The Greatest Good Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. It's Valley Free Radio's Spring Fund Drive so  we truly hope you will support the show and VFR by going HERE and showing that support. Thank you! One of the many reasons we are so focused on trees and forest issues in the show is because many of our fellow Climate Crisis activists and environmentalists are not. Over the years we've sought to have the critical issues of forest protection and preservation integrated into the climate movement and have utilized this show to help with the work. With that in mind, George Wuerthner joins us to discuss his recent piece "Greatest Good Is To Preserve Forest Carbon" in The Wildlife News. As always we will also bring you along to meet this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to learn about the latest assaults upon you and the planet by His Malignancy The Mad King and his court of criminal crazies, as well as some news for those unaware that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" but first it's time for............Revenge of the Critters! These Aussie fishermen were apparently not "On guard!"

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Rep. Timothy Lee Walberg (Repugnican, MI) who stated "I believe there's been climate change since the beginning of time," Walberg reportedly said at a 2017 town hall. "Do I think man has some impact? Yeah, of course. Can man change the entire universe? No...Why do I believe that? Well, as a Christian, I believe that there is a creator in God who is much bigger than us. And I'm confident that, if there's a real problem, he can take care of it."  OK folks, case closed. No wonder he's called the Savior! (or is that His Son?)

Would you be interested to know His Malignancy The Mad King ".. is the most “anti-nature” president in U.S. history"?  Wait, didn't you already know that? In keeping with that the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition tells us "Oil companies drilling on public lands are getting a break from royalty fees owed to U.S. taxpayers, while wind and solar projects have to pay huge unexpected bills." Go figure...then Take Action!  And this: Our friends at the Center for Biological Diversity report The Mad King's "Nuclear Fuel Working Group" issued recommendations to expand uranium mining by lifting protections on public lands like those around the Grand Canyon. The so-called Working Group is also trying to slash environmental laws and use tax dollars to revive that tanking industry. Add His Malignancy's plans for wholesale logging on public lands and you may suspect what used to be called plunder? Now, it's just....."essential" business-as-usual! How about this from CBD: [The Mad King] "and his Interior Secretary David Bernhardt could soon turn Alaska's national preserves into trophy-hunter amusement parks. Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is rich in biodiversity, home to moose, eagles, brown and black bears, lynx, wolves and other species. But the administration envisions so much trophy hunting there, it's calling for more use of game carts for hunters to haul off their prizes." Wait, aren't they called refuges?? Speaking of refuge, at least we still have social networking to express our disgust of His Malignancy, right? Maybe not for long: The Mad King baselessly claimed Wednesday that social media platforms "totally silence conservatives' voices" and threatened to "strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen."  Big Brother lives! 

Has any habitual Faux "News" viewer heard that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid"?  They might be interested to learn about this new study in which it's pointed out "Across the world, forests cover almost a third of all land — and in some places, the ratio is even higher. But if climate change continues unabated, many forests will suffer. Researchers have used models to understand potential changes to the forest canopy, and you can easily see 40 to 50% of forests being destroyed in 40 years".  How about this for a headline: "Unless steps are taken to check global warming, up to 3 billion people will find themselves in areas too warm for human comfort, a new study finds." Want to drill down into the study?  Nah! 

After our conversation with George it's time for the Bus Stop Billboard:

Tuesday June 16, 7pm.  Forests and Brain Health: Emerging Research, with Dr. Susan A. Masino.  The link between forests and brain health is a public policy imperative: we face increasing costs for disorders ranging from Alzheimer’s disease to addiction, and forests offer exercise, mindfulness and stress reduction. We are still discovering new species, and forests are a former and a likely future source of new medicines. Research on cardiovascular, immune and neurological systems is expanding worldwide. Register for Zoom Meeting HERE. 

Saturday June 20, Noon. Reading by d.o. during the Authors and Artists Festival online. d.o. will be reading from his work in progress "2020 Hindsight" an epic poem on our times. Here is the link to get your free ticket, https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DUj_BdkcTmGZld6mBHWfOQ Once you register, you will be sent an email that contains the link to join the festival. THAT is the link you use to get into the festival. It is like a ticket, it’s unique to you and cannot be shared. 

We'll add more events as they arise, meanwhile remember to Listen to Your Mother! 

