Greetings Earthlings. It's the 21st century, burn technologies no longer make sense in a Climate Crisis and the losers' War Against Nature must end ASAP. That's how we see it and we've invited Zack Porter co-founder of Standing Trees and passionate advocate for America's public lands back to make the case for permanently protecting State and Federal forest lands in the Northeast. Also, new nukes in MA? We don't think so! As usual, we will also introduce you to our Fool-on-the-Hill, Whoever Left the Door Open, those Whose Brains Were small and more, but first it's time for...... Revenge of the Critters! Another listener suggestion: Some bugs can be a bother, others......not so much.
Our Fool-on-the-Hill is a repeat offender. "MAGA Rep. Andy Ogles kicked off Pride Month 2026 by declaring, 'Homosexuality has no place in America.' With LGBTQ+ Americans under siege by MAGA bigotry, we're fighting back. It's Cedar Key Progress, working to FIRE anti-LGBTQ+ Republicans in Congress." They say they are, "gearing up to run billboards and TV ads against Republicans that are:attacking transgender kids; banning Pride flags; and censoring LGBTQ+ voices in schools and libraries." Sorry Andy, it's the 21st century. Check your calendar, fool.
On the last show we took a look at PFAS which got us thinking about the 20th century corporados who came up with slogans like "Better Living Through Chemistry" while they proceeded to poison us with any number of products. The blog and podcast had already dropped when Glen came across one of those who make us wonder.....Who Left the Door Open? Thomas Midgley Jr., an American mechanical and chemical engineer who played a major role in developing leaded gasoline and some of the first chlorofluorocarbons. Both were later banned due to their disastrous impact on health and the environment. If you happen to believe in karma you'll be interested to learn "Midgley contracted polio in 1940 and was left disabled; in 1944, he was found strangled to death by a device he devised to allow him to get out of bed unassisted."
While we're on the subject of thoughtlessness and lack of foresight guess who returns to remind us Their Brains Were Small and They Died (even though they've yet to)? The National Campaign for Justice informs us: "The New World screwworm, that the United States wiped out nearly 60 years ago, is back in Texas and New Mexico. This flesh-eating parasite’s larvae burrow into the living tissue of cattle, pets, wildlife, and, in rare cases, people. This never would’ve happened if Elon Musk’s DOGE hadn’t cut funding for the USDA, fired the people responsible for monitoring this threat and destroyed the early warning system that could’ve stopped it."
Wait, more thoughtlessness and lack of foresight served with a side of Doublespeak of the Week. MAGA freakshow, "Rep. Paul Gosar has introduced legislation that would strip away federal protections as the Mexican gray wolf remains highly vulnerable. Gosar’s cynically named Enhancing Safety for Animals Act would do the exact opposite of what its title suggests. Instead of enhancing safety, it would dismantle the very safeguards that kept lobo from vanishing forever. The bill threatens to undo decades of painstaking conservation work and push this fragile population back toward extinction. The Mexican gray wolf’s story is already one of catastrophic loss. It has survived only due to Endangered Species Act protections and captive breeding programs. Today’s entire wild population descends from only a handful of wolves, leaving the species with perilously low genetic diversity that threatens reproduction and survival." Email your representative and tell them to support conservation and oppose Representative Gosar’s bullshit H.R. 4255.
All these freak show fascists staking their claim to infamy and yet His Malignancy still manages to outdo them with his own personal brand of idiocy. Take your pick. Of course there's his bizarre fixation destroying Wilderness, on monument degradation from trashing the White House, the Reflecting swamp on the National Mall, putting up Soviet style banners of his glowering mug all over DC, or his Nazi inspired victory arch. Further afield The Mad King (#NoKings) has threatened Greenland, Canada and of course Cuba. His War on Nature also continues, though with mixed signals when it comes to wind power. The Administration continues to pay off wind power developers for leases they have secured to the tune of $2.5 Billion of your taxpayer dollars while at the same time we find conflicting news: "The... administration has abandoned its effort to halt wind energy projects across the United States and dropped its challenge to the court ruling that tossed [the] President’s order freezing federal permitting and leasing for wind projects." Regardless, His Malignancy & his lot is still enabling the corporados endangering workers and the public. "Despite legislation passed in 2016 requiring certain federal agencies to raise their penalties every year to track the inflation rate, the... administration has decided to give lawbreaking companies a break by cancelling this year’s OSHA and MSHA penalty increases, as well as penalties issued by other federal enforcement agency such as agencies such as EPA and the Department of Transportation."
