In Tune to Nature Podcast

U.S. election postmortem expressing love to overlooked animals: Collective grieving and venting with Deb Merskin and Carrie Freeman

I decided animals needed an election postmortem after being erased from the political and media agenda by self-centered anthropocentrism; so I wanted to use this media platform with my friend from Oregon, Dr. Debra Merskin, to collectively grieve, vent, and discuss how we really feel this week as animal rights activists, vegans, environmentalists, social justice advocates, human animal earthlings, and feminists who were excited to have America's first women president after 200+ years! While the show is hopeful and uplifting in parts, that was not actually my aim. I just wanted to get real in explaining my despair and my fears and to share in some communal grieving and exhaustion that I know so many of you are feeling.

In this 33- minute spirited discussion (it really gets going in the middle), we talk about how wild animals and domesticated animals (and all of us in a climate crisis) are likely to be negatively impacted (progress backtracked and undone) by this federal trump administration and all his (potentially unscientific and inappropriate) appointees, empowered by a conservative judiciary and legislative branch.

We try to re-affirm biocentric values and discuss how we can put other animals on the political and media agenda so they are not continually ignored and forgotten, especially as we humans are largely the source of their harm, extinction, and exploitation and thus are responsible for rehabilitation; reminding us that we are all interdependent beings in a shared vulnerable biosphere (the ultimate reality apart from the post-truth mediated realities).

We end with a “what to do now” variety of options on how to continue to be an activist for all marginalized communities of beings, if you even have the strength to be an activist at all anymore – local and community activism vs national or global solidarities -- collective resistance and non-compliance with authoritarian tactics and harmful policies. But maybe just for now, allow yourself to be sad and rest (and eat good vegan food).

In Tune to Nature is a weekly radio show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-plus-year old independent, progressive, non-commercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org 

PHOTO CREDIT: Photo by John Hyde. Female brown bear in Katmai National Park, Alaska.  Republican administrations tend to be harsher/deadlier toward omnivorous/ "predator" species like bears, even though these species are imperiled and we have decimated their populations and habitats.

Vote to take care of yourself and others, including other species -- who need us to be their voice!

Solutions to our Planet in Peril this Decade: Restoring Oasis Earth with Author Dr. Rick Steiner

This election season is the ultimate time to consider that this decade is our last best chance to transition to a liveable planet instead of continuing to further recklessly degrade the sustainability of our own species’ future, and that of fellow earthlings, and our one Oasis Earth. Marine conservationist, former U of Alaska professor, and clean energy and wildlife consultant, Dr. Rick Steiner speaks with In Tune to Nature radio host Carrie Freeman about his book Oasis Earth: Planet in Peril – Our Last Best Chance to Save Our World. Anyone can download, read, and share this open-access/free digital book at the website  https://www.oasis-earth.com/oasis-earth-planet-in-peril (or you can buy a hardcopy of this beautiful, full-color book, full of images from the UN Environmental Program’s photographic contest winners and NASA images of Earth from space).

In this special 52-minute radio show, we set the stage for outlining environmental solutions by first reviewing the four fundamental causes of ecological crisis and why this decade 2020-2030 is so crucial to everyone’s future viability (why we can’t keep going business as usual). Then we go through some of the main environmental problems we face, especially human population growth, unsustainable animal agriculture and fishing, and the climate and wildlife extinction crises.

In the latter half of the show, we focus on Rick’s many solutions and goals in Oasis Earth, including redefining progress to account for what we really care about (going from GDP to wellbeing), instituting more citizen advisory councils around all communities for bottom up democratic leadership, and funding/investing in ecological initiatives like wildlife conservation and a living planet emergency fund and no longer subsidizing destructive practices like fossil fuel energy and unsustainable ag. We focus a lot on needed government policies and legal means to ensuring our political leaders and us as citizens start to foster a liveable planet rather than a dying planet, and creating that political will to prioritize this transition to an ecocentric way of living and not a short-sighted/misguided anthropocentric way of living (living as only human lives matter is ultimately going to kill us, along with so many other species). Dr. Rick Steiner helps us understand his concept of “constructive engagement” toward a variety of Oasis Earth goals he outlines for Agenda 2030.

