Moir's Environmental Dialogues, Ocean River Shields of Achilles

With the knowledge of Carson and the courage of Achilles, individuals are steadfastly going the distance to defend wildlife and ecosystems from assaults of environmental degradations and destructions. Join environmental studies scientist Dr. Rob Moir for lively dialogue and revealing narrative inquiry into how individuals are overcoming the obstacles turning forlorn hope into effective actions for oceans, rivers, watersheds, wildlife and ecosystems. Discover how listening to individuals, thinking locally, and acting in concert with others, you can act to save ecosystems. Act to bring about a greener and blue Planet Earth. Moir’s Environmental Dialogues is broadcast live every Wednesday at 9 AM Pacific Time on The Green Talk Network. For free iTunes podcast search "Moir's."

Sarah Chasis NRDC

82. Implementing the National Ocean Policy

 

Alison Chase and Sarah Chasis talk with Rob about “a recipe for smart ocean management that could set our oceans on track to long term health.”

 

Terry Gibson, Angler Sportsman

81. Stemming the Tide of Pollution that is Killing Our Fisheries

Terry Gibson, Senior Editor of Fly and Light Tackle Anglers talks with Rob about stewardship, fishing and changes he’s seen over the years.

Tarpon

80. Tarpon, Magnificent Silver Kings of Boca Grande and a Conversation on Conservation

Lew Hastings executive director of the Boca Grande Chamber of Commerce tells of a most remarkable fish the tarpon.

Marty Baum Indian Riverkeeper

79. Florida’s Indian Riverkeeper Speaks for Us All

Marty Baum is alarmed by deaths of 58 manatees that followed that followed massive die-off of sea grass last summer.  Pelicans are suffering like never before. More than half of the Lagoon dolphins are sick.  Wildlife is weakened by nitrogen pollution and poisoned by methyl mercury produced by nitrogen fertilizer.

Sustainable Systems Thinking image of hand to head

78. Sustainable Thinking

Mike Joshua, WFNX rock radio host talks with Rob about Sustainable Thinking on air segments and his philosophy for saving the planet. At the time Mike had no idea that WFNX.com would be shut down by the Boston Phoenix a week later.

Lenni Armstrong Informmotion

77. Eco heroes, Clair Patterson and Herb Needleman – Getting the Lead Out

Lenni Armstrong talks about two men with a passion for measuring lead in the environment and for getting it out of our bodies.

76. Protecting Indian River Lagoon with Leesa Souto, Ph.D.

Leesa Souto talks with Rob on how to save the ocean from nitrogen pollution.

Cris Costello

75. Cris Costello, the Florida Slime Crime Fighter

On this episode of Moir’s Environmental Dialogues Rob talks with Cris Costello in Florida. No one has worked harder to defeat harmful algal blooms and to stop red tide outbreaks in Florida during the last six years than has Cris Costello of the Sierra Club.

 

 

MA State Representative Jay Kaufman

74. Reducing Plastic Waste and an Act for Healthy Families and Businesses

MA state Representative Jay Kaufman talks with Rob about a new bill called the Act for Healthy Families and Businesses.  Second half MA state Senator Mike Barrett talks about Concord’s ban on plastic water bottles and his reduce Styrofoam food and beverage containers bill.

Katherine Carscallen

73. Saving Bristol Bay Salmon, Alaska’s Red Gold

Bristol Bay Alaska fishermen Katherine Carscallen and Brett Veerhusen talk with Rob about the world’s finest salmon fishery for indigenous people, for commercial fishermen and for recreational anglers.  

Sue Reid, VP Conservation Law Foundation

72. Addressing Climate Change, Environmental Agency Funding and Transportation Challenges

Sue Reid, Vice President of Conservation Law Foundation, spoke with Rob about the actions being taken to address climate change, greenhouse gas emissions, funding of agencies, and transportation. 

