A Scary Enviro Show Halloween Special

Greetings Earthlings. We guess in the era of His Malignancy The Mad King it's hard to scare many people these days, all the horrors on the daily news have so desensitized us. The Good Green Witch doesn't do scary anyway and she'll join us to tell you why. Also, Guy McPherson returns with a call in that might actually scare you. As always, we'll take you to witness His Malignancy and his enablers at work in their chamber of horrors, as well as our Fool-on-the-Hill where other scary things are lurking. Meanwhile, over at The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we've decorated the walls with some of the most frightening things we could find, but first it's time for..........Revenge of the Critters! You'll have to climb into the Wayback Machine and take a long trip for this disturbing story but given the season and all, why not go for it!

Our Halloween Fool-on-the-Hill is the Bad Witch from the North, Senator Susan Collins who fell body and soul into the Dark Side when she voted to seat what for all intents and purposes appears to be a drunken predator fratboy on the Supreme Court of the United States. She threw a virtual bucket of ice water on all women and a lot of men in this nation BUT she's the one who will cry out, "I'm melting! What a world, what a world!" when she's up for reelection in Maine.

On to His Malignancy The Mad King who just stated: "I have a natural instinct for science" [insert laugh track]. The Inteligencer went on to point out he "asserted that, contrary to the scientific conclusion that pumping heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere has caused an upward ratcheting of temperatures, he sees it as random unexplainable variation.." We guess it's no longer a scam from China? Wait! Last week The Mad King "suggested that the world's climate might actually be 'fabulous' " Huh? And this: His Malignancy and his "emergency management" types have dropped the ball once again, this time with Mega-Hurricane Michael's devastation on the Florida panhandle. Also, given how much His Malignancy's choice for the Supreme Court has lied before Congress we guess you won't be too surprised to learn he lied about his environmental rulings as well? And speaking of the SCOTUS theft there's some court intrigue concerning what ever went down to get Justice Kennedy to bail so the fratboy could be foisted upon us. Finally, the Mad King's  State Department just published another hastily-produced draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement that concludes the proposed Keystone XL pipeline would produce only "minor" impacts to land, water, endangered species and Native American sacred sites in Nebraska. Make your voices heard HERE. Finally, His Malignancy's fellow climate criminal, Lyin' Ryan Zinke over at Interior is entertaining the idea of using our military bases to.....are you ready? EXPORT COAL and FRACKED GAS!


We have Breaking News! The14-year old (yes, 14 years!) Taylor Energy oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is about to become one of the worst oil disasters in U.S. history. The Washington Post notes: "Between 300 and 700 barrels of oil per day have been spewing from a site 12 miles off the Louisiana coast since 2004, when an oil-production platform owned by Taylor Energy sank in a mudslide triggered by Hurricane Ivan. Many of the wells have not been capped, and federal officials estimate that the spill could continue through this century. With no fix in sight..."


In our Enviro Show Echo Chamber of Horrors we find unsettling news from WAMC that forest soils are absorbing less methane than usual. If that's not disturbing enough for you how about bubbling pools in the Arctic? This gives new meaning to Shakespeare's witches chanting "Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble", yes? Remember those tacky old Japanese horror films with radioactive monsters? The monsters were always the result of dumped atomic waste. They're still working on that!  In past shows we've discussed the shocking decline in insect populations. We guess it follows that there's also a corresponding decline in insect eating bird populations like Tree Swallows.  And, since we're talking air bourn critters and we're coming up on Bat Week, how about our friends the bats? It seems the dreaded White Nose syndrome is working its way west but so are bat scientists studying it. Stay tuned: same bat channel! And another scare for everyone, this time from the Cape Downwinders: "the Oct. 9 NRC inspection report with highlights concluding corrective actions STILL have not been resolved.  Entergy's operation of Pilgrim [nuke] remains in the "Multiple/Repetitive Degraded Cornerstone", the lowest NRC assessment matrix.  Pilgrim is STILL the worst reactor in the U.S. and STILL one step from federally mandated shutdown." A real chiller for eastern MA.

After our visit with the Good Green Witch and Guy we move on to the Bus stop Billboard:



Saturday, November 3, 2pm.
 to Sunday, November  4, 6pm.  "Body is a Guest". Art from the Natural World by Denise Beaudet. Cottage Street Studios
1 Cottage Street Studio #436, Easthampton, MA. Call 413-570-5027


Wednesday November 7, 7pm. Northampton Community Preservation Committee to consider a proposal to employ glyphosate (the active ingredient in Monsanto's RoundUp) in an effort to eradicate a small stand of Japanese Knotweed a few feet away from the Community Garden plots.  so please attend if you can! City Council Chambers, 212 Main St. in Northampton. Also, please send a comment to the Community Preservation Committee to oppose the use of glyphosate and to demand a more transparent process! Go HERE! 


Wednesday, November 7, 7 – 8:30 pm.  Acting Together in the Face of the Climate Crisis.  Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 845 West St, Amherst, Massachusetts. Come join us and this panel of local grassroots organizers -- Jacqueline Velez, Susan Theberge, and Marty Nathan -- to hear about local environmental justice issues and the great work these three community leaders are doing. Registration appreciated: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/acting-together-in-the-face-of-the-climate-crisis-registration-51810186663 

OK, remember now, if your out Trick or Treating be sure to wear black.....No, wait! That's wrong. Remember to......LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER!

Another Vote for the Planet Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. We're closing in on Election Day so it's time once again to see who are the best candidates to help keep this planet livable for future generations. Naturally, The Mad King's enablers are the worst possible choice but thankfully here in the Mid-Connecticut River Valley there aren't many of them. Jo Comerford, candidate for State Senator in our neck of the woods joins us in the first half hour to discuss the issues. After that we're off to meet that Mad King and his hangers-on, as well as this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and a trip over to our long lost E-Valley-uation segment, but first it's time for..........Revenge of the Critters! Down Under Eagles at war with gold diggers drones.....and they're winning! 

