What a Long, Strange Garden Trip It’s Been

On our final show (for awhile), we talk about the Depave Movement across the world. Katya Reyna from Depave Portland and Mary Pat McGuire of Depave Chicago report on their respective programs. Judy Pollock and Bob Fisher from the Bird Conservation Network comment on the results of a 22-year study of breeding bird trends in the Chicago region. We’ll also play some music from Birdsongs, Volume 1-Sounds of the Mississippi Flyway by Micky Torpedo.

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How to Discover a Wild Area in the 21st Century

What’s it like to “discover” a high-quality natural area in the Midwest? We talk to naturalist Steve Sass, who helped identify Indiana’s Lydick Bog in 2014. He is joined by fellow naturalist Amanda Smith. The two are responsible for the educational website Indiana Nature and for the very popular Facebook page IN Nature. We talk about the variety of plants and animals in northwest Indiana and their efforts to teach the public how to be good stewards of the land.

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Doug Tallamy on Fighting to Save Trees and Natural Areas

Author and educator Doug Tallamy returns to the show to talk about the importance of protecting and creating spaces to promote biodiversity. Jeannette Hoyt from Save Jackson Park and David J. Nowak from the USDA Forest Service in Syracuse, New York, discuss the damage done to local ecosystems–and urban neighborhoods–by removing large swaths of trees, which is happening with the construction of the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s south side.

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The Possibilities of Amazing Native Plants

The subject is native plants and the instructors are brothers Kelsay and Tristan Shaw, who, between them, have put in about 50 years’ work at Possibility Place Nursery in Monee, Illinois. On this show we talk about why natives are important and get some cold, hard truth from a couple of guys who aren’t afraid to call ’em as they see ’em.

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Sacrificing Birds for a Marketing Gimmick

Mike and Peggy welcome back MWRD Commissioner Kim Neely du Buclet to talk about recent green infrastructure water projects and even ways to trace coronavirus in our water supply. Raj Patel, director of The Ants & the Grasshopper explains the food and social justice components of his film about climate change. Annette Prince from Chicago Bird Collision Monitors and Skokie resident Kim Polka report on their efforts to stop a potentially bird-killing Carvana Tower in that Chicago suburb.

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Forest Preserves Unlock the Mysteries of Nature

Yes, it cold and there’s snow. But if you live in the Chicago region, those are two excellent reasons to get out to a nearby forest preserve. Nina Baki from the Cook County and Rebekah Snyder from Lake County talk about the activities they have to offer and why a visit to nature–even in winter–can be so rewarding.

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Doug Tallamy on Saving Nature and Ourselves

Entomologist, ecologist and author Doug Tallamy returns to the show. He discusses his latest book, The Nature of Oaks and his work to create Homegrown National Park. But he will also talk with Kerry Leigh, executive director of the Natural Land Institute about the continuing threat to Bell Bowl Prairie in Rockford. On the good news front, we’ll chat with Debra Behrens from The Prairie Enthusiasts about a grant they just received to expand Mounds View Grasslands Preserve near Madison, Wisconsin.

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It’s a Wonderful Slice 2021!

Mike and Peggy wrap up 2021 with their annual presentation of It’s a Wonderful Slice of It’s a Wonderful Life, featuring an all-star cast of friends of the show. Cindy Crosby talks about her book Chasing Dragonflies and why getting out into the natural world is important in winter. She is joined by Illinois Master Naturalist Mac Austin.

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Exploring Sustainability Myths and Solutions

On Sunday’s show, we look at how to grow food sustainably. Is that permaculture? Or regenerative gardening? How about appropriate horticulture? We’ll ask Robert Kourik, author of the just-released Sustainable Food Gardens: Myths and Solutions. Then Mike and Peggy dip into the grab bag of environmental news. Also, meteorologist Rick DiMaio is back and we’ll talk about why it won’t snow in Colarado but it will in Hawaii.

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And Now for Something Completely Different

As the weather gets cooler and we head into the holiday season, Mike and Peggy chill literally and figuratively. They discuss the latest environmental stories while playing music by friends of the show–singer Bruce A. Henry and guitarists Judy Handler and Mark Levesque.

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