Terra Informa

This week, we're bringing you our annual Terra Misinforma episode! A mysterious tape has been found in the woods, and its origins and contents remain a mystery. However, they might suggest some shocking insight into the very nature of life on planet earth. April fools! Download program log here.★ Support this podcast ★

Spring has sprung, and it's time for another news roundup episode!This week, the Terra Informa team covers some of the environmental news you may have missed from the month of March. We start with the introduction of a new bill that aims to address the legacy of environmental racism in Nova Scotia, as well as a story on conflict between First Nations and Ducks Unlimited over water control structures in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Then, we introduce a new recurring segment that will be featured in our monthly news roundup episodes where we provide updates on land and water defenders from across Turtle Island. Lastly, we bring you a dose of good news in the coverage of a baby boom for North Atlantic Right Whales.Links and Resources:Braided Warriors on Instagram (@braidedwarriors)Raven Trust Site C Dam CampaignNiitsítapi Water ProtectorsThe ENRICH ProjectBlack Environmental InitiativeProgram Log.★ Support this podcast ★

On the Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories, K'atl'odeeche First Nation is taking steps to create opportunities for their members to make their livelihoods through fishing. In our second episode on Indigenous-led fisheries management, we are joined by PhD student Kristine Wray. We investigate the management structures that govern the Great Slave Lake commercial fishery, and identify pathways towards the coexistence of a sustainable commercial and livelihood fishery. Our thanks to Kristine Wray for her contributions to this episode. Download the program log.★ Support this podcast ★

In the management and conservation of resources, what does it mean to coexist? This week on Terra Informa we are joined by PhD student Krista Tremblett to bring you a story on Indigenous-led approaches to fisheries management in Atlantic Canada. We explore the historical precedence and Treaty commitments that guarantee Indigenous rights to fish for a moderate livelihood. And we investigate the recent conflict that erupted between non-Indigenous commercial fishers and Indigenous fishers following the self-regulated moderate livelihood fishery launched by Sipekne'katik First Nation. Many thanks to our guest Krista Tremblett for contributing her knowledge to this episode. You can learn more about the Sipekne'katik moderate livelihood fishery and how you can support their ongoing efforts here. To learn more about Indigenous fishing livelihoods in a different context, the Mi'gmaq of Listuguj, Quebec, check out the new documentary series Gespe'gewa'gi - the Last Land, directed by Chisasibi filmmaker Ernie Webb.Prog

In this episode, we speak with urban beekeeper David Whitaker about how he picked up this unique hobby and the benefits of bees in the City.Learn more about beekeeping from the City of Edmonton and how to avoid the hype of bee-washing. To get your hands on some sweet, sweet, local honey email davesurbanhoney@shaw.ca!Thanks to: Sonak Patel for research + writing + hostingAndrea Miller for music Elizabeth Dowdell for interview + hosting + productionProgram log here.★ Support this podcast ★

It's time for our monthly roundup of environmental news and stories.This week, we start with an update to a story we brought you last month on coal exploration and mining in the Rocky Mountains. Next, you'll hear about a pipeline spill in Richmond, California and devastating blackouts to power grids across the United States. We'll head to Alberta's northern boreal forest and hear about the proposed expansion of Kitaskino Nuwenëné Wildland Provincial Park, and then end in Nunavut with the Nuluujaaq Land Guardians blockade of Baffinland's Mary River mine.Many of the stories in this episode have their roots in the efforts of Indigenous land and water protectors across Turtle Island. And at Terra Informa, these are the stories that we are committed to amplifying and sharing with you. Groups like Raven Trust and Niitsítapi Water Protectors have been invaluable resources for us to learn from, and we hope you find these to be good starting points to learn more about the ongoing work of these organizers.  Program log

Dear Listeners,My most sincere apologies but I could not secure the interview I needed for the new episode we had planned this week. Instead, we'll keep working on new content and invite you to listen to a deep dive on the Canadian Energy Centre, better known as the Alberta War Room. While you listen, maybe look at the news, and ask yourself what happens when an Emperor goes to war without his clothes?Program log.★ Support this podcast ★

This week Charlotte Thomasson hosts us on a cross-country ski tour around Edmonton, Alberta. Elizbeth Dowdell joins with some facts about the Canadian Birkebeiner and the two inspire you to get outside and explore the beauty of winter. Small-town rivalries, poetry, and the origin of two classic Canadian winter past-times are shared in this episode.P. S. the second past-time is snowshoeing, and Liz says it's better than xc skiing.Program log.★ Support this podcast ★

The power of storytelling gives us a way to cope with the uncertainty of our climate future. This week on Terra Informa we’re exploring those stories about the future worlds that are not so different from our own. While you may be familiar with science fiction, genres like speculative fiction, climate fiction, or cli-fi, Afro-futurism, and Indigenous futurism are reimagining oppressive realities and re-envisioning our climate future. In this discussion episode, Terra Informers Hannah Cunningham and Elizabeth Dowdell are joined by special guest and Terra Informa alum, Chris Chang-Yen Phillips to share why they find themselves reaching for these books, and what these genres mean to them. A reading list of the books mentioned in this episode plus some of our other favourites can be found here.Some of our favourite voices sharing visions of Indigenous futures include Cree poet and author Billy-Ray Belcourt, Cree author Larry Loyie, and Chelsea Vowel, Metis writer and host of a Terra Informa team podcast favourite

New year, same environmental headlines! Listeners, we're back from our break with a brand new episode. We're bringing you an update on some of the evolving environmental headlines we brought you in 2020, and a roundup of new stories we're following closely. We're covering the Biden administration's decision around the Keystone XL pipeline, a clickbait-worthy headline about river otters and contaminants in Alberta's oil sands, updates on the threatened closures of Alberta's provincial parks and recreation areas, and the risk of coal exploration in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Interested in volunteering with Terra Informa? Fill out our volunteer application form! Download the program log here.★ Support this podcast ★