Get ready with your hot air sickness bags listeners 'cuz The Mad King has been gassing off big time as he prepares for a "Major Weakening of Mercury Emissions Rules".  According to the far from failing New York Times, "The proposal would not eliminate the mercury regulation entirely, but it is designed to put in place the legal justification for the...administration to weaken it and several other pollution rules, while setting the stage for a possible full repeal of the rule." But it's OK, remember His Malignancy says  "...they’re taking out coal. They’re going to clean it". Who knew! On top of that outrage The Mad King's Bureau of Land Management issued a final rule trashing regulations mandating oil and gas companies drilling on public and tribal lands reduce methane pollution. This follows a recent proposal from His Malignancy's  Environmental Protection Agency pushing back on similar rules for private lands." More methane in the atmosphere, what a concept! Pushback HERE! On another front The Mad King's Department of Transportation, run off the rails by evil Mitch McConnell's wife  Elaine Chao, has repealed an Obama-era rule (of course!) that mandated upgrades for bomb trains to reduce the chances of derailments, spills or explosions of that unstable crude oil being shipped all over our rail lines. Those trains are running through much of the Northeast. Just sayin'! O, and speaking of speaking, that new deal with the old NAFTA? The word "climate" seems to have been omitted during the "art of the deal" and, surprise! it's a corporate giveaway for Big Oil & Gas.  Remember "Toxic sludge is good for you"? How about radiation? Common Dreams informs us," The [Mad King's] EPA sent toxicologist Edward Calabrese, who has argued that loosening radiation regulations could have positive health effects on humans, as well as saving money for businesses that currently work to limit exposure, as its lead witness to testify before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee."  If you're thinking of heading down to The Belly of the Beast to protest any of this you should be aware His Malignancy and Lyin' Ryan Zinke are thinking of taxing you for all that "free speech".  Finally, His Malignancy's drunken predatory fratboy  Supreme Court Justice is off to a bad start as the Climate Crisis induced typhoon grinds into the southern U.S.

Our latest Fool-on-the-Hill seems to be every Repugnican on The House Natural Resources Committee. The Hill news guys tell us they advanced five Endangered Species Act bills that "aim to strip all protections for Gray Wolves in the contiguous United States; give priority to the science submitted by state and local governments over the federal government’s when determining whether a species needs protection; and let the administration more easily de-prioritize certain petitions for protection." Of course Utah's own Rob Bishop heads that committee but why should we let him take all the discredit!

Did someone say endangered species? In our E-Valley-uation segment Karl Meyer continues to raise the alarm about all the extermination of critters in the Connecticut River. Go to his blog for some in-depth views into the troubled river that runs through this Valley. And on the subject of Vote for the Planet, Inside Climate News notes "Some of the most consequential elections for climate policy this fall could be the 36 governor's races, where a blue wave could position clean energy advocates as a significant counterforce against the Trump administration's fossil fuel agenda." That includes right here in the Commonwealth where Repugnican Gov. Baker leaves much to be desired. We're still waiting to hear from his challenger, Jay Gonzalez regarding dirty biomass and our state forests, especially the Wendell State Forest presently threatened by the MA Dept. of Cut & Run! Have you signed this petition yet? Please do!  O wait! Did someone say dirty biomass? Palmer "Renewable" Energy just announced they going for that dirty biomass incinerator in Springfield. 

We have Breaking News! NPR (National Public Relations?) informs us that the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change "says pledges from the world's governments to reduce greenhouse gases, made in Paris in 2015, aren't enough to keep global warming from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees F) above pre-industrial temperatures."  Of course, His Malignancy has pulled us out of that pledge in the spirit of "American exceptionalism" we gather. The announcement goes on to say, "Some of the world's top climate scientists have concluded that global warming is likely to reach dangerous levels unless new technologies are developed to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere." Wait, don't trees and soil do that?

After all of that we head over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Saturdays, 11am to Noon. Stand Out Against Logging the Wendell State Forest!  This logging project cannot be justified for ecological or forest health purposes, and has minimal if any financial benefits for the public. Freight House Antiques, 11 East Main St./Route 2, Erving, MA. Go to: savemassforests.com 


Thursday, October 18, 6 to 8pm. "Saving Massachusetts Forests for Climate, Nature, and People"
Mohawk Trail Regional High School, Rt. 112, Buckland, MA. Massachusetts forests are vital in storing carbon to fight climate change, providing critical habitat for native plants and wildlife, preserving historic and sacred sites, and offering opportunities for nature-based recreation. Yet, almost all of our forests are currently open to resource extraction, which is undermining these values. We need to take action now to protect our forests, before it is too late. Speaker Michael Kellett is cofounder and executive director of RESTORE: The North Woods, a Massachusetts-based conservation organization. Free and open to the public. Email: restore@restore.org


Monday October 22, 7 to 9pm. Keep it in the Ground. Climate Action Now MA hosts Jo Comerford and Dan Carey to discuss the Movement Voter Project and the Columbia Gas resistance Campaign at First Churches, of Northampton, 129 Main Street, Northampton, MA. Email: climateactionnowmass@gmail.com 


Monday, October 27, 7 to 9pm. Climate Action Now Monthly Gathering. Please join us. Everyone is warmly welcomed! Feel the warmth of community and the strength of collective action as we move forward together at this critical moment in history.  Accessible/on bus line,  First Churches,Main St, Northampton, MA. Go to:  http://climateactionnowma.org


Monday October 27 to November 4.  Walking into the Future - Listening the Call of the Great Spirit. "We walk towards the year 2020 - a major marker in time. It marks 400 years since the landing of the Mayflower in Plymouth in 1620. We can begin to understand the reality of the foundation of this country. For information call Tim at 413-485-8469


Sunday, October 28, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Pollinator Symposium. Susan N. McLane Audubon Center, Concord, NH. Fee: $75 (Member) / $90 (Nonmember). This is a great opportunity for a full day of pollinator-related knowledge, with a range of topics that includes selecting native plant seeds, designing pollinator habitats, overwintering pollinators, and capturing and recording pollinator data
Cosponsor: New Hampshire Audubon and New England Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife. TOO FAR?  Email wmassbees@gmail.com to arrange carpooling. Register HERE. 


