Treehuggers International » Show Episodes

Amy Gulick and Salmon In the Trees

tommy — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 06:19:54 +0000

The New Science of an Ancient Cycle of Life

In conjunction with Braided River and The Mountaineers Books, we are thrilled to present a conversation with nature photographer Amy Gulick, the creative force behind the book and photographic journey Salmon In the Trees: Life In Alaska’s Tongass Rainforest.

Special thanks to Greg MacArthur and the CBS Radio cluster in Seattle for their help making this show possible.

Research has found colossal amounts of nutrient-rich salmon DNA in ancient Tongass forests.

Where the Rainforest Still Reigns Supreme

The Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska is the official designation for the largest surviving component of original Pacific temperate rainforest left in North America. The rainforest’s footprint lies along the west side of the Pacific Coast ranges from Prince William Sound in Alaska, all along the coast of British Columbia and Vancouver Island, through the Pacific Northwest of Washington and Oregon, and into the Redwood belt of Northern California.

While this is the largest temperate rainforest eco-region in the world, barely any of it’s native footprint survives today, with only four or five percent of the original old-growth intact. The lion’s share of that intact, ancient old-growth temperate rainforest lies in the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska: along hundreds of miles of coastline, in glacial fjords, and on some 5,000 thousand islands, big and small.

Lush vegetation abounds in the Tongass. At about 17 million acres, or about the size of West Virginia, the forests of the Tongass are known for their prodigious stands of old-growth Sitka Spruce and Western Redcedar, as well as dense growths of epiphytes and mosses. The area is also known for abundant wildlife, driven by the astonishing volume of salmon which pass annually through the region’s watersheds, the bears which consume them, and the amazing cycle of life they all play a part in.

"Do not disturb." Black Bear at Anan Creek, Tongass National Forest.

“Tug on anything at all, and you’ll find it connected to everything else.” – John Muir

For two years, writer and photographer Amy Gulick paddled and trekked among bears, islands and salmon streams to document the Tongass National Forest in it’s primeval, natural state. At one point she even found herself keeping company with black bears on a riverbank dining on salmon, oblivious to her presence only because of the bounty of food in front of them, literally jumping out of the rivers and streams, as salmon defy gravity to head upstream to spawn.

Salmon in the Trees was chosen to receive a 2011 Nautilus Book Award, which recognizes books which “promote spiritual growth, conscious living, and positive social change,” and is the winner of the 2010 IPPY Award, an independent publisher book award.

Along with spectacular photos of this vibrant, verdant landscape, Salmon In the Trees also features stories and contributions of Alaskans who live in and are dependent upon the forest, essays by Ray Troll and John Straley, and from members of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian, whose cultures are deeply interconnected to the cycles of life featured in Salmon In the Trees.

The Tongass has one of the highest densities of bald eagles in the world.

Four years after taking a photo of a Tlingit girl, Amy Gulick reunites with her young subject.

Two-Part PBS Special On California State Parks

tommy — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:28:52 +0000

A rocky shoreline and abundant Monterey Cypress greet the sea at Point Lobos State Reserve.

An Appreciation of California’s State Parks Legacy

When the state of California set aside Yosemite Valley for protection as a park in 1864, it marked the auspicious beginning of California’s state park system, and the beginning of the idea of preserving a landscape and an environment as a wholly protected, public place. As California grew and began to set aside other special places like Big Basin Redwoods and Calaveras Big Trees for protection, the California State Park system became the model upon which the National Park Service would eventually be built.

Today, nearly 150 years after President Lincoln first set aside Yosemite Valley for the state of California to manage, mounting challenges continue to confront California’s revered state park system. Tightening budgets, deferred maintenance, destructive recreation, and apathetic attitudes continue to take their toll on California’s state parks, and the myriad of responsibilities and obligations park managers have to the citizens of the state, as well as the plants and animals which make the parks their home, continues to grow more complex.

Addressing not only the history of California’s state parks, but the challenges this unique park system faces today, filmmakers David Vassar and Sally Kaplan of Backcountry Productions talk about their two-part California Forever documentary on California State Parks, which recently aired on PBS stations around the nation.

Every Park A Unique Jewel, Every Park Uniquely Californian

As fans of Treehuggers International know, one of the show’s priorities over the last five years has been to preserve the sanctity of California’s stunning state park system, and ensure it remains funded and open to the public.

Maintaining the integrity of California State Parks is critical, not only for the environmental, physical and mental well-being of Californians, but as a template for similar park and open space networks around the nation.