Another Biomess Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Most everyone agrees we are in a mess these days and in many ways it is truly a biomess. As I write this it is International Endangered Species Day and who isn't aware we are in the midst of the Sixth Great Extinction? Right here in the Mid-Connecticut River Valley the endangered Shortnose Sturgeon continues to be ignored. Another of those endangered species is the Pangolin and as we've noted in previous shows their plight may be at the source of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other biome threatened and endangered these days are the very forests around us, some of which are being chopped up and shipped off to the UK. Yes, it's the industrial Biomess we've been warning you about for.........ever! Almuth Ernsting of Biofuelwatch UK joins us for the interview and to talk about how subsidized the industry is.  As usual, we'll also take you to see this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to witness His Malignancy The Mad King and his court of climate criminals as they continue rampaging through the halls of government and across the land like the crazed marauders they truly are, but first it's time for...........Revenge of the Critters! Glen called this one "Improper Social Distancing" which it really is.....along with just plain stupid. Which part of Don't pet the gators! don't they understand??

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Sen.Tom Cotton (R-ARK) who apparently has some of that cotton stuck in his ears 'cuz he seems unable to hear about the Climate Crisis. Cotton has been a critic of the Green New Deal criticizing Democrats for pushing a "radical vision for humanity." He said: "They believe that Americans driving around in trucks on farms, or commuting from the suburbs where they can have a decent home into the city to work are a fundamental threat to the world, and they have to have the power and the control of those Americans' lives to implement their radical vision for humanity."  Whoa Tom! Did you get that from Faux "News"?

His Malignancy The Mad King, with the help of his climate criminal enablers, has to date reversed 64 environmental rules and is in the process of reversing 34 more, amounting to 98 rollbacks of rules meant to protect you and other living things; that according to the New York Times Climate Team. "The bulk of the rollbacks identified by the Times have been carried out by the Environmental Protection Agency, which repealed and replaced the Obama-era emissions rules for power plants and vehicles; weakened protections for more than half the nation's wetlands; and withdrew the legal justification for restricting mercury emissions from power plants. At the same time, the Interior Department has worked to open up more land for oil and gas leasing by cutting back protected areas and limiting wildlife protections.So, His Malignancy's Repugnican Death Cult has quite a record so far, no?

Is there anyone out there who still needs to hear "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!"? It sounds like The Mad King of Brazil could use some informing. The destruction of the Amazon Rainforest is up 55% under his watch according to Greenpeace ; that seems like a nightmare, yes? " From January through April, deforestation in Indigenous lands increased by 59% in Brazil. Illegal loggers, miners and land-grabbers don’t work from home, and are taking advantage of the current crisis to invade Indigenous lands, threatening to expose #covid19 to Indigenous People."  Sounds like His Malignancy's Repugnican Death Cult from here, but isn't that what Bosonaro models himself after anyway? "Bolsonaro took office in January 2019 and immediately got to work on his agenda targeting the environment and Indigenous Brazilians. As international scientists have warned over the past year that "human activities are drying out the Amazon," the Brazilian president has faced global condemnation for rising deforestation and his attempts to open up the Amazon to more agribusiness and mining." Meanwhile, how do you think our own forests are doing? 

On to the Bus Stop Billboard: 

May 29, 2:30 - 3:30 pm.  Black Bear Research Webinar. Interested in learning more about black bear behavior in Massachusetts? Join us for a webinar with Kathy Zeller, a post-doctoral researcher in the Mass Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in Amherst. She will be sharing current research on black bears in the state and what we’re learning about black bear movement and behavior. Go to: https://www.hilltownlandtrust.org/events/black-bear-research-webinar  

Wednesday, June 3,1pm. Center for Biological Diversity Stop the Wildlife Trade Call. Wildlife trade is one of the leading threats to biodiversity. It is also a major threat to public health, as it is the most probable cause of COVID-19 and several other pandemics.   Go to: https://ignite.biologicaldiversity.org/event/online-events/1519/

Tuesday, June 9, 7:00p.m.  Bioenergy and Forests.  Dr. Mary S. Booth, Founder and Director Partnership for Policy Integrity, directing PFPI’s science and advocacy work on greenhouse gases, air pollution, and forest impacts of biomass energy. Register HERE.

We'll add more events as they arise, meanwhile remember to Listen to Your Mother! 

