Earth Wise

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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?

Slowing down super salmon

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Salmon

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/EW-07-02-12-GMO-Salmon.mp3|titles=EW 07-02-12 GMO Salmon]

AquAdvantage salmon could become the first genetically-engineered animal approved for human consumption. A 2010 Food and Drug Administration evaluation was supportive of commercializing the fish. Recommendations now await further White House review. [Read more…] about Slowing down super salmon

The Earth Observing System

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Earth

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

My most lasting memories of John Glenn’s space flight and Neil Armstrong’s 1969 landing on the Moon were the pictures they took of the Earth.  We could see our marvelous blue planet against the black backdrop of outer space. [Read more…] about The Earth Observing System

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?

Eavesdropping on your neighbors? Even the birds do it

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Tufted Titmouse

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/EW-06-21-12-Soundscape.mp3|titles=EW 06-21-12 Soundscape]

Most of us use the sounds around our homes to take measure of our neighborhood: the sounds of lawnmowers, the next-door neighbors having a party, an alarm system being triggered—it’s all part of the information we process about our surroundings.  [Read more…] about Eavesdropping on your neighbors? Even the birds do it

The next front for environmental activism: your household laundry

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Clothesline

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/EW-06-20-12-Dryers-II.mp3|titles=EW 06-20-12 Dryers II]

Refrigerators, lighting, and clothes dryers are the top energy consumers in modern households. Most of us would find it challenging to live without lights or refrigeration. But for dryers, there is an alternative–an inexpensive, solar-powered tool: the clothesline. [Read more…] about The next front for environmental activism: your household laundry

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

Technology is helping ecologists on the job

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GPS Devices

[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/EW-06-13-12-GIS-Tech.mp3|titles=EW 06-13-12 GIS Tech]

If you’ve ever used your car’s navigation system to find a nearby gas station, you’ve used a tool that is increasingly important to environmental science. Geographic Information Systems, known as GIS, are essentially three-dimensional databases. [Read more…] about Technology is helping ecologists on the job

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!

WAMC Northeast Public Radio

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