Elizabeth Saunders

71. Safer Alternatives to Prevent Harm from Toxic Chemicals

Elizabeth Saunders talks with Rob about Clean Water Action’s work to prevent harm from toxic chemicals and the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow.

 

Laura Henze Russell Hidden River Health

70. Mercury Poisoning, Dental Amalgam and the Safer Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals Bill

Laura Henze Russell was once a lifeguard and then she suffered from debilitating mercury poisoning from dental amalgam in her mouth. Laura's health has improved. At her town meeting Laura has 3 articles to pass and more.

Mike Dunmyer at Ocean Caucus

69. Saving Oceans by Electing Responsible U.S. Senators and Representatives

Mike Dunmyer of Ocean Champions talks with me about how oceans benefitted from the Nov 6 2012 National Election.

Mike Barrett MA State Senator

68. Safer Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals and Other Hazardous Cleanup Bills for Beacon Hill

Mike Barrett for MA State Senate talks about the creation of the original hazardous waste super fund and the need today for Beacon Hill to pass the Safer Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals bill.

Eric Jay Dolin author of When America First Met China

67. China, Colonial America’s Silicon Valley, Consumerism and Exploitations

Eric Jay Dolin talks about his newest book: When America First Met China, an exotic history of tea, drugs, and money in the age of sail.

 

Alison promoting ocean planning

66. Why the National Ocean Policy?

John Williamson, charter boat captain, former commercial fisherman, fellow member of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary talks with Rob about ocean policy planning, fisheries and seafood. Go to episode page for why Ali is pictured here and her connection to the National Ocean Council. 

Mike Dunmyer

65. Making Responsible Ocean Legislative Choices and Ocean Champions in Washington

Mike Dunmyer, Executive Director of Ocean Champions talks with Rob about advancing ocean conservation in Washington DC.
Black Guillemot of Cooper Island Alaska

64. Saving Pack-ice Dependent Seabirds North of Alaska

George Divoky, founder of Friends of Cooper Island, talks with Rob about his work studying the Black Guillemot seabird in Arctic Alaska. Lori Wark, web producer for Friends of Cooper Island, joined the conversation to explain how to get involved in Arctic bird research.

Erik Hoffner

63. Sweden’s Surprising Boreal Tiaga Forest Destruction

Erik Hoffner reports on Swedish logging practices and old growth forests.

 

Sea Run Brook Trout

62. Sea-Run Brook Trout and Salters of Massachusetts

Michael Hopper, President of the Sea-Run Brook Trout Coalition talks with Rob about saving sea run brook trout.
Mario Ridgley, Jr.
Peter Alexander Northeast Great Waters and Gulf of Maine
Dr. Edie Widder
Darren Saletta, Massachusetts Commercial Striped Bass Association

58. Striped Bass and Massachusetts Fishermen

Chatham fisherman Darren Saletta of the Massachusetts Commercial Striped Bass Association

Vicki Osis NMEA Marine Educator

57. Acidifying Oceans Are Killing Oysters and Oyster Farms in Oregon

Vicki Osis, marine education professor of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State U, tells how increasing acidity of the ocean destroyed oyster growing businesses in Oregon, and other deaths by ocean acidification.
Fitchburg Mayor Lisa Wong

56. The Greening of Fitchburg, Massachusetts 

Mayor Lisa Wong takes Rob down to the Nashua River that is the reason for this New England industrial town. 

Atlantic menhaden

55. Atlantic Menhaden Overfished and a New Documentary Film: Shored Up

Jud Crawford, Pew Environment Group talks menhaden;

Ben Kalina, producer of the film Shored Up.

 

Mystic River shore and Tobin Bridge

54. Over Dams by Bucket, Death by Bycatch - River Herring and the Mystic River

E. K. Khalsa, Executive Director of the Mystic River Watershed Association talks about the challenges river hearing confront in the sea and in the river.  He spoke on behalf of herring to the New England Fisheries Management Council and offers concrete actions one can take to save herring. 

