The pandemic has shone a light on how much we rely on our ability to connect to one another online when we are unable to connect in-person. And, as with many other areas of our infrastructure, it exposed where our communities fall short at connecting the public to businesses, schools, and services across the digital divide. 

Where does Minnesota stand when it comes to providing accessible high speed internet service state-wide? Guests: Diane Wells, Office of Broadband Development 

Show Notes:

Minnesota Office of Broadband Development

A look at Minnesota's digital divide during a pandemic

Minnesota lawmakers agree to spend $70 million on improving broadband access across the state

Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Minnesota Population Trends

Infrastructure Bill Passed by Senate Includes Historic, Bipartisan Broadband Provisions

Episode Manager: Bruce Anderson Become a Patron of our show! Produced by Riverside Productions LLC

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Featured Songs: Divine Wire - Martin Klem

Digital Dreams - Nylonia

Digital Jungle - Lucention

On hot days, it’s not unusual to find folks in the Eastern half of Central Minnesota taking refuge beneath the cooling canopy of our largely maple and oak deciduous forests. We hike the winding trails, enjoy the shaded swimming holes, and camp within the shelter of these forests. The state parks and trails have been crowded this summer, in spite of the unusually hot June, because the people of Minnesota love the outdoors.  And while the state Legislature finally agreed on a deal that will not force the closure of State Parks this July, as we step into the middle of our Minnesota summer, we find ourselves along with roughly half the nation in a worsening state of drought. Prairie grasses and lawns have been bleached pale. Fallen forest debris stands dry like a bed of kindling among struggling trees. The State has already lost 35,000 acres to a higher than average number of fires this year, and is bracing for more.  What do these prolonged periods of severe drought mean for the future of our forests, and what can we do to take an active part in their preservation? Guest: Dr. Lee Frelich, Director of The University of Minnesota Center for Forest Ecology Show Notes: US Drought Monitor 

In fast-warming Minnesota, scientists are trying to plant the forests of the future

Carbon cycle of forests

Nature Conservancy in Minnesota 

Using plants to control buckthorn

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Featured Songs: Fever Trees - Martin Clem Oak Trees - Likeminds

Season 1 is done! This is the first rebroadcast of our holiday season break. Thought this episode in particular would be useful right now... -----

As the 2021 holiday season approaches, many of us are looking forward to seeing our beloved family and friends gather around the table together once again after a long time apart. Many  of us are also dreading the possibility of having hard conversations at these gatherings. How can we prepare to have hard conversations with people we genuinely care about? Guests: Communication and Theater Association of Minnesota Conference panelists:

Wendy Bjorklund, St. Cloud State University

Pam Secklin, St. Cloud State University

Jennifer Senchea, St. Cloud State University

Suzanne Stangl-Erkens, St. Cloud State University

Scott Wells, St. Cloud State University

Show Notes: Book: Talking across the divide: How to Communicate with People You Disagree with and Maybe Even Change the World  

Bridge Alliance

More in Common

Common Ground Committee

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Featured Songs: I'm Still Listening - Justnormal

Meet You There - Eric Feinberg

There has been a lot of news lately about the presence of microplastics in everything from our food and water to our bodies. How did this even happen? Guests: Mary Kosuth, Research Assistant and PhD student at the U of M School of Public Health Episode sponsor: Susie Osaki Holm - thank you for your generous support! Show Notes: 

Mary Kosuth’s paper: Anthropogenic contamination of tap water, beer, and sea salt Microplastics: What are they and why should we care?  

The World’s Plastic Pollution Crisis, Explained

Waste Land - an episode of Planet Money

​​Plastic Pollution is Killing Sea Turtles

Your Laundry Sheds Harmful Microfibers. Here’s What You Can Do About It

What Companies Are Behind the Global Surge in Single-Use Plastic

Loop’s Revolutionary Reusable Packaging System - Coming to Some Big Stores

Bottle Bill States and How They Work

Oregon Bottle Deposit ($ .10) and Bottle Drop Redemption Centers

Oregon Governor Signs Country’s Second EPR Law For Packaging 

The Race to Develop Plastic-Eating Bacteria

Episode Managers: Susie Osaki Holm and Bruce Anderson Become a Patron of our show! Produced by Riverside Productions LLC

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Featured Songs: Hollow Inside - Daxten

Ocean Flow - West & Zander

This year’s United Nations Climate Conference, COP 26, will - for the first time - center the impact of climate change on human health. From the very urgent severe weather crisis that has seen an uptick in storms and wildfires to the more long-term effects of climate impacts on our food systems, there is a lot to discuss.

Today, however, we want to know: How is climate change affecting the health of our youth here in Central Minnesota? Guest: Cathy Kulus, MD, FAAP, Pediatrician and Medical Director of Pediatric Hospital Medicine Program at the St. Cloud Hospital Show Notes:

TedxStCloud Presentation by Kathy Kulus, MD and John Mahowald, MD., Oct. 30, 2020

How climate change impacts health

Young People Are Anxious About Climate Change And Say Governments Are Failing Them 

Climate Changes Children’s Health

Climate change and child health: a scoping review and an expanded conceptual framework

Episode Managers: Eve and Gary Wallinga Become a Patron of our show! Produced by Riverside Productions LLC

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Featured Songs: I Need Nature - Alex Ora Playground Fun - Alex Ora

Over the past several months we’ve covered a variety of environmental and agriculture topics, from water quality to soil health to forest sustainability.

Today, I’m interviewing a guest who takes these threads and weaves them together in the story of the practice of silvopasture. Guest: Tyler Carlson, Owner and operator of Early Boots Farm, and Silvopasture and Agro-Forestry lead for the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota. Show Notes: Early Boots Farm  

Silvopasture Learning Network 

Sustainable Farming Association’sAgroforestry page 

The Savanna Institute - Non-profit working on silvopasture in the Upper Midwest based in  Madison, Wisconsin.  

Soil Health Case Studies - Silvopasture  

Grassland 2.0 Scholarly articles recommended by Tyler: A reconceptualization of open oak and pine ecosystems of eastern North America using a forest structure spectrum

Recognizing loss of open forest ecosystems by tree densification and land use intensification in the Midwestern USA

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Featured Songs: In the Grass - Jon Algar

Birds and Trees - Eric Feinberg

Stewardship is defined as the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care.

We are in the midst of a series on environmental topics. As the United Nations Global Climate Conference is nearing, we thought it was important to emphasize the issues that will be discussed there, and relate them back to our own lakes, streams, forests, and pastures.

How do we, in our small corner of the world, ensure that we are being good stewards of the land Guests: Laura Schreiber, Land Stewardship Project Policy Organizer, soil health Show Notes: Land Stewardship Project

2021 Legislative Session Wrap-Up: Good News for Soil Health, Local Foods, Emerging  Farmers — Bad News for Healthcare

Land Stewardship Project - Five Year Plan (2019- 2024…A Vision for the Future)

The Board of Water and Soil Resources survey - 

Implementing BWSR Climate Change Initiatives: Healthy Soils, Cover Crops and Water Storage and Treatment >>>Accepting responses through November 12th, 2021