Massacre at Muddy Brook Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Surely by now Enviro Show listeners know our state of Massachusetts is all in for commercial logging on public lands in spite of the growing Climate Crisis, yes? What does that say about our alleged "Commonwealth"? We'll ask our friend and forest protector Chris Matera about this and the recent Massacre at Muddy Brook over in Hardwick.  As always, we'll take you witness this week's Fool-on-the-Hill make a complete fool of him or her self and maybe just a brief peek at the worst His Malignancy The Mad King had to offer recently but first it's time for.........Revenge of the Critters!  We've pointed this out on recent shows since COVID-19 Daze took hold but we can't not do it again, OK?  Rodents, bats and primates (and probably Pangolas) together were implicated as hosts for nearly 75% of all recent virus outbreaks among humans. Bats alone have been linked to diseases like Sars, Nipah, Marburg and Ebola. We have trashed their habitats and subjected them to endless miseries. It's revenge we brought on ourselves. Wake-up Earthlings! STOP wildlife trafficking and Stop eating critters. 

You've seen His Malignancy's Repugnican Death Cult in action by now, yes? It seems restarting the  economy is more important than ensuring Americans stay home to prevent more deaths from coronavirus. Checkout this Fool-on-the-Hill: “It is policymakers’ decision to put on our big boy and big girl pants and say it is the lesser of these two evils,” Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, a Repug who represents Indiana’s 9th district says.  “It is not zero evil, but it is the lesser of these two evils and we intend to move forward that direction.” That would be the direction of more deaths and exposure, especially among the elders, people of color and those with medical conditions, the Death Cult's fascistic goal all in the name of alleged freedom.

One thing the majority of U.S. citizens can agree on is The Mad King's utter lack of empathy (much less sympathy) for those who have succumbed to COVID-19 and their loved ones. Given that his appalling dereliction of duty, vindictiveness, dishonesty, irresponsibility, and....well, madness is it any wonder we refer to him as His Malignancy??  Once again The Mad King, when he's not sentencing wild critters to death, has thrown his lot in with nazis and assorted far-right goons referring to heavily armed Repugnican Death Cultists in Michigan as "Very good people".  Also, Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said: "In the CARES Act, Congress established a number of independent watchdogs to prevent any fraud, corruption, or mismanagement of the approximately $2 trillion in emergency relief for the American people. But even as [His Malignancy] signed this bill into law, he was already undermining these critical oversight bodies." Now, where do you supposed The Mad King wants most of that flow to go? Click on the link to just say NO.  And this: The Mad King's new press secretary isn't just another pretty face, she like her boss, seems to be his equal when it comes to bullshitting!  Do we miss Sarah Huckabee Sanders ?  Nah !

Time to remind those who may have forgotten "It's [Still] the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" You'd think the CO2 emission numbers would tank given all the sheltering in and lack of air and surface travel,yes? Not so fast, folks. The numbers have only dropped 5.5%. The utilities and many industries are still going full bore. Sooooo, what would you say if we told you the Solutions to Coronavirus and the Climate Crisis are the same?  Dr. Aaron Bernstein, a pediatrician at Boston Children’s Hospital who heads the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health says in fact, they are one and the same. Read the interview HERE.

On to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Friday May 15 Endangered Species Day!  This would be the perfect day for you to step up for the most ancient and endangered species in our Valley. Go to Karl Meyer's blog and scroll down to the action links at the bottom of his post and Take Action! Go to: https://www.karlmeyerwriting.com/blog/2020/03/26/connecticut-river-shortnose-sturgeon-a-spectacular-failure-to-protect/  Also go here for pre-event planning for Endangered Species Day elsewhere. 

Tuesday, May 19, 7pm. Climate Action Now & Save Massachusetts Forests present “Our Forests: To Cut, or Not to Cut?”  Dr. Bill Stubblefield’s current focus is on the role forests can play in mitigating catastrophic climate change and biodiversity collapse. Michael Kellett is Executive Director and co-founder of RESTORE: The North Woods. Go to: http://climateactionnowma.org/ 


 OK, that's it for now. Remember to stay safe and LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER!! 

The Forest Futures Enviro Show?

Greetings Earthlings. Do you still believe people honor Earth Day in spite of horrors like  THIS?  Are you doing your social distancing?  Staying sheltered in? We continue to bring you the show remotely from our on-line studios and may well into the future....depending on what the future holds. Speaking of which, Joshua Strauss a forest carbon specialist at Bluesource joins us to talk about the future of forests and so-called carbon markets. That could be interesting. As always, we'll also take you for a visit with this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and with His Malignancy The Mad King and his court of climate criminals (Careful! Keep your distance) as well as a reminder "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" and more, but first it's time for.............Revenge of the Critters! Watch this smart-ass critter remind some dumb human about social distancing.

