WEEKLY RADIO SHOW

WEDNESDAYS AT 2PM EASTERN TIME

WITH HOST

DR. ROB MOIR

Sponsored By: Ocean River Institute

 www.oceanriver.org

10-12-11 Show

Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters

http://www.artistfirst.com/moirs.htm
Erik Blasbaugh, Legislative Director, and Matt Nelson talk with Rob on Moir’s Environmental Advocates about the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters. MLEV works to educate voters about important environmental issues, so they can make their voices heard with legislators.  MLEV let voters know about the environmental initiatives and actions of their elected officials.Erik and Matt describe three strong leaders in local government who have made the environment and our health a priority. Mayor Lisa Wong has been turning the old mill town of Fitchburg into a recreational kayaking town on the Nashua River. The West Fitchburg Steamline Trail Park is the first completion of the Mayor’s plans to develop a network of trails along the river.  Mayor Wong oversaw a company of 179 years complete a co-generation project that will lower energy costs and keep 150 existing jobs in Fitchburg. Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley is a champion of women’s rights and environmental justice in Boston. She formed and currently chairs the Committee on Women and Healthy Communities.  Environment and energy, affordable housing and public transportations are priorities for Councilor Pressley where she has built partnerships and launched educational programs. Massachusetts Representative Geraldo Alicea worked with the DEP to ensure funding of clean water revolving fund and was awarded a 100% grade on voting for environmental legislation, as well as being awarded “freshman legislator of the year,” and by the Office of Victim Assistance “Legislator of the Year.”

10-05-11 Show

Quelling the Storm at Sea and the Ocean View from Lazy Point

 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 nibble in our steering and find our way with a “compass of compassion.” Carl Safina's writing explores the scientific, moral, and social dimensions of our relationship with nature. Rob Moir has been there on the ocean with Carl and this conversation goes deep into the blue both above and below the waves.

 Of his many books none are as personal and autobiographical as is the one discussed on this episode of Moir’s Environmental Advocates, nor is any advocate more articulate in writing than is Carl Safina.  His writing has been awarded such distinctions as: New York Times Notable Book of the Year, Los Angeles Times "Best Nonfiction," Library Journal's "Best Science Book," Lannan Literary Award, John Burroughs Medal, the National Academies' "Year's Best Book for communicating science." Safina is a recipient of the Pew Scholar's Award in Conservation and the Environment, Chicago¹s Brookfield Zoo¹s Rabb Medal, and a MacArthur prize, among many other honors.

9-27-11 Show

9-20-11 Show

There must be 50 ways to save the ocean writes the “Seaweed Rebel.” David Helvarg, President of the Blue Frontier Campaign (www.bluefront.org) is Rob’s guest for this episode of Moir’s Environmental Advocates. David takes us on a fast paced voyage into the briny deep. Seascapes pass quickly by and across the sea’s face we go with David's tales of marine intrigue.  It’s wild and it’s political. David is author of five books: Blue Frontier, The War Against the Greens, 50 Ways to Save the Ocean, Rescue Warriors and Saved by the Sea. He is editor of the Ocean and Coastal Conservation Guide, organizer of several ‘Blue Vision’ Summits for ocean activists, and winner of Coastal Living Magazine’s 2005 Leadership Award and the 2007 Herman Melville Literary Award. David worked as a war correspondent in Northern Ireland and Central America, covered a range of issues from military science to the AIDS epidemic, and reported from every continent including Antarctica. An award-winning journalist, he produced more than 40 broadcast documentaries for PBS, The Discovery Channel, and others. His print work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, LA Times, Smithsonian, Popular Science, Sierra, and The Nation. He’s done radio work for Marketplace, AP radio, and Pacifica. He has led workshops for journalists in Poland, Turkey, Tunisia, Slovakia and Washington DC. He is a licensed Private Investigator, body-surfer and scuba diver.