Monday October 29—#TheTrialOfTheCentury begins. Solidarity in Greenfield  4:00 p.m.—Theater Action on the Commons, 4:45 p.m. —Panel—Hawks & Reed—21 youth sue Uncle Sam for violating their right to life, liberty, and property and for failing to protect the public trust in this time of Climate Crisis.  Featuring Bill Newman of the ACLU plus local youth & climate activists. Sponsored by Greening Greenfield


That's it for this time. Please remember to listen to your Mother when you're out there, OK?

The Stop Logging Commonwealth State Forests Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. While we've grown weary of having to remind climate activists protection and preserving forests is most assuredly part of the struggle, it's a bit hopeful to see at least some of them showing up. Michael Kellett of Save Mass Forests returns with some cutting remarks about the Massachusetts Dept. of Cut and Run (DCR) and our favorite roving reporter and troubadour, Tom Neilson joins us in the studio with another Enviro Show Premier Performance of his latest hit, "The Forest Song".  All that and a visit to His Malignancy The Mad King and this week's Fool-on-the-Hill, as well as a peak into The Enviro Show Echo Chamber (if time allows) but first it's time for............Revenge of the Critters! Raccoon rampage in Watertown last Spring. There must be kits by now!

Let's start with some actual good news concerning His Malignancy The Mad King. It seems his offshore oil drilling scheme is a bit of a belly flop. Only 1% of the leases have been sold  so it's kind of "successful" as say Trump Airlines? Trump Steaks? Whatever. On to the dark side: turns out His Malignancy's pick for that stolen seat on the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh has a sorry record on wildlife. "The Center for Biological Diversity's Bill Snape analyzed Kavanaugh's 12 years on the U.S. District Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., and found he ruled against wildlife and endangered species 96 percent of the time." That probably didn't come up in the recent hearings but it did here, OK? The Mad King's new Dark Prince at the EPA, Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist will decide soon to press ahead with a proposed rule that could block EPA's use of some scientific studies, including research on health and pollution. Science? Science! We don't need no stinking science! And this, speaking of "science": The Mad King is trying to sneak a Dow Chemical executive in as chief scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). You can oppose Scott Hutchins nomination HERE.  Finally, it's reported that His Malignancy wants to frack the Petrified Forest: "The Bureau of Land Management plans to auction off 4,200 acres of public land for oil and gas leases in northern Arizona near Petrified Forest National Park and two rivers. Parcels that do not receive bids will be available for noncompetitive leasing for two years." 

Another return trip for this week's Fool-on-the-Hill. From the Courier Journal herrrrrrre's Mitch! "In remarks on the Senate floor [late last month] Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., applauded the end of regulations around which former President Barack Obama’s “war on coal” was centered. “The Obama Administration’s so-called ‘Clean Power Plan’ offered a typical story from that era,” McConnell said. “An innocent-seeming name. A pleasant-sounding objective. But underneath, an intrusive regulatory regime — built not on effective policy, but on far-left ideology. That’s why I am so grateful that, today, the Trump administration is unveiling its plan to pare back this unfair, unworkable, and likely illegal policy.”  Far-left ideology??

In the Enviro Show Echo Chamber the group Environment Massachusetts informed us on August 28 "the state Assembly approved a plan to require 100 percent clean electricity in California by 2045. This bill will make California the second state in the country, after Hawaii, to commit to getting all of its electricity from clean sources. Now, the bill is awaiting approval by the California Senate, which passed similar legislation in 2017, before heading to the Governor's desk for his signature. This is a big deal. California is the world's fifth largest economy. And history has shown that when California leads the way, other states tend to follow." We trust by specifying "clean energy" they've excluded dirty biomass?

After our conversations with Tom and Michael we take over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Saturdays, 11am to Noon. Stand Out Against Logging the Wendell State Forest!  This logging project cannot be justified for ecological or forest health purposes, and has minimal if any financial benefits for the public. Freight House Antiques, 11 East Main St./Route 2, Erving, MA. Go to: savemassforests.com 


Saturday October 6,  10:30 - 11:30 am.  Leaf Peeping Bike Path B-I-N-G-O.  Kids – grab your parents and we’ll go exploring! All ages are welcome as we practice examining the natural world with field guides, binoculars, and a fun game to see just how much you can see! For this special edition of bike path bingo, we focus on the amazing New England fall color right outside our doors. Meet at the main entrance to the Great Falls Discovery Center, Avenue A, Turners Falls, MA. Please bring water and wear layers and sturdy shoes. Call: 413-743-1591




Sunday October 7, 3pm. A Gathering: Honor Our Trees in Brook Rd. Forest. Join us to honor the trees of Brook Road in Wendell, MA. with our love, gratitude and respect, for the abundant gifts they have provided to the Life of Our Planet for the past 110 years. The trees are now threatened by the Massachusetts DCR. Please sign our online petition, and share it with friends:
https://tinyurl.com/savebrookrdforest . For directions go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/683207012059036/ 


Saturday October 13, 12:30pm. Old Growth Hike with Bob Leverett. Mohawk Trail State Park, Campground Headquarters - Cold River Road, past the Town of Charlemont- Rte. 2
"This hike will explore older “Second Growth” trees and identify some Old Growth located at a distance on the ridges." (Bob Leverett-co-founder, Native Trees Society & tree measurement expert and... founder of the Bob and Monica Leverett "Forever Wild" Fund at Kestrel Land Trust.)  Space for 20- Must register-Email: massforestrescue@gmail.com 


