Survival of the Desert Tortoise
Dr. Ron Swaisgood of the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research and Zoological Society, joins Tommy on Treehuggers International to talk about his new position heading up the research portion of the San Diego Zoo’s ongoing Desert Tortoise Recovery Project in Clark County, Nevada.
Pro Peninsula and the Wild and Scenic Film Festival
Pro Peninsula Executive Director Kama Dean discusses the success of Pro Peninsula’s Adopt-A-Sea Turtle program, outreach to Baja fishing communities, and the upcoming Wild and Scenic Film Festival.
Retired Ranger Steve Long Reflects On the Lessons of Trestles
One man who was there from the beginning of the park, and eventually, the toll road designs which fell upon San Onofre’s backcountry, is retired California State Parks ranger, surfer, and Senior Advisor to the San Onofre Foundation, Steve Long, who spent almost his entire outdoor career at Trestles.
LEED Construction In Residential Homes
Podcast: Download (Duration: 37:23 — 34.2MB)
Jacques Lord’s Re-Building Odyssey
A member of San Diego Environmental Professionals and a macrobiotic geologist who writes technical documents for environmental remediation projects, Jacques Lord first appeared on Treehuggers International in September 2007 to broadly discuss with Tommy the show’s goals and latitude for topics.
Barely three weeks later, Jacques’ world, and his family’s, was turned upside-down when they lost their home in the Westwood neighborhood of Rancho Bernardo to the Witch Creek Fire.
Coated SC Bluwood being used for the frame of Jacques Lord’s newly-rebuilt home.
Opting for Half-Full on a Road Less Traveled
Nearly 18 months later, Jacques is nearing completion on re-building his home to the highest Leadership In Energy and Environmental Design standards, or LEED, as determined by the U.S. Green Building Council.
In just a few months, Jacques will become one of the first homeowners in Southern California who has built to LEED standards from the ground-up, and perhaps the only homeowner who lost a home in the October 2007 wildfires to re-build in such a manner.
In addition to describing the step-by-step planning and building of his new house, overcoming obstacles from insurance companies and reluctant builders, and trying to find availablility and the right quantity of green building supplies with help from the California Center for Sustainable Energy and Greenspark, Jacques also speaks candidly about the frightening morning when he and his family found their lives changed forever.
The Witch Creek Fire destroyed over 1,000 homes the morning of October 22, 2007, mostly in Rancho Bernardo but also across Lake Hodges In Escondido, in Poway and Ramona, killing two people and injuring nearly 40 firefighters.
Blown to the west through the San Dieguito River Valley by superheated, ultra-dry Santa Ana Winds, the Witch Creek Fire destroyed nearly everything in the 200,000 acres it scorched, with showers of fire-setting embers arriving a full hour before the tornadic firestorm cell itself.
Always an inspirational, thoughtful guest, it is a pleasure to welcome our friend Jacques Lord back to Treehuggers International. You can read more about Jacques’ harrowing story here, and “a future we never chose nor planned.”
The new Lord home nearing completion, complete with rainwater-catching driveway.
More about this post at:
- Our House Is Gone, Jacques Lord essay
- Jacques Lord: Environmental Speaker and Magician, Gig Salad profile
- U.S. Green Building Council, official website
- SDGE Agrees to Pay $6.4 Million for Damages in Witch Creek Fire (Ramona Patch; 9/18/12)
- In Fire Blame Game, SDGE Wants a Blank Check (Voice of San Diego; 2/14/12)
- Tons of Questions (San Diego Union-Tribune; 8/3/08)
- Experiences Range from Nightmare to Construction Plans (San Diego Union-Tribune; 4/20/08)
- San Diego Failing At Fire Safety (USA Today; 2/19/08)
- Power Lines Blamed for Witch Creek, Rice Canyon Fires (North County Times; 11/17/07)
- Raging Wildfires Sweep California Communities, interactive map (USA Today; 10/26/07)
- Witch Creek Blaze Hits R.B. Hardest (Pomerado Times; 10/25/07)
- Infernos Surge Toward Coast (North County Times; 10/23/07)
- Hundreds of Homes Consumed In Wildfires (KGTV-TV; 10/23/07)
- Witch Creek Fire’s Toll: 750 Homes Destroyed Or Damaged (San Diego Union-Tribune; 10/23/07)
K.C. Alfred shot this photo of a burning Rancho Bernardo home for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The Recovery of the Mexican Wolf
With only 40 animals left in the wild, the Mexican Gray Wolf is one of the most endangered wolf species in North America. Patrick Valentino, the former Executive Director and current head of development for the California Wolf Center near Julian talks with Tommy about the wolf’s plight, as well as opportunities for this magnificent animal’s recovery.
Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Implementation
Podcast: Download (Duration: 32:10 — 29.4MB)
With Nigella Hilgarth, the Executive Director of the Birch Aquarium At Scripps San Diego, and Kate Hanley, the Director of Operations and Development Director at San Diego Coastkeeper.
Torrey Pines State Reserve
Podcast: Download (Duration: 34:18 — 31.4MB)
Treehuggers International’s recent conversation with Darren Smith, Resource Ecologist with California State Parks and the Natural Resources Program Manager for Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, is now available at the Show Archive page. Learn about threats facing the reserve from invasive species and invisible-to-the-naked eye effects of urbanization, how Torrey Pines remains a remnant of the rapidly vanishing native Southern California coastal ecosystem, and get the scoop on San Diego’s most revered tree, which lends it’s name to a school, a road, businesses, even a gliderport!