Regrettably, as is the case with dozens of state agencies, California has seen the budget for state parks slashed, starved and strangled over the years in the name of fiscal responsibility and putting the state’s financial house in order. While recent passage of Prop. 30 may ease the immediate financial strain, the fallout from the passage of Prop. 13 in 1978 continues to come at the expense of the quality of life built in California in the post-war era by leaders like Pat Brown, Ronald Reagan and others.

Along with investments in education and infrastructure following World War II, Californians have also enjoyed an abundance of phenomenal state parks in every corner of the state. While we may no longer be in an era of an expanding economy, the parks remain, soothing the anxiety of city dwellers with peace and solace, and providing habitat for some of California’s most magnificent flora and fauna at a wholly reasonable public expense.

Even with a highly-effective law-enforcement component, the annual budget of California State Parks takes up less than one-half of one percent of the state’s entire general fund.

When Times Were Toughest, California’s Parks Grew

Big Basin Redwoods, Santa Cruz Mountains.

Despite the current recession, it’s worth noting California grew it’s state park system during the Great Depression, and with the help of New Deal programs like the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps, three of San Diego County’s most iconic state parks were dedicated at the height of the Depression in 1933: Cuyamaca Rancho, Palomar Mountain, and the massive, iconic Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.

The lesson to be drawn from the 1930s is clear. Even at the nation’s worst economic moment, California leaders were unwilling to sell short the volume of environments, landscapes, habitats, and historic resources within the Golden State. Instead of seeking to find ways to close parks, state leaders worked tirelessly to create more.

Over the years, many of these state parks have also proven to be durable economic machines for nearby towns and communities. During the height of the state park closure crisis, a Sacramento State University study determined California State Parks bring in, on average, upwards of $2.00 for every $1.00 of tax dollars spent to local communities. That’s a significant return on any investment.

What’s missing is the will of elected officials to preserve a phenomenal park network built over decades, with significant amounts of park property often entrusted to state care by California families.

The famous, if not quite Balkanized, north-south split among the state’s residents may also inhibit a greater appreciation of the natural, cultural and historic resources protected in either end of the state within the overall state park system.

Treehuggers International has frequently referred to California’s state park system as the “envy of the nation.” It will continue to do so, as long as the public is able to experience places like Pfeiffer Big Sur, Mt. Tamalpais or Red Rock Canyon.

A Two-Part Film About California’s State Park Treasures

From Jedediah Smith and Humboldt Redwoods to Point Lobos and Montaña de Oro to all the parks of the Gold Country and the beaches of Southern California to Anza-Borrego, and historic locales like Marshall Gold Discovery, Allensworth, and Fort Tejon, California State Parks are outstanding treasures and outstanding resources.

Filmmakers David Vassar and Sally Kaplan and their production company, Backcountry Pictures, recently produced a two-part documentary on California State Parks presented by KQED public television in San Francisco, called California Forever: The Story of California State Parks.

The film continues to air on PBS stations around the nation. Consult your local listings, or go to the California Forever website.

Andrew Molera State Park protects some of Big Sur's wildest stretches of coastline.

Preserving Wilderness and Watersheds With Oregon Wild

tommy — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 21:10:49 +0000

Sean Stevens from Oregon Wild

Treehuggers International is pleased to welcome Sean Stevens, the Executive Director of Oregon Wild, to talk about the curiously unique issues which wilderness advocates face in the Beaver State, as well as the incredible volume of proposed Wilderness and Wild and Scenic River designations waiting to be approved by Congress.

A special thanks to the staff of Oregon Wild for allowing us into their offices in Portland to record this show, and a special thanks not only to Sean for making time to appear on the show, but also to former Oregon Wild Executive Director Scott Shlaes, now the Director of Development for Sustainability Initiatives at Portland State University.

A lenticular cloud-capped Mt. Hood from the trail to East Zigzag Mountain.

Crossroads of Climate and Diversity

Boasting an incredible coastline, several major mountain ranges, high desert, thousands of miles of forest and timberland, one of the most biologically diverse areas on the planet in the Siskiyou-Rogue, one of the most iconic National Parks in the west, and the Columbia River Gorge to the north and Hell’s Canyon to the east, Oregon makes a strong case as one of the great outdoor destinations in the western U.S., if not the world.

Beyond the major populations centers straddling the Willamette Valley, Oregon remains sparsely populated, but with the state’s historically cozy relationship with the timber industry, setting aside wilderness other than the “rock and ice” of the highest peaks has often proven to be a long, difficult fight.

Helping Secure A Deserved Wilderness Legacy

Originally called the Oregon Natural Resources Council, Oregon Wild has helped preserve nearly 1.7 million acres of designated wilderness in the state since the organization was formed in 1974. Oregon Wild has also helped establish 1,800 miles of Wild and Scenic River protections on rivers and waterways throughout Oregon, including the state’s iconic Rogue River, one of the great white-water destinations and wild rivers in the U.S.