Sunday October 14, 3 to 5pm. Back from the Brink: A conversation with Dr. Ira Helfand about preventing nuclear war.  An interfaith discussion about building the Back from the Brink Campaign in Western Massachusetts. Jewish Community of Amherst, 742 Main St, Amherst, MA


Thursday, October 18, 6 to 8pm. "Saving Massachusetts Forests for Climate, Nature, and People"
Mohawk Trail Regional High School, Rt. 112, Buckland, MA. Massachusetts forests are vital in storing carbon to fight climate change, providing critical habitat for native plants and wildlife, preserving historic and sacred sites, and offering opportunities for nature-based recreation. Yet, almost all of our forests are currently open to resource extraction, which is undermining these values. We need to take action now to protect our forests, before it is too late. Speaker Michael Kellett is cofounder and executive director of RESTORE: The North Woods, a Massachusetts-based conservation organization. Free and open to the public. Email: restore@restore.org



Monday, October 27, 7 to 9pm. Climate Action Now Monthly Gathering. Please join us. Everyone is warmly welcomed! Feel the warmth of community and the strength of collective action as we move forward together at this critical moment in history.  Accessible/on bus line,  First Churches,Main St, Northampton, MA. Go to:  http://climateactionnowma.org


That's it for now but remember to listen to your Mother, yes?

The Vote for the Planet Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. You remember that old phrase "Act Locally Think Globally"? We are resuscitating that one for your voting in the upcoming primaries in the Commonwealth. This time around those in the  Franklin First District have the most excellent opportunity to put Kate Albright-Hanna in Steve Kulik's old MA Representative seat. You may recall Steve was great in the struggle to stop Kinder Morgan's NED fracked gas pipeline, but when it came to burn technologies like wood biomass Steve totally went south on us. Kate, on the other hand, is all about real renewable energy and is no fan of....The Biomess! She joins us in the studio to drill down into the details of her environmental platform. We'll also be promoting Jo Comerford's run for State Senator. Jo also is no fan of Big Biomass and, we assume, neither are you! As always, we also take you for a visit with this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and The Mad King and his enablers, but first, it's time for...........Revenge of the Critters! It's most assuredly the Dog Days of Summer but some dogs might want to consider a change in pursuits.

Utah Repugnican Rep. Rob Bishop, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee is baaaaack this week, perhaps we should refer to him as the Bishop From Hell given his rampant climate denial and Enemy of the Earth qualifications. This time we find him harassing Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) for trying to help China clean up its act. Inside Climate News notes: "The Committee is concerned about the NRDC's role in aiding China's perception management efforts with respect to pollution control and its international standing on environmental issues in ways that may be detrimental to the United States," the lawmakers said in the letter, dated June 5. "The NRDC's relationship with China has many of the criteria identified by U.S. intelligence agencies and law enforcement as putting an entity at risk of being influenced or coerced by foreign interests."  Say what? Are we talking about a bunch of do-gooder latte sipping enviros or the present occupants in the White House??

Speaking of! Let's see what His Malignancy The Mad King is up to this week. How about this headline from The Guardian: "Trump administration lifts ban on pesticides linked to declining bee numbers"? Here we are planting weeds all over our yards trying to help the pollinators survive and that freak in the Oval Office and his slimy enablers are ruining everything. We reported on this earlier when it was just a proposal, now we are living with it. Elsewhere, a tweet His Malignancy spewed out late Sunday about California’s wildfires will surely qualify as another one of the thousands of lies issuing from Fake News Central. According to the LA Times, "Trump blamed the fires on “bad environmental laws which aren’t allowing massive amount of readily available water to be properly utilized.” He complained that water needed for firefighting is being “diverted into the Pacific Ocean.”
Sorry, but fire fighters say they have plenty of water, it's the climate chaos that His Malignancy and fellow Repugnicans deny that's the problem. And this: The Mad King's choice to fill that stolen seat on the Supreme Court, Judge Brett Kavanaugh has a horrendous history on environmental cases. He wrote the unanimous opinion finding environmental groups did not have standing to challenge an EPA decision not to tighten carbon monoxide standards and also on cases where he found that industrial groups have standing to oppose environmental restrictions. It seems Kavanaugh is a Scalia kind of guy in many cases and no friend of the Earth. How about His Malignancy's plans to open more than a million acres of public lands in central California to oil drilling and fracking.? The move would end a five-year moratorium on leasing federal public land in the state to oil companies — won largely by the Center for Biological Diversity and allies. The NY Times tells us The Mad King "is expected to propose rolling back regulations on emissions from coal plants on Tuesday. We looked at the role of the top air pollution official at the Environmental Protection Agency, who once represented the industries that would stand to benefit from the change."  Finally, in the wake of Scott Pruitt's escape, Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler is busy making matters worse in any number of ways. One is trashing the Clean Water Rules. You can comment HERE. Also, you can "fight to protect clean air standards" HERE.

Time for an Enviro Show Quote of the Week (and soon apropos!):

"Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world...would do this, it would change the earth." - William Faulkner

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber the New York Times tells us: "Globally, 2018 is shaping up to be the fourth-hottest year on record. (The hotter years were the three previous ones.)" SURPRISE! How about some good news from Common Dreams? The headline reads: "'Guilty on All Counts!': In Historic Victory, Monsanto Ordered to Pay $289 Million in Roundup Cancer Lawsuit".


