Protection" Agency, Scotty spreading the slime around at taxpayer's expense.

We have Breaking News!  “The war on coal is over,” [EPA head Pruitt said]. “Tomorrow in Washington, D.C., I will be signing a proposed rule to roll back the Clean Power Plan. No better place to make that announcement than Hazard, Kentucky.” We always knew Pruitt was a hazard, now he’s actually proving it.

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we rerun Common Dreams' Jessica Corbett getting into the face of Big Oil here. And this from The Globe and Mail in Canada: "TransCanada kills controversial Energy East Pipeline project".  Note that "the related Eastern Mainline, a natural gas pipeline that complemented the crude-carrying Energy East.." was also canceled. Remember all our talk about carbon sequestration in the soil? It turns out the folks over at Harvard Forest have been on the case for years. Read about it here.

Our Enviro Show Quote of the Week comes from Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate:

“If we want to use forests as a weapon in the fight against climate change, then we must allow them to grow old, which is exactly what large conservation groups are asking us to do.” 

(OK, not most large conservation groups but hey, we're working on that)

After our conversation with Carol we move over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Monday October 16, 4pm. Hearts in Action: Creative Responses to Climate Change, UMass Science and Engineering Library, 3rd floor conference room. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/TalkingTruthUMass/

Monday, October 16, 5:30pm. Greening Greenfield will hold a public panel discussion at the John Olver Transit Station at the intersection of Bank Row and Olive streets, to report on a study they had done in the summer of 2016 to assess the number of gas leaks in Greenfield’s aging distribution system.  The panel is free, and refreshments will be served.

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Saturday October 21, 1:30pm. 46^th Annual Meeting of the New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution. 118 Elliot Street, Brattleboro, VT. Bring a friend! The public is encouraged to attend.  Go to: http://necnp.org/

Saturday October 21, 7:30pm. Colleen Kattau & Martin Espada. Come enjoy an Evening of Music and Poetry  and support hurricane relief aid to Puerto Rico. Mount Toby Meeting 194 Long Plain Rd. (Rt. 63), Leverett, MA. For reservations call 413-336-2589. Suggested donation: $10 to $30

Sunday October 22, 3 to 7pm. House Concert with Tom Neilson, Lynn Waldron & friends at 729 Colrain Rd Greenfield . Reserve with check to Tom Neilsonand mail to Lisa Turowsky, 729 Colrain Rd Greenfield 01301. Donation $10-20

Monday October 23, 7:00 - 9:00pm. Climate Action Now Monthly Gathering, Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence, 220 Main St. Northampton, MA. Go to: http://climateactionnowma.org/ 

Sunday October 29, 1-5pm. “Mending the Web of Life - A workshop of inspirational exploration to move toward action” at Temple Israel, Greenfield. Sarah Pirtle and Emily Koester are facilitators of the Work That Reconnects. What do you want to do in service to life on earth? How are you called -- and what stops you? A sliding scale of $10 - $40 is suggested. Snacks and tea will be provided. Contact Sarah Pirtle  (pirtle22@hotmail.com)

Sunday October 29,  5 - 7:30pm. Benefit Concert: Protecting Indigenous Sacred Stone Sites, Shea Theatre arts Centre 71 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA. A benefit concert will be held to raise funds for the protection of Indigenous sacred stone landscapes. Joe Graveline, musician and long-time Indigenous activist, has gathered fellow musicians to perform. Tickets:  $15 online at Sheatheater.org; $18 at the door. For more information or to make online contributions, go to tinyurl.com/protectsacredstones. 

That's it until our pre-Halloween show on October 24. Do not be afraid BUT listen to your Mother.

The Now Do You Believe in Climate Chaos Enviro Show?

