THIS AMERICAN LAND

#1301

Short description:
“Future of Public Lands,” “2000 Miles of Opportunity,” “Mapping Wetland Jewels,” “Black Farmers.”

Segment details:
Future of Public Lands
Millions of acres of public lands provide sanctuaries for recreation, grazing land for livestock, and energy supplies for the dynamic population of the United States. But a new federal administration is implementing some dramatic changes in how these vast lands are managed. Our host, wildlife biologist Ed Arnett, examines some of the different opinions on how these policy changes are impacting scientists, tourists, ranchers and energy production, both now and into the future.

2000 Miles of Opportunity
From Minnesota south to Tennessee, the Mississippi River Institute is keeping this vibrant waterway clean, and educating new generations on the economic and scientific wealth of this river. Correspondent Brad Hicks introduces us to high school students from rural Missouri who spend time on the water learning about the many challenging environmental careers available up and down the Mississippi.

Mapping Wetland Jewels
What traditional cartographers once did with pen and ink, college students are now creating with satellites and software. It’s an elegant combination of conservation, creativity and technology. Students at St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota make high tech digital maps of wetlands hundreds of miles away. The New Mexico Environment Department hired these young geospatial experts and are now using these new tools to better protect their critical wetlands.

Black Farmers
Black farmers in the U.S. once owned about 19 million acres of productive fields. But that’s dwindled to just three million acres. The KKAC Organization is helping Black farmers challenge decades of fraud and discrimination tied to the lands they worked on. KKAC is working to provide clear titles to families who never received proper paperwork for their lands. With that proof, residents can finally get some assistance for their fields and forest lands.


#1302

Short description:
“Return of a River,” “Salmon Farming,” “Solar Farming,” “Solar Panels on Gila Reservation.”

Segment details:
Return of a River
A waterway near Tucson, Arizona has been reborn. The Santa Cruz river tributary to the Colorado River was once filled with trash and sewage, dried up because wells were draining the aquifer. Now, the water’s back! There’s an unlikely source for this newly clean water: Three wastewater treatment plants! Correspondent Brad Hicks shows us how huge upgrades at these facilities are helping save an entire ecosystem. The resurgence in wildlife is beautifully seen through a vast array of dragonflies, and folks of all ages are now reconnecting with the river.

Salmon Farming
Aquaculture is the fastest growing form of food production in the world.
But these floating farms come with challenges not found in traditional agriculture. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien from the PBS Newshour takes us off the coast of Maine, where a Canadian company is raising endangered Atlantic salmon. There’s opposition from traditional fishers and tourists. But with the huge global demand for protein from the sea, efforts to improve this industry continue.

Solar Farming
It’s a “crop” that’s harvested from 93 million miles away!!! A Plainview Minnesota farm that grows corn, soybeans and hay now has another sustainable offering: Sunshine! Solar panels now generate the power used in the fall when harvesting and drying grain. It’s good for the bottom line and good for the environment. Solar has become a dependable new revenue stream for those who work the land.

Solar Panels on Gila Reservation
South of Phoenix Arizona, one tribal nation is on the cutting edge of addressing climate change.
The Gila River Indian community are the innovators, building solar panels over an irrigation canal. This simple construction template could provide a new playbook for irrigation across the thirsty western United States. There’s not only the ability to produce power, but crucially, to reduce evaporation. The tribe is now completing 16 miles of this energy efficient system.


#1303

Short description:
“Ruffed Grouse #1,” “Nature Based Solutions,” “Sustaining Snapper” Raptor Cam.”

Segment details:
Ruffed Grouse #1
Ruffed grouse …whose drumming mating calls are iconic… have been on a decline for decades. State wildlife agencies, biologists, hunters and bird lovers have launched a coordinated effort to guide conservation efforts throughout the birds’ eastern range. Ruffed grouse thrive in “young” forests. These areas provide a variety of food and safety from predators. But most eastern forests are older. Improving the landscape requires some dramatic measures, like logging and prescribed burns.

Nature Based Solutions
In Iowa, communities are tackling threats and damage from climate change with tools from Mother Nature. Cities like Dubuque and Cedar Rapids are finding success on several fronts: They are coping with flood control. And they are working with farmers upriver to help protect the quality of their drinking water.

Sustaining Snapper
There’s a huge global demand for seafood. And fierce competition for dwindling fish populations has led to overfishing and threats to some species. Red snapper were overfished for half a century, to the brink of collapse, in Gulf waters. But in Galveston, Texas, professional fishers have found ways to preserve stocks. Working with groups like the Environmental Defense Fund, a new “ultimate sea to table experience” was created in 2007. It’s taken a few years, but there are now huge increases in red snapper populations. There’s profit to be made in a 100% sustainable way.

Raptor Cam
There are no aliens, superheroes, or famous athletes in this TV show. But viewers from Minnesota south to Iowa are mesmerized by the antics of their local feathered friends in this reality show. The Mississippi Flyway Raptor Resource Project operates more than a dozen field cameras that livestream into classrooms, birding chat rooms, and even a lively pub we visited in Fountain City, at the Minnesota-Wisconsin border. Mother Nature proving again to be the finest producer and director around!


#1304

Short description:
“Meeting a Growing Fire Challenge,” “Ghost Gear,” “Healthy Farms, Cleaner Water,” “Birth of Upper Mississippi River Refuge.”

