Trees help give us clean air to breathe, keep us cool, and can even benefit our mental health. But not everyone has equal access to trees. In this week's episode, Casey and Sara discuss the benefits (and challenges) of urban trees and take a look at the factors involved in tree disparity across different neighborhoods.

Resources for this episode:

The Inequitable Distribution of Urban Trees

Tree Equity Score National Explorer

Public Health Benefits of Urban Trees

Urban Trees and Human Health: A Scoping Review

Green gentrification in European and North American cities | Nature Communications

Ten-Year Urban Forestry Action Plan: 2016 -2026

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Historic Funding to Expand Access to Trees and Green Spaces in Disadvantaged Urban Communities | USDA.

50 years after being outlawed, redlining still drives neighborhood health inequities.

Urban and Community Forestry Grants - 2023 Grant Awards | US Forest Service

With the total solar eclipse visible over parts of North America in just a few days, Casey and Sara discuss what we know about animal behavior during eclipse events. Listen to find out:

• What are Baily's Beads and why does Sara like them so much?
• How would Casey's pets respond to a total solar eclipse?
• Why should we care about how animals act during an eclipse?

If you are in the path of the eclipse, whether total or partial, you can join North Carolina State University's Solar Eclipse Safari project or take a look at NASA's Eclipse Soundscapes project.

And if you are viewing the eclipse, remember to do so safely! Never look directly at the sun! Total Solar Eclipse Safety - NASA

Resources for this episode:

Researchers to observe how total solar eclipse affects animal behavior | PBS NewsHour

NASA Eclipse Science

2024 Total Solar Eclipse - NASA

Total Eclipse of the Zoo: Animal Behavior during a Total Solar Eclipse - PMC

Unlocking the mysteries of animal behavior during cosmic events: IU News

Surprising Ways Animals React to Solar Eclipses - National Geographic

How Do Animals Respond to a Total Solar Eclipse? | Scientific American

Animals act weirdly during an eclipse. Help NASA find out why | CNN

Join Casey and Sara for a discussion on the North Atlantic right whale. Learn where you can find these amazing animals, why they're called "right" whales, and what we can do to help save this incredibly endangered species.

Resources for this episode:

Reducing Vessel Strikes to North Atlantic Right Whales | NOAA Fisheries

North Atlantic Right Whale | NOAA Fisheries

We know how to save the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Why aren’t we? - Vox

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

Female North Atlantic right whales growing smaller, leading to fewer births

Scientists release annual population estimate for critically endangered North Atlantic right whale amid ongoing threats - New England Aquarium

North Atlantic Right Whale Calving Season 2024 | NOAA Fisheries

Maine fishing rope found in dead North Atlantic right whale | National Fisherman