Living on Earth: February 14th, 2014
Air Date: February 14, 2014
Huge Coal ash waste ponds are commonplace at power plants in Appalachian coal country, but environmental watchdogs say state and federal oversight is poor and lax. A recent spill on the Dan River in North Carolina dumped thousands of tons of toxic coal ash into a river. Amy Adams of Appalachian Voices discusses her call for reform better with Steve Curwood.
Beyond the Headlines
5 min read · 7 min listen
Host Steve Curwood talks about WildLeaks, a website to help defeat wildlife poaching, Shirley Temple and more with Peter Dykstra, publisher of Environmental Health News and the Daily Climate.
BirdNote© How Feathers Insulate
2 min read · 2 min listen
When the weather's frigid, tiny birds like sparrows fluff up their feathers until they look like little round puffballs. As Michael Stein explains in today’s BirdNote©, it's how they keep warm.
Cleaning up Coal Ash
7 min read · 9 min listen
Huge Coal ash waste ponds are commonplace at power plants in Appalachian coal country, but environmental watchdogs say state and federal oversight is poor and lax. A recent spill on the Dan River in North Carolina dumped thousands of tons of toxic coal ash into a river. Amy Adams of Appalachian Voices discusses her call for reform better with Steve Curwood.
Farm Act of 2014 Provides Poor Soil Protection
5 min read · 7 min listen
After years of haggling, Congress has passed and President Obama has signed, farm legislation. The new Farm Act gets rid of much-criticized direct payments to farmers, but Craig Cox of the Environmental Working Group tells Steve Curwood it’s not a win for the soil.
Presidential Pen Creating National Monuments
6 min read · 8 min listen
Last spring, President Obama used his executive authority to declare 5 new National Monuments, effectively making them National Parks. Now conservationists hope more federal lands might be protected by elevation to National Monument status. Living on Earth host Steve Curwood talks with Ryan Bidwell from the Conservation Lands Foundation.
Snowshoeing with Sally Jewell
5 min read · 7 min listen
As Interior Secretary, Sally Jewell has a tough job. She needs to both protect and preserve the US natural heritage, and advise on granting mining leases on federal lands. The Secretary talks shop with EarthFix’s Ashley Ahearn as they trek up a snowy peak in the Pacific Northwest on snowshoes.
This Lake Can Sing!
2 min read · 3 min listen
For over a century, visitors have marveled at the unearthly sounds "like a vast pipe organ" near Yellowstone Lake as it freezes. Reporter Jennifer Jerrett has this audio postcard.
USDA Helps Growers Deal with Climate Change
6 min read · 8 min listen
Climate is everything for farmers and foresters. To help growers deal with increased droughts, fires and more severe storms, the USDA is launching climate hubs in agricultural centers across the country. Ann Bartuska, one of the architects of the USDA program, tells host Steve Curwood how forestry and agriculture can cope with and be part of the solution to global warming.
Using Bacteria to Heal the Desert
6 min read · 8 min listen
Erosion is a huge problem in the dry American West. But there's hope; soil scientist Matthew Bowker of Northern Arizona University tells host Steve Curwood he's using bacteria to help bring a living crust back to the surface of the desert.
