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Greetings Earthlings. Some good news from our friends at Kestral Trust: "2,000+ Acres of Forest in the West Quabbin Region [are now] Permanently Conserved...The land will be stewarded as “forever wild,” taking a passive management approach to the forest to encourage old growth conditions to develop." Presumably that means no destructive logging. Kristin DeBoer, Executive Director of Kestrel Land Trust joins us for the details. As usual we will also introduce you to the week's Fool-on-the-Hill and "Those Whose Brains Were small" as well as the usual reminder that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and more but first it's time for.......Revenge of the Critters! An actual horror story about a certain spider and its victim.
It's always Halloween here on The Enviro Show so we happily load up our Brains Were Small segment with a listener suggested "Monster Slash" for your viewing pleasure. We think you'll appreciate the cosplay and the excellent wordplay too! We know a good many MAGA-type voters are now suffering from buyers remorse so this one's for you. O, and this one also. Happy Halloween!
Speaking of monsters, this week's Fool-on-the-Hill seems to qualify. U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, Repug from Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District and House Majority Whip described organizers of the recent #NoKings rallies as a “terrorist wing” of the Democratic Party and a “hate America” movement. Rose Thelen of Wright County Indivisible noted: "Emmer himself has previously urged restraint in political rhetoric. “This is the same representative who called for toning it down after the murders of Melissa Hortman and Charlie Kirk,” she said. “His hypocrisy is stunning.” Indeed.
Our Doublespeak of the Week comes from His Malignancy himself, bullshitting the White House Press Corp about the second biggest demonstration in U.S. history <#NoKings> (eclipsed only by the 1st Earth Day) : "I think it's a joke. I looked at the people. They are not representative of this country," His Malignancy said. "And I looked at all the brand-new signs paid for—I guess, it was paid for by [George] Soros and other radical left lunatics. It looks like it was. We're checking it out. The demonstrations were very small, very ineffective." O......really?
Since we're on the subject, let's review some of The Mad King's (who is #NoKing) latest. Setting aside just lame-ass moves like pardoning bullshit artist extraordinaire, George Santos or trying to revive zombie nukes, how about "opening the entire coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas leasing"? Why stop there? What about his "plans to rescind the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, commonly known as the Public Lands Rule"? Go HERE for more on that. Then there's "The Interagency Weaponization Working Group" Reuters reported on last week: "A group of dozens of officials from across the federal government, including U.S. intelligence officers, has been helping to steer President Donald Trump's drive for retribution against his perceived enemies, according to government records and a source familiar with the effort." Sound familiar? But wait, there's more! "The New York Times reported on Wednesday that during a call in March with right-wing activists, the woman, [Heather Honey] who has since been appointed to [the] President['s]...newly created “election integrity” position within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had suggested that the president could declare a “national emergency” to give his government new authority to dictate election rules typically decided by state and local governments." AND, when we protest against that it seems like we may be confronted by his "quick reaction force" made up from the National Guard from all 50 states. Sound sketchy? The National Guard is hardly SS material.
Like we said, it's always Halloween here on The Enviro Show so we want to share our Monster of the Year with you given what we just covered....
Look familiar? Actually we used the image last time this monster was lurking about. Now, it's escaped and is staggering around the countryside threatening near everyone. Time to PUSH BACK.
How can we move on from Halloween for now without acknowledging the Raven as our Critter of the Week? We can't ignore them, especially since we owe them. "Ravens were persecuted by early settlers in Massachusetts and elsewhere, in part because they fed on grain, and were also believed to feed on some livestock, such as baby lambs..... By the mid-1800s, ravens had pretty much disappeared from the state.....As ravens began their recovery in Massachusetts in the 1970s and ’80s, they visited mainly in winter, especially in the western part of the state. For many years, the Quabbin Reservoir was raven central as part of their early efforts to restore bald eagles in the Commonwealth, regularly put deer carcasses on the ice for wintering eagles to feed on. This practice gave ravens a leg up as well. From 2007 to 2011, there were 100 confirmed nestings in the state and increasing. Corvids, the family of birds that includes ravens, crows, jays, and magpies, in general, are as smart as parrots. Ravens are both predators and scavengers, and their omnivorous diet includes insects, rodents, lizards, frogs, and even the eggs and the young of other birds, according to National Audubon. They regularly eat carrion as well, subjecting them to potential poisoning by rodenticides. Please take action to protect them HERE.
