Tag: #rivers-watersheds — 21 segments on Living on Earth
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March 13, 2026:
The Frozen Creek
Living on Earth’s Don Lyman has been finding reptiles and amphibians since boyhood. This long winter took him back to a childhood memory of finding a bull frog swimming under the ice in what he calls “The Frozen Creek.”
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March 13, 2026:
PFAS Still at Pittsburgh Airport
Foams containing PFAS or “forever chemicals” are excellent at suppressing fires involving jet fuel and other oil products, but they leave behind a toxic legacy. And they have long been used for firefighting drills, including at a training facility based at Pittsburgh International Airport. Although the facility now uses PFAS-free firefighting foam, the Allegheny Front’s Reid Frazier reports that sampling is still showing high levels of PFAS being discharged into nearby streams.
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November 07, 2025:
Hurricane Melissa Recovery Effort
As one of the strongest hurricanes ever documented in the Atlantic, Hurricane Melissa brought catastrophic damage to Jamaica and Cuba, and an extensive relief and recovery effort is now underway. Marianna Kuttothara is Head of Health, Disaster, Climate and Crisis for the Americas at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and joins Host Jenni Doering to talk about the aid efforts, long road to recovery, and importance of building back better.
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October 17, 2025:
Chicago River Restored to Health
On September 21st, hundreds of people leapt into the Chicago River for the first public swimming event since 1927. Friends of the Chicago River Executive Director Margaret Frisbie joined Living on Earth’s Aynsley O’Neill to discuss how major projects including green infrastructure have helped clean up the river for both people and wildlife to enjoy.
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August 01, 2025:
Slippery Beast: A True Crime Natural History, with Eels
Eels play an important ecological role in many rivers and streams, but they’re so eel-usive that even eel scientists have been challenged to observe them mating in the wild. Ellen Ruppel Shell is author of the 2024 book Slippery Beast: A True Crime Natural History, with Eels, and she sheds light on the eel’s murky ecology and path through the seafood industry.
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June 06, 2025:
Keeping the Vjosa River Wild
The small Balkan nation of Albania already produces 99% of its electricity from hydropower and has plans to become a major exporter of hydro, threatening some of the last free-flowing rivers in Europe including the Vjosa. The 2025 Goldman Environmental Prize winners for Europe were able to stop a dam on the Vjosa River and convince the government to designate Vjosa Wild River National Park. Co-recipient Besjana Guri joins Host Jenni Doering to share how they achieved this victory.
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April 11, 2025:
Listening on Earth
At Living on Earth we encourage listeners to share glimpses of their world through audio recording. We feature a collage of different audio recordings from across the country.
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December 13, 2024:
Sacred Indian River Polluted
India’s Yamuna River is considered sacred by some devout Hindus, who bathe in the river to cleanse their sins. But around New Delhi it has become polluted with raw sewage and a thick off-white foam linked to laundry detergents. Susmita Sengupta of the Centre for Science and Environment joins Host Jenni Doering to talk about the causes and possible solutions to this ongoing river pollution crisis.
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October 25, 2024:
'Ecocide' of Ukrainian River
An explosion that spilled chemical waste into a river near the Russia-Ukraine border this August led to an ecological disaster with mass fish die-offs. Kyiv blames the Kremlin for a deliberate act of ‘ecocide’ amid the war that started with Russia’s 2022 invasion. Ukrainian journalist Artem Mazhulin reports for the Guardian and joins Host Jenni Doering to describe the impacts of the spill and the toll the war is taking on his country.
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August 16, 2024:
Replanting The Klamath River
Four dams are being torn down on the Klamath River, revealing land that’s been submerged for decades. Juliet Grable of Jefferson Public Radio reports that local tribes and partners are working to replant the area with native species.
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July 26, 2024:
Water! Falls!
Living on Earth’s Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender muses on what waterfalls and volcanoes have in common, in transforming their elements of water and rock into something new.
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May 17, 2024:
From the History Books
Living on Earth contributor Peter Dykstra joins Host Aynsley O’Neill for a trip back in time to the creation of the Adirondack Forest Preserve, as well to Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s signing of the Tennessee Valley Authority Act.
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April 05, 2024:
Replanting The Klamath River
Four dams are being torn down on the Klamath River, revealing land that’s been submerged for decades. Juliet Grable of Jefferson Public Radio reports that local tribes and partners are working to replant the area with native species.
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October 06, 2023:
Salt Water in the Mississippi
Amid widespread drought, salty water from the Gulf of Mexico is slowly seeping up the Mississippi River towards New Orleans, Louisiana. Halle Parker of public radio station WWNO explains the situation, how it's linked to climate change and possible solutions to Host Jenni Doering.
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September 29, 2023:
Listening on Earth: Eno River in North Carolina
The Eno River gives life to great blue herons, Eastern box turtles, and yellow trout lilies as it flows through Durham, North Carolina. Living on Earth’s Fern Alling recorded this audio in Eno River State Park.
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July 28, 2023:
Slip-Sliding Away
River otters tend to avoid human contact, but Living on Earth’s Explorer-in-Residence Mark Seth Lender shares a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with the elusive creatures.
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June 02, 2023:
Less Water for the Dry West
The states that rely on the Colorado River for water are facing a supply crisis as climate change reduces the river’s flow. Now, after months of tense debates and delay, California, Arizona, and Nevada have finally agreed to substantially reduce their Colorado River water use, at least for now. KUNC reporter Luke Runyon joins Host Jenni Doering to explain the deal and the federal help these states will receive to ease some of the economic pain of cutting water use.
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May 26, 2023:
Less Water for the Dry West
The states that rely on the Colorado River for water are facing a supply crisis as climate change reduces the river’s flow. Now, after months of tense debates and delay, California, Arizona, and Nevada have finally agreed to substantially reduce their Colorado River water use, at least for now. KUNC reporter Luke Runyon joins Host Jenni Doering to explain the deal and the federal help these states will receive to ease some of the economic pain of cutting water use.
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April 14, 2023:
Beyond the Headlines
This week, Living on Earth contributor Peter Dykstra joins Host Aynsley O’Neill to share the rewilding of a river in the Florida Everglades. Plus, a study finds that the warming climate is creating better conditions for home runs in baseball. And in history, they mark the birthday of Aaron Burr, well known for his deadly duel with Alexander Hamilton. He also launched the first New York City water utility.
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April 14, 2023:
Replanting The Klamath River
Four dams are being torn down on the Klamath River, revealing land that’s been submerged for decades. Juliet Grable of Jefferson Public Radio reports that local tribes and partners are working to replant the area with native species.
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March 03, 2023:
Beyond the Headlines
In this week’s trip beyond the headlines, contributor Peter Dykstra and Host Jenni Doering discuss the impressive clean energy achievement of a small town in France. Next, they consider a study about growing threats to narwhals from shrinking Arctic sea ice before going back in history for a look at the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899.
