Moir's Environmental Dialogues, Ocean River Shields of Achilles

46. ORI and Fisherment Challenge Herring Plan,

or Where have all the herring gone?

Earthjustice’s Roger Fleming and Pam Lyons Gromen, Executive Director of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation talk about where have the herring gone on Moir’s Environmental Dialogues and on Moir’s Environment Advocates (episode 6/8/11). 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. 

Pam Gromen describes the life history of fish and explains why these fish are in jeopardy.  Roger Fleming explains why a lawsuit is necessary when groups fail to act and what will be accomplished through our actions. Rob, Pam and Roger are active members of the Herring Alliance, a coalition of non-profit conservation and environmental organizations working to reform New England’s Atlantic herring fishery. The protection and restoration of river herring, shad, and Atlantic herring, is vital to the continued use and enjoyment of these waters.

FORAGE FISH FOREVER! TAKE ACTION! (For more information click here.)

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. Les Kaufman explains the biology and feeding behaviors of humpback whales. John Williamson tells of decades
working as a New England fisherman often on Jeffrey’s Ledges.

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.

 

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).

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.

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.

 

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

Eric Jay Dolin, calling from Marblehead, tells us about the history of whaling with a bit about the beginning of the whale watching industry and Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Discover how Capt Smith had he caught whales would have set up a colony in Massachusetts before the pilgrims. Whaling started in Boston in 1640 with Samuel Maverick setting up a whale processing shop on Noddles Island, now East Boston, for “drift whales.” Eric Dolin explains why first Nantucket and then New Bedford became the capitals of the 19th century “oil barons.” American whaling ebbed away not due to a lack of whales to kill but due greatly to the finding of oil and the rise of new energy technologies. The similarities between business and social challenges than and today are startling. Tune in for whale struggles, greasy prosperity, killings just for corset stays, and the Wanderer’s last voyage.

43. How Green is Senator Brown?

Citizens of Massachusetts are outraged that U.S. Senator Scott Brown has voted repeatedly to eliminate clean air standards. People are feeling betrayed by a former state senator who voted green more often than not (MLEV’s scorecard). When $1.3 million in dirty fossil fuel money went into the Senator’s campaign chest, he did “a Jekyll-Hyde switch between Beacon Hill and Capital Hill.”  The League of Women Voters called Brown to task.  After thirteen days of withering attacks LWV still stands tall.  Now the Mass League of Environmental Voters has taken out radio ads: he “repeatedly voted to eliminate clean air standards that keep dangerous pollutants like arsenic, mercury and lead out of the air.”

Joining me to talk how green is Brown are 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. 

 

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

In a special Earth Day edition of Moir’s Environmental Dialogues, 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. Amazon John has spent over 30 years there. He explains the remarkable health-giving properties of the Camu-camu fruit ( www.DrinkCamu.com). This indigenous fruit is harvested from shallow boats and is a source of income for local peoples. In addition, proceeds from sales benefit the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research. Besides the Amazon Herb Company, Olivia has opened the GAIA Retreat and Spa. Olivia explains why she named it so and the healing properties one can experience there. Her newest CD is to benefit the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Center. Olivia and John conclude with suggestions on what we each can do for a greener planet. Free iTunes podcast

Bert Lettsome a.k.a. Washasha X Sings Ras Mangrove and Talks About Nature in The British Virgin Islands  (iTunes)

 

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

What began with 4 Anishinawbe Grandmothers quickly included women and men walking to raise awareness for the water "Water is precious and sacred; it is one of the basic elements needed for all life to exist." They walked around the Great Lakes and the St Lawrence to the sea. Each of the 24,113,700 steps taken was a prayer for the water. Now the 2011 Mother Earth Water Walk to Wisconsin from 4 directions has begun. April 10, 2011, at Olympia, Washington, under the watchful eyes of loon and bald eagle, water from the Pacific Ocean was collected in a copper pail. Walkers will gather sea water in Gulfport, Mississippi, Machias, Maine and Churchill, Manitoba and walk the waters 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.