Back to the horrors being foisted upon us by the real "enemy within", those who promote and maintain The War Against Nature. Yes, "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and the stupidity knows no bounds when it comes to the forces behind AI. Our last show focused on much of that but this report from Inside Climate News goes a step further: "Data center energy demand “is threatening to sabotage the country’s already faltering climate goals,” wrote John Fleming and Jean Su, with the Center for Biological Diversity, in a report published Wednesday. Fleming and Su found that, if AI data centers powered by fossil fuels grow as forecasted, all other sectors of the U.S. economy would need to cut emissions by 60 percent in order for the U.S. to meet its emissions targets." Yes, that's a lot and not likely to be reached. And speaking of faltering climate goals, the NY Times informs us: "The world is not moving quickly enough to achieve global goals to reduce methane emissions by the end of the decade, a United Nations report found." That at the same time "A U.S. diplomatic broadside personally led by [the[ President...derailed a historic effort to tax climate pollution from shipping." And "An enormous solar power project in the Nevada desert that would have been one of the world’s largest has been canceled under.." [you know who]. Of course there's more but let's move on in the name of mental health.
In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we replay MA Sierra Club's Forest Protection Team's visit to the MA Statehouse to drop off a petition calling for "Governor Maura Healey to set aside the public forests of the Quabbin, Ware, and Wachusett watersheds as protected reserves, free from logging, pesticides, and prescribed burning." As Enviro Show listeners may know: "The Quabbin, Ware, and Wachusett watersheds contain among the most carbon dense, biodiverse, and connected forests in Massachusetts, while maintaining a clean and constant water supply for eastern communities. Yet each year they are subject to logging projects that crush the critical soil structure and remove the oldest trees that are more effective at sequestering carbon dioxide and removing pollutants than younger trees." Good work folks!
Our Enviro Show Quote of the Week is a hybrid that came to us from Vote Common Good:
"The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction and the distinction between true and false no longer exist." - Hannah Arendt
AND: "This week, Pope Leo quoted that very warning when he told international news agencies they must stand firm against "the ancient art of lying" and the "quicksand of approximation and post-truth."
After our conversation with Kristin it's on to the Bus Stop Billboard:
Weekly. Here's what appears to be Indivisible Northampton — Swing Left Western Mass's complete daily listing of all the pro-democracy events in WMass: https://in-slwm.org/wp-content/uploads/Calendar/cal.html And This: Western Mass General Strike is hosting drop-in sessions on Wednesdays, 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Hadley Public Library for conversation and networking around general strikes and other forms of economic resistance. We also invite you to our general meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 7-8:30, online. If you would like to get involved in organizing prior to that, contact us at wmgeneralstrike@proton.me. And This: Every Wednesday, 11am-1pm | Bearing Witness to ICE, Burlington, MA. Stand in solidarity outside the ICE Enforcement & Removal Operations Office. Together, we can show love and support for immigrants, express our shame at ICE, and bear witness to the cruel and unconstitutional actions of our government. Info/Sign Up. Fridays , 11:30 AM – 1 PM thru Nov 21: Stop Citizens Bank From Financing Private ICE Prison Standouts. At Public sidewalks on King Street in Northampton, in front of Stop and Shop Plaza (Citizens Bank has a branch inside Stop and Shop). Send Citizens Bank a clear message: financing private prison and immigration detention facility operators is bad for business. Register HERE. Every Monday, 11:30am. -12:30pm. Join us each Monday at the VA Medical Center to show your support for our veterans and federal workers. All the cars honking will brighten your day, too! Bring flags, signs, and friends! VA Medical Ctr, 421 N Main St, Route 9, Leeds, MA. Park in the VA Visitor lot or, if you have a sticker or are a Veteran, park in Look Park. Register here
Thursday November 13, 12:30pm. Show up and make your voice heard at the MA Statehouse for a rally! We’ll be rallying in advance of a 1pm hearing on the importance of protecting communities from pollution and getting off fossil fuels. We will be giving vital testimony on billl S.2290/H.3547 An Act Preventing Gas Expansion To Protect Climate, Community Health And Safety. This crucial bill prevents new large gas pipelines and power plants from being approved within five miles of environmental justice communities. Go HERE.
Thursday November 13, 1pm. Your voice is needed to defend Massachusetts from fossil fuels and support climate justice! Our commitment to clean energy, affordable bills, and environmental justice communities is under attack, and we need your help now. The Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Committee will hear testimony on An Act Preventing Gas Expansion to Protect Climate, Community, Health and Safety (H.3547/S.2290). This crucial bill prevents new large gas pipelines and power plants from being approved within five miles of environmental justice communities. To testify in-person or virtually, fill out this form by 3:00 p.m. on November 12. Our toolkit is a user-friendly guide to understanding and advocating for this climate friendly bill. It contains all the info you need to write and submit testimony in support of this bill.