9-14-11 Show

Troubles In Florida’s Indian River Lagoon


What is happening to Florida’s Indian River Lagoon and what homeowners can do for healthier Lagoon wildlife? George Jones, the Indian River Lagoon Riverkeeper, tells Rob about the uniqueness of the Lagoon and the importance of staying vigilant in protecting this invaluable resource. Jim Egan, Executive Director of the Marine Resources Council, tells of the current problems facing the Lagoon, what is causing them, and what people can do. Capt. Nancy Beaver joins the program later on to echo the alarm for the dying of seagrass beds that are being blotted out by algal blooms. Martin County Commissioner Patrick Hayes joins the conversation and comes to the rescue with an ordinance passed just before the summer rains arrived banning the application of lawn fertilizers from June 1 through September 30th as well as other measures to save Indian River Lagoon.

9-07-11 Show

River Herring Troubles in the Gulf of Maine & Northwestern Atlantic Ocean

Dr. Jamie M. Cournane talks with Rob 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.
Join with us in speaking out for river herring to the New England Fisheries
Management Council. Join with the Ocean River Institute; add your words to
ours as to why river herring are important to you.  For further information
and to view our letter please go to:
http://www.oceanriver.org/HerringAmend4.php

8-31-2011 Show

Dwindling Herring and Clearing the Coastline 

U Conn Professor Matt McKenzie & Patrick Paquette, striped bass fishing community organizer, say where all the herring have gone, and how Cape Cod fisheries have changed over the centuries. McKenzie tells the social and ecological history of the rise and demise coastal fisheries in the 19th century. His book: Clearing the Coastline, includes Thoreau’s thoughts on Cape Cod fisheries and how these changed after his death. Matt also tells of helping out a family’s herring weirs on Cape Cod and of a fisherman well known to Paquette. Patrick explains early efforts to save herring through the CHOIR collaboration “where different voices needed to learn to sing in harmony.” He also noted a striped bass food shortage along the East Coast caused by industrial-scale fishing of coastal herring, mackerel and menhaden. 

NMFS and the New England Fishery Mgmt Council failed to take measures to stem the decline of sea herring, river herring, and shad populations. Visit OceanRiver.org for how you can take action with others to save herring. 

Matthew McKenzie, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor and American Studies Coordinator, University of Connecticut, Avery Point. He took his PhD in Maritime History from the U New Hampshire in 2003. As a PhD candidate, he worked with UNH’s Gulf of Maine Cod Project, an interdisciplinary team of historians and fisheries scientists exploring ecological change in the 19th century Scotian Shelf cod-fishery. In 2003, McKenzie began teaching Maritime Studies at the Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Mass., during which time he sailed offshore in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. At sea, he taught while also filling in as Assistant Engineer, deckhand, and science deck lackey. He came to UConn’s Avery Point campus in August, 2006, where his position as American Studies Program Coordinator has pulled his interests closer inshore. McKenzie's book is Clearing the Coastline: The Nineteenth Century Ecological and Cultural Transformation of Cape Cod (University Press of New England, 2011). 

Captain Patrick Paquette is a Recreational Fishing Advocate, Outdoor Writer, Charter Captain (USCG Master's License),Tournament Fisherman and is a past president of the 60 year old MA Striped Bass Association with over twenty five combined boat & shore tournament awards on his resume.  Born in the city of Boston Massachusetts, Paquette was taught to fish by his father as a young child in the middle of the Striped Bass collapse. He mated on head boats and surf fished with brothers growing up. He is today an accomplished outdoor writer and has penned the Traveling Surfcaster Column for On the Water Magazine.  Patrick has designed an exclusive "how to" seminar based solely on the species, equipment and techniques used to fish the waters of Massachusetts. He includes a range of information that promises to educate all anglers from the first time beginner to the seasoned veteran.

