Where We Live

Since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan nearly two years ago, roughly 80,000 refugees have resettled in the country. According to the Connecticut Department of Social Services, "over 1,300 parolees, refugees, and Special Immigrant Visa Holders from Afghanistan have resettled in Connecticut since 2021."

The New Haven-based non-profit, Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, or IRIS, recently opened a satellite office in Hartford to help meet the needs of the roughly 250 clients they serve in the area, many of whom recently left Afghanistan.

This hour, we hear from two people making the Hartford area a new home. Plus, IRIS' soon-to-depart executive director Chris George joins us in-studio.

For many refugees and immigrants, food is a love language that carries memory and tradition, while connecting people and building community. Chefs with Afghan roots at Sanctuary Kitchen, a New Haven-based non-profit, describe the power of food.

GUESTS:

• Asadullah Jalal: West Hartford Resident
• Hamid Hemat: Fellow Curator, Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
• Chris George: Executive Director, Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS)
• Susan Schnitzer, President and CEO of Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants (CIRI)
• Caroline Sennett: Director, CIRI's Immigration Legal Services Program
• Naseema Gilson: Program Director, Sanctuary Kitchen
• Homa Assadi: Chef, Sanctuary Kitchen

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For some, gardening can act as a love letter to our family history. The act of cultivating the same plants and herbs that your grandmother, or great grandmother might have grown, can keep us connected to our roots. It can also serve as a reminder of what people needed to do in order to survive - through history and the present. The act of gardening goes beyond working with the soil in our own backyards.

Today, we hear from Phou Vongkhamdy. He is the Rhode Island State Conservationist and he is also a refugee from Laos. He was raised on a family farm growing rice, tobacco, silkworms, sugar cane, and vegetables.

And later, we listen back to a Connecticut Museum of Culture and History conversation with gardeners in the AAPI community; a conversation called “Heritage Roots.” Each panelist spoke about what it means to be able to grow plants and seeds from their culture, and learn how they're using their gardens to stay connected to their heritage.

GUESTS:

• Phou Vongkhamdy: Rhode Island State Conservationist
• Vicheth Im: organic farmer and homesteader in Preston,
• Mao Yang: member of Hmong Foundation of Connecticut
• May Choua Yang: member of Hmong Foundation of Connecticut
• Christine Kim: co-founder of aapiNHV
• Hien Nguyen: member of APAC Asian Pacific American Coalition of Connecticut

Where We Live is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Cat Pastor contributed to this show which originally aired July 7, 2023.

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Wine country is often associated with California valleys, like Napa or Sonoma. There’s also a lesser-known wine country in Connecticut, made up of some 45 licensed farm wineries. This hour, we explore the flavors of New England with food journalist Leeanne Griffin, and wine expert and writer Anne Feiring.

Plus, we hear from local vineyards, and discuss the role of "agritourism" in Connecticut. We preview the state's Passport to Wine Country program, spotlighting the 30-plus wineries in the state using at least one-quarter Connecticut-grown fruits in their product.

GUESTS:

• Anne Feiring: Journalist and Writer; Author, The Feiring Line
• Leeanne Griffin: Food and Consumer Reporter, Hearst Connecticut
• Ryan Winiarski: Owner, Priam Vineyards
• Patty Rowan: Winery Manager, Hopkins Vineyard
• Bryan Hurlburt: Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Agriculture

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Jellyfish or simply “jellies” have been around for more than 500 million years. That means, jellies were here before dinosaurs! This resilient species has a simple, but astounding makeup. Jellies don’t have a brain or a heart. They have a single cavity for eating and expelling waste.

This hour, we learn about the jellies off Long Island Sound and how climate change affects their population. Have you seen any jellies on the coast of Connecticut?

Their population is growing, creating consequences for our ecosystem here at home. With only a handful of species that prey on them, jelly blooms can be a real problem—impacting species around Long Island Sound, including the seafood industry.

We’ll also talk about what to do if you come across one of these ethereal creatures and are stung. A spoiler alert for our listeners: don't do what you saw on Friends!

What questions do you have about the jellies off our coastline?

GUESTS:

• David Cochran: Director of Fish and Invertebrates, Mystic Aquarium
• Rachel Stein: Associate Director of Animal Husbandry, Maritime Aquarium 
• Sarah Battistini: Water Safety Coordinator at the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Dive into all of the nautical themed stories airing this week on Connecticut Public's original talk shows by visiting ctpublic.org/nautiweek.

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Sturgeon have existed for millions of years. These prehistoric fish, often described as "hardy" and "charismatic," are largely endangered. Atlantic sturgeon were thought to have disappeared from the Connecticut River.

In 2014, local researchers with the state discovered a hatchling Atlantic sturgeon up-river, marking the first time they'd seen this species alongside its river-faring cousin, short-nosed sturgeon. This hour, Jacque Benway and Tom Savoy join us to discuss their sturgeon-focused research.

Plus, the Maritime Aquarium recently opened a "touch tank" where the public can interact with Atlantic and lake sturgeon.

