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?