Greetings Earthlings. We'll bet few climate change deniers are left in coastal Texas or the Caribbean these days but down in the Belly of the Beast where The Mad King dwells? Michael Rawlins, Associate Director of Climate System Research Center and Extension Associate Professor of Geosciences at UMass, Amherst returns to revisit the stormy subject with us. If you are wondering where to donate to any of the victims of the recent climate chaos go HERE or HERE or why not head on down South and pitch in. As always, in spite of these troubled times, we'll take you to visit those who are partly responsible for the trouble, like The Mad King and his crazed court of Enemies of the Earth and their enablers like The Fool-on-the-Hill. Also we checkout The Enviro Show Echo Chamber and various other nooks and crannies here on the show, but first it's time for...........Revenge of the Critters! We guess those flotillas of Fire Ants down south are not all that pleased with a human-caused Climate Crisis. If you happen upon them.......go the other way!

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Rep. Tim Walberg (Repugnican-Mich.) who told a constituent last May that God can solve the problem of climate change if the global phenomenon truly exists. We guess that god is running behind schedule?

As most of you know, His Malignancy The Mad King and his enablers deny the existence of the Climate Crisis (or say they do) so recent rumors of any change in their minds about pulling out of the Paris climate accord are.....well, fake news. Meanwhile, His Malignancy "is continuing to put ideological extremists into every level of government. The latest attempt is his pick to lead NASA: Oklahoma Congressman and known climate change denier, Jim Bridenstine." There's an effort to stop that appointment, so here's your Enviro Show Blog Action Link. We guess you won't be surprised to read that "[The Mad King's] policies put the most vulnerable Americans in danger"?.....Nah! And this:

--> His malignancy’s Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke “recommends allowing commercial fishing in… three marine monuments discussed in [a] memo. He also writes that “the boundary should be revised,” a euphemism from shrinking the monument, for four monuments in the western U.S. after noting that the monument designations impacted grazing, water rights or mineral extraction.”  In other words, ATTENTION CORPORADOS: BIG SALE ON PUBLIC LANDS! Meanwhile, over at The Mad King's EPA (mismanaged by climate criminal Scott Pruitt) we find this gratifying headline from Grist: “EPA employees eagerly leak documents from their mandatory anti-leaking class.”
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Our Enviro Show Quote of the Week is spot on!  "The damage that climate change is causing and that will get worse if we fail to act goes beyond the hundreds of thousands of lives, homes and businesses lost, ecosystems destroyed, species driven to extinction, infrastructure smashed and people inconvenienced."     – David Suzuki

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber our own Harvey Wasserman reminds us Nukes and Hurricanes don't exactly mix well. Surprise! And this: Grist's rundown on the grim numbers in Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria. The New York Times tells us the island nation has lost 80% of its crops. Let's stay with Grist for this potent headline: 
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"Harvey, Irma, Maria: This is the hurricane season scientists expected and feared." 

After our conversation with Michael Rawlins we take you over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

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Monday, September 25, 7 to 9pm. Climate Action Now Monthly Gathering, Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst,  121 N Pleasant Street, Amherst, Mass. Accessible and on the PVTA bus line. Eric Toensmeier, one of the world's foremost experts on edible perennial gardening and sustainable permaculture will be speaking. Go To: http://climateactionnowma.org

Tuesday, September 26, 7 to 8pm. Webinar on Community Choice Aggregation (CCA). 

--> MCAN and 350 Mass, along with the Mass Power Forward coalition, invite you to join a webinar that will help you understand what aggregation is, how it can be used to get your community towards its climate goals, and how to get it done in your community. Online - RSVP here, and we will send you instructions to get on the webinar 2 days ahead of time (please note, you must RSVP to join this webinar).

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Wednesday September. 27, 6:30pm. Screening of "The Age of Consequences" at Forbes Library Northampton. This film shows the connection between climate change and war. Post film speaker to kick off discussion is Smith College Government Professor Greg White whose specialty is global environmental politics, international relations, migration and refugee politics, and international political economy.

Wednesday September 27, 7:00-8:00pm. What is Carbon Pricing –  Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West Street, Amherst. Have you been wondering what "Carbon Pricing" is or what a "Carbon Pollution Fee and Rebate" would be? Come find out. "What is Carbon Pricing?" presentation by Mary Jo Maffei, Chair, Carbon Pollution Fee and Rebate Committee, Climate Action Now.  