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.  A year of observations is presented in gripping details from the tip of the swallowtail that is Eastern Long Island. Carl takes us beyond the mysteries of fishing into deep connections with place and fish.  Discover the compatible yet distinctive natural history of the Common Tern and its close relative the Roseate Tern.  Three things that we need to understand are: that life is a fully networked community; we ought to act with reverence and caution; and “that the story we write with our lives affects those living near and far, and not just now but in the distant future.”  To sail these complex and opaque waters with treacherous shores looming large to leeward, we must be more nibble in our steering and find our way with a “compass of compassion.”  Carl’s television series on PBS is “Saving the Ocean.”  His next book is Sea of Flames. For more info visit http://carlsafina.org

 

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. In that gentle gesture Raffi knew that for people to save wildlife or cleanup degraded environments there must be love for the other. Raffi’s Baby Beluga and Down by the Bay are songs cherished by families whose children are now adults continuing on. 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. Raffi tells how his work evolved from troubadour to champion of a global ethic that views life and communities through the lens of child honoring. Hear Raffi weave in the importance of stewardship and respect for families and environments from imperiled whales to global warming and climate change. Be inspired by a peacemaking culture of responsible stewardship for our world and all inhabitants on earth.

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

[Download MP3] [itunes]

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. These power plants are polluting our air with toxic soot and water with toxins and making our families sick. Coal-fired power plants are an enormous source of carbon, causing global warming. Atmospheric carbon stays in air after soot settles out on residents. Fortunately, communities across the US are coming together to shut down coal-fired plants in their neighborhoods.

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. Because no other animal is so closely tied to Arctic ice flows, George’s research is contributing to the understanding of climate change on wildlife in Arctic. Climate change is the reason for more puffins and polar bears on Cooper Island. George explains why this is bad for guillemots. He concludes on a hopeful note on how pelican boxes built for nesting sites can save guillemots. George invites school teachers and informal educators to join with Friends of Cooper’s Island to build their own nesting habitats for “the penguins of the north.”

36. Promoting and Attaining a Healthy and Sustainable Indian River Lagoon with Capt Nancy Beaver 

 

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

On this week's internet talk radio episode of Moir’s Environmental Dialogues, Rob talks with Dr. Jamie M. Cournane about herring. Jamie gave an excellent report in December on herring to a committee of the New England Fisheries Management Council in Portsmouth.  Blueback herring and alewives are riverherring. They are anadromous, ascending rivers to reproduce. These fish school with similar-sized euryhaline fish that spawn in estuaries - Atlantic herring, shad and menhaden. Riverherring spend many years at sea feeding on zooplankton. Plankton migrates vertically through the ocean, up during night, down during the day. Currents move fish and forage food horizontally creating a merry-go-round of fishing opportunities.  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 riverherring. Also told is how one became a marine biologist and what we can do to help riverherring.

 

34. The Great Penguin Rescue Saving a Species from Extinction 

On this week's episode of Moir's Environmental Dialogues, Rob chats with Dyan deNapoli, author of the newly released book The Great Penguin Rescue. Dyan tells the remarkable story of the largest and most successful wildlife rescue ever mounted. On June 23, 2000, an iron-ore carrier named the Treasure foundered off the coast of Cape Town between two of the main breeding islands for the African penguin. Already classified as a species vulnerable to extinction, the oil slick threatened to destroy nearly half the world population. Penguin experts, including Dyan, were flown in from around the world to manage a battalion of 12,500 volunteers who worked more than 556,000 hours force-feeding, washing, and rehabilitating 19,000 oiled penguins, and moving another 19,500 penguins from their islands to prevent them from getting oiled. Dyan’s account is an endearing tale of perseverance to overcome devastatingly daunting obstacles to bring the African penguin back from the edge of extinction.

33. Lake Baikal Troubles and Solutions in the Sacred Sea 

Tales of Russia’s Sacred Sea, Lake Baikal are told on Rob’s episode 33 of Moir’s Environmental Dialogues. 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.”  For scientists Baikal is an enigma: at once both a healthy and a dying ecosystem.  Peter eloquently describes diving deep beneath cold, shimmering seas. The waters are unbelievably clear thanks to “the zillions of epischura trawling at any one time like a vast armada of aquatic vacuum cleaners, filtering Baikal’s water with extraordinary efficiency.” These shrimp-like critters are consumed by remarkable fish called “golomyonkas.” These fish swim perpendicular like seahorses and are, in turn, food for nerpas, the Baikal Seal. Despite the clash of two very different fundamental faiths, complete with mirages and miracles, Peter finds hope in those struggling to save Lake Baikal.  But don’t take my word for it; listen to Ocean River Shields of Achilles radio for tales of meeting the obstacles to save wildlife and wild ecosystems.    

