There are over 1,200 species on the Endangered Species List. In Wisconsin, the Gray wolf gets a lot of publicity, having been listed and then delisted quite a few times in recent years. But the tiny and delicate Karner Blue butterfly has been listed since 1992. The species have all but disappeared in New England, […]
Aldo Leopold’s Legacy and his Relevance Today
Throughout the last several months, UW-Madison’s Continuing Studies program has featured seminars and courses highlighting Aldo Leopold and his contributions to conservation. So, in this Earth Day edition of the Perpetual Notion Machine, we explore Aldo Leopold’s legacy, but also whether he’s still relevant in today’s society. Joining us are two scholars who know all […]
Ecology Under Lake Ice
Producer Will Cushman talks with Steve Powers, one of the authors of a new study published in the journal Ecology Letters about life under winter ice in many of the world’s freshwater lake ecosystems. Powers is a postdoctoral researcher at Washington State University. He received his PhD in limnology and marine science from UW-Madison. They […]
Paul Kingsnorth’s Dark Mountain Project
Earlier this year, the Monday Eight O’Clock Buzz discussed the Ecomodernist Manifesto. The Ecomodernists believe that human technology, and nuclear power in particular, will enable humanity to divorce itself from nature, allowing us to live at high levels of consumption while reducing our ecological footprint. Today, we hear from as diametrically opposed a view as […]
Yahara 2070: Visions of our Environmental Future
One of the greatest challenges posed to climate researchers and environmental advocates is how to communicate the effect humans have on the land in a way that hits home. An interdisciplinary group of scientists, artists, and writers have approached the task with their own brand of hyperlocal, speculative storytelling. Yahara 2070, an initiative from the […]
An Ecological Forecast
Stream ecologist Mike Miller will talk to us about “phenology” — or the study of what’s happening now, out there, in the environment.