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Friday, September 29, 10:30 to 11:30am. Story Hour for Kids: Bats!  Come learn about our wildlife neighbors who share our home in the Connecticut River Watershed. Program includes a story, activities or games, and a craft to introduce young children to wildlife along the river. Meet in the Great Hall. Great Falls Discovery Center, Avenue A, Turners falls, MA.  For ages 3-6. Siblings and friends welcome. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Go to: http://greatfallsdiscoverycenter.org/

Wednesday, October 4, 7 to 8:30pm. "Forests, the Critical Component for Addressing Long-Term Climate Change" with Bill Moomaw, Professor Emeritus of International Environmental Policy. GCTV Studios, 393 Main Street, 3rd floor, Greenfield, MA.

That's all folks! Remember this: Listen to your Mother, OK? 

The Great Climate Debate

We've headed for hills for the next two weeks as massive climate chaos fueled hurricanes pound our nation's coast lands. In the mean time we thought you'd be inspired by this important Climate Crisis debate, one that finally reflects the actual realities of that "debate". Enjoy.......and batten down the hatches!

Another Enviro Show Birthday Show

Greetings Earthlings. We've been acting out about the Climate Crisis and the War Against Nature for well over a decade now and we realize like many 12 year-olds we can be annoying at times, right? (Checkout our very first show blog HERE). In any case, would you like to come to our B-day party? David Detmold is coming, back from his Bike for Standing Rock trip. We'll have cake and party favors and we'll hold a treasure hunt to find our Fool-on-the-Hill and The Mad King, as well as fun and games in the Enviro Show Echo Chamber, but first it's time for........Revenge of the Critters! Your pet may have fleas but you better hope you don't run into "sea fleas" this summer.

Let's play Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Mad-King at our birthday party, OK? The first pin is for the "1,000 lies" His Malignancy told in "200 days". Ouch! Pants on fire!!  Wait, lets stick this pin in his pants: The Mad King Kills Study of Mountain Top Removal. Of course there's always plenty of pins for his ongoing war on science. And this: Just in time for hurricane season His Malignancy revokes an Obama rule on flooding. It will be hard to pin this one on The Mad King 'cuz it's a moving target, but hey, give it a try. OK, are you ready for another moving target? Stick a pin in His malignancy's fascist infrastructure scheme! Maybe we should start a new segment like Headlines We Wish We Wrote? Try this: "Trump Staffer Responsible for Finding Positive News Stories Resigns". Finally this:  "Trump's Council on Environmental Quality has no members at all"  which pretty much says it all.

We have a Quote of the Week from EPA Destroyer, Scott Pruitt:

“Science should not be something that’s just thrown about to try to dictate policy in Washington, D.C.”   (Why bother with science when we have "alternative facts", right? ).

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This week’s Fool-on-the-Hill is Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (Repugnican-FLA) who said: "I know there's a lot of money to be made on the bandwagon of global warming, you can make movies, documentaries, get a lot of research money—and that's okay, I love capitalism… My fear is using the bandwagon of global warming to have Congress act on some knee-jerk reaction which will please some editorialists, will hurt our economy, will not do anything to help us in the future."

We have some Breaking News that will be updated as Hurricane Harvey hovers over coastal Texas. On Day 4 the National Weather Service say's Harvey is "beyond anything experienced". Now there's reports of "unbearable chemical smells hanging over parts of Houston". And now the first reported gas spill from none other than Kinder Morgan has come in HERE. Did we mention that "the National Hurricane Center has been without a head since its director left in May", no? How about the fact that Houston has been a sitting duck for years and one did anything to save it? Stay tuned!