Thursday November 13, 6-8pm. DCR’s Forest Management Program is pleased to announce 10 new forest management projects. The program’s 2025 projects are focused on plantation conversion, improving complexity on the landscape, improving biodiversity, increasing forest resilience, and addressing forest health issues. [Note: All DCR propaganda themes] The proposed 2025 projects are in Savoy State Forest, October Mountain State Forest, Granville State Forest, Windsor State Forest, Chicopee State Park, Holyoke Range State Park, Mt. Wachusett State Reservation, Townsend State Forest, Willard Brook State Forest, and Myles Standish State Forest. Presentations at: Pittsfield HQ, 740 South St, Pittsfield, MA; Amherst Field Office, 40 Cold Storage Dr, Amherst, MA; Lake Station, Groton, 185 Lost Lake, Groton, MA & Myles Standish SF HQ, 194 Cranberry Rd, Carver, MA. Public Comments will be accepted using the following form linked here: www.mass.gov/forms/dcr-public-comments . Public Comments will be accepted until 5PM January 5.
Friday November 14, 3pm. Webinar: AI poses real risks to workers and civil rights, the economy, the environment and the stability of our financial system. With this Pandora's box opened, what repercussions can we expect to see in the coming years? Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund invites you to a conversation with Hilary J. Allen, Professor at the American University Washington College of Law, on the threats the AI bubble - and the finances behind it - pose to financial stability. Go HERE.
Saturday November 15, 2 pm. Come hear about, and observe first hand, how a landowning individual or community can control invasive plants. You’ll hear from Lincoln Fish, of Bay State Forestry, who has worked on invasives and native habitat all over the Valley for decades. He and his colleague Mike Abel will discuss the methods and challenges of their current work removing invasives on nearly 100 acres at Lathrop, and they will place that work in the context of the Valley. Barbara Walvoord, resident director of Lathrop’s intensive three-year invasives control project, will describe how the community has come together to support the effort. After the 45-minute indoor talk and some light refreshments, the speakers will lead an instructive walk (rain or shine) on Lathrop land. The talk will take place at The Inn at Lathrop Community, 100 Bassett Brook Drive, Easthampton. Mt. Tom room, third floor. Park in front or back of the Inn. (Masks are encouraged but not required.)
Monday November 17, 4-5:30. MA Elders Climate Action is inviting Dr Richard Birdsey back so we can delve into the many questions we didn't get to discuss when he presented to us in our October 14th chapter meeting on The Potential of Forests in Massachusetts to Address Climate Change. Here is a link to that October 14th chapter meeting if you missed it or would like to review his slides to see for which ones you would like a more detailed explanation. Register here to get the Zoom link for the 11/17 deep dialogue.
Tuesday November 18, 2pm. Webinar: What is COP? Why is it important? How is 350.org involved? The annual UN Climate Summit (COP30) will be held November 10 - 21 in Brazil. 350, alongside hundreds of other activist organizations, will be in attendance to advocate for critical climate legislation. Go HERE.
Tuesday November 18, 7pm. Local Energy Advocates will host State Representative Joan Meschino for a presentation and conversation about the Mark/Meschino climate bank bill. Join at this Zoom link. Climate Bank Coalition, is supporting An Act to Create a Climate Bank in Massachusetts S.786/H3937. Here is why we are excited about it. If enacted, this bill would create a quasi-public bank that uses a public/private partnership model to finance and accelerate clean energy projects.
Thursday November 20, 7 - 8pm. The North Woods for Potential for Wolf Restoration in New England with George Wuerthner on Zoom. Wuerthner will provide background on the Endangered Species Act as it relates to wolf restoration, how wolves have shaped ecosystems like Yellowstone and how wolf restoration in Oregon and California has progressed. He will also discuss wolves in New England and opportunities for wolf restoration in the region. This presentation is co-sponsored by RESTORE: The North Woods. Go HERE.
Saturday November 22, 11:30am–1pm. The Public Value of Pepperell's Forest and Shade Trees. The Lawrence Library, 15 Main Street, Pepperell, MA or Live-streamed via Zoom: register here to watch online. William Moomaw is Professor Emeritus, Tufts University, the founding director of Tufts Institute of the Environment and Climate Initiative, and the co-founder of the Global Development and Environment Institute. Of course, it’s not just about Pepperell trees; it’s about the trees in your neighborhood, and every neighborhood.
OK for now but please remember to listen to your Mother, OK?
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