8-17-11 Show

8-10-11 Show

Meet the Whale Guardians of Stellwagen on this episode of Moir’s
Environmental Advocates. For Right Whales feeding on Stellwagen Bank
National Marine Sanctuary life became safer thanks to government actions
that followed a close look at the data from 27 years of whale watches.
Superintendent Craig D. MacDonald, Ph.D. and Benjamin D. Cowie-Haskell,
Assistant Superintendent talk with Rob Moir about what led the federal
government to move the shipping channel into Boston. Federal charts and
cruise tracks were changed for the sake of right whale!  See live red light
– green light right whale in shipping lane alert at
http://www.listenforwhales.org

Whales are just one of many magnificent marine animals that inhabit
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Discover what else lives there,
what further actions are being taken and what you can do to better protect
ocean marine life.  Visit Stellwagen armed with the facts at
http://www.stellwagenalive.org

7-27-11 Show

Olivia Newton-John

and her husband Amazon John Easterling talk with Rob
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 <http://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

*And then...same broadcast. . . Bert Lettsome*

While assisting the Virgin Island Environmental Council, Rob talks with Bert
Lettsome, a.k.a. 'Washasha X', Chief Conservation Officer of the British
Virgin Islands in Road Town, Tortola. Bert describes why nature in the
British Virgin Island is more diverse than anywhere else in the Caribbean.
To protect it and maintain pristine, undisturbed nature in the Virgin
Islands, we must all make choices. We also get to hear his song Choices.
Much has been said about the importance of coral reefs. Not enough is said
about the importance of the mangroves that fringe the shores and protect the
coral reefs from choking run-off of sedimentation and algal-blooming
nutrients. Bert plays for us his marvelous song "Ras Mangrove," a
celebration of all the benefits mangroves provide. He will soon be releasing
a video that shows himself dressed as a mangrove tree dancing in the street.

Beginning Wednesday at 12 noon on Moir's Environmental
Advocates.<http://e2ma.net/go/7142773391/208624361/223970926/36218/goto:http://www.artistfirst.com/moirs.htm>

 

7-13-11 Show

Live from Fish Pier in Boston Harbor,
Rob reports on fish and ocean policy
with Mike Dunmyer of Ocean Champions. 

First up is how life is better for both fish and fishermen when a catch
share program is deployed because it enables the fisherman to determine when
best to collect allocated share of the catch (as determined by the New
England Fisheries Management Council).  Next, Mike tells of the events that
became what he calls: “the night of the living dead zone.”  Harmful algal
bloom (red tide) legislation was killed on the House Floor and then got up
three days later to pass belatedly.  Thirdly, Mike and Rob talk about the
politics behind a national ocean endowment bill and what you can do to
help.

7-06-11 Show

The Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters:

 Community Preservation and Safer Alternatives to Toxics legislation.
Zack Greenberg and Erik Balsbaugh of The Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters are Rob’s guests today on Moir’s Environmental Advocates.  MLEV is a political nonprofit organization that holds state politicians responsible for environmental stewardship legislation. MLEV advocates for actions that address environmental health, global warming/climate change, wildlife preservation and a host of other environmental issues.  Zack explains how MLEV manages a Score Card that grades the annual performance on environmental issues of state Senators and Representatives.  Erik Balsbaugh speaks to 3 legislative issues currently underway: the Bottle Bill, And Act to Sustain Community Preservation, and Safer Alternatives to Toxics.

6-22-11 Show

Environment Massachusetts with Advocate Ben Wright

 Ben Wright describes the battle on Capital Hill to defend the Clean Air Act and battles in Massachusetts to defend clean drinking water. The Quabbin Reservoir that supplies drinking water for 2.2 million people is being spoiled by clear-cutting logging operations.  Loggers disregarded 400 foot setback regulations from lake shore and cut down to the water’s edge as well as indiscriminately across wetlands.  Their destructions have been halted by a moratorium on all logging in the Quabbin. Harvard Forest scientists have researched and documented that any further logging in the Quabbin despite honoring setbacks will be detrimental. Visit http://www.environmentmassachusetts.org/ to urge the Governor to maintain the moratorium to save the Quabbin, to save clean drinking water in Massachusetts.  