We got a B-day present sitting just inside the door of The Enviro Show Echo Chamber! Here it is!  Wait, there's another gift right over there. Two gifts of good news from judges in one show? Thanks, your honors. Remember those activists who shutdown emergency turn-off valves of the five pipelines running from Canadian tar-sands oil fields into Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, and Washington last October? Orion Magazine has done a piece on it titled "One Good Turn". Our friend Karl Meyer has a new commentary on the beleaguered dead reach on the Connecticut River at Peskeomskut. Maybe our guest will help us connect some dots regarding that sacred place. Yikes! More good news? "9 Northeastern states agree to further power plant cuts" (given that the present occupants in the White House of Lies are enemies of the planet).

After our conversation with David it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:

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Every Tuesday, Noon to 1pm. Weekly TD Bank Vigil to pressure TD to divest from Dakota Access Pipeline. 324 Main St., (near Federal St corner)

Greenfield, MA.

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Wednesday, August 30, 2 - 5pm. Water Ceremony at Lower Spectacle Pond Dam, Otis State forest, Sandisfield, MA. Water Ceremony led by Jake Singer will take place this Wednesday at 2 PM at Lower Spectacle Pond. #Pleaseshare #AllNationz #WaterisLife #MniWiconi #WaterProtectors #Neciihiinetit

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Labor Day, Monday, September 4, 11:00am.-2:00 pm. “No Escape from the Cape” anti-nuke standout at the Sagamore Bridge Cape side. Coming to the Cape is easy.  For those on the Cape, leaving around 9:00 AM is a good time.  Traffic seems to build up around 10:00. We gather earlier with coffee and muffins on the green.  After the rally, we head to the British Beer Co. on 6A in Sandwich for pizza and libations.  Contact Susan at scarpenter1103@gmail.com/774.268.1695 or Diane at 508.776.3132

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Wednesday. September 13, 6:30pm, Forbes Library, Northampton. “Here’s to Flint”  a film about what happened in Flint and the importance of public maintenance of water infrastructure by cities and towns to prevent what happened in Flint. Water safety problems have been detected in the Pioneer Valley. Speakers to kick off the post-film discussion include: Mary Ann Babinski, Westfield city councilor who will talk about water safety problems closer to home with activists from Westfield Residents Advocating for Themselves (WRAFT); and David Ahlfeld, Prof. of Civil and Environment Engineering, UMass Amherst.

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Saturday, September 16 at 11am. - 3pm. A Flotilla of Boats to Occupy Spectacle Pond! Lower Spectacle Pond, Cold Spring Road, Sandisfield, MA. More than a half million gallons of water from Spectacle Pond will soon be siphoned off by Kinder Morgan to test their fracked gas pipeline. Through our presence, we will bear witness to the beauty of Spectacle Pond, protest its despoilment, and resist the fossil fuel industry’s continued degradation of our precious collective resources for private profit. Call Joan Levy at 413 256-0175

• Bring kayaks, canoes, rowboats, rafts, paddle boards.

• Bring your own lunch.

• All participants assume liability for their own safety — bring a PFD.

• This a family-friendly, public action: Protectors unite!

• Heavy rain cancels the event.

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Tuesday, September 19, 1 - 3:30pm. Committee Hearing - RPS Bills (Renewable Portfolio Standard). Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St., Room A-2 (# may change), Boston, MA. Testify in support of increasing the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) to achieve at least a 50% renewable electricity by 2030 WITHOUT biomass incineration. See: https://www.dogwoodalliance.org/2017/03/media-release-the-great-american-stand-us-forests-and-the-climate-emergency/ 

September 23, 9:00am - 4:00pm. Climate Change and the Growing Risk of Nuclear War. Hadley Farms Meeting House. 41 Russell Street, Rt 9, Hadley, MA  01035 Map

A symposium on the issues of climate change and nuclear war. Featured: Bill McKibben—350.org; Nitin Damle—American College of Physicians; Michael Klare—Peace and World Security Studies Program, Five Colleges; Jennifer Leaning—Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Zia Mian--Program on Science and Global Security, Princeton University; Ira Helfand—Physicians for Social Responsibility; Marty Nathan—Climate Action; John Loretz—International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.  Get tickets here: https://secure.psr.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1898&ea.campaign.id=72648 

 That is all....for now. Thanks for all the B-day wishes. Until next time remember: Listen to your Mother!