Stellwagen Bank 2 Humpback Whales with Storm Petrel

53. An Ecosystem-based Fish Habitat Ocean Research Area for Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

Rob’s guests are Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Craig McDonald and John Williamson, Fisherman, New England Fisheries Management Council former member representing fishermen from two states, and now president of Stellwagen Alive.

After nineteen years of Sanctuary management and research, a proposal to close 14% of the area to fishing has been developed.  Stellwagen Bank Sanctuary in its entirety has four bottom types, one third gravel, one third sand, one third mud and a bit of boulders.  Subarea A, the 89 square miles to be closed (14% of 640 sq mi Sanctuary) also contains a third gravel, sand and mud plus boulders.

 

Capt Nancy BEaver

52: Troubles In Florida’s Indian River Lagoon

With George Jones, the Indian River Lagoon Riverkeeper, Jim Egan, Executive Director of the Marine Resources Council, Capt. Nancy Beaver of Sunshine Wildlife in Stuart, Martin County Commissioner Patrick Hayes

Clearing the Coastline by Matthew McKenzie

51. Dwindling Herring and Clearing the Coastline

Matt McKenzie, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and American Studies Coordinator, University of Connecticut, Avery Point and Patrick Paquette, a community organizer who represents bass fishing organizations in Massachusetts talk with Rob about where have all the herring gone and how Cape Cod has changed over two centuries from a vibrant fishing community to something completely different.

 

Humpback Whales 3 on Stellwagen Bank, Atlantic Ocean

50. The Humpback Whales of Stellwagen Bank

Les Kaufman, CI and Boston University professor along with John Williamson, president of Stellwagen Alive talk with Rob about their whale watch voyage onto Stellwagen Bank August 5th where forage fish were running strong and humpback whales feeding voraciously.

Charlotte McDevitt

49. Working Towards a Greener and Healthier British Virgin Islands & the Benefits of Sustainable Living with Clean, Renewable Energy

Charlotte McDevitt, Executive Director of GreenVI.org, is working towards a vision of a green, clean, healthy and prosperous British Virgin Islands.

 

Ed Humes portrait

48. River Rafters to Cow Power, Wal-Mart’s Green Revolution

Ed Humes, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author, Force of Nature: The Unlikely Story of Wal-Mart's Green Revolution (Harper Collins, May 2011).

Dutch Belted Cows grazingOld Dutch Print includes Dutch Belted Cows

47. Grass, it’s What Cows Want to Eat, Good for Cattle, Better from Environment, Healthier Us.

Leslie Cox, Hampshire College Farm Center Manager talks with Rob about cow and grass management for happier cows, healthier consumers and a greener nation.  The Farm, created by Prof. Ray Coppinger, is a place where college students and faculty integrate science and alternative technology for testing sustainable farming methods. The cows are Dutch Belted, a very rare and highly esteemed breed, developed in the Netherlands in the 1600s.

Where have all the herring gone?  Pam and Roger explain forage fish forever.Roger Fleming with Gompers and ScottPam Lyons Gromen, National Coalition for Marine Conservation

46. ORI and Fishermen Challenge Herring Plan,

or Where have all the herring gone?

 

Pam Lyons Gromen, Executive Director of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation and Earthjustice’s Roger Fleming talk about where have the herring gone. When NMFS and NEFMC failed to stem the decline of sea herring, river herring and shad populations, a recreational fishing advocate, charter boat captain, and the Ocean River Institute filed suit, represented by Earthjustice. 

Molly Bolster

gundalow under sail

Jeff Bolster, UNH

Homer's Fog Warning, dory man with halibut

45. Fog Warning: NH’s Gundalow and Homer’s Dory Man with Halibut

Molly Bolster, Executive Director of the nonprofit Gundalow Company http://www.gundalow.org and Jeff Bolster, Professor of History at the University of New Hampshire, talk with me about marine environmental history informing today’s ocean conservation and stewardship. We must understand the oceans of the past to protect the oceans of the future. According to a recent report the state of rivers and Great Bay that flow into Portsmouth NH are declining according to 11 out of 12 indicators. Molly Bolster addresses these trends by using a replica boat, modeled after the last gundalow, as an educational platform. A new gundalow is being built which poses challenges of its own. Jeff Bolster describes how skewed visions of the past have led to disastrous marine policies and why historical perspective is critical to revitalize fisheries and ecosystems. In "The Fog Warning" by Winslow Homer Jeff gives us new insights into ocean conservation.