A splash of fall color, Mt. Jefferson Wilderness.

Powered by an active grassroots citizens network, Oregon Wild has made the preservation of the state’s remaining old-growth forest and watersheds a priority, and is committed to protecting hiking, backpacking, and fishing opportunities, and working to cut down on habitat dissection and ensuring environmental law is enforced.

The primary mission of Oregon Wild is to protect and restore Oregon’s current wilderness areas, and advocate for wilderness designation in roadless areas like the Devil’s Staircase in the Coast Range, North Fork John Day, or the Waldo Lake shoreline.

The organization also seeks to expand current wilderness around Mt. Hood, Crater Lake, Mt. Thielsen, the Wallowas, the Rogue River Valley and dozens of other significant locations around the state, but over the last several years Oregon Wild and similar conservation organizations have had a number of peripheral, yet pressing issues presented to them.

Old Railroad Lands to WOPR to Wolves

Oregon Wild has been actively involved in securing an appropriate solution to the state’s BLM-managed O&C Lands, or rather, “Oregon and California” lands formerly belonging to the Oregon and California Railroad, which the federal government won back from the railroad in the 1930s. Maddeningly checkerboarded as private and federal land, the O&C Lands make for a dizzying mix of management, and encompass some of the most vulnerable old-growth and roadless areas of the state.

Oregon’s southwestern counties have also been contending with funding issues regarding the expiration of Secure Rural Schools Act, as well as ongoing fallout from the Western Oregon Plans Revision (or WOPR), itself an attempt to restructure the landmark 1994 Northwest Forest Plan.

Oregon Wild has also been active advocating for the safe return of wolves to the state’s wilderness as a vital component of native Oregon ecosystems. The wolf OR-7, renamed “Journey,” recently became the first wolf in decades to cross into California from Oregon in decades, and his path across wilderness areas and connected habitat clearly demonstrates the success of setting aside vast tracts of land as wilderness for native species, inherently valuable in its own natural, benign way.

Wild mountain lupine, Mt. Hood National Forest.

Wildlife Neighbors at the Living Coast Discovery Center

tommy — Sun, 06 May 2012 21:39:59 +0000

Dr. Brian Joseph and Anna Ransler from the Chula Vista Nature Center

A world-renowned ecological institution located on San Diego Bay just south of the city San Diego, the Chula Vista Nature Center has been a South Bay institution for over 20 years.

Executive Director Dr. Brian Joseph and Development Coordinator Anna Ransler talk about the center’s mission, animals, activities, commitment to the community, and the upcoming Where the Wild Things Are Food and Wine Classic on Saturday, June 2nd.

Located along San Diego Bay, the Chula Vista Nature Center is a world-class ecological institution.

Transition to the Living Coast Discovery Center

Playing host to thousands of schoolchildren for field trips, science classes, scouting events and other kid-friendly opportunities, the Chula Vista Nature Center – soon to become the Living Coast Discovery Center – is dedicated to providing environmental education on local wetlands and estuaries, the importance of keeping plastics and other pollutants out of our oceans and waterways, native plants and wildlife, and instilling a respect for nature and wildlife in people of all ages.

Hawkeye, the center's resident Golden Eagle.

A surprising array of birds and other creatures call the wetlands around San Diego Bay and nearby Canyon Country home, including owls, pelicans, gnatcatchers and eagles. Along with these native species, rescued raptors and other predators thrive at Nature Center exhibits as well.

In 2010, with city funding coming to an end, the Chula Vista Nature Center made the transition from a public, taxpayer-funded institution to an independent, 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

To recognize their newly-independent status, the Chula Vista Nature Center is in the midst of a name-change transition to the Living Coast Discovery Center, but the location, mission, and staff are all the same.

Where the Wild Things Are

As part of their fundraising efforts, the Living Coast Discovery Center is hosting their Where the Wild Things Are Food and Wine Classic on Saturday, June 2nd from 3:00 to 7:00 pm.

Dr. Brian Joseph

The event will feature food and wine, live cooking demonstrations, jazz, and opportunities to meet the different animals who call the Living Coast Discovery Center home. Guests will also be able to experience the center’s Washed Ashore exhibit, featuring massive sculptures and art pieces made from marine debris, designed to raise awareness about the global crisis of single-use, disposable plastics winding up in the world’s oceans.

On the program to talk about the Chula Vista Nature Center and its transition to the Living Coast Discovery Center is Dr. Brian Joseph, the Executive Director of the Living Coast Discovery Center.