6-15-11 Show

Flamingos Return to the British Virgin Islands, Stout Anegada Rock Iquana Island Biogeography

Dr. James (Skip) Lazell talks with Rob Moir about exploration, conservation and management with The Conservation Agency. In the British Virgin Islands, flamingos, once common in the BVI, then gone, were returned by jet from Bermuda. The birds traveled wrapped in cheesecloth. On Anegada Island, they were unwrapped and released into a seine net enclosure for release the next day on a salt pond. The Flamingo population is growing. Anegada rock iguana is called the stout iguana because it is the heaviest of all land iguanas. Eight stout iguanas were moved from Anegada to Guana Island.   

Skip describes island biogeography around the world, and tells cases of animals becoming separate species. Skip and his wife Dr.. Wenhua Lu, entomologist, begin research at home in southeastern New England, then extend across North America, the West Indies, East Indies, China, Australia, and sometimes Africa: from Nantucket to New Caledonia, Newfoundland to Tasmania. 

6-08-11 Show

First Show! 6-01-11

Gundalow: Marine Environmental History Informing Ocean Conservation and Stewardship
In this episode of Moir’s Environmental Advocates we advocate for the estuaries of New Hampshire.  Pull up a speaker or put on an ear jack to learn about what is wrong with a particular estuary and watershed. Hear what can individuals, families and groups can do to help solve environmental problems.
Molly Bolster, Executive Director of the nonprofit Gundalow Company in Portsmouth New Hampshire is my guest.  She may be reached at, and for more information:  http://www.gundalow.org
Molly describes the ecological condition of the rivers and estuary of Portsmouth NH.  Of twelve environmental trends, only one, conservation of land, has improved over the years.  Too much nitrogen flowing into waterways is the first problem Molly tells about.  Other environmental problems are too much impervious surfaces, sedimentation and erosion, fish passage up the rivers, clear-cutting to the water’s edge instead of leaving a buffer of vegetation, and fecal material from animals.  Eel grass is shrinking and it is vital as a nursery for commercially valuable fish.  Oysters once wiped out, now struggle with algal growth and sediment loading.  There is much one can do to make a difference for this ecosystem. Addressing any one of the south-heading trends will help to restore natural systems.  
Since 2002, the Gundalow Company has used the Captain Edward H. Adams - a replica modeled after the last gundalow to carry cargo on the Bay – to provide "dockside" programs. Our new US Coast Guard certified vessel will carry up to 49 passengers. While sailing this historic and regionally significant vessel on our tidal rivers and bays, tourists, children, and local citizens will engage in a full schedule of activities - combining maritime heritage, marine ecology, history, science, mathematics, literature, social studies, and stewardship.
 

For centuries, gundalows connected up-river seacoast towns to Portsmouth, the region's seaport and primary market town. Harnessing the wind and riding the tide, gundalows moved bricks, hay, firewood, and goods crucial to the economy and everyday life. By linking our region's past with the need to protect it for the future, the Gundalow Company is uniquely positioned to inspire individuals to take responsibility and become better stewards of our maritime region. Our message is to appreciate the river systems, and to understand the need for protection and action.

During the summer the gundalow provides a unique field trip experience filled with hands-on activities for day camps and youth groups. Come on board the Captain Adams at Prescott Park in Portsmouth and then visit a working shipyard at Strawbery Banke - where a new gundalow is now being built.  We'll work with you to arrange a fun program filled with setting the sail, hauling lines, singing sea chanteys, testing water quality, tying knots, and working with old tools. Your group will be among the first to have a special look at the construction of a traditional wooden vessel. Please contact us to schedule a customized visit: 603.433.9505 or write to Barbara at bmaurer@gundalow.org