But in this decade, will we vote in the kind of political leaders who are brave and visionary enough to institute these needed, life-saving transitions to a liveable planet?  Can we make that our priority? Please share this podcast to see if we can make it a movement!

 

In Tune to Nature is a weekly radio show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-plus-year old independent, progressive, non-commercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org 

Photo Credit: The cover of the Oasis Earth book published by Cirque Press, Anchorage, Alaska

Vote not only to take care of yourself, but to take care of others, including other species who need us to be their voice!

Georgians Early Vote with the Environment in Mind: Brionte McCorkle of Georgia Conservation Voters Helps us Make a Voting Plan

We voters really do care about eco issues (it's aligned with our health and economy and love for other animals...and future generations), so I wanted to get us prepared, motivated, and confident for early voting in Georgia Oct 15 - Nov 1st, with resources and tips shared by Brionte McCorkle, Executive Director of the nonpartisan Georgia Conservation Voters (GCV) at  https://www.gcvoters.org/vote/

That GCV voter resource website includes a link to this nonpartisan tool  https://gcv.branch.vote/summary  where you can see your ballot ahead of time and check out the candidates' views on various issues and an explanation of referendums, so you can make your voting decisions before heading to the polls. Brionte suggested printing this out and bringing it with you to early vote. It's the latter half of the podcast that focuses on these tips on how, where, and when to vote in GA, finding your many early voting locations -- like libraries-- (most open 7am - 7pm) across your county Oct 15-Nov 1st (whereas if you wait until Nov 5th election day, you have to go to your one set polling location and will likely have a longer wait).  You can check out all of your voting options at the GA My Voter Page https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/   so you can making a voting plan!

This election is really high stakes, so plan to go early vote with a friend and offer neighbors rides to the polls or get a ride at rideshare2vote.com (or you can also volunteer to be a driver). It can be good to have the voter protection hotline number in your phone contacts in case you run into any issues or shenanigans at the polls: 866-OUR-VOTE. 

In the first half of this 47-minute In Tune to Nature podcast (hosted by Carrie Freeman), Brionte tells us how we care about eco issues in Georgia, and highlights the GCV "environmental scorecard" for legislators' voting records and why some elected officials rank higher or lower in environmental and voter protection policymaking. We did discuss my observation that most republicans ended up ranking lower and how we hope that will change in the future to make eco issues nonpartisan again, as we need that desperately in this era of climate and species extinction crises.

In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive, noncommercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org 

Photo Credit: Edmond Dantes (got from GCV).

Vote not only to take care of yourself, but to take care of others, including other species who need us to be their voice!

 

Project 2025 Republican Plan for more Drilling and Killing in Oceans: Conservationist Angelo Villagomez Sounds Warning

Elections are about more than just the current economy. We citizens must consider longterm effects of policies on our climate stability, wild animal livelihoods, community wellbeing, ecosystem health, and sustainable economic opportunities for future generations. But "Project 2025," the Heritage Foundation's extreme right-wing policy plan for a trump presidency forecasts a grim future of handing over more power to industries for oil and gas exploitation in ocean habitats, increasing not decreasing the deadly climate crisis, with less government scientific oversight and fewer protections and preservations of aquatic communities, more noise and toxic disruptions and killing/fishing of animals who live in the sea, and less respect for local coastal and indigenous communities. Based on his article "Project 2025’s Plan To ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Threatens Ocean Health and Economic Stability," Angelo Villagomez, Senior Fellow on the Conservation Team at the Center for American Progress (a progressive policy institute) talks with host Carrie Freeman in this 32-minute radio show about the dangers of Project 2025 and what would be a healthier and fairer path forward for ocean life and coastal communities. It's up to the American voters. 