A Chula Vista native, Dr. Joseph is a graduate of Southwestern College and San Diego State University, as well as the University of California School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Joseph is also a marine veterinary consultant and serves as a veterinary officer in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Also on the program to talk in depth about the Where the Wild Things Are event is Anna Ransler, Development Coordinator for the Living Coast Discovery Center.

Tickets for the June 2nd Where the Wild Things Are Event are $65 for members, and $75 for non-members (you must be 21 to attend). The event runs from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Saturday June 2nd. To purchase tickets, contact Anna Ransler at (619) 409-5903.

For sponsorship opportunities, connect with Gigi Schroeder at (619) 787-9616.

For more information click on the graphic below. The main phone number for the Living Coast Discovery Center is (619) 409-5900.

Muir’s March and the Move to Restore Hetch Hetchy

tommy — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:51:58 +0000

Mike Marshall of Restore Hetchy Hetchy

With dams coming down on the Elwha River in Olympic National Park, and proposed dam removals along the Klamath and Snake rivers, how receptive are San Francisco city leaders to the idea of draining the O’Shaughnessy Dam and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, and restoring the Hetch Hetchy Valley to its natural state?

The answer depends on who you ask. We asked Mike Marshall, the Executive Director of Restore Hetch Hetchy.

The San Francisco-based organization is busy gearing up for it’s annual Muir’s March event, happening this summer from July 29th to August 4th, as Restore Hetchy Hetchy suppotrers walk in the footsteps of John Muir to raise awareness and resources for the campaign to restore the Hetch Hetchy Valley.

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Cares will drop off like autumn leaves."

The Patron Saint of American Environmentalism

The stature of John Muir in American conservation cannot be overstated. His role in protecting not only Yosemite and the area which became Sequoia National Park, but other sites throughout the American west makes him, according to biographer, Steven J. Holmes, “one of the patron saints of 20th-century American environmental activity.”

Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, Glacier Point.

Indeed, the volume of schools and sites named for John Muir throughout California leaves no doubt of the importance of his legacy on the Golden State, and the west.

As Muir aged and became recognized for his lifetime of conservation work, he entered into one of the last great battles of his career. It was a battle which many believe hastened the end of Muir’s amazing life.

The Desecration of a National Park

The location was the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park, and the fight was over the dam proposed to be built there by the city and county of San Francisco following the 1906 earthquake.

Often referred to as a rival in beauty and stature to Yosemite Valley, the Hetch Hetchy Valley was created over millions of years by the drainage of the Tuolumne River. Writing about Hetch Hetchy, John Muir said, “no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man.”

Unfortunately, despite Muir’s eloquent words and protests to the federal government, coupled with warnings about how building a dam at Hetch Hetchy and damming the Tuolumne River would forever violate the sanctity of the idea of a National Park, the will of San Francisco’s business community held sway in Congress. Hetch Hetchy became America’s first great conservation battle, but President Woodrow Wilson ultimately signed into law the Raker Act, authorizing construction of the dam, on December 19, 1913.

After working his entire adult life to preserve Yosemite, even famously hiking to Glacier Point with President Theodore Roosevelt a decade earlier, Muir was devastated. In a letter to scientist Vernon Kellogg, Muir wrote “As to the loss of the Sierra Park Valley [Hetch Hetchy], it’s hard to bear. The destruction of the charming groves and gardens, the finest in all California, goes to my heart.”

Just over a year later, on December 24, 1914, John Muir died.

Restore Hetch Hetchy

Mike Marshall is the Executive Director of Restore Hetch Hetchy, a San Francisco-based organization which seeks to return the Hetch Hetchy Valley to its natural condition, while continuing to meet the water and power needs of all the communities which depend upon the Tuolumne River.

Mike talks about the upcoming Restore Hetch Hetchy ballot measure, the need for San Francisco to at last undertake water recycling (most urban areas in California already have), the resistance of some city leaders and surprising allies Restore Hetchy Hetchy has made along the way, and the long-term use of the Tuolumne River, which will continue to be a water supply for the Central Valley and Bay Area whether or not the O’Shaughnessy Dam remains.

One of the ways which Restore Hetch Hetchy gets their message out about their mission is through their annual Muir’s March event, a multi-day trek through the backcountry of Yosemite National Park, culminating in a rally atop the O’Shaughnessy Dam. This year’s Muir’s March runs from July 29th to August 4th.

Some will march for seven days, some will trek for four, while others will simply join in on the last day for a one-day hike in the O’Shaughnessy Dam area. Each marcher raises a minimum amount of money for Restore Hetch Hetchy prior to their hike or backpack.

