Blog Archive

Friday, June 26, 2020

The Public Lands Logging Epidemic Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. As you may know by now we've been focusing on forest protection, preservation and proforestation for quite some time on the show. And you are probably aware that a large part of the reason for our....um...fixation? is that we need intact forests to capture CO2 emissions in the struggle with the Climate Crisis (you know, the crisis that threatens life on Earth?). While much of our focus during this time has been on local or regional public forests we're going to make some border crossings on this show with Silvia Solaun and Katherine Evans of New Jersey Forest Watch/Friends of Sparta Mountain joins us to see the forest for the trees further afield. Of course, as always, we'll also take you to see this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and His Malignancy The Mad King in his epic awfulness, as well as a reminder (not that you need it, right?) that "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" but first it's time for........Revenge of the Critters! In the event you are new to show we thought we should once again bring up the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic is totally The Revenge of the Critters. Read it and weep, this in-depth piece from the New York Times Magazine, How Humanity Unleashed a Flood of New Diseases.

Back for yet another appearance on this week's Fool-on-the-Hill is the guy who may actually be the biggest bona fide fool in the entire U.S. House of Reps, Texas nutjob extraordinaire Louie Gohmert. Never one to pass up the chance to engage in lame-ass childish behavior in the hallowed chamber of the people, this time Gohmert loudly drummed on his desk as the House Judiciary Committee heard testimony from one of two Department of Justice attorneys who said that improper political influence had warped multiple cases, including the sentencing recommendation for [The Mad King]’s associate Roger Stone. Democrats asked for the Sergeant at Arms to remove Gohmert from the hearing room because he refused to stop banging on a table but instead he was made to sit in a corner wearing a dunce cap while facing the wall for a time out....no, kidding. Nothing was done, apparently because punishing misbehaving adolescents isn't nice, even when they are flat-out fascist.

On to His Malignancy The Mad King who infamously continues to call for less testing of the Corona Virus so the numbers will look better for his reelection. Yes, the ugly face of the Repugnican Death Cult just can't resist publicly displaying his utter disregard for the people of this nation and his epic self-regard. One can only wonder at the one-third of the population who still claim to support this monster. Living proof that we are, indeed, a highly flawed species. His Malignancy's enablers in government must share that distinction. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has now unveiled what he called a “blueprint” for enabling energy extraction, mining, grazing and logging in federal forests by speeding up environmental reviews and permitting, a euphemism for privatizing our public lands for corporate profits. Meanwhile, over at the EPA His Malignancy's enablers finalized a rule to roll back regulations of perchlorate, a chemical found in rocket fuel that can cause brain damage in infants. And speaking of the EPA here's a bit of Orwellian groupthink for you: "The Environmental Protection Agency defended its controversial decision to halt enforcement of bedrock anti-pollution laws amid the coronavirus pandemic on the grounds that doing so protected workers and offered flexibility to companies facing staffing shortages." But wait, there's more! June is National Oceans Month and Thec Mad King issued an official proclamation in recognition of this, but instead of pledging to protect our oceans or highlight the ocean’s critical role in mitigating global climate change, His Malignancy celebrated the “enormous opportunity” we have to expand offshore oil drilling.

We guess the lead story for "It's the Climate Crisis, Stupid!" segment is the present heatwave in.......Siberia?? You read that right: "A Siberian town hit 100 degrees, setting a new record for the Arctic Circle". Science news goes on to note: "The new benchmark highlights how the Arctic region is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification. Average temperatures in Siberia from December to May were also the warmest on record going back to 1979, according to Copernicus. When combined with data from NASA going back to 1880, the researchers suggest, this six-month period is likely unprecedented within the last 140 years." 

The Enviro Show Echo Chamber is back, this time with another tale of "progress" vs. historical integrity, something that often means business-as-usual rolling over Native American history and culture. Which would you rather have: construction of another roundabout for cars! cars! cars! (where it's not all that needed) or the preservation of a 10,000 year old Indigenous site, possibly occupied by the Norwottuck people?  Here is a link to a site describing the situation. Scroll down for links by local media as well. Some of the information on the site may be incorrect like the "July 1" start of construction. Senator Comerford and Representative Sabadosa are actively engaged in this issue. Let them know you are as well! 

Time for an Enviro Show Quote of the Week, this one especially for loggers and foresters but you'll need to prepare yourself for a loooong trip in the Wayback Machine, all the way to the turn of the 16th century:

"For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver."                
                                                                    - Martin Luther 



After our conversation with Silvia we move on to the Bus Stop Billboard:




Tuesday, July 14, 1 p.m. ET: Story of Plastic panel discussion. Learn why we can't recycle our way out of our waste issues and how to take action. Register here to get a link to watch the Story of Plastic movie before the panel. 


Thursday July 16, 10:30 am - 1:30 pm. Virtual Class: Soil the Solution Beneath our Feet. This class will address all aspects of soil composition and soil health and will discuss soil’s role in sustainability and combating climate change. The class will provide you with the information needed to use soil regeneration to capture carbon, reduce flooding and drought conditions, and grow healthy plants resistant to disease and stress.   Read more and register.   


July 20, 2020—August 9, 2020  NOFA Summer Conference.
Just sit back and relax in your home while we bring you the rich and dynamic education program of the NOFA Summer Conference right to your home. We’re bringing the classic and innovative content of the conference to you via video/webinar sessions so you can continue to deepen your knowledge on topics such as Vegetable Production, Hemp/CBD, Chickens, Grazing Plans, Soil Carbon, Wild E dibles, Worms and more.If you haven’t been to the NOFA Summer Conference in years because of the distance, now’s your chance to attend. If you love the conference but can’t make the schedule work for your summer schedule, now’s your time. If you wish you could have the program in hand to experience on demand, whenever you choose, now is your chance too.





What’s in store for the new virtual Summer Conference program?
MORE INFO, REGISTER, ETC.


Monday July 27, 7 to 9pm. Climate Action Now Monthly Gathering. Either on Zoom or at the Unitarian Meetinghouse on N. Pleasant St (downtown Amherst). Check CAN's website at:  https://climateactionnowma.org/

OK for now Enviro Show fans. Please remember to listen to your Mother! 

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