Another Climate Crisis Enviro Show

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Greetings Earthlings. With all the Mad King's sabre rattling and old fears of nuclear war invading our dreams you could be forgiven for letting the Climate Crisis slip your mind these days. However, that slow motion dooms day scenario is still alive and well here on The Enviro Show! Michael Rawlins, Associate Director of the Climate System Research Center, at UMass, Amherst joins us in the studio for the latest science on climate chaos. [UPDATE: Here's the link to that leaked climate report we were discussing] Also, another call from David Detmold on his Bike for Standing Rock tour. David is now onsite. As always, we will take you to meet our latest Fool-on-the-Hill and to mock The Mad King and his Corrupt Court of Crass Cronies, as well as a side trip to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber, but first it's time for........Revenge of the Critters! Another listener suggested winner: This Texan outdoes most others in the Department of Truly Stupid. Read all about it!

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Rep. Evan Jenkins (Repugnican-W.Va.) who is concerned the Mad King's anti-enviro edicts won't go far enough to destroy the planet recently said: "We need to put the legislative stamp of approval on what the Trump administration is doing." You can read more about what the Enemies of the Earth are planning when congress returns to "work" HERE.

And, speaking of His Malignancy, it's time for another issue of The Mad King! This time we find His Malignancy, when not threatening nuclear annihilation, shilling for Old King Coal and schemes to bring back dirty coal-powered coal plants in West Virginia so they can make America great again. The Washington Examiner tells us: "The governor of West Virginia is pitching the idea of federal coal subsidies to Trump, in which the federal government pays power plants to buy Appalachian coal. It's an idea that Trump is "really interested" in, said Gov. Jim Justice, who made headlines last week for switching political parties from Democrat to Republican as Trump visited the state." And speaking of interesting ideas how about this? "Trump Forest Created to Offset His Monumental Stupidity on Climate Change"

We have Breaking News! Given the lack of interest in protecting and reserving our forests in the struggle to fight climate chaos(even among climate activists!) it's not surprising that this news didn't cause much of a ripple here in the Commonwealth. It seems the Gov is all in for wood biomass, aping the industry and it's enablers misnomer that incinerating our forests is "renewable energy". Read all about it here and here. Enviro Show listeners know where we stand on this critical issue and we are, as the saying goes "like dogs on a bone". Stay tuned!

On to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber! Our friends fighting fracking might like this one: "Pipeline Payday: How Builders Win Big Whether More Gas is Needed or Not".  While we're at it with these pipeline perverts, Greenpeace has been doing its homework on Kinder Morgan and its fellow despoilers; that would be right HERE. And this: Grist informs us that a big glacier in Greenland may be breaking apart. Remember Tom Neilson's song?

After our conversations with David and Michael we're off to the Bus Stop Billboard:


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Tuesday, August15, Noon to 1pm. Weekly TD Bank Vigil to pressure TD to divest from Dakota Access Pipeline. 324 Main St., (near Federal St corner)

Greenfield, MA.

Tuesday, August 15, 5 – 6:30 PM. Raptor Identification. Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center, 99 Millers Falls Road, Northfield, MA.

Join the Northfield Bird Club and Northfield Mountain Recreation and Environmental Center for a free program on raptor identification. This video-based program by David Brown will acquaint you with field marks and other ways for identifying these raptors as they pass overhead. This program is suitable for adults and teens. David Brown is an interpretive naturalist and wildlife videographer who has devoted many hours to studying and taping raptors on their territories and on migration. Visit his website: www.dbwildlife.com.