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Sen. Roy Blunt (Repugnican, MO) who has a bit of history denying the Climate Crisis. According to Business Insider:   " 'There isn't any real science to say we are altering the climate path of the earth,' Blunt said in 2009. In 2015, Blunt introduced an amendment to the Senate that sought to nullify a previous climate change agreement between the United States and China to reduce carbon emissions. In a 2017 statement, Blunt praised President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate agreement.” We guess no Missourians showed him the overwhelming evidence. 

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It's a bit of a challenge to decide which of His Malignancy's self-obsessed dangerous statements or actions should go first here but surely this one qualifies as the most ominous. After The Mad King said “When somebody’s the president of the United States, the authority is total” a recent op-ed in the New York Times pointed out: "Some of the most potent emergency powers at his [Malignancy's] disposal are likely ones we can’t know about, because they are not contained in any publicly available laws. Instead, they are set forth in classified documents known as 'presidential emergency action documents.'.......They are one of the government’s best-kept secrets. No presidential emergency action document has ever been released or even leaked."  Can you think of a worse person to have such power available?  Here's mild antidote if you're freaked out by that one: Some wings of the corporate media are pushing back harder on The Mad King's fake news. Lately CNN has run debunking chyrons during His Malignancy's blathering. If all that real fake news leaves a bad taste in your mouth try this headline: "Inspectors warn unsafe pork could makes its way to the consumer under Trump rule change".  Here's another one for our COVID Excuse Bullshit file from His Malignancy's enablers: "Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is working with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to see how to reduce wage rates for foreign guest workers on American farms, in order to help U.S. farmers struggling during the coronavirus". But wait, there's more: "a nonpartisan congressional body found that nearly 82% of benefits from a Republican tax provision in the most recent coronavirus relief package will go to the nation's millionaires and billionaires and cost taxpayers an estimated $90 billion this year alone." His Malignancy, of course, signed onto this latest bit of bullshit.

Surely none of our listeners have forgotten during COVID Daze that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" We have some actual good news on this front. Some of Washington State's Gov.Inslee's climate wonks are throwing in on "forming a nonprofit called Evergreen to shape Democratic climate politics in the coronavirus era. Evergreen kicked things off by unveiling a green stimulus plan dubbed the Evergreen Action Plan that revamps Inslee’s proposals for the unique, pandemic-ravaged moment we’re in." Read about it HERE.  So, we all know those fossil fools emissions are contributing to the Climate Crisis, right?  Glen mentioned this on the show recently and now Grist reports: "Dirty air in the United States is linked to higher death rates from COVID-19, according to a new study from researchers at Harvard’s school of public health. Scientists found that people who lived in counties in with elevated levels of fine particulate matter known as PM 2.5 in the air were more likely to die from the virus." 

Here's our Enviro Show Quote of the Week: 

"Every other civilized nation in the world has been compelled to care for its forests, and so must we if waste and destruction are not to go on to the bitter end, leaving America as barren as Palestine or Spain." 
                                          - John Muir 

How about we head over to the Bus Stop Billboard: 


Saturdays 11am. Weekly Democracy Standout on the Greenfield Common w/ social distancing.  Time to reassert democracy into the public dialogue. Time to assert the right to vote, to have (and SUPPORT) a free press locally and beyond--ensuring the public’s right to know, and the facts that support democracy itself. 


Saturday May 2, 2pm. Heading for Extinction and What To do About It.  The planet is in ecological crisis: we are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction event this planet has experienced. Scientists believe we may have entered a period of abrupt climate breakdown. This is an emergency. In this online talk, climate speakers from Extinction Rebellion will share the latest climate science on where our planet is heading, discuss some of the current psychology around climate change, and offer solutions through the study of social movements. Everyone is welcome and there will be time to ask questions and discuss afterward. This talk is free and will run from 2 to 3pm.
Signup here! https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtdOGoqz0vHN0CqyNTEAAMtzZuMt6hgQxO 


Monday May 4, 6 to 9pm. The Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel will hold its third meeting of this year. In accordance with changes to Vermont Open Meeting Law in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this meeting will be conducted as a Skype webcast and teleconference.  Members of the public may join this meeting using the following weblink: https://meet.lync.com/vermontgov-vermont/anthony.leshinskie/2W0G05Y8 or by dialing-in to the following teleconference line: Phone number: (802) 552-8456 -or- (802) 738-0888. Conference Room Number: 935 865 382 (followed by the “#” sign) 

Wednesday  May 6, 4PM ET. Indian Point Zoom Closure Forum. Here's the link to sign up. 