After our conversation with Kate Albright-Hanna we move on to the Bus Stop Billboard:


Saturday September 8, 11am-5pm. WMass Pagan Pride Day at the Florence Civic Center,
Northampton MA. There is no admission fee to the event, however we ask that you bring a non-perishable food item for our food drive. You can come expecting to experience open ritual, musical entertainment, workshops and many vendors for a fun, family friendly community driven event. There will be some food for purchase on site, and there are a number of restaurants and cafes in the area. Go to: http://www.wmppd.com/


Saturday September 8th, 1pm. RISE for Climate, Jobs and Justice in Worcester,  Institute Park Worcester, MA 01605 Go to: https://actionnetwork.org/events/rise-up-for-climate-jobs-and-justice-rally


September 8, Noon12:00pm. Boston RISE for Climate, Jobs, Justice: Rally at East Boston Memorial Park, Boston 02128.  Host Contact Info: vignesh@betterfutureproject.org.


Saturday September 8, 3:00pm. Critical (and Kidical) Mass Bike Rally for Climate Action. New England Youth Theatre parking lot, 100 Flat Street. Brattleboro, VT. Contact Info: brattleboro@350vt.org


Saturday September 15, All Day+. Ambush Wall Street. Go to: https://www.micahmwhite.com/ambushwallstreet


Thursday September 20, 7pm. CAN (Citizens Awareness Network) is organizing a High-level Nuclear Waste (HLNW) Tour in New England to address the abdication by the federal government and the nuclear industry to deal with HLNW stranded at nuclear sites throughout the country. We have a ‘mock’ high-level nuclear waste cask and are taking it on the road to show people what an estimated 1,000 shipments through New England could look like. The tour will bring speakers from across the country to discuss the issues of nuclear waste, federal policy, environmental justice and direct action. Hawks and Reed, 289 Main Street, Greenfield, MA, NUCLEAR BLUES withThe Wildcat O’Halloran Band, “Downtown” Bob Stannard & Court Dorsey as “Will Nukem”, and other speakers. More info: http://nukebusters.org/ 


Thursday September 27, 7pm. -  A fall speakers’ series “Massachusetts Forests: A 21st Century Vision” ‘presents Call Of The Forest – The Forgotten Wisdom Of Trees’ is a documentary featuring scientist and acclaimed author Diana Beresford-Kroeger. The film follows Diana as she investigates our profound biological and spiritual connection to forests. Her global journey explores the science, folklore, and restoration challenges of this essential eco-system. Mohawk Trail Regional High School auditorium, Route 112  Buckland, MA.




That is all for now. We won't be back 'til sometime in September, until then remember to listen to your Mother, OK?

The Highly Endangered Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. Is the rise of fascism in our nation making you feel endangered? At least we can all stand together and fight back, right? Other Endangered Species of the non-human persuasion however don't have the options we humans have (except for the ones featured on Revenge of the Critters that is). Stephanie Kurose, Endangered Species Policy Specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity calls in to spotlight The Mad King and assorted Reugnican's attack on the Endangered Species so many others have historically tried to protect. Also, our guy in Portugal, George Aguiar* calls in about those massive fires brought about by climate disruption (see The Echo Chamber below). As always we will also drag you along to see our Fool-on-the-Hill and His Malignancy The Mad King and his enablers, but first it's time for.............Revenge of the Critters!  Noted hunter and House of Reprehensibles Speaker Paul Ryan, known for his weak kneed enabling of the Mad King and endless Libertarian claptrap, had his oversized, gas guzzling Chevy SUV trashed by Woodchucks this past winter. Apparently their preferred habitat of grassy areas near woods also makes them abundant along roads and highways where they often become the victims of passing cars. Not this time!

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill goes plural once again 'cuz we never run out of fools on that Hill. Our friends at the Center for biological Diversity take it from here: "More than 75 legislative attacks have been launched against the Endangered Species Act since Trump took office and more than 300 since 2011, when Republicans took over the U.S. House of Representatives.  Today’s attacks are being led by Utah Rep. Rob Bishop, Arkansas Rep. Bruce Westerman, Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, New Mexico Rep. Steve Pearce and other House Republicans beholden to oil and gas and other extractive industries. Among the bills, Rep. Westerman’s “Petition Act” would require the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to declare a petition backlog if it is presented with too many species in need of protection and then suspend any deadlines responding to those petitions and prohibit consideration of any subsequently filed."

His Malignancy The Mad King and his court of crazed enemies of the planet are also busy endangering Endangered Species. Surprise!  Lyin' Ryan's Interior Department proposed the most sweeping changes in decades to the Endangered Species Act which Repugnicans say is "cumbersome and restricts economic development." The revisions have far-reaching implications making it easier for roads, pipelines and other construction projects to gain approvals. You can make a Public Comment on this travesty HERE. Of special interest to us here in the Connecticut River Valley, Ryan Zinke intends to make it more difficult to shield species like the Atlantic sturgeon that are considered “threatened,” which is the category one level beneath the most serious one, “endangered.”  You can go after Lyin' Ryan HERE. Meanwhile, over at The Mad King's Department of Energy Rick Perry has embraced Ol' King Coal....literally. The "Chief Creative Officer" who caught the big hug on camera was fired for blowing the whistle on what turned out to be coal baron Bob Murray's wish list being rubber-stamped into policy by Perry.

Meanwhile, over in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we find the headline in Common Dreams: "As Wildfires Rage and Heat Records Broken Worldwide, Corporate Media Urged to Cover Climate Crisis' Link to Extreme Weather".  The New Republic concurs. We, of course, cover the Climate Crisis every week since we're decidedly NOT the corporate media but who pays attention to us?? In any case, The Mad King fiddles while the planet burns......as far north as the Arctic Circle. Our friends at Grist covering the same story have this mind bending paragraph buried in their piece: "It’s the hottest month of one of the hottest years in the history of human civilization, and unusual wildfires are sprouting up all over the map. Sweden has called for emergency assistance from the rest of the European Union to help battle massive wildfires burning north of the Arctic Circle. Across the western United States, 50 major wildfires are burning in parts of 14 states, fueled by severe drought. The wildfires burning in Siberia earlier this month sent smoke plumes from across the Arctic all the way to New England, four thousand miles away. Last year, big wildfires burned in Greenland for the first time in recorded history."

