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Air and Water

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

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?

Where did all the acorns go?

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Acorns

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/EW-06-26-12-Acorns.mp3|titles=EW 06-26-12 Acorns]

For many years, oaks in the Northeast were prolific acorn producers. The 2010 crop was record-breaking—many will recall getting hit with acorn rain or slipping on acorns underfoot.  Last fall, however, acorns were scarce. [Read more…] about Where did all the acorns go?

Will you be one of the five million people who will visit the Grand Canyon this year?

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Grand Canyon

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/EW-06-25-12-Grand-Canyon.mp3|titles=EW 06-25-12 Grand Canyon]

Most people take in the Grand Canyon in from its rim, where the awe-inspiring view has earned its listing as one of the natural wonders of the world. Hidden from sight, at the heart of the canyon, is the river that helped carve it. [Read more…] about Will you be one of the five million people who will visit the Grand Canyon this year?

Where the river meets the sea

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Estuary

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/EW-06-19-12-Estuary.mp3|titles=EW 06-19-12 Estuary]

Simply put, an estuary is an inlet of the sea; a place where salt water from the ocean mixes with freshwater from a river or a stream. Influenced by the tides and sheltered by the land, estuaries are among Earth’s most productive and diverse ecosystems. [Read more…] about Where the river meets the sea

Dams can kill river ecosystems, so what’s the best way to kill a dam?

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Dam

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/EW-06-18-12-Dam-Removal.mp3|titles=EW 06-18-12 Dam Removal]

John McPhee once wrote that for environmentalists, there is a dam “at the absolute epicenter of Hell.” Dams built in the twentieth century, impeded salmon and other migratory fish from reaching their spawning grounds. [Read more…] about Dams can kill river ecosystems, so what’s the best way to kill a dam?

Ecosystem restoration: a long time coming

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Mountains

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/EW-06-14-12-Ecosystem-Restoration.mp3|titles=EW 06-14-12 Ecosystem Restoration]

Much can change in a century, but can long-disrupted ecosystems ever be truly restored? Just over a hundred years ago, Americans realized that our nation’s extraction economy was wreaking havoc on our ecological capital. Natural resources of all kinds were under assault: hillsides denuded, rivers polluted, and wetlands paved over. More and more wildlife species are faced the threat of extinction.  [Read more…] about Ecosystem restoration: a long time coming

Get the lead out!

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Lead Paint

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

Lead has been mined and smelted for more than two thousand years, and it has been recognized as toxic for nearly as long. It can affect every organ of the body, but in particular, it is a neurotoxin associated with cognitive problems. [Read more…] about Get the lead out!

Trees—a vast store-house of carbon

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Trees

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/EW-06-07-12-Trees-Carbon.mp3|titles=EW 06-07-12 Trees (Carbon)]

When you look at a piece of wood or a tree, it is unlikely that you’ll say: “gee, half of that is carbon.”  But carbon is a basic building block of life and trees accumulate carbon in their wood, leaves, and roots. In fact wood is about 50% carbon by weight.  This carbon is derived from carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, which plants take up and store through the process of photosynthesis. [Read more…] about Trees—a vast store-house of carbon

What are you drinking?

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Drinking Water

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/EW-06-06-12-Drinking-Water.mp3|titles=EW 06-06-12 Drinking Water]

What is more precious than safe drinking water?  Each year more than 2.2 million people die because they don’t have access to clean water. Children in the developing world are the most vulnerable, with one lost every 20 seconds. When you travel in these regions, you’ll see roadside ditches filled with discarded plastic water bottles.  Unfortunately, not everyone can afford them. [Read more…] about What are you drinking?

Sportsmen and birdwatchers unite!

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Hunters

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/EW-06-04-12-Hunting-Conservation.mp3|titles=EW 06-04-12 Hunting-Conservation]

I was brought up bird-watching and hunting.  These two communities were of one mind in the 1960s.  The skills needed to be successful at one endeavor were beneficial to the other.  Knowledge of natural history was useful for hunting.  Knowing where to find things was useful for bird-watching.   Both groups benefited from the protection of wildlife habitat. [Read more…] about Sportsmen and birdwatchers unite!

Methane—it’s not laughing gas.

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Natural Gas Drilling

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/EW-05-29-12-Methane.mp3|titles=EW 05-29-12 Methane]

Methane concentrations are rising in Earth’s atmosphere, more than doubling since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.   Like carbon dioxide, methane contributes to global warming.  In fact, it is 25 to 35 times more effective at warming our atmosphere than carbon dioxide.  Trouble is, we’re not sure what’s causing methane levels to rise. [Read more…] about Methane—it’s not laughing gas.

Toxic mercury is poisoning songbirds

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Warbler

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/EW-05-28-12-Birds-Mercury.mp3|titles=EW 05-28-12 Birds-Mercury]

Each year in the U.S. coal-fired utilities release some 50 tons of mercury into the air. Once emitted, the pollutant is delivered to the landscape, where it takes on its most toxic form – methylmercury – in wet ecosystems such as lakes and streams. [Read more…] about Toxic mercury is poisoning songbirds

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