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How green is your dinner?

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Organic Farming

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/EW-07-09-12-Green-Thumb.mp3|titles=EW 07-09-12 Green Thumb]

Farmers have a real challenge —how to feed 10 billion people within the next few decades.  Conventional agriculturalists say this isn’t a problem. We have the technology needed to increase global crop yields to the levels enjoyed by Iowa’s farmers. [Read more…] about How green is your dinner?

Earthworms are invading our forests

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Earthworm

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/EW-07-25-12-Earthworms.mp3|titles=EW 07-25-12 Earthworms]

People tend to think of earthworms as benign or even beneficial creatures. Gardeners love them. But earthworms are not native to the northeastern United States. In regions of North American once covered by glaciers, earthworms are recent imports from Europe or Asia. They likely arrived as stowaways in ship ballast or in plants that settlers wanted to establish here. [Read more…] about Earthworms are invading our forests

The emergency is here, and the time to stop is now

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Earth

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/EW-07-24-12-Climate-Change.mp3|titles=EW 07-24-12 Climate Change]

A recent report published in journal Nature has closed the door on one of the last remaining arguments of climate change skeptics. We now have firm evidence that rising concentrations of carbon dioxide preceded and drove the warming at the end of the last continental glaciation, some 18,000 years ago.  [Read more…] about The emergency is here, and the time to stop is now

Why you should brake for possums

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Opossum

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/EW-07-23-12-Opossums.mp3|titles=EW 07-23-12 Opossums]

The Virginia opossum is not the brightest of animals. When they are threatened, they pretend to be dead, which where we get the expression “playing possum.” Sometimes, they do this in response to threats from oncoming traffic, which results in possums becoming roadkill. [Read more…] about Why you should brake for possums

Natural gas, fracking, and your green lawn

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Summer Lawn

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/EW-07-18-12-Lawn-Fracking.mp3|titles=EW 07-18-12 Lawn (Fracking)]

When you buy fertilizer, you’ll notice three numbers on the label, for instance, 12, 6, 6. These indicate the percentage of three key nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. For green grass, nitrogen is the most important ingredient. [Read more…] about Natural gas, fracking, and your green lawn

Ponds are falling silent around the world

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Frog

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/EW-07-13-12-Frogs-Cytridomycosis.mp3|titles=EW 07-13-12 Frogs (Cytridomycosis)]

From the Andes to the Pyrenees, a fungal disease has been blamed for the death of frogs and salamanders. A number of species native to Australia and South America are now extinct and massive declines have been recorded in North America and Europe. [Read more…] about Ponds are falling silent around the world

Keeping the military on a black-gold diet

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Military Jet

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/EW-07-12-12-Military-Biofuels.mp3|titles=EW 07-12-12 Military Biofuels]

What if I told you that a new policy would be good for the military, good for farmers, and good for the environment?  You’d probably find that combination hard to believe. But, suppose I also told you that the U.S. Congress just killed it.   [Read more…] about Keeping the military on a black-gold diet

Quality hay versus quality birds. What should we choose?

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Bobolink

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/EW-07-06-12-Bobolinks.mp3|titles=EW 07-06-12 Bobolinks]

The male bobolink is a striking black-and-white bird with a creamy yellow cap. It’s sometimes called the skunk blackbird due to the pattern of its coloring. The bobolink’s song has been described as “a reckless song fantasia, an outbreak of pent up, irrepressible glee.” The bobolink’s song, beauty, and rarity make it a favorite among birdwatchers. [Read more…] about Quality hay versus quality birds. What should we choose?

Are new wetlands any good?

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Wetlands

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/EW-07-05-12-New-Wetlands.mp3|titles=EW 07-05-12 New Wetlands]

In 1972, when Congress passed the Clean Water Act, protection was given to wetlands. Once treated as wasteland, wetlands were recognized as unique habitats in filtering water, preventing floods, and sheltering wildlife. Dredging or filling them was forbidden. [Read more…] about Are new wetlands any good?

WAMC Northeast Public Radio

WAMC/Northeast Public Radio is a regional public radio network serving parts of seven northeastern states (more...)