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Friday, August 18, 9:30PM to 12AM. Bob Massie, candidate for MA governor and internationally-known climate activist and sustainability expert, is hosting a climate and sustainability panel discussion at the Cambridge Innovation Center, 1 Broadway, Cambridge, MA following the 7:00 show of An Inconvenient Sequel; Truth to Power at the Kendall Square Cinema in Boston. This is a great opportunity to meet Bob, ask questions, and find out about the campaign. Admission is FREE! Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/263933424122741/

Saturday, August 19, All Day & All Out

--> on the Boston Common to Resist Fascism! Respect Existence or Expect Resistance!  Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/175606822982714/

August 19, 10:30  – 11:30 AM. Poison Ivy Walk. Great Falls Discovery Center

2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA. Are you uncertain if you’d know poison ivy if you see it? Join a DCR park interpreter for a walk along the Canalside Rail Trail and Discovery Center grounds for tips on how to recognize poison ivy and to learn about the ecology of the plant. Reduce your chances of an itchy summer and fall! Bring water for the walk and meet at the main entrance. Free. Call: 413-863-3221

August 24, 4:00 – 5:30 PM. Bureau of Forestry Pre-Harvest Forest Tour

Savoy Mountain State Forest – Savoy, MA. Department of Cut & Run (DCR) Forester will be leading a tour of the Tannery Road Timber Sale where he will discuss forest management techniques in a predominantly northern hardwood forest and a Norway spruce plantation! A detailed silviculture prescription for the harvesting operation will be provided to attendees. Meet at the parking area on New State Road above Burnett Pond in Savoy Mountain State Forest. Attendees are encouraged to dress for the weather and to wear sturdy shoes.  For additional information about the tours and DCR forest management on state forests, parks, and reservations, please contact William Hill, Management Forestry Program Supervisor, at 413-545-3891.

August 27, 10:30 – 11:30 AM. Soil’s Alive!  Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA. Join a DCR park interpreter for a talk and demonstrations investigating the microbiology of healthy soils. Get the dirt on soil glue and how it can help contribute to healthier plants, better nutrition, bigger flowers, less erosion and cleaner water. Meet in the Great Hall. After the demonstrations, join in an optional Discovery Center grounds site walk to visit soil sample locations and consider how you can make a difference in soil health. Free. Call: 413-863-3221

That all folks. Remember to......what? Listen to your Mother, of course!

Save the Pollinators Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Have you noticed fewer bees, moths and butterflies this summer? Did you know the flowers you bought at the garden center might be part of the reason? Peggy MacLeod from Western Mass Pollinator Network and

-->Kelsey Whiting-Jones, Community Organizer for Western Massachusetts and Connecticut at Toxics Action Center join us to help connect the dots. [Archived interview here]Also, David Detmold calls in from the road once again on the Bike for Standing Rock! As always, we will also take you to visit this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to confront His Malignancy The Mad King as well as a trip to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber but first it's time for..........Revenge of the Critters! This one gives new meaning to the term "moth eaten"!

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is back for yet another stint. Yes, it's Congressman Lamar Smith, repugnican from Texas (of course!) who penned an editorial in some random rightwing rag titled:

"Don’t Believe the Hysteria Over Carbon Dioxide". The fool opens with this whopper: "The benefits of a changing climate are often ignored and under-researched. Our climate is too complex and the consequences of misguided policies too harsh to discount the positive effects of carbon enrichment." Carbon enrichment! Who knew!!

Are you ready for His Malignancy The Mad King? Fear not, Earthlings: The emperor has no clothes (Eeeuuu! Sorry.)  There. We said it. And his new....er....now former mouthpiece, Anthony Scaramucci sure had changed his wardrobe since ascending to the throne. This guy came straight out of Central Casting ready to sell you the worst used beater ever. Tony gives new meaning to the term "fake news". So long, Mooch! Another lawsuit for His Malignancy and his court of fools: this time it's the group Food and Water challenging his secret advisors plan to sell off our infrastructure. Like the bumper sticker says: "The Road to hell is Paved with Republicans". Wait, there actually is some pushback from both parties on The Mad King's proposed budget cuts for the Environmental Protection Agency. Sooooo, instead of eviscerating the EPA they're just going to torture it.