 

Leviathan by Eric Jay Dolin

44. Leviathan, The History of Whaling in America with Eric Jay Dolin (itunes)

Eric Jay Dolin tells us about the history of whaling with a bit about the beginning of the whale watching industry and Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters

43. How Green is Senator Brown?

Citizens of Massachusetts are outraged that U.S. Senator Scott Brown has voted repeatedly to eliminate clean air legislation. Erik Blasbaugh, Acting Executive Director of the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters, Ben Wright, Advocate for Environment Massachusetts, Vanessa Rule, Director, The Better Future Project and Jason Kolwaski, Policy Director, 350.org add their perspectives on the Senator's recent actions against environmental legislation.

 

Olivia Newton-John and Amazon John Easterling

42 Saving Amazon Rainforests with Olivia Newton John and Amazon John Easterling 

In a special Earth Day edition Rob spoke with Olivia Newton-John and her husband Amazon John Easterling about their work to save the Amazon Rainforest. Olivia tells why this rainforest is so important for the planet. Free iTunes podcast

Bert Lettsome
Mother Earth Walkers Josephine, Shelley, Sylvia, Tina w copper pail

41. North America Mother Earth Water Walk from the 4 Compass Directions with a copper pail of seawater. (itune 4/13)

Five Native Americans describe the 2011 Mother Earth Water Walk to Wisconsin from 4 directions. The walk with copper pail of seawater has begun at Olympia, Washington, under the watchful eyes of loon and bald eagle. Walkers will gather sea water in Gulfport, Mississippi, Machias, Maine and Churchill, Manitoba and walk to Bad River, Wisconsin. Telling me of the epic endeavour are Dawnis Kennedy, Joanne Robertson (coordinator) Sharon M. Day (South), Tina (West) and Madeleine Huntjens (East).To learn more and to assist please visit http://www.motherearthwaterwalk.com or view their progress at http://emptyglassforwater.ca/map/ Click here for more information and biographies of Rob's guests.

Carl Safina in Montauk Long Island

40. Quelling the Storm at Sea and the Ocean View from Lazy Point [itunes]

Carl Safina talks about, and reads from, his book The View from Lazy Point.  To sail these complex and opaque waters with treacherous shores looming large to leeward, we must be more nimble in our steering and find our way with a “compass of compassion.” 

Raffi

39. Child Honoring, an All Inclusive Culture of Respect for People, Wildlife and Environments.

[Download MP] [itunes]

In 1979 Raffi was kissed by a beluga whale. Raffi’s original philosophy of Child Honouring: How to Turn This World Around has become, more than a book, a covenant of nine principles: Respectful Love, Diversity, Caring Community, Conscious Parenting, Emotional Intelligence, Nonviolence, Safe Environments, Sustainability, & Ethical Commerce.

Kelly Mitchell aboard Arctic Sunrise

38. Stopping Coal-fired Power Plants in Salem MA and Chicago IL

Kelly Mitchell, Greenpeace Coal Campaigner and Chicago resident discusses the citizen-led efforts to shut down the Salem Harbor coal plant in Massachusetts and the Fisk and Crawford coal plants in Chicago, IL.

[Download MP3] [itunes]

George Divoky PhD with black guillemot seabird

37. Guillemots, Puffins and Bears of an Arctic Island

Dr. George Divoky has traveled to remote Cooper Island in the Arctic for nearly 30 years. Braving the elements and the occasional polar bear, his mission is to study the Black Guillemots — seabirds closely related to the extinct Great Auk.

