As wildfires continue smoldering in Los Angeles, looming over the horizon is another worrying development — the growing spread of bird flu.

This strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) — first detected in the United States in February 2022 — has swept through poultry and dairy farms across the country and has jumped over to infecting humans as well. In December, the first fatal human case of the H5N1 virus was reported in Louisiana. According to latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control, so far there have been 67 human cases of bird flu nationwide since 2024, 38 of which occurred in California, the most out of any state.

Yesterday, the CDC confirmed that a San Francisco child was the second child in the Bay Area, and the country, to contract the virus.

So how serious is the situation? How worried should we be? What should we be doing to safeguard ourselves and animals? To answer these questions, Earth Island Journal editor-in-chief and Terra Verde cohost Maureen Nandini Mitra talks with the two experts, Dr. Maurice Pitesky from the University of California, Davis’ School for Veterinary Medicine, and Dr. William Schaffner of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

Note: Here is an interactive map from UC Davis School for Veterinary Medicine that shows the entire outbreak in the Americas.

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Every year, hundreds of thousands of whales, dolphins, sea turtles, and other animals die globally from entanglement in fishing equipment. Countless more are injured. Along the US West Coast, impacted species include humpback whales, gray whales, and fin whales. Despite the breadth of the problem, information about entanglements, including where they occurred, what animals were impacted, and what kind of fishing gear was involved, can in some cases be hard to come by.

Tara Brock, Pacific legal director and senior counsel with Oceana, and Ben Grundy, oceans campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversity, join Terra Verde host and producer Zoe Loftus-Farren to discuss their work on the issue, including efforts to fill information gaps, steer us towards practical solutions, and ultimately, reduce the number of animals ensnared in our fishing gear.

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Latinx farmworkers, who make up over 80% of California’s agricultural workforce, face some of the state’s lowest levels of food security, wealth, and homeownership. This week on Terra Verde, host and producer Hannah Wilton is joined by longtime farmer and co-owner of Full Belly Farm Paul Muller to discuss their research and development initiative to create a replicable model of affordable homeownership for farmworkers. Their pilot project, “Casas Capay Valley,” will provide resident-owned housing for several farmworker families employed at Full Belly Farm through the acquisition of a 43-acre parcel in Yolo County by a community land trust. Muller speaks to the importance of strengthening rural communities, building equity for farmworkers, and fostering long-term social and economic stability for California’s agricultural workforce.

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A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally.

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Writer essayist, and journalist Lauren Markham soon-to-be released book, Immemorial, reflects on how language and memorials can offer strategies for coping with climate anxiety and grief. Journalist, activist, and author Jason Mark has a book-in-progress, The Remembered Earth: How Our Memories of Nature Can Protect the Planet, which delves into the so-called “shifting baseline syndrome” and explores antidotes to environmental amnesia. In this episode of Terra Verde, Earth Island Journal editor-in-chief and cohost Maureen Nandini Mitra talks with the two writers about their new books, the power of words, and how the mere act of remembering can be action.

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A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally.

The post Terra Verde – November 29, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

College campuses have a critical role to play in creating healthier environments for students, faculty and staff, and surrounding communities by eliminating synthetic pesticide use. Right here in our own backyard, UC Berkeley has made important steps toward transitioning to organic, biodiverse land management practices in recent years.

On this episode of Terra Verde, host Fiona McLeod speaks with Mackenzie Feldman, founder and director of Re:wild Your Campus and Lydia Woltjer, Manager of the Landscape Services department at UC Berkeley, about their efforts to eliminate pesticide use on campus, create healthier green spaces, and set a precedent for sustainable land management at universities across the country.

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In California — a state whose progressive environmental policies have been the special focus of Trump’s ire — policymakers and environmentalists are bracing for the impacts of a second Trump administration where Republicans have full control of both houses. Lawmakers are gearing up to use state and local government powers to safeguard the environment and communities from imminent destructive federal policies. And on the ground, community groups and activists are preparing to organize.

To give us a sense of the efforts underway in the state to “Trump Proof” California, Earth Island Journal editor-in-chief and Terra Verde cohost Maureen Nandini Mitra talks with Ken Alex, director of Project Climate and former senior policy advisor on climate, environment, and energy to Governor Jerry Brown.

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A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally.

The post Terra Verde – November 8, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

A weekly public affairs show that delivers news and views about the most important environmental issues in California and globally.

The post Terra Verde – November 1, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

In September, Western Rivers Conservancy conveyed the 466-acre Dillon Beach Ranch to the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria for permanent conservation and stewardship. With this historic land-back conservation deal, the Tribe (comprised of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo Indians) regains ownership and stewardship of lands within their aboriginal territory, spanning across Sonoma and Marin Counties. The property includes 1.5 miles of the Estero de San Antonio, home to critical habitat for a vast array of plants and wildlife, including the federally listed northern tidewater goby. 

Western Rivers Conservancy’s (WRC) Conservation Director, Josh Kling, joins host and producer Hannah Wilton on this week’s Terra Verde episode to discuss this historic land-back ownership transfer and other riverland conservation initiatives in the West. Among them, Blue Creek Salmon Sanctuary and Yurok Tribal Community Forest in collaboration with the Yurok Tribe, and an ongoing partnership with the Esselen Tribe in Big Sur to protect and repatriate a mile of the Little Sur River.

The post Making History in Riverland Conservation appeared first on KPFA.