Seven day marchers must raise a minimum of $1,900; four day marchers must raise a minimum of $1,100; single-day hikers must contribute $100 for individuals and $190 for families. All proceeds benefit the restoration of Hetchy Hetchy, and all in Muir’s March will march in the footsteps of the great American naturalist and conservationist, John Muir.

Harrison Ford hosts this Restore Hetch Hetchy documentary on the fight to save Hetch Hetchy Valley 100 years ago.

Radical Plans Threaten Balboa Park’s Historic Integrity

tommy — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 04:33:02 +0000

Bruce Coons from the Save Our Heritage Organisation

A proposal to build a freeway-style off ramp from the iconic Cabrillo Bridge at San Diego’s Balboa Park is raising more than a few eyebrows among preservationists and park advocates. Even the National Park Service is voicing its concern, stating the development threatens Balboa Park’s status as a National Historic Site.

On this special edition of Living Better In San Diego, produced in conjunction with Treehuggers International, Bruce Coons of the Save Our Heritage Organisation joins Tommy to talk about the proposed redesign’s threats to the integrity of Balboa Park as a special place which values history, open space, park design, taste, and respect for the public trust.

The Botanical Gardens Building and Lily Pond at San Diego's Balboa Park.

One of North America’s Great Urban Spaces

With 1,200 acres of parkland in the middle of one of the biggest cities in the U.S., Balboa Park preserves canyons and mesas and trails through desert gardens, exotic plants and even a grove of “imported” Redwoods from Northern California. The park is also home to an amazing array of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, built for the 1915 Pan-American Exposition and praised by no less than former President Theodore Roosevelt, who complimented the park for ”buildings of rare, phenomenal taste and beauty” during a visit.

After nearly 100 years, Balboa Park remains one of San Diego’s great open space meeting places and exercise locales, where residents jog, bicycle, walk their dogs, and explore a network of urban and not-so-urban trails. The Plaza de Panama is the symbolic center of San Diego’s Balboa Park, and the midway point between the Cabrillo Bridge to the west, and the Bea Everson Fountain along Park Blvd. to the east.

In an effort to restore some of the park’s natural grandeur and space, recent conservation plans have proposed closing the Plaza de Panama’s limited parking areas in front of the San Diego Museum of Art, and instead only allowing traffic into the park via the Cabrillo Bridge during certain times of the day or for special events. Auto traffic would still be allowed into the park and to access parking areas via Park Blvd. entrances on Balboa Park’s east side.

Proposing Incompatible Infrastructure

Alcazar Gardens at Balboa Park.

However, a radical re-design proposal by La Jolla billionaire Irwin Jacobs, endorsed by San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, seeks to exploit the desire to close the west end of El Prado to auto traffic for something else completely.

Using an automobile-free Plaza de Panama as a rationale, the Jacobs plan proposes building a freeway-style “off ramp” from the iconic Cabrillo Bridge over the 163 freeway. The off ramp would wrap around the Museum of Man’s chapel and Alcazar Gardens, necessitating a new, wider bridge over Palm Canyon, on the way to a multi-story (!) parking garage behind the world-renowned Spreckels Organ Pavilion.

Why would anyone seek to build a multi-story parking garage and funnel more traffic into Babloa Park? Especially when the rationale for closing the Plaza de Panama to traffic is to free the western end of El Prado from regular auto traffic and restore the Plaza de Panama to its pre-automobile state?

It is of course counter-intuitive, and a shallow attempt at piggybacking an unnecessary and destructive construction project onto a conservation plan which requires no grand additions to existing park structures or any new construction.

Respect for San Diego’s Historic and Cultural Heritage

Founded in 1969, the Save Our Heritage Organisation, or SOHO, and has been protecting some of San Diego’s special places for decades. If you’re familiar with the Marston House near Balboa Park, or the Whaley House or Adobe Chapel Museum in San Diego’s Old Town, you’re likely familiar with the Save Our Heritage Organisation. SOHO makes it their mission to preserve, promote and support preservation of the architectural, cultural and historical links and landmarks which contribute to San Diego’s identity, depth, and character.

A lifelong San Diegan and preservationist, Bruce Coons is the long-time Executive Director of the Save Our Heritage Organisation, and has been a guest on Tommy’s programs before. Bruce appeared on Living Better In San Diego in 2008 to talk about the State Normal School Training Building on Park Blvd. in University Heights, and appeared on Treehuggers International in 2009 to discuss the ongoing threats to Rancho Guejito in northern San Diego.

The proposed developments to Balboa Park brings Bruce back to Living Better In San Diego, and also offers Bruce and Tommy a chance to talk about SOHO’s recent acquisition and plans for the Warner-Carrillo Ranch House near Lake Henshaw and Santa Ysabel General Store between Ramona and Julian, as well as the current state of the Villa Montezuma in Sherman Heights.