Indian River Lagoon Dolphins
Jamie Cournane PhD with Herring

35. River Herring Troubles in the Gulf of Maine & Western Atlantic Ocean

Rob talks with Dr. Jamie M. Cournane about herring. Jamie mapped "hot spots" of riverherring bycatch by trawlers and seiners that target Atlantic herring. Where fish are more likely to be found during specific months of the year was charted. Fisheries managers can use this spatial/depth/time information to better manage for survival of river herring.

 

African Penguins 4 on a sand berm

34. The Great Penguin Rescue Saving a Species from Extinction 

Dyan deNapoli, author of the newly released book The Great Penguin Rescue, tells the remarkable story of the largest and most successful wildlife rescue ever mounted.

Baikal seals are the smallest of seals

33. Lake Baikal Troubles and Solutions in the Sacred Sea 

Peter Thomson, Environment Editor at the public radio program The World, describes visiting the world’s deepest, oldest, and largest supply of fresh water in his new book, “Sacred Sea: A Journey to Lake Baikal.”    

Vanessa Rule de-paving for Somerville Climate Action

32. Somerville, Climate, De-Pave Action!

Vanessa Rule and Eric Becker of the Somerville Climate Action explain how one goes from rallies to taking up pick ax to de-paving an urban core.

Eric Jay Dolin on tidal rocks

31. The Natural History of the American Fur Industry, plus personal account on becoming an environmental policy expert

 

Eric Jay Dolin’s latest book is Fur, Fortune and Empire, an epic history of beaver, buffalo, seal and sea otter.

Joe Payne Casco BayKeeper

30. Green Slime Slithering into Casco Bay Maine?  What you can do to stem the Slime.

 

Friends of Casco Bay (Portland Maine and north by east) BayKeeper Joe Payne and Associate Director Mary Cerullo say how with increasing regularity and alarming spread green algal mats are covering clam flats and gobbling up oxygen making life difficult for ground fish and ground dwellers including lobsters. 

Steve McCulloch, Harbor Branch, IRL dolphin
Capt Nan photo of IRL bottlenose dolphins leaping in wake
Margo Pellegrine Ocean Canoeist

27. Margo’s Solo Canoe Voyage Along the Pacific Coast for Ocean Health

Margo Pellegrino is paddling an outrigger canoe along the Pacific Coast to bring attention to the urgent need for ocean conservation and to address ocean health issues. 

Mystic River in Medford MA

26. Mystic River Watchers, Keepers and Advocates

Executive Director, EkOngKar Singh Khalsa tells us about one of the most urban and densely populated watersheds in the Commonwealth.

Mary Booth

25. Biomass Power~Bad for Rivers, Forests and Carbon Emissions

Mary S Booth, PhD ecologist discusses the problems and drawbacks to rushing to biomass power without proper safe guards and respect for local environments.

15 New England Climate Riders

24. New England Climate Summer Riders

Rob talks with four New England Climate Summer Riders, who recently rode into Somerville. Margaret Fetzer-Rogers, Sara Finkle, Yingying Chen, and Bliss Parsons, all college students coming from different schools, share a common desire to combat the climate crisis with education.

Blue water out West Bay breakwaters Cape Cod

23. Oil Moratorium, Clean Energy, National Ocean Policy!

The growing oil spill disaster in the Gulf - now the largest spill in U.S. history - is at the top of everyone's concerns these days. Mike Dunmeyer of Ocean Champions talks about turning this disaster into some positive actions.

Sturgie Sturgeon

22. Sturgeon, Ocean Wanderers in the Danube River and the East China Sea 

Dr Boyd Kynard returns as my guest with tales of sturgeon and other migratory fish beyond New England. 

Owl Institute

21. Ocean Wanderers: MA Sturgeon and Lampreys

Dr Boyd Kynard tells how sturgeons and lampreys are truly ocean river dwellers.