Segment details:
Meeting a Growing Fire Challenge
In Colorado, residents are learning the more they invest in protecting their water sources, the safer their communities will be in meeting increased wildfire threats. They are creating more wetland resilience, and working with local water utilities and power companies to protect this crucial resource. This is especially critical work since funding cutbacks in the U.S. Forest Service, and in state funding has many westerners alarmed that the firefighters they need may not be available during dangerous wildfire season.

Ghost Gear
Dedicated volunteers on Hart Island in Maine are trying to protect seabirds from deadly abandoned fishing gear. Hundreds of thousands of metal traps are scattered all over the planet. They don’t degrade naturally like former traps made of wood. We meet some of the ocean protectors cleaning up, as part of the Center for Coastal Studies. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is among those working for tougher regulations internationally to clean this up. Veteran science correspondent Miles O’Brien of the PBS Newshour introduces us to those working to get rid of these death traps.

Healthy Farms ,Cleaner Water
Farms are living systems. Farmers say, do a lot of things right, and production takes care of itself. One Iowa farmer uses rotational grazing, just like bison herds did on their own hundreds of years ago. “Ecological solutions” pay off environmentally and economically. Going above and beyond that, he conducts farming that enhances wildlife. With millions of acres across the U.S., even a little fertilizer and lost topsoil makes a difference in protecting clean waters downstream.

Birth of Upper Mississippi River Refuge
What do an out of work liquor salesman and hundreds of motivated suffragettes have in common? They teamed up in the 1920s to create the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. This 260 mile long sanctuary stretches through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois. During prohibition, the federal government was about to drain fishing areas on the Mississippi and turn it into farmland. Instead, the newly created “Izaak Walton League” flooded lawmakers with letters saying “not so fast!” Now marking 100 years, the refuge has welcomed millions who have enjoyed these healthy waters.


#1305

Short description:
“Ruffed Grooves #2,” “Agrivoltaics,” “Clean Water From Farmlands,” “Beaver Corps,” “Right Wales.”

Ruffed Grouse #2
The mesmerizing mating rituals of ruffed grouse used to be a common sound and sight in Appalachian forests. But changes in habitat, especially older forests, have made it more challenging for these iconic birds to mate, reproduce, and find a steady food supply. From Pennsylvania to Tennessee, we meet with scientists, foresters and landowners on how proactive measures can restore healthy habitat. It’s not only good for grouse, but for songbirds, other wildlife, and humans.

Agrivoltaics
Yes, that is a herd of sheep under those solar panels! For centuries farmers and ranchers have had to be innovators in order to survive. “Agrivoltaics” combines agricultural production with solar power generation on the same plots of land. Solar panels are installed above or between crops and livestock, generating both energy and food. Correspondent Brad Hicks shows us how the concept is growing as more farming operations look for new, sustainable sources of revenue.

Clean Water from Farmlands
A new generation of farming families in southern Oklahoma uses different farming methods to combat pollution caused by agricultural runoff. Their experimentation, like cover crops and no till planting, is making the environment better. There’s very little soil disturbance, and they use far less fertilizer, helping the water stay much cleaner. This fourth generation of farmers are growing other diverse crops in the offseason, and doing different things with livestock. The Natural Resources Conservation Service helps find answers to farmers and ranchers' concerns… helping the people help their land.

Beaver Corps
Communities across the country are learning to coexist with an animal that used to be considered a pest. The Beaver Corps is a national training program. In one Fort Collins, Colorado neighborhood, a beaver dam is now a welcome conservation feature. BeaverCorps Director Aaron Hall says nature’s engineers efficiently build entire ecosystems, provide water filtration, refuge for other wildlife, and flood and drought protection. With some online training, you can join the Beaver Corps to help prevent wildlife conflicts.

Right Whales
The U.S. Navy plays a critical role in protecting endangered species. Surveillance and communication work to warn ships when North Atlantic right whales are in the area, so they can slow down or alter their routes. Near real-time warnings keep ships, scientists and conservation groups aware at all times.


#1306

Short description:
“Farmers Challenge Climate Change,” “Vanishing Salton Sea,” “Forest Habitat For Birds.”

Farmers Challenge Climate Change
Farmers and ranchers are among the first to experience climate change. And in Iowa, some are also making every effort to identify it and mitigate it. New generations of agriculture experts are combining nature’s gifts of healthy soil and clean water with their ingenuity, to leave their land better than they found it. There are several popular federal programs to help with costs and plans for sustainable upgrades.

Vanishing Salton Sea
It used to be a playground for California’s rich and famous. But much of the state’s largest lake, the Salton Sea, has now dried up and left a toxic mess. The mostly abandoned resort destination has been contaminated by farm runoff and toxic dust, from the lake’s brine that’s rich with minerals like lithium. The environmental threat is not only to residents, but also to one of the most important wetlands for North American birds. Many efforts have been studied to restore its long-term viability both as an ecosystem and a recreational spot.

Forest Habitat For Birds
In Centre County, Pennsylvania, landowners are making changes that could help songbirds with a healthier, more diverse habitat. Birds and other wildlife struggle in many older forests. They thrive in “younger forests,” after natural or man-made events, such as fires or logging. We meet some scientists working to restore the sweet sounds so many people enjoy in the woods while birdwatching or hiking.