After our conversation with Stephanie and George we move on to the Bus Stop Billboard:


Monday August 6 - 9, 6am to Noon. Hiroshima Nagasaki Vigil on the Greenfield Town Common. Coming together as a community, we wish to devote the time and space this issue deserves. For four days between the anniversaries of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a vigil will take place on the Greenfield Common to bear witness, deepen understanding and take action. Besides focusing on the dangers nuclear weapons pose, we also want to affirm life, imagination and joy. With grassroots creativity, we want to express the magnificence of the world and its cultures. Along side the vigil, individuals and groups are invited to share displays, activities and performances. Related discussion
groups, workshops and events will take place day and evening in other venues throughout Greenfield. Go to: https://hn4vigil.org/


Friday, August 15, 7-9pm. Screening of Gasland Part II at the First Congregational Church, 514 Main Street, Dalton, MA


Wednesday, August 20, 5:30-8pm. 350 Mass Node Meeting at the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Church, 175 Wendell Ave, Pittsfield, MA


Saturday September 8, 11am-5pm. WMass Pagan Pride Day at the Florence Civic Center,
Northampton MA. There is no admission fee to the event, however we ask that you bring a non-perishable food item for our food drive. You can come expecting to experience open ritual, musical entertainment, workshops and many vendors for a fun, family friendly community driven event. There will be some food for purchase on site, and there are a number of restaurants and cafes in the area. Go to: http://www.wmppd.com/


Saturday September 8, 3:00pm. Critical (and Kidical) Mass Bike Rally for Climate Action. New England Youth Theatre parking lot, 100 Flat Street. Brattleboro, VT. Contact Info: brattleboro@350vt.org


Saturday September 15, All Day+. Ambush Wall Street. Go to: https://www.micahmwhite.com/ambushwallstreet


That's it for now campers. Until next time remember to listen to your Mother, OK?



*George collaborated with d.o. and Tom Neilson on the YouTube video "Climate Chaos & the Quabbin Woodlands"

The Forest Preservation & Protection Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. We can see the forest for the trees and all the lifeforms dwelling there. You? Shelby Perry, Stewardship Director at Northeast Wilderness Trust joins us to enhance the view and remind us "We are faced with the challenge of helping Nature continue to heal and flourish for future generations. The need to restore and protect wild lands and waters has never been greater." As always we will also invite you to meet this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to thumb your nose at The Mad King and his vile enablers, as well as a visit to The Enviro Show Echo Chamber but first it's time for.......... Revenge of the Critters! Lions stand up for highly endangered Rhinos/Poachers lose. 

Let's go straight for The Mad King since he's was such an easy target this past week, but where to start?? His Malignancy's Prince of Darkness at the EPA followed The Mad King's lead by announcing "last Friday that [the EPA] would evaluate and require approval for new uses of asbestos but would not evaluate the health risks of asbestos already in the environment" (this before he was shown the door.....finally!). The Mad King is a fan of asbestos (and apparently a Ruskie asbestos operation is a fan of  His Malignancy!) . Back in '97 he stated: “I believe that the movement against asbestos was led by the mob, because it was often mob-related companies that would do the asbestos removal. Great pressure was put on politicians, and as usual, the politicians relented”. We're not sure if he ever asked his mobster friends about that but now you'll be glad to know all that old asbestos in your basement is no longer a problem! Another move Scott The Dark Prince Pruitt made before emptying out his bullet proof desk was to remove the old Obama cap on dirty polluting "glider trucks" that have old diesel engines not up to present day standards. Gliders can spew 55 times more pollution than newer trucks. Maybe Scotty will run in to one of those trucks as he hits the road. No more first class flights on the public dime for him. BTW, the guy who is replacing Pruitt may qualify as a Prince of Darkness too. Inside Climate News tells Andrew Wheeler a "former coal lobbyist inherits some important decisions from Scott Pruitt, including on the Clean Power Plan, auto standards, methane and use of science." (Check the link for some in-depth analysis). Of Course, His Malignancy doesn't need lame-ass underlings to do outragious things he's perfectly capable of doing himself. Just this past Tuesday The Mad King pardoned ornery cowpokes "Dwight and Stephen Hammond, the father-son team of Oregon ranchers whose 2012 conviction for arson inspired the right-wing Bundy militia's armed takeover and month-long occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016."  Speaking of cowpokes, The Mad King's guy at the Interior Department, lying' Ryan Zinke wants to allow landowners and hunters to kill any of the last 30 Red Wolves in the world that leave their refuge. You can try and talk some sense into him here.

We have another twofer this week for our Fools-on-the-Hill courtesy of the Mountain Journal: "Last December, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines of Montana introduced legislation that would open five Forest Service wilderness study areas in Big Sky Country, totaling 449,500 acres, to all kinds of multiple use, including intensive resource extraction. Then in March, newly-elected U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte of Montana (and the previous boss of Daines in a tech business Gianforte founded) introduced companion legislation in the House. Apparently not satisfied with just joining ranks with Daines, Gainforte at the same time introduced still another bill that would release an additional 365,300 acres in 24 Bureau of Land Management wilderness study areas in his home state." Privateers at work!