Noni Georges running EarthRun for Water BVI
Alanna Mitchel inside Johnson Sealink diving bell

19. Global Ocean in Crisis, Deep Descents in Troubled Ecosystems

Alanna Mitchell author of Sea Sick will take us on a dive 3,000 feet into a far Tortuga sinkhole where no one has gone before to discover new life forms, new chemical compounds, and new insights into how it all comes together on the ocean planet.

Lara Hansen bio photo underwater

18. Climate Crisis and the River CAKEwalker

Grab a paddle and pull. Lara Hansen, PhD, will talk of how we can no longer disregard the inevitability of drastic climate change.

Amanda Leland with sea urchin and crab

17. Solving a Big Problem in the Ocean

Amanda Leland and Tom Lalley of the Environmental Defense Fund will tell what is wrong with overfishing and how management efforts frequently fail.

NRDC's Sarah Chasis at Montuck NY with netted fish

16. How to create a national ocean policy (without getting all wet)

Sarah Chasis and Alison Chase, of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), tell we may achieve a vision of collaborative ocean stewardship and an Executive Order for healthy seas.

Sherman Lagoon's Claudia and Finley wearing blue t shirts

15. Seaweed Rebels Rally and Wear Blue for President Obama’s National Ocean Policy

Sherman’s Lagoon syndicated cartoonist Jim Toomey and Blue Frontier Campaign president David Helvarg talk about the goals and accomplishments of the National Ocean Policy Task Force.

Peter Alexander

14. Battling Assaults to the Gulf of Maine Ecosystem with a Responsive Systemic Initiative

Peter Alexander of the Gulf of Maine Restoration and Conservation
Initiative talks about a new effort to tackle the growing
impacts of human activities in the Gulf of Maine.

Professor William Moomaw

13. Climate Change: Local Practices and International Environmental Policies Addressing Global Warming, Turning Towards 350 ppm Carbon

Discover how to reduce our carbon footprint, reverse rates of greenhouse gas build-up while creating green jobs and healthier environments with Professor William Moomaw, Senior Director, Tufts Institute of the Environment; Co-Director, Global Development and Environment Institute; and Lead author, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2003.

Randy Olson Sizzle

12. Sizzle, Global Warming Mockumentary & Shifting Baselines with Randy Olson

Randy Olson, marine biologist and filmmaker talks about “shifting baselines” for ecosystems and his newest film Sizzle.

Roz sitting before rock with waves

11. Roz Savage Paddling the Pacific Ocean, Rowing towards a Greener World

Roz Savage rowed 3,158 miles solo across the Pacific Ocean, west from Hawaii, to arrive at the low coral atoll islands of Kiribati, Eastern Pacific. 104 days at sea. Hear Roz describe close encounters with a whale shark, large seabirds and flying squid.

 

Ocean River Shields of Achilles logo

iTunes PodcastRSS feeds for the latest show descriptions

Live New Episodes on Thursdays at 3 p.m. Eastern Time.

SAVING OCEANS WITH ROB MOIR~ See The 6.5 minute Video

Ocean River Shields of Achilles Internet Radio Trailer MP3

"All Together Now" ORI MP3 file

Past Episodes (14 in 2009)

Available on iTunes, Search "Moir's"

10. Alternatives for Community and Environment, Environmental Justice for Boston

9. Massachusetts Ocean Partnership

8. Salmon + Shad + Sturgeon = Healthy Ecosystems

7. Right Whales, Wrong Shipping Lane: Feds Shift Ship Lane in Defense of Whales

6. Ocean Literacy with the Banana Slug String Band and Craig Strang

5. Saving Salmon and Westfield River Wildlife in MA Berkshires

4. Right Whales, Right Plankton, Right Ecosystem

3. Blue Visions and Seaweed Rebels

2. The Race for Salem Sound and Coastwatchers

1. NE Rivers, Dams, Salmon and What You Otter Know

 
web solution by RainStorm, Inc.