Angelo reminds us at the end (right before he closes the show with his not so "mediocre" ukulele solo) that voting Nov 5th is the least we should do, and we should also get civicly engaged in participating in our government as part of our life, such as sharing public input via checking the federal register frequently https://www.federalregister.gov/ 

Your vote matters! In preparation for everyone early voting, find out and share more about what a potential trump presidency under a Project 2025 plan would actually mean for America (and our precious planetary habitats) in terms of a power grab by the president and industries over the wellbeing of people and wildlife, weakening scientific governance and protections; see these series of reports https://www.americanprogress.org/series/project-2025-exposing-the-far-right-assault-on-america/  And to prep for voting, investigate what other Presidential candidates' (and state and local officials) plans are to protect our habitats and health,  and which candidates the League of Conservation Voters endorses as being environmentally responsible and why https://www.lcv.org/ 

In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive, noncommercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org 

Vote not only to take care of yourself, but to take care of others, including other species who need us to be their voice!

 

 

How Are We Doing Protecting 30 Percent of Ocean Areas by 2030? Beth Pike of Marine Protection Atlas

The Marine Protection Atlas maps the global conservation of ocean areas that are supposed to legally protect aquatic animals and plant life from industrial activities like commercial fishing, mining, and drilling, but they have varying levels of protection and effectiveness so far. In this 33-minute podcast, we discuss the status of legally protected marine ocean areas worldwide, some of which are called “blue parks,” based on a report titled “Ocean protection quality is lagging behind quantity: Applying a scientific framework to assess real marine protected area progress against the 30 by 30 target” this was published in the Conservation Letters journal in 2024. Host Carrie Freeman interviews our guest -- the lead author of that report -- Beth Pike, who is also a ship captain, whale researcher, and the current Director of Marine Protection Atlas at the Marine Conservation Institute. You can explore the maps at https://mpatlas.org/ 

This is in context of the monumental agreement from 188 countries at the COP15 UN Biodiversity Conference in 2022 to protect 30 percent of our planet's land and waters by the year 2030 (Hence "30 by 30"). Beth's co-authored report tells us how we are lagging behind on that 30 x 30 goal and what we need to do to meet it, including ensuring that nations hold themselves accountable for not just making a marine area a park on paper but actually taking the extra steps to fund and enforce protections to avoid oil drilling, mining, and commercial fishing/poaching in those areas --high protections well managed so they actually allow marine plants and animals to regenerate and flourish and stem the tide of mass extinction we humans have caused. 

Parks require policy, and they need political will to be funded and protected, so at the end we discuss the importance of voting for political leaders who care to do the right thing for biodiversity and our planetary health, and do so in an equitable/fair way that works with frontline and indigenous communities to use their knowledge in the process of developing policies that work for humans and nonhumans alike. In the context of US Politics, see articles like https://www.americanprogress.org/article/project-2025-would-be-a-disaster-for-national-marine-sanctuaries/ 

You can see a summary of Beth's report in this Inside Climate News article that alerted me to this issue. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17062024/largest-marine-protected-areas-have-inadequate-protections/ 

In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive, noncommercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org 

Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like those who live in our oceans.

Photo Credit: Stellar sea lions looking at us and depending on our marine protection efforts, by Jett Britnell/Coral Reef Image Bank.

Safeguarding Rivers & Communities from Factory Farm Pollution: Waterkeeper Larry Baldwin on Pure Farms, Pure Water program

Water is essential to life, yet factory animal farms have polluted freshwater and river and wetland ecosystems and rural neighborhoods for decades. But we can work to protect water, wildlife, animals, and community health. To tell us how, is our guest Larry Baldwin. He’s with the nonprofit group Waterkeeper Alliance   https://waterkeeper.org/ and serves as their Campaign Coordinator for the “Pure Farms, Pure Waters” program in North Carolina. He works with the 15 licensed Waterkeeper Alliance groups in North Carolina in their efforts to reform the current polluting practices of the industrial meat producing facilities, known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs.

In this 36-minute interview, "In Tune to Nature" radio host Carrie Freeman asks Larry Baldwin about what these mass hog facilities and mass chicken warehouses look and smell like (horrible for the animals), how the growers/farmers are in debt while agribusiness corporate executives profit, what water and air pollution these animal factories produce, like the open manure pits surrounding pig factory farms -- feces that puts bacteria and sewage into creeks and also gets sprayed into the air, creating environmental injustices in the largely Black rural communities where these factory farms are ruining quality of life. Larry was featured in a documentary on fighting this injustice, called The Smell of Money, streaming now. 