Big news in The Enviro Show Echo Chamber from The Boston Globe (and that's surfaced elsewhere): The testing for CO2 emissions related to efforts to deal with the Climate Crisis may be inaccurate.  “Without actual measurements of changes in emissions, we don’t know — and we can’t know — if we’re meeting our goals, and that’s a problem,” said Lucy Hutyra, an associate professor of earth and environment at Boston University, one of the lead authors of a new study on emissions..... Current methods of quantifying emissions don’t actually measure the carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Instead, they rely on complex calculations that estimate emissions by tabulating the pollution from power plants, buildings, transportation, and other sources. That method often overlooks a range of factors, such as unknown natural gas leaks, traffic from outside the state, or the amount of photosynthesis by trees and other vegetation."  Come on guys, it's not rocket science.....O wait....maybe it is

We have a bit of E-Valley-uation here regarding that proposed assault on the Wendell State Forest's 110 year old-growth oak stand near Wickett Pond by the Department of Cut & Run (DCR). There was a meeting of the DCR Stewardship Council in Turners on Thursday with recipients of The Enviro Show's Big Green Clearcutters Award, DCR's Leo Roy and Elisa Campbell and others. Both Lisa Hoag from Wendell and our own d.o. spoke on behalf of the trees. Here's d.o.'s testimony:           

" I strongly support the proposal from Wendell Residents calling for an 80-acre, 110-year old-growth oak forest to be placed in reserve status, and classified as a zone 1 wildland pursuant to the forest management policies of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

It is the 21st century and science has confirmed we are in a Climate Crisis. Forests are among the few natural systems capturing the excess of CO2 in the atmosphere and old-growth forests are particular in their ability to sequester those emissions.

It is the 21st century and we are in a Climate Crisis. Many old notions of “forest management” are no longer valid in this crisis. Even students of forestry who graduated a few years ago have not been brought up to date in their knowledge base. Forestry has changed and experts are changing our thinking on the need to preserve and protect our forests almost daily. DCR and the DCR Stewardship Council must be in step with the times if our children and grandchildren are to have a livable world." 

After our conversation with Shelby we move over to the Bus Stop Billboard:

Beginning Monday July 23, 350MA and Better Future Project are planning a series of vigils next week outside the Beacon Hill offices of the conference committee members who are failing to act on climate and immigration:

• • Monday from 12-1pm 
  • Tuesday from 11-12pm (there will also be an Immigrant Rights vigil from 12-1:30)
  • Wednesday from 12-1pm
  • Thursday from 12-5pm (culminating in a HUGE mobilization)

Click here to fill out your availability for vigil spots. And feel free to sign up for more than one if you can!  Go to: http://www.betterfutureproject.org/

Monday, July 23, 7 - 9pm. Climate Action Now MA Monthly Gathering. We come together once a month to meet each other, plan, and imagine how to contribute, in our corner of the world, to the urgent fight against climate change . We love to meet newcomers, whether you are brand new to activism or have been doing this a long time. We do not have a membership or dues. People give of their time and talent when they see fit. You are welcome to join us!  Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst (UUSA), 121 N. Pleasant Street, P.O. Box 502, Amherst, Massachusetts.  Go to: http://climateactionnowma.org/  


Tuesday July 24, 4 to 6pm. Protest Baystate Medical Center's Pig Lab!  Baystate Health

759 Chestnut St, Springfield, MA. We'll be at the intersection of Dover St. and Chestnut St. (right in front of Baystate Medical Center sign, at traffic light)! Please attend if you can and give the pigs needlessly suffering and dying for Baystate's Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) training program a voice. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/246545272806601/ 

Wednesday July 25. 6:00 to 7:00pm. Saving Massachusetts Forests for Climate, Nature and People, a presentation by Michael Kellett, Executive Director, RESTORE The North Woods. Bascom Lodge at the top of Mt Greylock. Free and Open to the Public. Presented on the porch. Optional : Sunset Beverage Hour starts at 4:00 PM      Dinner at 7:00 PM  Reservations requested   413-743-1591 or MAIL@BASCOMLODGE.NET

Monday, August 6, 7 PM.  "Call of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees" at the Amherst Cinema, 28 Amity Street, Amherst, MA.

https://amherstcinema.org/films-and-events/call-forest-forgotten-wisdom-trees


Saturday September 8, 11am-5pm. WMass Pagan Pride Day at the Florence Civic Center,
Northampton MA. There is no admission fee to the event, however we ask that you bring a non-perishable food item for our food drive. You can come expecting to experience open ritual, musical entertainment, workshops and many vendors for a fun, family friendly community driven event. There will be some food for purchase on site, and there are a number of restaurants and cafes in the area. Go to: http://www.wmppd.com/ 

Saturday September 8, 3:00pm. Critical (and Kidical) Mass Bike Rally for Climate Action. New England Youth Theatre parking lot, 100 Flat Street. Brattleboro, VT. Contact Info: brattleboro@350vt.org

That's it for now. Remember, always listen to your Mother. 

The Zero Hour Enviro Show

Greetings Earthlings. We know terms like "Zero Hour" can feel a bit chilling but have no fear, this Zero Hour has to do with everything heating up! It's Zero Hour - The Youth Climate March destined for the belly of the beast in Washington, DC on Saturday, July 21st.  [UPDATE: Here's their platform] These guys are fired up as their website notes: "Enough is enough.We, the youth, believe that #thisisZeroHour to act on climate change. We cannot afford to wait any longer for adults to protect our right to the clean and safe environment, the natural resources we need to not just survive, but flourish. We know that we are the leaders we have been waiting for!" Zero Hour Youth March Organizer, Sohayla Eldeeb calls in with the details. As always, we'll also take you to see this week's Fool-on-the-Hill and to gawk at the latest outrage from The Mad King and his court of crazed climate criminals, as well as peek into The Enviro Show Echo Chamber but first it's time for..........Revenge of the Critters! Rattlesnake attacks from the afterlife! 

[UPDATE] In case you missed our award ceremony for The Enviro Show Big Green Clearcutters Award here it is! This years recipient was the Massachusetts Department of Cut & Run's Commissioner Leo Roy. Congrats to Leo for his massive underachievement.

This week's Fool-on-the-Hill is Texas Repugnican representative Pete Olson who introduced a House bill which "amends the Endangered Species Act so that federal wildlife managers will have to consider economic factors as one of the primary criteria when deciding whether to accept or deny listing a new species or designating critical habitat." Soooooo, how much is your endangered species worth to us anyway, huh?