Tuesday, May 12, 7 p.m. Climate Action Now & Save Massachusetts Forests present “Protecting our Forests in a Time of Climate Emergency & Global Pandemic - A Virtual Series” Reducing Heat Trapping Emissions from Energy Use & Storing More Carbon in Forests to Achieve a Safe Climate. Dr. William R. Moomaw: Professor Emeritus, Center for International Environment & Resource Policy at Tufts University.  Go to: http://climateactionnowma.org/

Friday May 15 Endangered Species Day! 

Tuesday, May 19, 7pm. Climate Action Now & Save Massachusetts Forests present “Our Forests: To Cut, or Not to Cut?”  Dr. Bill Stubblefield’s current focus is on the role forests can play in mitigating catastrophic climate change and biodiversity collapse. Michael Kellett is Executive Director and co-founder of RESTORE: The North Woods. Go to: http://climateactionnowma.org/

Stay safe and remember to listen to your Mother, OK? 

The Vernal Pools & Hopeless Fools Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. We trust you are doing well hunkered down during these trying times. We are still recording the show remotely, hopefully with better audio this time! Let's start off with an update from the last show. As you may recall, the worst recent human pandemics and epidemics all stemmed from trading or consuming animals and destroying their habitat. As the Center for Biological Diversity points out: "The solution couldn't be clearer: Ban wildlife trade to reduce disease risk and save animals from over exploitation." Now CFB has an action page you can go to HERE. Please sign in and share it with your family and friends. Onward (in place, of course): Kyla Bennett, Director, of New England Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility  joins us for a conversation on wetlands and vernal pools.  As usual, we'll take you to visit this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and His Malignancy The Mad King, being sure to keep our distance so as not to be contaminated. Also, we will give you our Enviro Show Quote of the Week and remind anyone who hasn't been listening that......"It's The Climate Crisis, Stupid!".  All that and more, but first it's time for........Revenge of the Critters!  There's a virus out their wanting to have a word with you.

Guess which Repugnican fool is back on our Fool-on-the-Hill segment? The Hill news has the answer: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)... blamed the Democrats’ push to impeach President Trump in January for distracting the Trump administration from the threat posed by the coronavirus. 'It came up while we were tied down in the impeachment trial. And I think it diverted the attention of the government because everything every day was all about impeachment,' McConnell said." Maybe that's #MoscowMitchMcTraitor's idea of an April Fools joke but we doubt he's fooling anyone but the low-info Repug base.

On to The Mad King! For reasons we don't fully understand His Malignancy remains cloistered in his White Castle having yet to be dragged out by his wig (or weave, or what ever is in there) by the angry mobs.You won't be surprised to discover what he's been up to during that time (besides launching hateful tweets at any hour towards his perceived enemies). We covered The Mad King's CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE regarding COVID-19 on the last show but it continues, most recently with his minions seizing at least two shipments of badly-needed medical supplies to fight the coronavirus pandemic headed for our state of Massachusetts!  His Malignancy's Environmental Protection Agency, headed by coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler, announced  a sweeping and indefinite suspension of environmental rules amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic [Action link HERE]. Did we forget to mention the rollback on auto emissions? We assume Corporate America responded with more campaign contributions and some uncorking of champagne in their heavily guarded survival mansions.  Not to be outdone, The Mad Kings Interior Department is using the present crisis to ram through its dirty laundry list  of anti-environmental/pro-industry items. So, how is this behavior during a horrific disaster not LOOTING? Granted we probably won't catch His Malignancy on camera running away from a trashed store with a stolen toaster oven, but aren't he and his enablers trashing the nation's safeguards and stealing medical equipment?? 