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.Vanessa was part of the leadership behind thousands of people rallying in David Square for Step It Up, 2007.  Vanessa describes how her approach has changed since then with more listening to the people of watersheds.We must do more than shrink carbon-footprints; we must become pro-active to help ecosystems, reverse our damages, and restore the earth.

Eric Becker describes adapting the Climate Emergency Initiative from Cambridge to become an organizing principle for Somerville.His goal is to bring all interests and sky-stakeholders of Somerville together with government to a summit meeting where people will develop ideas, plans and recommendations for a multiplicity of actions that will address the unfolding problems of too much carbon in the atmosphere.

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.  His is an epic history of beaver, buffalo, seal and sea otter. Fur animal populations were heavily exploited and only survived because market forces drove hunters westward.  Finally on the west coast sea otter are so over harvested that many of their populations never return. Dolin ends his book with the 1900 advent of conservation laws.  Dolin describes how he became an eminent environmental policy expert and Switzer fellow from collecting shells as a child to Woods Hole and beyond.  Ocean Champions Mike Dunmyer picks up where Dolin leaves off in his book with what specific House members have done on Capital Hill to save otters.  Mike recognizes the good work for oceans being accomplished by both Democratic and Republican Representatives.

 

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 talk with Rob about the slithering of green slime over the benthos.  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.  Joe tells of hypoxic, low-oxygen regions of Casco Bay where fish swim in and die.  These assaults on ocean ecosystems are caused by too much nutrients, nitrogen and phosphates, flowing, washing and seeping in.  Mary Cerullo describes BayScaping, a six-step program for homeowners on environmentally friendly lawn care.  Whether you live in this watershed or another, BayScaping will save you money, free time for you on Saturdays, and save marine life, too!

29. Help Dolphins, Do Not Over-Fertilize, It Flows to the Sea! with Stephen McCulloch

 

28. Suffering Bottlenose Dolphins of Indian River Lagoon, Florida with Dr. Greg Bossart 

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.  More challenging than Margo’s message is the distance she chose to go, paddling from Seattle, WA to San Diego CA.  During this broadcast Margo was unable to talk, preoccupied with passage off California’s Lost Coast, rounding a fearsome far-flung prominence called Punta Gorda, whose Lighthouse, dreaded by keepers, was known as the “Alcatraz” of lighthouses.  Instead, June Barnard, Margo’s “land crew” talks with Rob after driving halfway between Petrolia and Honeydew to get cell service. Hear why Margo is distressed by the state of this coast. Discover what she encountered, learned along the voyage, and what you can do to better oceans.

26. Mystic River Watchers, Keepers and Advocates

The Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) works to protect and restore the Mystic River, its tributaries and watershed lands. Executive Director, EkOngKar Singh Khalsa tells us about one of the most urban and densely populated watersheds in the Commonwealth. It has three Superfund sites within it's borders, and is home to various Environmental Justice communities. The Mystic has a history of industry along it's banks - evidence of which continue to linger.  The river meets Boston Harbor complete with Liquid Nitrogen Gas (LNG) tankers going into the lower reaches.  Herring surmount the Amelia Earhart Dam in Somerville to spawn in the fresh waters above. The upper reaches are home for ducks, herons and turtles and winter respite for bald eagles. EK Khalsa addresses the challenges that face the Mystic today, what people are doing to restore natural systems, and what prospects are for the future.

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

Mary S Booth, PhD ecologist tells of how in 2007 wood-burning electric biomass generators were found to be an answer, good for the nation’s carbon-footprint as well as a cleaner energy source than fossil fuels. Massachusetts sought to add 135 megawatts of electricity.  Into the permitting process went three new biomass plants, in Springfield, Russell (Westfield River), and Greenfield (Deerfield River).  The Ocean River Institute got involved defending the taking and warming of water in a coldstream salmon river, the Westfield. Meanwhile, Mary researched the impacts on Massachusetts forests, carbon emissions overall, and air quality. Biomass generators work at best with 24% efficiency meaning one needs to burn 4 cords of wood to get 1 cord of wood energy.  Informed by good science, the state is less gung-ho for burning construction debris.  Last month the state did “a turn around” to no longer view wood-burning biomass generators as a green solution for climate change concerns.