On to The Mad King. This time we find His Malignancy is repealing an executive order drafted by  President Obama intended to protect the Great Lakes and oceans bordering the United States. Surprise! According to The Hill: "In his own executive order signed late Tuesday, Trump put a new emphasis on industries that use the oceans, particularly oil and natural gas drilling, while also mentioning environmental stewardship." Hey great, The Mad King mentioned Enviro stewardship! Wonder if he knows what that means? How about this recent headline: "Trump Vows to Open Minnesota's Superior National Forest to Mines"? His Malignancy "vowed to keep open large swaths of lands in Minnesota’s remote Superior National Forest to mining, a move that could benefit a copper-nickel project being pursued by Twin Metals Minnesota LLC, a subsidiary of Antofagasta Plc." Yes, of course, he was reversing another Obama effort "to make hundreds of thousands of acres in the national forest off-limits to industrial activity."  Exploitation through privatization, folks! Who needs all that pristine woodlands just sitting there anyway?? The Center for Biological Diversity tells us the Mad King's administration "this week launched the largest rollback in history to the vital protections for air, water and wildlife provided by the National Environmental Policy Act." NEPA is like the gold standard of environmental protections. "The Trump administration is taking a sledgehammer to the review process that allows scientists and the public to have a say on federal projects that harm clean air, water and wildlife,” said Paulo Lopes, public lands policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This is the beginning of the largest rollback in the history of the National Environmental Policy Act, and it will yield polluted air, dirty water and devastation for our beautiful public lands.” Meanwhile Lyin' Ryan Zinke over at Interior  "is considering whether to open up more than 30,000 acres of public lands at the northern gateway of America's oldest and most iconic national park, Yellowstone to aggressive gold, silver and other mineral extraction." How long do you think his "consideration" will take, before I finish typing this? The next day? You can try to talk him down by going here if you want. 

In The Enviro Show Echo Chamber we see The Boston Globe discovered "The oil billionaires Charles and David Koch, not content with pushing the United States out of the Paris climate accords or undermining the Affordable Care Act, have trained their sights on local transit projects, from Phoenix to Nashville. Through their front group Americans for Prosperity, they are bankrolling campaigns to kill proposals for light rail or new bus routes, in part because government-controlled transportation runs counter to their deregulatory 'freedom agenda'." Didn't David Koch recently announce he was getting out of the planet trashing business for health reasons? Will he turn down a ride in a government subsidized ambulance if he really starts to tank?  And this: we have word from down south "An estimated 50 to 80 percent of southern wetland forest is now gone. Logging is considered one of the biggest threats to the 35 million acres of remaining wetland forest in the southern U.S., and conservation organizations are saying this threat is coming largely from the wood pellet biomass industry." Guess which forests that rapacious industry would love to go next after clearcutting down south? OK climate activists who have been avoiding any talk of biomass or forest protection, we dare you to read this all the way through!

After our conversation with Sohaylak Eldeeb we head over to the Bus Stop billboard:

Saturday, July 14, 10 - 11am. Candidates Pledge for a Nuclear Free Future. Northampton City Hall, Northampton, MA. U.S. Representative Jim McGovern will be signing a pledge to support the abolition of nuclear weapons. He is the first voting member of Congress to take this pledge - a step that nearly 1,000 parliamentarians from 30 countries have taken - and he will be joined by a number of State Senate and House candidates! Contact The Resistance Center for Peace and Justice  http://theresistancecenter.org

Sunday, July 15, 4-5pm, System Change Not Climate Change. 20-minute video report from the 2017 World Climate Conference in Bonn, Germany, by Anna Gyorgy with Janet Masucci, for the Women & Life on Earth internet project/Traprock Center for Peace & Justice. Wendell Free Library, 
7 Wendell Depot Road, Wendell, MA

Wednesday, July 18, 6-8pm. Berkshires 350 Mass Node Meeting, Unitarian Universalist (UU) Church, 175 Wendell Ave, Pittsfield

Thursday, July 19 - 1:00pm. The Department of Energy Resources is hosting stakeholder meetings that will feature a presentation of the Comprehensive Enenergy Plan’s initial analysis, with topics including data on future demand across transportation, thermal conditioning, and power sectors and will highlight the trends and challenges through 2030. Westfield State University Loughman Living Room, Scanlon Hall, 77 Western Avenue Westfield, MA 01086  Go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/comprehensive-energy-plan-stakeholder-meeting-july-19-westfield-tickets-47671281085

Monday, July 23, 7 - 9pm. Climate Action Now MA Monthly Gathering. We come together once a month to meet each other, plan, and imagine how to contribute, in our corner of the world, to the urgent fight against climate change . We love to meet newcomers, whether you are brand new to activism or have been doing this a long time. We do not have a membership or dues. People give of their time and talent when they see fit. You are welcome to join us!  Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst (UUSA), 121 N. Pleasant Street, P.O. Box 502, Amherst, Massachusetts.  Go to: http://climateactionnowma.org/ 

Wednesday July 25. 6:00 to 7:00pm. Saving Massachusetts Forests for Climate, Nature and People, a presentation by Michael Kellett, Executive Director, RESTORE The North Woods. Bascom Lodge at the top of Mt Greylock. Free and Open to the Public. Presented on the porch. Optional : Sunset Beverage Hour starts at 4:00 PM      Dinner at 7:00 PM  Reservations requested   413-743-1591 or MAIL@BASCOMLODGE.NET

Monday, August 6, 7 PM.  "Call of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees" at the Amherst Cinema, 28 Amity Street, Amherst, MA.

https://amherstcinema.org/films-and-events/call-forest-forgotten-wisdom-trees

September 8, 3:00pm. Critical (and Kidical) Mass Bike Rally for Climate Action. New England Youth Theatre parking lot, 100 Flat Street. Brattleboro, VT. Contact Info: brattleboro@350vt.org

OK, that's all folks. Remember to.....what? Listen to your Mother, OK?