The bizarre, and some say haunted, Villa Montezuma in San Diego's Sherman Heights.

Below the Surface and the Riverview Project

tommy — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:39:45 +0000

A Coast to Coast Exploration of America’s Waterways

In between travels across the country, blogging for Outside magazine as Readers of the Year for 2012, and promoting and raising awareness about the plight of America’s rivers and waterways, Below the Surface co-founders Kristian Gustavson and Jared Criscuolo made time to stop by Treehuggers International to talk about the ongoing evolution of the Riverview Project, and the basic principles of Below the Surface.

Kristian and Jared are working with the USGS on their Riverview mapping project.

When We Last Met

Shortly after the explosion and collapse of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil platform in April 2010, and the beginning of what would become the worst environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and the largest maritime oil spill in history, Jared Criscuolo and Kristian Gustafson of Below the Surface paid a visit to the Gulf Coast to see for themselves the extent of the damage.

Veterans of a previous excursion to the Gulf Coast and the Atchafalaya River, the two made quick use of their established network of contacts in the region to take stock of the situation facing the environment and the livelihood of the Gulf’s fishing communities and tradition. The stories they brought back of devastated economies and ruined marshlands were tragic, as detailed by Jared in his August 2010 appearance on Treehuggers International.

Meanwhile, the long clean-up continues, along with the ongoing environmental and economic repercussions of the disaster. Sadly, little has been done to change drilling conditions in the Gulf of Mexico, and new oil leases are once again being issued for the Gulf of Mexico as U.S. domestic oil production reaches an all-time high.

Riverview and Outside

Since then, Jared and Kristian have continued growing Below the Surface, continuing their river expeditions and experimenting with alternative fuel development. The two have also been busy developing and applying new software applications which will help with better mapping and charting of waterways, as well as revealing new opportunities for river conservation and local involvement through Below the Surface’s Riverview Project.

To top it all off, Jared and Kristian were honored for their pioneering conservation approaches and adventurous spirit when they were named Outside magazine’s Readers of the Year. The two will continue to blog for Outside throughout 2012 as they further develop the Riverview Project, in conjunction with their partners at the U.S. Geological Survey, The Nature Conservancy and the Surfrider Foundation.

Paddleboarding on the Atchafalaya River.

Jared Criscuolo and Kristian Gustavson met while volunteering with the Surfrider Foundation, and upon forming Below the Surface began a number of high-profile expeditions of some of the wildest and most at-risk waterways in the nation, highlighting the need for clean and responsible water policies from the headwaters of creeks and streams to the mouths of the biggest rivers.

Kristian first explored the Gulf Coast region and the Mississippi River as part of Below the Surface’s Downstream Campaign, followed by the Gaining Ground expedition of the Atchafalaya River, one of Louisiana’s last wild waterways.

Kristian and Jared have also undertaken explorations of California’s Sacramento River as the basis of their Spring to Sandtrap expedition, which followed the length of the Sacramento River from its headwaters in the Mt. Shasta high country into the San Joaquin Valley and Sacramento Delta.

Jared also represented Below the Surface on the Coastal CODE expedition of the Alaskan panhandle, working on a weeklong beach clean-up effort with the Marine Conservation Alliance Foundation and addressing the global impact of litter and debris accumulating in the world’s oceans.

Refilling the BTS Ford F-250 with New Leaf Biofuel's B99 vegetable oil blend.

San Bernardino National Forest Association

tommy — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:52:55 +0000

Listener Neal Lenzen in the San Jacinto high country of the San Bernardino National Forest.

Sarah Miggins, the Executive Director of the San Bernardino National Forest Association, talks about hiking the high country of the San Bernardino and San Jacinto ranges (including a one-day ascent of 11,400 ft. Mt. San Gorgonio) and living the mountain life, along with the history and development of the San Bernardino National Forest Association, one of the leading park and forest conservancies in the nation.

A native of Cleveland, and like Tommy a fellow Bobcat and graduate of Ohio University, Sarah also talks about the San Bernardino National Forest Association’s role in the funding and operation of the Big Bear Discovery Center and the National Children’s Forest, re-planting burned forest areas, wildfire awareness and prevention, and preserving the historic network of fire lookouts in the San Bernardino National Forest, from the drive-up Strawberry Peak lookout to the hard-won trail to the top of Tahquitz Peak above Idyllwild.

Learn more about how to see bald eagles wintering at Lake Hemet and Big Bear Lake, where you can find the nation’s biggest Lodgepole Pine, and how you can volunteer with the San Bernardino National Forest Association in a variety of roles, from planting trees to maintaining trails.

Big Bear Lake after a winter snowfall.