The Enviro Show Quote of the Week is spot-on with our theme but you will need to join us for a trip in the Wayback Machine:

"What are the natural features which make a township handsome? A river, with its waterfalls and meadows, a lake, a hill, a cliff or individual rocks, a forest, and ancient trees standing singly. Such things are beautiful; they have a high use which dollars and cents never represent. If the inhabitants of a town were wise, they would seek to preserve these things, though at a considerable expense; for such things educate far more than any hired teachers or preachers, or any at present recognized system of school education."
                                                                  - Henry David Thoreau  January 3, 1861


After our talk with Kyla we take you to the Bus Stop Billboard:


April Cyber Action on the proposed Weymouth Compressor Station. "OSHA has issued a letter to Enbridge after our many complaints to FERC and to OSHA regarding the continued construction during this time of pandemic. Using these talking points  (Word | PDF) or your own, submit your comment to FERC using their “Ecomment” portal online. For a step-by-step guide on how to submit comments to FERC, click here. We strongly encourage writing your comment in a Word document first, then copying and pasting your comment into the FERC ecomment box online because the FERC website often crashes.




Wednesday, April 15, 7:00 pm EDT.    Please join the International Fund for Animal Welfare for an explaination of the link between the current COVID-19 pandemic and wildlife trade, and how IFAW works every day to help mitigate the chances for another outbreak. Stay tuned for a live question + answer segment after a brief presentation. Go HERE to register. 


Wednesday April 22 at 3 p.m. there may be a climate march from the Brattleboro Town Common to the corner of Elliot and Main streets. One of the groups that's organizing the march has a web site at www.350Vermont.org   


Saturday, May 9, 1 – 3pm. Endangered Species Parade! Pulaski Park Northampton, MA.  

Join Extinction Rebellion WMass May 9 from 1:00-3:00 (rain date May 10) in Northampton, MA as we gather in honor of all species affected by our climate crisis.  Parade with lovingly created animal puppets, masks, costumes, headdresses, etc. Dance, march, in roars or in silence, melody and dissonance: A non speech, non violent Animal Uprising. We are offering animal puppet and mask workshops. Look for workshop dates throughout March and April. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/pg/XRwmass 


Stay safe and remember to listen to your Mother, OK? 

Laying Low Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. It's Spring Equinox time. How about a feast at home in Ēostre's honor? We are laying low at home with the show in the foreseeable future, broadcasting through the magic of conference calls and cyberspace due to tiny critters (only 125 nanometers!) that are among the most abundant biological entities on planet Earth. Also, many of them do not like us.  As you all know by now, the one called Coronavirus is presently doing a number on homo sapiens; this explains why most everyone is hiding out hoping not to be exposed to other humans the virus has already caught up with. It's called social distancing, what we used to call "get outta' my space!" Of course, us humans have always had issues getting into the space of other species we share the planet with. Is it any wonder we have difficulty getting out of each others' way?  Karl Meyer returns to the show, calling in from home to remind us how we are getting into the Connecticut River Shortnose Sturgeon's space. Finally, we return to some of your favorite (or not) segments on The Enviro Show such as our Fool-on-the-Hill and the newest takedowns of His Malignancy The Mad King but first it's time for........Revenge of the Critters! Tiny Virus goes after human race and it's War on Nature  For more on this go HERE.

Our Fool-on-the-Hill this week is another repeat offender, although this time his foolishness could have been a matter of life or death. This Vox opener says it pretty much all: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had already left for the weekend. Senate leadership, rather than sticking around, opted to return next week, prompting an apparent delay in their consideration of this legislation as states and medical providers grapple with an influx of coronavirus cases." In other words #MoscowMitchMcTraitor does it again: threatens the nation and its people by stalling legislation.

His Malignancy The Mad King did his part also to endanger everyone here in the U.S. starting years ago when he ditched Obama era protections and preparedness for pandemics just like COVID-19.  Then, when it came to us, His Malignancy proceeded to bury the needle on the bullshit meter well into March, further raising the risk to all of us. The NY Times points out: "By early March, experts already were arguing for aggressive measures to slow the virus’s spread and avoid overwhelming the medical system. The presidential bully pulpit could have focused people on the need to change their behavior in a way that no private citizen could have. Trump could have specifically encouraged older people — at most risk from the virus — to be careful. Once again, he chose not to take action....On March 7, he said, “I’m not concerned at all.” On March 10, he promised: “It will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away.” We guess it goes without saying we wish he would go away. But no, it was more important to him  to bail out Big Oil and continue his assault on the planet than to do the right thing. Sadly, we don't have the time to spotlight all the stupid, mean, narcissistic, hateful and insane remarks His Malignancy has made over the past few months regarding this extreme crisis.  The Mad King's obvious dereliction of duty should have triggered the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution. It's safe to assume his enablers and toadies in the Cabinet never even thought to do it.  On the other hand, the people themselves could have marched en mass on the White House and occupied the entire area by the hundreds of thousands until he abdicated or fled to Mar a Logo but now, with this convenient pandemic, no more than a handful of folks standing 6 feet apart are allowed on the streets.