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we come upon a piece in New York Magazine that could impress even the classic unmovable New Yorker. So, steel your nerves for "The Uninhabitable Earth". BTW: Grist has an update on the lawsuit(s) those feisty kids at Our Children's Trust initiated. Now there's a court challenge in all 50 states! Here in the Commonwealth they've already claimed a victory. Speaking of good news, the Brits will ban gas and diesel vehicles after 2040. We can hardly wait to see that. Finally, here's our Enviro Show Blog Action Bonus. Rise your voice: Save the pollinators!

Time for some E-Valley-uation and an excellent column by Katy Eiseman in the Daily Hampshire Gazette that may still have ears burning over at Berk Gas. This is a must see for anyone concerned about Kinder Morgan/TGP's assault upon the Commonwealth and their "open season" on our communities. And regarding KM/TGP's assault on our public lands in Otis State Forest, a recent Sugar Shack Alliance action appears to have been yet another demonstration of resolve. Onward!

On to the Bus Stop Billboard also:



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Tuesday August1, 2017, Noon to 1pm. Weekly TD BANK Vigil to pressure TD to divest from Dakota Access Pipeline. 324 Main St., (near Federal St corner)

Greenfield, MA

Friday, August 11, 7pm. Screening of "An Inconvenient Sequel", Amherst Cinema, 28 Amity Street, Amherst, MA. A decade after AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH brought climate change into the heart of popular culture comes the riveting and rousing follow-up that shows just how close we are to a real energy revolution.Vice President Al Gore continues his tireless fight, traveling around the world training an army of climate champions and influencing international climate policy.Join Climate Action Now at the Amhert Cinema opening for "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power"

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August 6, 7:00 – 8:30 pm. The World We Want - Hiroshima & Nagasaki -

Never Again!  Nashawannuck Pond, Easthampton, MA. Go to: http://masspeaceaction.org/event/the-world-we-want-hiroshima-nagasaki-never-again/

Monday August 7, 10am. to 12pm. Public Hearing. Your comments badly needed. Holyoke Community College, Kittredge Center, 303 Homestead Avenue, Holyoke, MA 01404. The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) is proposing changes in the Massachusetts Alternative Portfolio Standards (APS). The APS would encourage and subsidize large-scale industrial cutting and burning of trees for heat. This would increase the immediate release of carbon, which would worsen climate change. It would also increase toxic air pollution, which would harm public health. Finally, it would promote intensified logging, which would degrade New England forest ecosystems and undermine their capacity to store carbon.

DOER requests that written comments be submitted as attached pdf files to emails addressed to , with the word APS COMMENTS in the subject line. Alternatively, comments can be submitted at the hearing or via mail to Samantha Meserve at the Department of Energy Resources, 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 1020, Boston, MA 02114. 

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August 11-13, All Day. Annual NOFA Conference. This summer Dr. Don Huber, a world renowned scientist in the study of how genetically engineered (GMO) foods and the herbicide glyphosate (the main ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup) are affecting our livestock and soil, will be speaking at the 43rd annual NOFA Summer Conference taking place at Hampshire College.  Go to: www.nofasummerconference.org


That's it for this week. Remember to listen to your Mother, OK?

The MA Dept. of Cut & Run Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Are you ready for a Summer activity in the forest? How about Bureau of Forestry Pre-Harvest Forest Tours in Townsend State Forest and October Mountain State Forest? The Massachusetts Department of Cut and Run (DCR) would be more than happy to show you their plans to trash our public forests AND increase CO2 emissions to add to the worsening Climate Crisis. That's right citizen, it's your tax dollars at work making the Commonwealth less livable for future generations! Michael Kellett of Restore the North Woods returns to shed more light on what the DCR is doing in the woods. Also, David Detmold calls in from the Bike for Standing Rock. It's "From Plymouth Rock to Standing Rock" without all that Puritan baggage.  As usual we'll also take you by the hand and guide you to this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to the presence of His Malignancy The Mad King, maybe to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber as well, but first it's time for......Revenge of the Critters! Wasps bothering you? Don't try this at home!

