WFHB Bloomington Community Radio
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Hello and welcome to Eco Report. In today’s feature report, WFHB Assistant News Director Noelle Herhusky-Schneider reports on National Moth Week, a citizen science project to study and record populations of moths.
And here’s your environmental reports:
- There is a Kissing bugs warning from CDC. Native insects aren’t always adorable bumblebees or beautiful butterflies. The triatomine insect, or “kissing bug,” is native to Indiana but it’s been making recent news as a danger. The CDC has issued a warning about the recent cases of Chagas disease—a parasitic infection that, while not immediately dangerous, can be deadly if untreated.
- Environmental leaders from across the Great Lakes region gathered in Toledo this week for a groundbreaking summit focused on restoring the most polluted areas in the Great Lakes system. The “Areas of Concern Cross-Agency Partnership Summit” brought together federal, state, and local officials to coordinate restoration efforts. These “areas of concern” are locations that have experienced significant environmental degradation. The summit took place in the Maumee area, Ohio’s largest area of concern which has seen significant investment aimed at transformation.
- The timing of this summit highlights major restoration progress happening across the region. Following a successful cleanup, the EPA removed New York’s Rochester Embayment from the list of most polluted Great Lakes areas, Since the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative began in 2010, the restoration program has already delisted 7 “areas of concern” and enhanced, protected, and restored nearly 530,000 acres of habitat, 13% of which are coastal wetlands.
- Feeling the Heat? These fossil fuel giants are to blame, new study says. Climate change increased the probability and intensity of more than 200 heat waves across the globe over the last two decades, according to a newly published study.
- New Map Shows $29 Billion in Climate and Environment Grants Canceled or Frozen by Trump
- Regarded as the culmination of decades of organizing for environmental justice, the Biden Administration’s sweeping community grant programs were quickly terminated by President Trump.
Human-Caused Warming Tripled the Death Toll of European Heat Waves This Summer, New Report Shows - Public health researchers struggle to track the accelerating pace of global warming impact.
- The folks from Campbell’s soup company are in hot water after officials admit that they’ve been dumping water in the Maumee River for over 6 years, violating the Clean Water Act thousands of times. This isn’t just about soup production gone wrong—it’s about contaminated water that affects everyone downstream. The factory dumps its waste into the Maumee River, which flows directly into Lake Erie. Phosphorus from the wastewater feeds toxic algae blooms that can harm swimmers and contaminate drinking water with dangerous cyanobacteria—something residents of Monroe County and visitors to Lake Monroe are all too familiar with.
- The actor and influential environmentalist, Robert Redford, has passed away. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, Redford spent over fifty years advocating for public lands and protected waters in the West, protecting wildlife, pursuing environmental justice for Indigenous communities, and climate action. Redford was one of the early voices speaking out about climate change and the choices developers, communities, and governments can make in safeguarding the planet for future generations. Redford, a longtime resident of Utah, was 89.
Feature Report:
Up next, we have a feature on National Moth Week, where we learn more about the annual Citizen Science Initiative to document moths.
And now for some upcoming events:
- An Exploring Mindfullness In The Garden workshop is scheduled for Saturday, September 20th, from 9 to 10:30 am at the Willie Streeter Community Gardens. Learn about mindfulness and how to deepen your gardening experience. Sign up at bloomington.IN.gov/parks.
- Take a Fall Equinox Hike at Spring Mill State Park on Sunday, September 21st, beginning at 10 am. Hike around Spring Mill Lake and enjoy the colorful trees and wild flowers. Meet at the Lakeview Activity Center.
Credits:
Last minute Spring Fund Drive pitch
This week’s headlines were written by Carrie Albright and Norm Holy.
Today’s news feature was produced by Noelle Herhusky-Schneider.
Julianna Dailey assembled the script which was edited by the EcoReport team and compiled our events calender.
Rich Benak is our engineer.