Enough. On to that other EMERGENCY!  Just in case everyone forgot......"It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" If you won't believe us, listen to Your Government......from last year?? We really are fucked.
You don't think so? Try this. In any case, lots of our allies are sounding the alarm about the alarm.
Why don't we mobilize like this (or way better please) for the Climate Crisis?? And this from Grist: "The coronavirus pandemic is changing everything — including the quality of the air we breathe."  Sadly, improvements in our approach to the climate in congress aren't going all that well given legislation addressing the Climate Crisis has been put off due to COVID-19 activity.


Our Enviro Show Quote of the Week is very much in keeping with the times. So strap yourself in for a brief journey in the Wayback Machine:

“What’s true of all the evils in the world is true of plague as well. It helps men [and women] to rise above themselves.”
                                                     ― Albert Camus, The Plague  

After our conversation with Karl we take you to the Bus Stop Billboard:


April Cyber Action on the proposed Weymouth Compressor Station. "OSHA has issued a letter to Enbridge after our many complaints to FERC and to OSHA regarding the continued construction during this time of pandemic. Using these talking points  (Word | PDF) or your own, submit your comment to FERC using their “Ecomment” portal online. For a step-by-step guide on how to submit comments to FERC, click here. We strongly encourage writing your comment in a Word document first, then copying and pasting your comment into the FERC ecomment box online because the FERC website often crashes.



Sunday April 5,  4-6 pm. Extinction Rebellion WMass general meeting will continue to work together via email, Zoom, and calls. At this time, we are planning to have our April General Meeting via Zoom (a free video conference platform). If you need assistance figuring out how to use Zoom, please reply to this email and we will assist you. This next period will give us a chance to build the community partnerships we have begun to forge, to form collaborations and alliances across our region, to delve more deeply into the work we are developing together, and to mobilize around the reality that this pandemic is woven into the fabric of the climate crisis and of XR.   Click to join, or call in at 646-876-9923, meeting ID 556 388 985. 


Wednesday, April 8, noon-1 pm. AN UPDATE FROM TICKREPORT. Join us for updates from TickReport at UMass Amherst. This update includes the status of the lab during the COVID-19 response, summary data of the current Spring tick season in Massachusetts and beyond, and based on prior year's data, forecasts of what we may expect for tick activity in the coming weeks. Speaker: Dr. Stephen Rich, UMass Laboratory of Medical Zoology. Preregistration is required to access the webinar. Register for “An Update from TickReport” at:https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4172502994884479746




April 22 at 3 p.m. there will be a climate march from the Brattleboro town common to the corner of Elliot and Main streets. One of the groups that's organizing the march has a web site at www.350Vermont.org   


Saturday, May 9, 1 – 3pm. Endangered Species Parade! Pulaski Park Northampton, MA.  

Join Extinction Rebellion WMass May 9 from 1:00-3:00 (rain date May 10) in Northampton, MA as we gather in honor of all species affected by our climate crisis.  Parade with lovingly created animal puppets, masks, costumes, headdresses, etc. Dance, march, in roars or in silence, melody and dissonance: A non speech, non violent Animal Uprising. We are offering animal puppet and mask workshops. Look for workshop dates throughout March and April. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/pg/XRwmass 


Stay safe and remember to listen to your Mother, OK? 

Yet Another Ides of March Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. We're coming up on the Ides of March once again and you know that doesn't bode well for certain autocrats, right? We hope His Malignancy The Mad King's luck is running out on him and do not wish him well. That said, our collective luck doesn't look so good either; Guy Macpherson returns to the show through the magic of recording technology to tell us why. If you hear reference to Halloween during the interview do not be concerned, think of it as another show back from the grave. Also, as with the past few shows, if you want to access your favorite segments you'll have to do it on The Enviro Show blog starring you in the face as we speak. When Glen returns from his Electrified Two Dog Road Trip we will resume the show as usual. All that and more, but first it's time for.........Revenge of the Critters! Do Not pet the wild critters, OK? 