Peg Reiter and the Legacy of Jerry Schad

tommy — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:18:07 +0000

San Diego's famous Spruce Street suspension bridge in Bankers Hill.

The author of Afoot and Afield In San Diego and well over a dozen other trail and guidebooks related to the outdoors of Southern California, we were very fortunate to enjoy Jerry Schad‘s company as a guest on Treehuggers International on two occasions: in July 2008, and again in July 2009. He was definitely a friend of the show.

Flowering Sea Dahlia at Torrey Pines.

Sadly, we lost Jerry to cancer on September 22nd, 2011. Treehuggers International presented a memorial show in the weeks after Jerry’s death, and one of the key people in his life mentioned during the memorial program was his wife, Peg Reiter.

Jerry’s last book, 50 Best Short Hikes San Diego, has just been released by Wilderness Press, Jerry’s long-time publisher. Jerry worked on the book over the course of the spring and summer of 2011, even as the effects of his illness grew more severe. By his side the entire time, helping and assisting in every way possible, was Peg.

Peg Reiter came to play an instrumental role in the completion of 50 Best Short Hikes San Diego, and after consulting with Susan Haynes, the Senior Editor at Wilderness Press, Treehuggers International producer and host Tommy Hough felt the best way to feature the book, and Jerry’s lasting legacy, was to welcome Peg onto the program to talk about her involvement with the book, and the precious time she was able to spend with her husband doing so.

Over the summer, Peg told Steve Schmidt from the San Diego Union-Tribune, “Even though Jerry took me to many beautiful places geographically, the most wonderful place he took me was to his heart. I shared more with Jerry Schad in our short time together than I have with some who have known me my entire life.”

The teams at Treehuggers International and KBZT FM 94/9 express our deepest condolences to Peg and the members of Jerry’s family.

Special thanks to Susan Haynes, Amber Kay Henderson and Rachel Freytag at Wilderness Press, Menasha Ridge Press, and Keen Communication.

All photos on this page were taken by Jerry Schad, and appear in 50 Best Short Hikes San Diego.

The Treehuggers International Jerry Schad Memorial program is now also on-line, featuring excerpts from Jerry’s July 13, 2008 and July 19, 2009 appearances on the show.

A placid bend in the San Diego River in Mission Gorge.

Carbon Nation Director Peter Byck

tommy — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 18:00:13 +0000

A Documentary About Energy Innovators and Climate Change Solutions

Winning a slew of praise and accolades since its release last fall, the movie Carbon Nation has been gaining attention and traction throughout 2011, and we are thrilled to have director Peter Byck on the program.

Big thanks to green energy and cleantech advocate Lee Barken for his help and assistance in making this edition of Treehuggers International possible, with additional thanks to the San Elijo campus of Mira Costa College in Encinitas, California.

Terrawatts and the Magic Number of 16

Carbon Nation takes an honest, often humorous look at global warming and the long-term effects of industrialization and fossil fuel use on our planet, and features success stories of private citizens, communities and organizations moving forward with alternative energy applications. If applied en masse, these alternative and renewable energy opportunities could meet – and surpass – the current, daily energy needs of the United States.

It wasn’t too long ago, during the heady days of 2006 following the release of Al Gore’s landmark global warming-awareness film An Inconvenient Truth, when pubic demand for government and private sector solutions to address not only our addiction to oil, but mankind’s cumulative, industrial effect on climate change was reaching a fever pitch. Political leaders from both parties began to call for remedies to global warming, as phrases like “cap and trade” and “carbon credits” began filtering into the lexicon.

By the late 2000s even GOP standard-bearers like Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman were proposing creative, free market-based ideas to encourage more responsible behavior by persistent industrial polluters. Sen. John McCain wisely stated in the early, pre-Sarah Palin stages of his 2008 candidacy:

“We have many advantages in the fight against global warming, but time is not one of them. Instead of idly debating the precise extent of global warming, or the precise timeline of global warming, we need to deal with the central facts of rising temperatures, rising waters, and all the endless troubles that global warming will bring. We stand warned by serious and credible scientists across the world that time is short and the dangers are great. The most relevant question now is whether our own government is equal to the challenge.”

Unfortunately, the intervening years have seen a complete lack of leadership on climate change issues from the White House and Congress, coupled with a bizarre, frequently anti-science backlash from entrenched energy and oil interests and their congressional and media allies. Over time, the absence of a strong voice on climate change, the recession, and the science-defying drumbeat from the political right has eroded the upswell of public support for addressing global warming and exploring renewable energy options.