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill actually dwells on another hill way out in Utah where the State Capitol sits, but given his recent comments we can't resist the trip west. Our friends at Grist note "Republican State Rep. Mike Noel said... that “tree huggers” were to blame for a major blaze that broke out in southern Utah on June 17 and continues to burn 11 days later." This fool is laboring under the delusion that the USFS is actually peopled with tree huggers! "When we turn the Forest Service over to the bird and bunny lovers and the tree huggers and the rock lickers, we’ve turned our history over".  OK Mike, but we think you may have just turned reality over.

Speaking of messing with reality, it's time to visit His Malignancy The Mad King. Let's start with a "Jaw-Dropping List of All the Terrible Things Trump Has done to Mother Earth" as told by Mother Jones. One of those terrible things is the resuscitation of last year's failed dirty energy bill. Of course, His Malignancy supports all things dirty so he's going for it. You? Probably not. Speak out HERE! Here's one of The Mad King's things that didn't make the list but one that will also trash the planet: selling off some of our national monuments! We actually have some good news here. The LA Times headline screams:  "Federal appeals court orders the EPA to move ahead with Obama-era methane rule" (our headline would have been more like "Court Gets in Mad King's Face on Methane"). Celebrate where you can!

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber the big news last week should have been the massive collapse of another part of Antarctica's Larsen Ice Shelf but even as most of the major news outlets reported it the tsunami of bullshit emanating from The Big White House of Lies stole the show. Too bad we can't pin collapsing ice shelves on the present occupants in that place (they're busy collapsing on other fronts). In any case, some UN climate folks say we have 3 years left before we are doomed, got it? Finally, Glen's come up with a WBUR report on ticks that could be a second Revenge of the Critters piece this week. In short, it's an epidemic. 

Our Enviro Show Quote of the Week is for His Malignancy The Mad King. We don't know if Mark Twain was a prophet but this one seems to fit....

"You take the lies out of him, and he'll shrink to the size of your hat; you take the malice out of him, and he'll disappear."

After hanging out with Michael and David we'll take you over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Saturday, July 29, 10 AM - 2 PM. Join The Sugar Shack Alliance, for a public rally and picnic to raise collective concerns and awareness on the continued resistance to the Kinder Morgan/TCG CT Expansion Pipeline in the Otis State Forest! Meet at Lower Spectacle Pond  in Otis State Forest for musical guests and speakers from across the movement and from all corners of the northeast! That's from 10am to noon! Then, at 12:30pm, a potluck picnic lunch at 12:30pm, followed by an informal gathering of musicians improvising together at our staging area at just north of the pond at Sue Baxter's Barn, 250 Cold Spring Rd., Sandisfield, MA. Go to: http://sugarshackalliance.org/ 

Friday, August 4 at 7 - 9:30 PM. Screening of "An Inconvenient Sequel", Amherst Cinema, 28 Amity Street, Amherst, MA. A decade after AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH brought climate change into the heart of popular culture comes the riveting and rousing follow-up that shows just how close we are to a real energy revolution.Vice President Al Gore continues his tireless fight, traveling around the world training an army of climate champions and influencing international climate policy.Join Climate Action Now at the Amhert Cinema opening for "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power"

Monday August 7, 10am. to 12pm. Public Hearing. Your comments badly needed. Holyoke Community College, Kittredge Center, 303 Homestead Avenue, Holyoke, MA 01404. The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) is proposing changes in the Massachusetts Alternative Portfolio Standards (APS). The APS would encourage and subsidize large-scale industrial cutting and burning of trees for heat. This would increase the immediate release of carbon, which would worsen climate change. It would also increase toxic air pollution, which would harm public health. Finally, it would promote intensified logging, which would degrade New England forest ecosystems and undermine their capacity to store carbon.

DOER requests that written comments be submitted as attached pdf files to emails addressed to , with the word APS COMMENTS in the subject line. Alternatively, comments can be submitted at the hearing or via mail to Samantha Meserve at the Department of Energy Resources, 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 1020, Boston, MA 02114. 

That's all for now. Remember to listen to your Mother, OK?