In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we recently received word of a special event. It's called the Francis Crowe & Paki Weiland Memorial Peace Walk 4th of July Peace Witness. That's a long title but we're talking about some longtime peace & social justice activists. Here's some insight that was shared among some march organizers from Traprock Peace Center and elsewhere: "The darkness of the world is requiring the Light within us to respond. It is in times like this, when we would have looked to Frances to help guide our actions, that we respond in her memory. During the Vietnam draft, Frances used to cruise Rt 9 looking for young men hitchhikers to pick up so she could do impromptu draft counseling, “I would drive slow and talk fast” she would often recall, with a sly grin. When we started planning the walk, we invited Paki to come and say a few words. When Paki passed [away] it seemed only right to also remember that they lived together and were partners in Peace work." Indeed, and their spirit lives on Saturday July 4, 8:30am. 4th of July Peace Walk honoring Paki Weiland & Francis Crowe. Gather at the Amherst Common, 8:30am. Step off at 9am. Walk along Rt. 9 with peace messages. Water stations, rests & ride support along the 9 mile route. Come for any or all! Potluck at Northampton Friends at the end of the Walk, 1pm.Email: 2026july4peace@proton.me
Our Critter of the Week this time is the fascinating Wolverine. "Typically weighing less than 35 pounds, the wolverine is the largest terrestrial member of the weasel family, Mustelidae. They are powerfully built and have short legs with wide feet for traveling across the snow. Wolverines require deep snow to dig dens for their young. As highly effective scavengers of carrion, these animals are a vital part of their ecosystem. The species is rare and faces significant challenges to its future in the continental United States. Due to their limited numbers, huge individual territories and remote locations, it is difficult to gather data on wolverines. This poses a challenge to scientists, agencies and others trying to understand wolverines’ habitat requirements, threats to their survival and pathways to recovery. One thing, however, is clear: as a species dependent on deep snowpack for denning and foraging, the survival of wolverines in the Lower 48 is very much at risk due to the foreseeable effects of human-caused climate change. After 23 years of advocacy, wolverines were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2023." Checkout this short video of a Wolverine on the trail.
How about a Quote of the Week as we imagine the Wolverine out in the Wild:
“Devoted though we must be to the conservation cause, I do not believe that any of us should give it all of our time or effort or heart. Give what you can, but do not burn yourselves out -- or break your hearts. Let us save at least half of our lives for the enjoyment of this wonderful world which still exists. Leave your dens, abandon your cars and walk out into the great mountains, the deserts, the forests, the seashores. Those treasures still belong to all of us. Enjoy them to the full, stretch your legs, expand your lungs, enliven your hearts.."
- Edward Abbey
After our talk with Zack it's on to the Bus stop Billboard:
First Here's 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. If you're looking for an easy weekday way to jump into the climate movement, you'll love the State House Stand Out! We gather at the Massachusetts State House in Boston between 10 am and 2 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Volunteers stand together for 2-hour "shifts," either outside or inside depending on weather, and talk with visitors and State House staff about the Climate Crisis. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 3 – 4pm.: Indivisible's What's the Plan with Leah and Ezra. Go HERE. Fridays, 1:30 to 3pm: De-ICE Hanscom Airfield Stand Outs, Hanscom Rotary, Lincoln, MA. Go HERE. ALSO:
12 to 1pm. Send Citizens Bank a clear message: financing private prison and immigration detention facility operators The GEO Group and CoreCivic is bad for business. We'll stand out on the public sidewalks on King Street Northampton, MA in front of Stop and Shop Plaza (Citizens Bank has a branch inside Stop and Shop). Saturdays, 11am to 1pm: No Fear w/Street Theatre, Burlington ICE Facility, Burlington Mall Rd. @ District Ave., Burlington, MA Go HERE .
Tuesday June 23, 7pm. An in-person event will be held at Grow Food Northampton and is free and open to the public—please register here! organizers from the Springfield Climate Justice Coalition will tell the story of how they have held the “Zombie Biomass Plant” at bay, how they plan to stop the latest effort with passion and people power, and how people across Western Mass can take meaningful action to stop this plant from impacting community and public health.
Wednesday June 24, 6 to 8pm. A community hearing on the Roadless Rule Repeal. Learn how PUBLIC LANDS like the White Mountain National Forest could be trashed and how you can help raise your voice, stand up and fight back. Unitarian Universalist Church of Concord, 274 Pleasant ST, Concord, NH. Go HERE!
Sunday June 28, 10-11:30am. Stormwater and Sewer Safari. This is a family friendly event where we will learn more about Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) and how the sewage pollution from CSOs affects the Alewife Brook as well as people and wildlife. We will meet at Thorndike Field in Arlington and walk along the Alewife Brook to see one of these active CSOs as well as visiting the Alewife Stormwater Wetlands to see how nature based solutions can help reduce CSOs to the river. There will be a family friendly tour with a scavenger hunt, an art activity, and snacks as well as a tour geared towards adults. Please RSVP HERE.
Saturday July 4, 8:30am. 4th of July Peace Walk honoring Paki Weiland & Francis Crowe. Gather at the Amherst Common, 8:30am. Step off at 9am. Walk along Rt. 9 with peace messages. Water stations, rests & ride support along the 9 mile route. Come for any or all! Potluck at Northampton Friends at end, 1pm. Email: 2026july4peace@proton.me
OK, we are out of here 'til next time but do remember to listen to your Mother!
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