It's the end of April already! Tune in this week as the Terra Informa team rounds up environmental news headlines from the past month. In this episode, we cover Ottawa's constitutional carbon tax, the concerns of Parkland County residents' concerns over a church development near a local lake, an update on grizzly bear populations in Alberta, tensions over a forestry blockade in Fairy Creek BC, and a land and water defender update from northwestern BC.

Resources
Narwhal article by Matt Simmons on the Gitanyow's fight for a salmon-saving Indigenous protected area

fRI Research Grizzly Project Summary Report
fRI Research Grizzly Project Website

The Niitsítapi Water Protectors have partnered with The New Gallery in Calgary and are looking to collaborate with an artist or artists who are Indigenous to the Treaty 7 area. They are looking for a piece of visual art to be displayed on a billboard at The New Gallery in the historic Chinatown in Calgary over the summer months. 

The prompt for artists is: Water is Life. 

Applications are due by May 2nd at 11:59pm, and the work is due by May 15th.

Link to the artist application here.

Download program log here.

This week on Terra Informa we take you on an auditory journey into the swamp, where we do a little science communication about the Ghost Orchid. We were inspired by the short documentary, Chasing Ghosts, and dig into the flower, film, and scientific research about this rare and endangered plant.

Download the program log here 

Is plant parenthood a big part of your life? Have you acquired some recent plant purchases to spruce up your new virtual workplace or classroom? This week on the show, our guest is Eric Gibson, co-owner of the Little Plant Shop. We're asking, how do our houseplants and all things green make us feel? We explore the connection between our houseplants and our health, along with the effects of spending time in public green spaces and bringing nature into the design of our built environment. You'll also hear some of the Terra Informers' favourite plant stories.

Program log. 

This week, we're bringing you our annual Terra Misinforma episode!
A mysterious tape has been found in the woods, and its origins and contents remain a mystery. However, they might suggest some shocking insight into the very nature of life on planet earth.

April fools!

Download program log here.

Spring has sprung, and it's time for another news roundup episode!

This week, the Terra Informa team covers some of the environmental news you may have missed from the month of March. We start with the introduction of a new bill that aims to address the legacy of environmental racism in Nova Scotia, as well as a story on conflict between First Nations and Ducks Unlimited over water control structures in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Then, we introduce a new recurring segment that will be featured in our monthly news roundup episodes where we provide updates on land and water defenders from across Turtle Island. Lastly, we bring you a dose of good news in the coverage of a baby boom for North Atlantic Right Whales.

Links and Resources:
Braided Warriors on Instagram (@braidedwarriors)
Raven Trust Site C Dam Campaign
Niitsítapi Water Protectors
The ENRICH Project
Black Environmental Initiative

Program Log.

On the Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories, K'atl'odeeche First Nation is taking steps to create opportunities for their members to make their livelihoods through fishing. In our second episode on Indigenous-led fisheries management, we are joined by PhD student Kristine Wray. We investigate the management structures that govern the Great Slave Lake commercial fishery, and identify pathways towards the coexistence of a sustainable commercial and livelihood fishery. Our thanks to Kristine Wray for her contributions to this episode.

Download the program log.

In the management and conservation of resources, what does it mean to coexist? This week on Terra Informa we are joined by PhD student Krista Tremblett to bring you a story on Indigenous-led approaches to fisheries management in Atlantic Canada. We explore the historical precedence and Treaty commitments that guarantee Indigenous rights to fish for a moderate livelihood. And we investigate the recent conflict that erupted between non-Indigenous commercial fishers and Indigenous fishers following the self-regulated moderate livelihood fishery launched by Sipekne'katik First Nation.
 
Many thanks to our guest Krista Tremblett for contributing her knowledge to this episode. You can learn more about the Sipekne'katik moderate livelihood fishery and how you can support their ongoing efforts here.

To learn more about Indigenous fishing livelihoods in a different context, the Mi'gmaq of Listuguj, Quebec, check out the new documentary series Gespe'gewa'gi - the Last Land, directed by Chisasibi filmmaker Ernie Webb.

Program log.

In this episode, we speak with urban beekeeper David Whitaker about how he picked up this unique hobby and the benefits of bees in the City.

Learn more about beekeeping from the City of Edmonton and how to avoid the hype of bee-washing. To get your hands on some sweet, sweet, local honey email [email protected]!

Thanks to:
Sonak Patel for research + writing + hosting
Andrea Miller for music
Elizabeth Dowdell for interview + hosting + production

Program log here.

It's time for our monthly roundup of environmental news and stories.

This week, we start with an update to a story we brought you last month on coal exploration and mining in the Rocky Mountains. Next, you'll hear about a pipeline spill in Richmond, California and devastating blackouts to power grids across the United States. We'll head to Alberta's northern boreal forest and hear about the proposed expansion of Kitaskino Nuwenëné Wildland Provincial Park, and then end in Nunavut with the Nuluujaaq Land Guardians blockade of Baffinland's Mary River mine.

Many of the stories in this episode have their roots in the efforts of Indigenous land and water protectors across Turtle Island. And at Terra Informa, these are the stories that we are committed to amplifying and sharing with you. Groups like Raven Trust and Niitsítapi Water Protectors have been invaluable resources for us to learn from, and we hope you find these to be good starting points to learn more about the ongoing work of these organizers. 

Program log.

Dear Listeners,
My most sincere apologies but I could not secure the interview I needed for the new episode we had planned this week. Instead, we'll keep working on new content and invite you to listen to a deep dive on the Canadian Energy Centre, better known as the Alberta War Room. While you listen, maybe look at the news, and ask yourself what happens when an Emperor goes to war without his clothes?

Program log.