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 are all college students, coming from different schools, who share a common desire to combat the climate crisis. Together, they have dedicated nine weeks this summer to inspire and inform communities as to how one can reduce carbon footprints and use of fossil fuels. Following a week orientation program in Wilmot NH, Margaret, Sara, Yingying and Bliss were given a lift to 25 miles north of their first community, North Andover MA. Astonishingly, what four bicycles were carrying filled an SUV and a trailer.  The riders have ridden from North Andover to Beverly, to Somerville often staying in churches. They set up at farmers markets, attend church dinners and meet with municipal leaders. The three teams of riders will converge on Boston, August 8.  By then riders will be even more fit, well versed with grassroots organizing, locally informed and hopefully breathing air a little less carbon polluted because people along the ride took actions that made a difference. For them, if not for your health, don't drive when you can ride a bike.   To follow their adventures visit www.newenglandclimatesummer.org

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. It's wreaking immediate and lasting damage on wildlife and the economy, environment and human health. This episode of Achilles Shields, Rob speaks with Mike Dunmeyer of Ocean Champions about turning this disaster into some positive actions. They discuss the actions being taken by Obama to halt new ocean drilling and get strong climate legislation. Mike and Rob talk about the various clean energy solutions out there to fight the climate crisis and grow a green economy. The first step is to reinstate the national moratorium on all new ocean drilling. Mike also talks about how setting carbon emission reductions and establishing a cap and trade system will help industry and spur new jobs. Last, Mike talks about what's being done in Washington by Ocean Champions to turn this drilling travesty into a positive by getting a national ocean policy established. Rob shares the work the Ocean River Institute and its network of ecostewards are doing to call for clean energy, no new drilling, and a National Ocean Policy.

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

Discover the life of sturgeon around the world. Hear how people are working to better know and save these ancient long-lived fish. Dr Boyd Kynard returns as my guest with tales of sturgeon and other migratory fish beyond New England.  Dr Kynard built and operates the Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center in Amherst, MA. He has developed remarkable telemetry tracking devices that are documenting and unlocking the secrets of fish behaviors.  Scientists from around the world come to the Amherst lab to learn the research tools for migratory fish back home. Known as the migratory fish missionary, Dr Kynard transported tons of research equipment aboard a ship that traveled through the Bosporus Straits, over the Black Sea to the Danube River where seven species of sturgeon dwell. He established a fish laboratory in Romania and also established a migratory fish lab in China, downriver of the Three Gorges Dam.

21. Ocean Wanderers: MA Sturgeon and Lampreys

Sturgeons and lampreys are truly ocean river dwellers. My understanding and awe of anadromous fish was forever altered by lamprey nest building behavior and what the behavior of two sturgeon told Dr Boyd Kynard last month. Many years ago, he discovered in his neighborhood the only Massachusetts tributary river of the Connecticut River watershed that is not dammed, the Fort River.  We talk about an amazing fish, the lamprey, which stops feeding in Long Island Sound to travel to the Pelham Hills transporting carbon and ocean chemicals including boron to endow ecosystems far from the sea.  Discover the many ways lamprey leave an environment better off than found. Don’t miss Dr. Kynard’s remarkable research findings of Atlantic and shortnose sturgeon populations in the CT and Merrimack Rivers. Both sturgeon and lamprey are resilient, long-lived fish, ocean wanderers with life histories and survival strategies very different from the well-studied salmon.

20. Saving the British Virgin Islands, Precious Salt Ponds & Flamingos with Lianna Jarecki and Noni Georges

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

Alanna Mitchell 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. Alanna Mitchell is journalist who travels with ocean scientists and marine biologists to discover how we live with oceans and depend on marine life. With her clear-eyed immediacy she writes in the style of Rachel Carson, yet more personable. We care that carbonic acid is increasing in seawater with increasing carbon in the atmosphere. During the last century and a half of human activity ocean water acidity has increased by 30%. What does it mean for you and me when calcareous sea critters start to fizzle in rising seas? Alanna Mitchell shares her experiences with us and will read of her dive from her book, Seasick: Ocean Change and the Extinction of Life on Earth.

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. So many decisive factors are affected by these changes that we are in crisis, a climate crisis that affects everything we do. Time to do something about it. Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases is a big piece of the solution puzzle. Yet, we also have to figure out how to deal with all of the effects of the climate crisis—from sea level rise to warming waters, less oxygen, to spread of disease. Climate crisis must factor into the decisions we make about natural resource management, human community development and how we live in changing watersheds. Dr. Lara Hansen of EcoAdapt will draw on ecosystem experiences and insights to offer proven tools for ecostewards and environmental guardians.

