How do we fix nature after we have disrupted it? Practitioners of the science, art and disciplines of Ecological Restoration are exploring this process, on the job. James Faupel does this work.

At the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center in the suburbs of St. Louis, James tends, tracks and works to repair the vitality of ecosystems including wetlands, woodlands, prairies and Deer Creek. His tools range from computer databases to flame torches. His skills evolved through stints in construction and horticulture, hands-on learning augmented by a degree from St. Louis Community College that parallels how professionals of all kinds have grown Ecology as a significant focus. 

Earthworms host Jean Ponzi and James are colleagues in our region's circle of biodiversity advocates. This conversation follows a path of shared passions for working with nature, for nature. With emphasis on how a career trajectory like James' can benefit many more energetic, inquisitive, Earth-appreciating humans.

Litzsinger Road Ecology Center is not a public facility, rather it hosts school and adult groups for structured ecological learning programs. LREC is managed by the Missouri Botanical Garden.

THANKS to Andy Coco, Andy Heaslet and Jon Valley - Earthworms all-star engineering team.

Related Earthworms Conversations: Nature's Best Hope? Ecologist Doug Tallamy says WE are! (February 2020)
RENEWAL of Our Connection to Nature with Andres Edwards (May 2019)

Massachusettes vs. EPA. Environmental lawyer, professor and author Richard Lazarus calls this case the watershed equivalent of Brown vs. Board of Education for issues of climate change. 

The Rule of Five: Making Climate History at the Supreme Court (Belknap Press of Harvard University, 2020) is the saga of politics, law, strategy, persistence and a dash of fate through which the U.S. Supreme Court defined CO2 as an air pollutant, changing the course of this country's regulatory climate. From the marginal enviro organization lawyer who crafted the petition, to the Bush era's "kneecapping" of climate policy, to the state attorney who defied all criticism to make his case, to the senior Justice whose opinion took a stand - this story is wildly, recently true.

Richard Lazarus has argued cases before the Supreme Court. He's a native of St. Louis, transplanted east. His book is a classic, for the environment and for the law. 

Earthworms host Jean Ponzi will converse again with Richard Lazarus for a Left Bank Book FB Live author event on July 22.

THANKS to Earthworms team of engineers: Andy Coco, Andy Heaslet, Jon Valley.

Related Earthworms Conversations:

Climate: A New Story with Charles Eisenstein (Nov 2018)

Photographer Neeta Satam: Documenting Himalayan Climate Change (March 2018)

Peoples' Pocket Guide to Enviro Action with Caitlin Zera (July 2017)

Earthworms remembers a great Great Horned Owl, Charles, whose hoots and habits enlivened conversations on KDHX with Mark H.X. Glenshaw, "the Owl Man of Forest Park." Mark informed readers of his Forest Park Owls blog on July 7, 2020, that he had not seen Charles in any of the habitats he observes since May 14. He has been observing Charles and his mates since 2005. Although Mark says it's possible Charles has relocated to an entirely new habitat, it is likely that he has died. 

                      Charles in the Nest Tree, 2013

Mark is a keen, respectful observer of owls, whoooo he comes to know and love. Earthworms honors this relationship passage!

And as we followed this summer's saga of Bruno, a black bear who walked from Wisconsin down into Missouri, we recalled our conversation  Bears! in July 2018 with Laura Conlee, State Furbearer Biologist for MO Dept of Conservation.

MDC Biologist Laura Conlee at work - Bruno in Missouri

Conlee was featured in news reports of MDC deciding to tranquilize Bruno and remove him to the safety of a bear-suitable habitat, after he got backed into a corner of suburban St. Louis roadways - with over 400 people watching him. Bruno became a media sensation. Conlee reminds us to Be Bear Aware - for our safety and especially for well being of the bears!

Summer breeze past your helmet, streets fly beneath your wheels, intriguing sites interpreted by a leader of St. Louis' cycling scene. 

Most years, this is one of the annual St. Louis Community Rides, hosted on a specific date by Trailnet, our town's cycling advocacy group. Staying safe and healthy for 2020, Trailnet invites you to ride Placemaking STL anytime July 25 to August 24, taking a new app with your refillable bottle, for cycling with a Scavenger Hunt twist, exploring some of our town's cool plazas.

The app has clues to find ride locales. When you get into site proximity, a lovely virtual human will pop up to interpret the site for you. Fun on two wheels!

Dana Gray, community sustainability advocate and "Plaza-Making" tour guide, joins Trailnet's Mobility Coordinator Joe Windler talking these innovations with Earthworms host Jean Ponzi. 

Trailnet is hosting a bunch of these summer 2020 DIY Community Rides, with themes ranging from  LGBTQIA+ History to celebrating Juneteenth to Biking the Vote. Events wheel through September.

THANKS to Earthworms team of engineers, Andy Coco, Andy Heaslet and Jon Valley.

Music for today's show is Measure Once by Matthew Von Doren.

Related Earthworms Conversations: Trailnet's New Vision: St. Louis Gets Around Greener, Healthier, More Lively (Nov 2016)