Larry discusses programs and policies that can protect communities and water ecosystems from CAFO pollution, and helps us know how we can help move past factory animal farming. 

In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive, noncommercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org 

Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like those who rely on healthy river ecosystems.

Photo Credit: Waterkeeper Alliance photo of hog CAFOs in NC next to open manure pits (those aren't lakes, people). We purposely can't see the pigs suffering behind closed doors.

Wildlife Equity and Multi-Species Tourism Justice: Professor Carol Kline on Sustainable Tourism and Animals

I love hearing about "wildlife equity" for the wild animals who are often an integral focus of tourists. As ecotourists, we long to see amazing wild animals, but how can we ensure we aren’t endangering or harming them and putting ourselves or tourism profit before the lives and wellbeing of local humans and other animals in these tourism hotspots? To tell us about her (and co-authors') concept of wildlife equity and multispecies tourism justice is our guest Dr. Carol Kline, Appalachian State University Professor and Hospitality & Tourism Management Program Director, in the Department of Management. She recently edited two books about the ethics of eating animals within the context of tourism: called “Animals, Food & Tourism” and “Tourism Experiences & Animal Consumption: Contested Values, Morality, & Ethics.” An intersectional scholar, she is part of a network of researchers who focus on Race, Ethnicity, & Social Equity in Tourism.

In this 30-minute podcast with host Carrie Freeman, Dr. Kline tells us about the burgeoning scholarship and advocacy on wildlife equity in tourism, and how to reduce risks to wildlife, respect animals' will/agency/privacy, what would be responsible marketing and transparency from wildlife tourism operators, and issues related to responsible food consumption while on vacation, including maintaining your own value system when traveling while still trying to enjoy local culture (authentically). Plus we address what we can do to be responsible ecotourists when nonhuman animals are part of our trip plans, since so many of us love and appreciate the more-than-human world.

In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive, noncommercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org 

Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like the wild animals we share the planet with.

Image Credit: Carrie Freeman took this image of a humpback near Juneau, Alaska on a whale watching tour in 2024. The small boat near the whale was not moving and the whale chose to get close to it, but boats are required to back off to a certain distance when near whales. I was on a whale watch tourboat that is a member of the Whale Sense program that I mention in this podcast and I zoomed in to get this image as the whales were feeding on herring, swimming around us.

Coastal Georgia Right Whale, Sea Turtle, and Horseshoe Crab Protection

We talk with Catherine Ridley, VP of One Hundred Miles, about wildlife protection efforts in coastal Georgia, focusing on the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale and Loggerhead Sea Turtles who breed here and are at risk due to fatal ship strikes, fishing gear entanglements, dredging, and noise and light pollution, as well as discussing ancient Horseshoe Crabs, who are especially under threat lately by pharmaceutical industries who are capturing (kidnapping) hundreds of thousands of them and draining them of their blue blood, despite a synthetic substance that serves the same medical purpose without the massive animal exploitation. 

In this 27-minute interview with In Tune to Nature host Carrie Freeman, Catherine Ridley discusses policy solutions such as zones for slower ship speeds, beach lighting ordinances, dredging bans during breeding season, and synthetic alternatives to horseshoe crab blood, all of which would save animal lives if we made them and our ecosystem health a priority. Catherine urges civic engagement and for us to get passionate and speak up.

See the Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition that has action items to ban the mass exploitation https://hscrabrecovery.org/

See action items for all coastal species at One Hundred Miles' page on wildlife https://onehundredmiles.org/wildlife/  and you can join their email action item list here https://onehundredmiles.org/join-mailing-list/ 

In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive, noncommercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org 

Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like the individuals who live along our coasts.

Photo credit at horseshoe crab pharmaceutical facility: Ariane Mueller

 

Crossings Book Explores Road Ecology Paths to Save Wildlife: With Journalist Ben Goldfarb

Conservation Journalist Ben Goldfarb explains stories and lessons from his fantastic book "Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet" It examines how our vast system of roads and all our car and truck traffic is dissecting landscapes and making life dangerous and often lethal for other animal species (to bypass the "moving fence" of traffic) – and what we can do about it to support biodiversity and to share our planet more equitably with other animal individuals striving to thrive and survive amongst the noisy and dangerous new roadway 'ecosystems.'