Given our focus here, how about we go directly to His Malignancy....but where to start? Yes, he's the anti-gift that keeps on giving and now the title we chose for him has never been more apt. But, Corona Virus and his cluelessness aside, there are numerous other plagues The Mad King has brought us. One vector is Mandy Gunasekara. His Malignancy's Environmental "Protection" Agency  is poised to bring back this former official whose take on climate change includes advocating U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accords, supporting the fossil fools industry and trashing renewable energy initiatives.What could possibly go wrong! Also His Malignancy has tapped Nancy B. Beck, a former chemical industry executive, to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission? What's wrong in THAT picture! And this from the NY Times: "An official at the Interior Department embarked on a campaign that has inserted misleading language about climate change — including debunked claims that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is beneficial — into the agency’s scientific reports." The boss is no doubt pleased. On the upside the Center for Biological Diversity sued the administration recently for failing to decide whether 241 plants and animals across the country should be protected under the Endangered Species Act. The suit is one of the largest of its kind ever filed under the Act and hopes to reverse years of blatant disregard for wildlife laws by TheMad King and his enablers.

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Rep. Thomas Massie (Repugnican -KY) Massie reportedly said in 2018 that "Climate change may not be due to humans… What is the cause and effect?" We guess he missed the memo? 

Time to remind those of us who haven't been paying attention that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" The erratic weather we've been having this winter begs the question: Will future East Coast Winters be freezing or balmy? to which we can only say...yes!  Moving on, we have a lot of farmers in this Valley and we want to let them know about Agriculture Resilience Act  being promoted in DC as well as  MA State Senator Jo Comerford's S.438 An Act to promote healthy soils and agricultural innovation within the Commonwealth .We know we talk a lot about protecting and preserving forests and forest soils on this show but it's also critically important farming practices are climate friendly as well.  Remember The Enviro Show Blog Action link? It's baaaack!

Our Enviro Show Quote of the Week: 
"A quarter of the entire amount of carbon that goes into the atmosphere globally is absorbed by Earth's vegetation, so protecting and possibly increasing the amount of carbon stored in forests could have significant benefits, such as mitigating climate change and preserving biodiversity and water quality." - NASA

Think of that the next time someone tells you it's OK for commercial logging in our public forests. And now........this.

Here's the Bus Stop Billboard for the next few weeks:

Monday, March 23, 7 – 8:30pm.  Climate Action Now! Monthly Gathering. 

--> You are warmly invited to join Climate Action Now for a Virtual Gathering. We will use Zoom to create a space designed to uplift our spirits & keep us connected through small group conversation & a surprise guest speaker. Instructions for using zoom & pre-meeting tech help will be available. More info coming soon...Go to: http://climateactionnowma.org/  

Saturday, March 28, 9am to 2pm. Traprock will mark the 40th anniversary of Women and Life on Earth: a conference on eco-feminism in the 1980's with a meeting in the Greenfield Community College Dining Commons. The Women and Life on Earth conference in March 1980 brought together 600 women from the northeastern U.S.  for a weekend on connections around women, peace and ecology. Now, at a critical time for life on earth, we gather to honor and encourage multigenerational action. This event will bring together activists and groups from Springfield, MA to Brattleboro, VT, to share goals and plans for 2020 and beyond. Please join us!  Contact:  info@wloe.org

 

Sunday April 5,  4-6 pm. Extinction Rebellion WMass general meeting will continue to work together via email, Zoom, and calls. At this time, we are planning to have our April General Meeting via Zoom (a free video conference platform). If you need assistance figuring out how to use Zoom, please reply to this email and we will assist you. This next period will give us a chance to build the community partnerships we have begun to forge, to form collaborations and alliances across our region, to delve more deeply into the work we are developing together, and to mobilize around the reality that this pandemic is woven into the fabric of the climate crisis and of XR.   Click to join, or call in at 646-876-9923, meeting ID 556 388 985.


April 22 at 3 p.m. there will be a climate march from the Brattleboro town common to the corner of Elliot and Main streets. One of the groups that's organizing the march has a web site at www.350Vermont.org   

Saturday, May 9, 1 – 3pm. Endangered Species Parade! Pulaski Park Northampton, MA.  

Join Extinction Rebellion WMass May 9 from 1:00-3:00 (rain date May 10) in Northampton, MA as we gather in honor of all species affected by our climate crisis.  Parade with lovingly created animal puppets, masks, costumes, headdresses, etc. Dance, march, in roars or in silence, melody and dissonance: A non speech, non violent Animal Uprising. We are offering animal puppet and mask workshops. Look for workshop dates throughout March and April. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/pg/XRwmass 

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