While Europe and the rest of the western world have begun to plan for the consequences of climate change and taken steps to reduce their carbon footprint, the U.S. has remained notoriously idle. In the current House of Representatives, congressional minions of the Koch Brothers and other big energy industries have been actively working to gut functional environmental regulation and oversight which has made significant strides over the last 40 years in ensuring the cleanliness of U.S. air and water.

Green Energy Grassroots Efforts and Applications

While the U.S. government has so far failed to take a strong lead on the green front, and sometimes works against the best interests of the nation’s environmental health, cities and communities, citizens’ groups and green energy innovators haven’t been waiting for anyone to tell them “go.” The business of making the world a cleaner, healthier, more energy-efficient place is right at home in the U.S. with abundant innovation, complimented by some federal and state tax breaks available for green outlets.

Among the many fascinating characters we meet in Carbon Nation, one is Texas farmer Cliff Etheridge, who currently counts wind as one of his “crops.” As the owner of Peak Wind, one of the world’s largest wind farm outlets, Cliff had seen how other energy companies were leasing his neighbors’ land to develop wind farms. Instead of leasing his own land, he opted to utilize hundreds of acres of his own farmland to build a wind farm business, with dozens of giant windmills taking him off the grid and creating a functional, lucrative business for himself, his son, and others from his west Texas hometown in need of jobs.

Peter Byck also spends time with Alaska geothermal pioneer Bernie Karl in Carbon Nation, and the good news with geothermal is you no longer have to be sitting atop a geyser or volcanic field to tap into the earth’s energy. Bernie invented a way to use water heated to only 165 degrees to create geothermal power; previously water had to be at least 250 degrees, and more realistically, had to be on the way to 400 degrees to be effective. With this new geothermal innovation, it’s now possible to draw hot water from the earth’s crust nearly anywhere, even in the middle of Manhattan, and utilize the power of the planet for electricity and energy needs.

One face in Carbon Nation may be already familiar to some. Van Jones is the author of Green Collar Economy and the former Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality under President Obama. Van was also the primary advocate for the Green Jobs Act, signed into law by President Bush in 2007, and notable for being the first federal legislation to utilize the term “green jobs.” In Carbon Nation, Van takes the filmmakers to a Solar Richmond and Grid Alternatives project site in the Bay Area, as employees and trainees work to make pre-exisiting structures as energy efficient as possible, and in doing so, help create a green energy industry and workforce with real-world applications.

Peter Byck also introduces Carbon Nation viewers to retired U.S. Army Col. Dan Nolan, and former CIA Director R. James Woolsey, both are members of the growing number of “Green Hawks” in the U.S. military and national security agencies. Led by policy makers, intelligence professionals, and hardened veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the Green Hawks have become a formidable voice within the military, leading the Pentagon towards energy efficiency to make overseas operations less costly and more effective, and to make supply lines and energy independence for overseas missions less vulnerable.

Carbon Nation Director Peter Byck in the editing suite.

Treehuggers International » Show Episodes

Amy Gulick and Salmon In the Trees

The New Science of an Ancient Cycle of Life

Where the Rainforest Still Reigns Supreme

“Tug on anything at all, and you’ll find it connected to everything else.” – John Muir

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Two-Part PBS Special On California State Parks

An Appreciation of California’s State Parks Legacy

Every Park A Unique Jewel, Every Park Uniquely Californian

When Times Were Toughest, California’s Parks Grew

A Two-Part Film About California’s State Park Treasures

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Preserving Wilderness and Watersheds With Oregon Wild

Sean Stevens from Oregon Wild

Crossroads of Climate and Diversity

Helping Secure A Deserved Wilderness Legacy

Old Railroad Lands to WOPR to Wolves

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Wildlife Neighbors at the Living Coast Discovery Center

Dr. Brian Joseph and Anna Ransler from the Chula Vista Nature Center

Transition to the Living Coast Discovery Center

Where the Wild Things Are

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Muir’s March and the Move to Restore Hetch Hetchy

Mike Marshall of Restore Hetchy Hetchy

The Patron Saint of American Environmentalism

The Desecration of a National Park

Restore Hetch Hetchy

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Radical Plans Threaten Balboa Park’s Historic Integrity

Bruce Coons from the Save Our Heritage Organisation

One of North America’s Great Urban Spaces

Proposing Incompatible Infrastructure

Respect for San Diego’s Historic and Cultural Heritage

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Below the Surface and the Riverview Project

A Coast to Coast Exploration of America’s Waterways

When We Last Met

Riverview and Outside

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San Bernardino National Forest Association

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Peg Reiter and the Legacy of Jerry Schad

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Carbon Nation Director Peter Byck

A Documentary About Energy Innovators and Climate Change Solutions

Terrawatts and the Magic Number of 16

Green Energy Grassroots Efforts and Applications

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