I found "Crossings" so eye-opening and so comprehensive –it's about every aspect of road and vehicle impacts you could ever think of and for all kinds of animals from bears to butterflies to frogs and fish--  and so many interesting and well written stories. It’s heartbreaking to hear about this constant mass killing of animals and infringement upon their freedoms, migration, and lives, but also heartwarming due to all the people (from engineers and biologists to animal activists) trying to help other animals and find solutions like building wildlife crossings and rewilding older roads in public forests.

In this 34-minute interview host Carrie Freeman asks Ben Goldfarb why our road systems have such an extremely negative effect on wildlife and ecosystems, how various animal species have different ways of dealing with roads (some more cautious and some more cavalier), how wildlife overpasses over highways are helping larger mammals like mountain lions out west connect to other habitats/mates, and how underpasses are helping some smaller animals like turtles in Florida get to other habitats without getting squashed by the thousands. We also discuss the surprising effects of road noise on animals' ability to thrive and communicate, and we conclude with a variety of solutions, including more roadless areas in national forests and more carpooling in buses in national parks, slowing down speed limits, and building safe wildlife road passages in key migration sites (a bipartisan win/win issue as it pays for itself).

Conservation journalist Ben Goldfarb has other great books and articles. See his work at his website  www.bengoldfarb.com/ 

In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive, noncommercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org 

Take care of yourself and others, including other species...by driving less often and slower and advocating for roadless spaces and wildlife crossings.

Cowspiracy Filmmakers Discuss Impact and Activism for Animals 10 Years Later

A decade after the release of the 2014 award-winning documentary Cowspiracy, filmmakers Kip Anderson and Keegan Kuhn come together with Atlanta animal activists and scholars in a webinar on May 21st 2024 to discuss the impact of the film and the status/progress/strategies of the vegan movement today. Facilitated by host Dr. Natalie Khazaal, a critical animal studies scholar and Associate Professor at Georgia Tech (the webinar was funded by a grant from her department, the School of Modern Languages), this 57-minute webinar allows the filmmakers to answer questions from GA Tech students and Atlanta animal activists (including me, In Tune to Nature host Carrie Freeman) where we discuss: which few environmental orgs actually have the integrity to campaign to reduce or replace animal ag, knowing its immense environmental destructiveness (shout out to the Center for Biological Diversity and the Western Watershed Project); the pros and cons of lab-grown/cultivated meats (esp. good for pet food); the need to campaign against animal ag subsidies and regenerative ag/holistic grazing myths and for divestment from animal ag; and how best to persuasively connect with people, such as using ethical/animal rights messages, and bypassing cognitive dissonance in favor of carnism/meat-eating.

We also mention other impactful animal/food documentaries, as Kip and Keegan run AUM (Animals United Movement) Film and Media company https://www.aumfilms.org/ , a nonprofit that produces provocative full-length films inspiring healthy coexistence, such as Seaspiracy, What the Health, and the End of Medicine. Christpiracy is the latest film, which addresses spiritual/ethical and religious tenets in support of abstaining from farming/eating other animals. 

For studies I have published in the Environmental Communication journal analyzing environmental organizations' campaigns related to animal ag and commercial fishing and the need for greater critiques, see Take Extinction Off Your Plate (2022) and Meat's Place on the Campaign Menu (2010). Both found on my open-access site https://works.bepress.com/carrie_freeman/ 

In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org 

Note: I edited the original webinar to fit the radio format to be under an hour. 

Take care of yourself and others, including other species...by supporting animal activism and veganic/produce farming.