17. Solving a Big Problem in the Ocean

If you care about the oceans why you should care about fishing? Amanda Leland and Tom Lalley of the Environmental Defense Fund will tell. Much has been said about what is wrong with overfishing and how management efforts frequently fail. Drawing on personal experiences with sea urchins and a tale of red snapper, as well as years of research and listening to fishermen, we’ll learn how complex and unpredictable ocean wildlife and ecosystems actually are. Discover how this ocean environmental and economic problem can be solved, and what you can do to help. The Environmental Defense Fund offers us educational resources and a tool box for recovering groundfish that include cod, fluke, and haddock, pelagics including tuna and swordfish, and schooling fish: herring, sardine and mackerel. By sharing the catch with less waste and more profit, fish and fishing communities both survive.

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

 President Obama’s Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force is calling for “an America whose stewardship ensures that the ocean, our coasts, and the Great Lakes are healthy and resilient, safe and productive, and understood and treasured.” How do we achieve that vision and how do we get there from here are the topics of discussion for this episode of Moir’s Environmental Dialogues, Ocean River Shields of Achilles. My guests, Sarah Chasis and Alison Chase, are from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Ms. Chasis is director of NRDC’s ocean initiative and Ms. Chase is an ocean policy analyst. This episode's Capital Hill update from Dr. David Wilmot, Co-founder and President of Ocean Champions, is on who is doing what for ocean policy. Listen in to hear what you can do to bring about an Executive Order for healthy seas.

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.  What began with Sherman Lagoon’s Claudia the crab and Finley the fish wearing blue shirts in a comic strip grew to a national movement involving thousands of people for ocean conservation with individuals wearing blue before the Honolulu state house, east to the Cambridge MA Community Center and New Orleans north to Anchorage.

 

David Helvarg’s “Seaweed Rebellion, Blue Frontier Campaign” has brought people together, provided unity and focus while enhancing awareness of the grassroots (seaweed holdfasts) ocean movement. Mike Dunmeyer, Ocean Champions Executive Director, will join in with us for a wild, wet discussion of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force’s work.

 

View the national Wear Blue video where Jim Toomey speaks first standing before the White House. Mike Dunmyer steps up after Jim to speak of "a huge first step to align government agencies."

Moir’s Environmental Dialogues, Ocean River Shields of Achilles is available for streaming, MP3 file, or free on iTunes. 

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. The beautiful Gulf
of Maine appears to many to be a relatively pristine ecosystem.
Beneath the waves and along the shores serious problems have been building up over time—and not just the well-publicized crash of native fisheries. Abandoned fishing gear, invasive species, municipal waste, pollution from agricultural and residential runoff, and loss of fish and wildlife habitat are causing enormous harm, and until now there has been no comprehensive plan to deal with these and other problems. Discover what locals are doing and interested citizens can do to make a difference.

Also, Senator Barbara Boxer on putting a price on carbon and Representative Brian Baird advancing bipartisan harmful algal
bloom, red tide, and hypoxia (dead zone) legislation.

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.

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 to premier in NYC on Oct 23. Shifting baselines are the chronic, slow changes to an ecosystem or place that one is not apt to notice. It is more difficult to appreciate and understand what has been lost in a degraded system if a baseline of what is there had not been established in the past. Sizzle, the documentary, addresses climate change without the graphs, but with disagreeable scientists and with sophisticated humor. Randy Olson explains the distinctions and advantages to “mockumentaries” versus documentaries, where media respects the better understandings that listeners have in order to get the parody.www.sizzlethemovie.com Dave Wilmot tells of marking-up a bill in DC for tackling harmful algal blooms and ocean hypoxia. www.oceanchampions.org Chukchi Sea hairy blob days are numbered. 

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 on Sept 9, 2009. 104 days at sea. 203 total days alone at sea for her Pacific crossing with 99 days from CA to Hawaii in 2008. Roz uses her ocean rowing adventures to help inspire action for healthier oceans and cleaner skies, the challenges of climate change to stop detrimental effects of lethal overheating and turn toxic tides. Hear Roz describe close encounters with a whale shark, large seabirds and flying squid. Learn how one person lived alone at sea while networked via the Internet with many. Be inspired by a woman who quietly did the never-been-done, over 1.3 million oar strokes west from California with two oars, gloves, sliding seat, sunscreen and bean sprouts.