Taos Land Trust

What is solutions-oriented environmental journalism and how do journalists make complex science accessible to the public? Host Jim O'Donnell talks with Todd Reubold publisher and co-founder of Ensia Media about journalism, climate change, story-telling and COVID19. This episode was recorded at the studios of Taos Sound and Media in Taos, New Mexico on April 1, 2020. Produced by Jim O'Donnell. Recorded and edited by Brett Tomadin of Taos Sound and Media (www.taossound.com/)

Links in this episode:

https://ensia.com/

https://www.solutionsjournalism.org/

Please support this podcast with a small donation:

http://taoslandtrust.org/donate-form/

Jonathan P. Thompson is the author of RIVER OF LOST SOULS which the gripping story behind the 2015 Gold King Mine disaster that turned the Animas River in southwestern Colorado orange with sludge and toxic metals for over 100 miles downstream, wreaking havoc on cities, farms, and the Navajo Nation along the way. Host Jim O'Donnell talks with Thompson about the tragic legacy of gold mining in the American West and how the oil and gas industry is repeating this same pattern of exploitation and pollution. This episode was recorded at the studios of KNCE 93.5FM in Taos New Mexico on March 5, 2020. Produced by Jim O'Donnell. Edited by Brett Tomadin of Taos Sound and Media (www.taossound.com/)

Links in this episode:

https://riveroflostsouls.com/river-of-lost-souls/

https://riveroflostsouls.com/about/

https://www.hcn.org/

https://twitter.com/jonnypeace

https://www.aroundtheworldineightyyears.com/polluting-the-river/

Please support this podcast with a small donation:

http://taoslandtrust.org/donate-form/

What are our nation's bedrock environmental laws? How do the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act and others work and how effective are they? Host Jim O'Donnell speaks with John Horning, Executive Director of Wild Earth Guardians. Recorded at the studios of KNCE 93.5FM True Taos Radio on February 20, 2020. Produced by Jim O'Donnell. Edited by Brett Tomadin of Taos Sound and Media (www.taossound.com/).

Links in this episode:

https://wildearthguardians.org/

https://wildearthguardians.org/wildlife-conservation/endangered-species-act-defense/

https://westernlaw.org/

https://www.nmwild.org/

Please support this podcast with a small donation:

www.taoslandtrust.org/donate-form/

What is an urban forest? Forests are dynamic ecosystems providing critical benefits to people and wildlife. Forests within towns and cities are called urban forests. These systems help filter air and water, they control storm water, protect infrastructure, conserve energy, increase economic activity and provide animal habitat and shade. They also add beauty, form, and structure to urban design and they are vital for climate change adaptation. The Taos Tree Board is working to increase and improve the urban forest in this northern New Mexico town. Host Jim O'Donnell speaks with arborist Paul Bryan Jones of the Taos Tree Board about urban forests. Recorded at the studios of KNCE 93.5FM True Taos Radio on February 6, 2020. Produced by Jim O'Donnell. Edited by Brett Tomadin of Taos Sound and Media (www.taossound.com/). PLANT A TREE!

Links in this episode:

https://www.taosgov.com/450/Town-of-Taos-Tree-Board

https://www.facebook.com/taostreeboard/

https://www.taosnews.com/stories/tree-board-meets-to-consider-draft-community-tree-care-plan,55110

Please support this podcast with a small donation:

www.taoslandtrust.org/donate-form/

The age of big dams is over. Communities throughout the country are looking for new ways to slow down, clean and store water. How does nature take on these needs? This podcast from the Rio Fernando Collaborative speaker series looks at nature-based ways to hold and clean water and how to take care of our rivers. Jim O’Donnell speaks with Dr. Malia Volke of the Washington Department of Natural Resources (formerly of the New Mexico Department). This episode was recorded at the studios of KNCE 95.3FM True Taos Radio on January 23, 2020. Produced by Jim O’Donnell. Edited by Brett Tomadin of Taos Sound and Media (www.taossound.com).

What is a noxious weed? What is an invasive species? What kind of impacts do they have on the health of our ecosystems? How and when do we best manage them? This podcast from the Rio Fernando Collaborative speaker series looks at noxious and invasive species, what they are and how to deal with them. Jim O’Donnell speaks with Jim Wanstall of the New Mexico Department of Agriculture and Kineo Memmer of the Taos Land Trust. This episode was recorded at the studios of KNCE 95.3FM True Taos Radio on January 9, 2020. Produced by Jim O’Donnell. Edited by Brett Tomadin of Taos Sound and Media (www.taossounds.com).

A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust or government agency that permanently limits uses of the land in order to protect its conservation values. Landowners retain many of their rights, including the right to own and use the land, sell it and pass it on to their heirs. Helping landowners decide if a conservation easement is right for them and then helping them through that process is the core mission of the Taos Land Trust. What is a conservation easement? is it right for you? Host Jim O'Donnell spoke with TLT Executive director Kristina Ortez and Stewardship Coordinator Maya Anthony on the ins and outs of conservation easements. Recorded at the studios of KNCE 93.5FM True Taos Radio on December 12, 2019. Produced by Jim O'Donnell. Edited by Brett Tomadin of Taos Sound and Media (https://www.taossound.com/).

Taos Land Trust is home base to an innovative and experimental project to reconnect traditional farming families to their lands and their farming heritage. How can conservation easements, tax breaks, planning and zoning work together to keep farm lands from development while at the same time giving those lands economic, community and conservation values? How can this help a rural community achieve climate resilience? Jim O'Donnell talks with Taos Land Trust's Chyna Dixon about the Working Lands project. This podcast was recorded at the studios of KNCE 93.5FM True Taos Radio in Taos, New Mexico on November 14, 2019. Produced by Jim O'Donnell. Edited by Brett Tomadin of Taos Sound and Music (https://www.taossound.com/).

The Taos Land Trust has been monitoring the bat population at Rio Fernando Park in Taos, New Mexico for over a year. How do we do it? Bat expert Mike Balistreri explains the scientific process of monitoring bats, the status of bat populations in northern New Mexico and dives into the importance of bats for our ecosystems. Recorded at the studios of 93.5FM True Taos Radio on October 3, 2019. Produced by Jim O'Donnell. Edited by Brett Tomadin of Taos Sound and Media.

New Mexico has a very rough history. Violence, colonialism, racism and displacement all contribute in no small way to the poverty, low-educational attainment and other problems facing the state. This history often makes it difficult for people to talk to each even over shared goals such as natural resource protection. The Taos Healing and Reconciliation Project is a 4-year pilot project which aims to heal racial divides in Taos, New Mexico building upon the strong cultural heritage by offering traditional Indigenous healing and reconciliation techniques through Community Health Fairs and gatherings. Recorded at the studios of 93.5FM True Taos Radio on September 5, 2019. Produced by Jim O'Donnell. Edited by Brett Tomadin of Taos Sound and Media.