Nourishing all Species with Veganic Farming and AgroEcology: Atlanta Farmer Eugene Cooke of Grow Where You Are

Food justice activist and veganic farmer Eugene Cooke shares an aspirational vision for why he practices agro-ecology in urban ag at Grow Where You Are farms around Atlanta and how (and why) this can be scaled up for widespread regenerative agricultural practices that the U.S. needs to stay viable and sustainable to feed our human population and nurture our soil naturally not chemically. In this 25-minute podcast (from Sept 2022), Eugene explains his unconventional roots from artist to farmer and what it's like to share his biodiverse, Atlanta-based veganic crop farms with wandering wildlife (not domesticating or farming any animals) and how they use composted food and yard scraps to generate compost fertilizers without all the slaughterhouse or antibiotic and chemical remnants in animal-based fertilizers. He and his farming partner Nicole then share their organic bounty with local folks (like at the Freedom Farmer's Market at the Carter Center each Saturday morning). Host Carrie Freeman is one of those nourished market customers enjoying their produce weekly (then composting the food scraps to make fertilizer to grow more food, via her CompostNow service). Eugene Cooke encourages us consumers to be part of this sustainable food transition by starting to eat more fresh foods/produce from regenerative agriculture producers, more so than eating processed and sugary commercial foods from big commodity monocrops. Check out his videos at https://www.growwhereyouare.farm/ or https://www.patreon.com/growwhereyouare 

In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent progressive Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org 

Take care of yourself and others, including other species...by supporting veganic farmers

Working for Wildlife into their 90s: Interviews with the Inspirational Dr. Jane Goodall and Dr. E.O. Wilson

To honor primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall's 90th birthday (April 3 2024) and her continuing conservation work, I am playing part of a recent Mongabay News interview with her, hosted by Rhett A. Butler, followed by a PBS News Hour interview from 2016 with the late biologist E.O. Wilson where he discussed his final book "Half Earth" which he wrote in his late eighties. He continued working until he passed at age 92 in 2021 and his legacy lives on with his many nature books and his Half Earth Project nonprofit that seeks to protect half of our planet's most biodiverse land and sea spaces to ensure wildlife has access and can thrive there without humans exploiting them or taking over the space -- this protection Wilson explains is necessary to end the mass extinction crisis (other animals cannot thrive living in fragmented isolated parks here and there). I think you'll enjoy hearing from these legends with their hopeful messages and solutions on this 31-minute podcast.

You can find out more about the pioneering and ongoing work of these inspirational lifelong biologists at their nonprofits: The Jane Goodall Institute and the Half-Earth Project. You can also support non-commercial news like Mongabay and the PBS News Hour whose journalistic work was featured on this program...and Radio Free Georgia, my indie station!

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature  Please support indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/  

Take care of yourself and others, including other emotional animal species.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG its board, staff, or volunteers....most of us are volunteers.

Photo Credit: Mongabay News

 

The Emotional Lives of Animals: Dr. Marc Bekoff Explains Why Animal Wellbeing Matters

Renowned animal ethologist Dr. Marc Bekoff shares insights from the newly revised edition of his classic book: “The Emotional Lives of Animals: A leading scientist explores animal joy, sorrow, and empathy, -- and why they matter” with a foreword by famed primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall. In April 2024, with the release of the book near Dr. Goodall's 90th birthday, Dr. Bekoff spent 38 minutes with host Carrie Freeman discussing: what it's like working with Dr. Goodall, what has changed in the exploding field of cognitive ethology (the study of animal minds) in the last 20 years, how fairness and justice are a common trait in social animals to maintain cooperation (like with coyotes), why less "charismatic" animals like fish and mice will surprise us with their personalities (as all animals are individuals not just inter-changeable members of their species), how we need to work for animal "wellbeing" not just animal "welfare" for domesticated and wild animals, and ethical choices -- what we all can do to play our part in reducing animal suffering and advocating for animals (whom we should no longer under-estimate or ignore). We end on a hopeful note, thanks to a 4th grader who inspired Marc. 

The Emotional Lives of Animals book chapters cover: the indisputable case for animal emotions; animal minds and hearts;  what animals feel;  wild justice, empathy, and fair play; and a final chapter on why animal wellbeing matters - with lots of recommendations across various fields of animal types and uses (zoos, farms, research labs, etc.).

The author, Marc Bekoff, PhD has been an animal advocate and researcher for close to 50 years, and he’s a prolific author of more than 30 books on nonhuman animals. A professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Dr. Bekoff has won many awards for his research on animal behavior, compassionate conservation, animal protection, and animal emotions. He publishes regularly for Psychology Today. His website is https://marcbekoff.com/ 

I’m happy to report that The Emotional Lives of Animals book is printed on 100% recycled paper bc the publisher -- New World Library--  is part of the Green Press Initiative. I wish all book publishers made recycled paper a priority.