GUESTS:

• Jacque Benway: Biologist, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Fisheries Division
• Tom Savoy: Sturgeon Monitoring Program, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
• Tom Naiman: Vice President of Education, Maritime Aquarium

Dive into all of the nautical-themed stories airing this week on Connecticut Public's original talk shows by visiting ctpublic.org/nautiweek.

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Diamondback terrapins, a species of small turtle along the coastline and marsh of Long Island Sound were once near extinction, but they’ve made a great comeback in our state.

This special species was once hunted to make turtle soup, to the point that there were no terrapins left in Sound. Now that hunting the terrapins has become illegal, they have started to return.

This tenacious little guy is the only turtle that lives in brackish waters - a mix of fresh and saltwater. And we are right in the middle of their migratory season. This is the time when they are especially vulnerable to being run over when they cross the road.

Preserving their population is no easy task. Nature centers around our state are looking for volunteers and citizen scientists to help track the local terrapin population in our state.

Have you seen a terrapin where you live?

GUESTS:

• Jenny Hall: senior aquarist at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk
• Tim Abbott: Manager of High School and Adult Science Education at Soundwaters in Stamford, Connecticut
• Mike Ravesi: Wildlife Biologist and Herpetologist at the Connecticut Department of Environmental and Energy Protection

Dive into all of the nautical themed stories airing this week on Connecticut Public's original talk shows by visiting ctpublic.org/nautiweek.

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Just off the coast, in Long Island Sound and Narragansett Bay, northern star coral flourishes. Scientists where we live hope this could be good news for its tropical relatives, increasingly threatened by warming waters.

Clusters of this native coral, also known as Astrangia poculata, are being studied for their ability to survive winter through dormancy and thrive through what might be considered bleaching in more tropical regions. Researchers along the coast of New England formed the Temperate Coral Research Group to focus on this species and the insights it may offer on climate resilience. This hour, we hear from them.

Plus, Long Island Soundkeeper Bill Lucey helps us kick off NautiWeek at Connecticut Public, offering the latest on warming in the Sound, his priorities and concerns.

GUESTS:

• Bill Lucey: Long Island Soundkeeper, Save the Sound
• Sean Grace: Marine Ecologist; Professor of Biology, Southern Connecticut State University; Co-Director, Werth Center for Coastal and Marine Studies
• Koty Sharp: Associate Professor of Biology, Marine Biology & Environmental Science at Roger Williams University
• Amy Apprill: Associate Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Dive into all of the nautical-themed stories airing this week on Connecticut Public's original talk shows by visiting ctpublic.org/nautiweek.

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In 1999 the Columbine shooting shook the country and made everyone aware of the threat of gun violence in schools. As a result, schools made the effort to implement lockdown procedures as a way to keep students and staff safe.

But with the rates of shootings only continuing to rise, these threats of mass shootings are feeling too real and the lockdowns that were meant to keep students safe, are instead inflicting trauma.

So what is going on in these lockdowns that are causing negative impacts and a decline in mental health?

Today we look at what is happening inside the school walls during these lockdowns and what it is doing to our students. A common solution that many schools have turned to is School Resource Officers or SROs.

What do you think should be done to protect our schools while minimizing trauma?

• Mo Canady: Executive Director of National Association of School Resource Officers
• Kate Dias: President of Connecticut Education Association and High School Math teacher in Manchester School District
• David J Schonfeld: Director, National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles

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Endometriosis is one of the most common diseases affecting those with uteruses. Despite its prevalence, proper diagnosis can take up to ten years, leaving many suffering without support or treatment.

State Representative Jillian Gilchrest recently launched a legislative working group to advocate for better research and education policies across Connecticut. Arleigh Cole is a local public educator, and a member of the endometriosis working group.

Plus, we hear from Shannon Cohn, a filmmaker and public advocate for endometriosis awareness. She discusses her new documentary Below the Belt, and her efforts to educate medical and school professionals about the condition through her organization Endo What?

GUESTS:

• Jillian Gilchrest: Connecticut State Representative; Co-Chair, Connecticut Reproductive Rights Caucus; Chair, Endometriosis Working Group
• Arleigh Cole: Endometriosis Public Educator, via her Instagram @Missendostood
• Halley Terrell: Licensed Clinical Social Worker; Life Coach
• Shannon Cohn: Director, Below the Belt and Endo What?

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Author and teacher Chasten Buttigieg joins us to discuss his book. He is the husband of 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg in 2018. His book, I Have to Tell You Something, was originally published in 2020 and has since been rewritten and republished as I Have to Tell You Something - For Young Adults. He joins us for a conversation over Zoom to talk about his book and his message to LGBTQ youth.

Plus, Tess Terrible guest-hosts a conversation with Willie Mae Brown, the author of a new book My Selma: True Stories of a Southern Childhood at the Height of the Civil Rights Movement. The book, written for young adults, reflects on her time growing up in Alabama and how the civil rights era shaped her coming of age. She shares her message for the next generation of activists.

GUEST:

• Chasten Buttigieg: Author of I Have to Tell You Something, teacher, and advocate
• Willie Mae Brown: author and visual artist. She recently published her first book, My Selma: True Stories of a Southern Childhood at the Height of the Civil Rights Movement.

Cat Pastor contributed to this conversation which originally aired February 2 and June 16.

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