It's the last week of our winter break! We're re-airing an archive episode from May 2019 that asks what treaty means for our relationships to land, the more-than-human, and to each other. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode!Interested in volunteering with Terra Informa? Fill out our volunteer application form!Download program log here. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this week's archive episode, we're airing a piece from July 2019, where we focus on the proposed climate action policies of each major federal party in the upcoming 2019 election, and speak with Stephen Buhler of Our Time, the group who organized "CBC Change the Debate" rallies across Canada just two weeks ago. We talk about the importance of climate action at the federal scale, why Canadians should be demanding the federal government seriously respond to the climate crisis, and share some audio from the Edmonton demonstration.Download program log here.★ Support this podcast ★

While we're on break, Sofia Osborne and Olivia deBourcier of the podcast Beyond Blathers (and previously of Terra Informa!) are back to teach us about scorpions! To listen to more episodes of Beyond Blathers, check out their website, or look them up on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.Download program log here.★ Support this podcast ★

We're on a break this month! So this week, we're re-airing one of our favourite archive episodes produced by Terra Informa alum, Sofia Osborne. Sofia brings us a story about de-extinction: the use of selective breeding, cloning, and genetic engineering to “resurrect” extinct species. This technology poses a lot of moral and ethical questions—would these “de-extincted” animal species be authentic? Could they ever be wild? Do we owe it to the species we’ve driven to extinction to bring them back? And who should decide whether we use this technology?Extra resources suggested by Sofia: How to Clone a Mammoth by Beth Shapiro "The Perils if De-extinction" by Ben Minteer  The IUCN SSC Guiding Principles on Creating Proxies of Extinct Species for Conservation Benefit Download the program log here.Make sure to tune in next week, when we air a special episode of the podcast Beyond Blathers, produced by Sofia and another Terra Informa alum, Olivia deBourcier!★ Support this podcast ★

This week we explore the meaning and significance of the winter solstice, reflecting on both the dark and the light so prominent at this time of year. The Terra Informa team shares what has made them thankful in the past year, and for inspiration we share "Praise Song for the Unloved Animals" by Margaret Renkl. Terra Informa will be rebroadcasting some favourite episodes for the next four weeks, with new content in February 2021. Take care!★ Support this podcast ★

This week on Terra Informa, Sonak Patel and Hannah Cunningham talk all about Christmas trees. When and where did this tradition begin? What was used to decorate the trees before electricity? And, to bring it all home, Elizabeth Dowdell regales us with a childhood tale of making the harrowing journey to harvest the family Christmas treeDownload program log here. Are you passionate about environmental news and stories? Volunteer with us! Send an email to terra@cjsr.com and tell us a little bit about yourself :) ★ Support this podcast ★

Listeners, we know you're all very upset that Eurovision was cancelled this year due to COVID. So, we decided to host something similar ourselves on the radio. This week, we bring to you the first ever EuroBirdoVision Identification Competition. You'll hear Terra Informers Charlotte Thomasson, Elizabeth Dowdell, and Sonak Patel try to guess the difference between the names of European birds and bands. You'll also hear some bird songs, and bird facts. The bird songs in this episode are from DiBird and Avi-base. The bands mentioned in this episode are: Eugent Bushpepa, Nemra, Lasgo, Irfan, Osmi Putnik, Monsieur Doumani, Priessnitz, Kellermensch, Mana Mana, Poll, Goran Gora, and Telectu.Download the program log here.★ Support this podcast ★

Science is cool. You may agree, since you're listening to a podcast that talks a lot about science of the environmental variety. But, science can be hard to understand, and research can be hard to access. Here at Terra Informa, we asked ourselves, how could we help track down, and break down, new scientific discoveries for our listeners, and make it fun to listen to and easy to understand? In this week's episode, we talk about a recent science communication workshop the team did with CJSR Podcast Coordinator and Terra Informa alumni, Chris Chang-Yen Phillips. Then, we dig into science - what is it? How does one... well, do it? Finally, we practice our science communication skills as we explain the science behind a very peculiar trait of an equally peculiar animal. If you enjoyed this episode, and want to hear more new research findings in the future, let us know by sending an email to terra@cjsr.com!If you’re passionate about environmental news and stories, consider volunteering for Terra Informa. We’re alway

For this edition of our monthly news roundup, we’re covering the natural disasters that may have slid under our radar due to a certain global pandemic. While hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and ice storms may not have received front page media attention, these natural disasters are still taking place, in Alberta and globally. And last time we checked, climate change is undeterred by the state of the world. As our climate warms, these events are increasing in magnitude and intensity. Let this be a reminder to keep fighting the good fight. Download the program log here. ★ Support this podcast ★

At Terra Informa, we've talked trash before. Back in 2017, we even went on a tour of the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. But, one thing we haven't talked about are the people who do the incredibly important job of sorting and processing our garbage. This week at Terra Informa, we interview filmmaker Anthony Goertz about The Line, a film that focuses on the employees of Quality One Training and Support, a program that connects people with barriers to employment including a criminal record, newcomer status, or addictions or mental illnesses with employment opportunities at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. You can watch The Line here online through Vimeo (rent it for $3.00, buy it for $8.00, or if you can't buy it, email us at terra@cjsr.com for a discount code so you can view it for free), or if you have a Telus internet subscription, you can stream it for no extra cost through OptikTV starting at the end of November. Download the program log here.★ Support this podcast ★