 

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature  Please support indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/  

Take care of yourself and others, including other emotional animal species.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG its board, staff, or volunteers....most of us are volunteers.

 

Defending the Atlanta Forest & Stopping Cop City: Dr. Jackie Echols on Civil Rights Act and Clean Water Act Legal Actions

We discuss the latest in the 2024 fight against environmental racism and stream water degradation as part of the "Save The Atlanta Forest" movement also knowns as the "Stop Cop City" movement, in Southeast Atlanta, comprised of many allied groups of citizens who over the last several years are working to stop/discontinue the building of a multi-million dollar mega law enforcement training center in a forested watershed area, where it is unwanted by the adjacent human community of many Black residents, and by the wildlife who (used to) live there too.

To tell us about the ongoing legal efforts is Dr. Jacqueline Echols, Board President of the South River Watershed Alliance. @southriverGA #southriverGA  In this 28-minute Feb. 2024 interview, host Carrie Freeman asks Dr. Echols to explain the civil rights act administrative complaint her organization filed, alleging the origins of the copy city installation constitute intentional harm and qualify as environmental racism. And she discusses another pending legal case alleging violations of the clean water act from increased sediment deposits harming the already polluted streams and river that may not be able to sustain life. Dr. Echols notes that stalling/delay by the courts and government officials seems to be a tactic used throughout this project to get the facility built under the radar before the city is officially told they legally cannot. Construction of the facility and destruction of many trees has already taken place. 

The "Save the forest" image of the sad rabbit painting on the bridge on the South River Trail taken by host Carrie Freeman. See cement barricade there.  Note: you never see any "tear down the Atlanta forest" or "build cop city" artwork around the city. There was a lot of helicopter noise that was in the area too at that cop city building site, and noise like that scares away a lot of the wild/free animal residents. Carrie didn't get audio of the copters but she does play an audio clip several times of the frog serenade along the South River trail wetland.

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature  Please support indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/  

Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like the wetland frogs you hear in this podcast.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG its board, staff, or volunteers....most of us are volunteers.

A Compassionate Conservation Approach to US Wildlife Policy: Dr. Anja Heister author interview

In this double-show we explore problems and solutions for transforming America’s flawed model of wildlife management that is oddly human-centric (hunter-centric), undemocratic, and often cruel, by speaking with wildlife advocate and author Anja Heister, PhD, about her recent book “Beyond the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation: From Lethal to Compassionate Conservation,” published by the academic press Palgrave Macmillan as part of their Animal Ethics Series.

Founder of Footloose Montana, an anti-trapping organization, and decades long advocate for animals, Dr. Heister wrote a book that provides a nuanced analysis of the wildlife management system and its faults in the U.S. and a vision for what could be a compassionate conservation alternative that is nonviolent, and more democratic and representative of the interests of all Americans (not primarily hunters and trappers), including the interests of all of America’s wild animals, not just endangered species or the so-called “game species.” We can’t keep leaving wildlife to be at the mercy of management by a small group of Americans, namely hunters and trappers, sporting and ranching industries, and rural residents, and instead let all of us put wildlife first in wildlife policies.

In this 54-minute episode, hosted by Carrie Freeman, she and Dr. Heister discuss:

• misconceptions many Americans have about the way wildlife is managed,
• challenging historic myths of hunting and/as conservation,
• how our wildlife system is funded by hunting licenses and gun sales providing misguided incentives, and Governors having more control than citizens in policymaking,
• examples of cruel policies towards wolves in Montana, 
• how many laws protect hunters and trappers more than animals, enabling cruelty,
• how empathy and emotion should play a larger role with rationality in wildlife management, and
• a vision to transform our U.S. wildlife management agencies based on compassionate conservation principles that value individual animal lives and promote all Americans' input in protecting and supporting our wild animal neighbors.

Consider supporting nonprofit conservation groups who advocate for change, like Wildlife For All. https://wildlifeforall.us/ 

"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature  Please support indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/  

Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like the free-living animals who share our land and waters.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG its board, staff, or volunteers....most of us are volunteers.