Nell Larson

On This Green Earth, Kimberly Hersey, Mammal Conservation Coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife comes on the show to talk with Nell and Chris.

Hersey takes us into the world of the elusive and adorable river otter. She fills us in on otter sightings in Utah, and why tracking them can help inform us about the health of the aquatic environment throughout our state. 

On This Green Earth, Brian Tonetti, Executive Director of Seven Canyons Trust, joins Nell and Chris to talk about the opening of Three Creeks Confluence Park.

This is a restored plot of land in the Glendale part of Salt Lake City where three creeks meet the Jordan River.

Tonetti will share the importance of this project and how it will impact the local ecology as well as the neighborhood's health and welfare.

On This Green Earth, Robert Dewey, vice president for government relations with Defenders of Wildlife joins Nell and Chris.

Dewey comprehensively breaks down the wins and losses for biodiversity in the interior appropriations spending bill for 2022.

Dewey says that species are being lost faster than ever before in human history, and that adequately funding protections for endangered species is the missing half of this bill.

On This Green Earth, Nell and Chris bring birder Nate Brown on the show.

Brown is a local bird authority, and he gives us the scoop on all the different species of birds that can currently be found in Utah, and what we could potentially see in the coming months. 

He also talks with them about how to be good stewards of the land and the birds when you go out.

On This Green Earth, co-host Nell Larson has just returned from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

She and Chris talk about what she experienced during her three weeks there.

On This Green Earth, Zach Frankel with Utah Rivers Council talks about the Great Salt Lake.

This important body of water is now registering at an all-time low.

Frankel explain the circumstances behind the low levels, including the ongoing drought and man-made diversions of water that otherwise would go into the lake.

On This Green Earth, Mary Mason, a Forest Geneticist with the US Forest Service, comes on the show.

Mason discusses the issues that are facing the North American ash trees. The ash borer invasion that slipped into the US around the turn of the millennium, most likely on a container this, is now is 35 states and responsible for the deaths of hundreds of millions of trees.

Mason shares what is being done to save our ash trees.

On This Green Earth:

As we head into wildfire season, Chris and Nell discuss what we are facing. As of last week, all but eight of the 227 wildfires that have occurred so far this year have been human caused.  

Last year, Utah set a record for human-caused wildfires with 1,143. 

Coming on the show to discuss this with them is Kaitlynn Webb, the Statewide Prevention and Fire Communications Coordinator.

Webb will talk about these numbers, their trends, and the good possibility that we will set another record this year. 

On This Green Earth, Nell and Chris speak with Kimberly Flores, who is launching Utah’s first mobile refill shop.

This mobile shop delivers earth-friendly soaps, detergents, bath and body product refills, and other plastic-free products. 

Flores says, fulFILLed's mission is to simplify low-waste living by offering refillable and package-free products to those looking to lessen their impact on the environment. By making zero-waste alternatives accessible, she hopes more people will ditch single-use plastics and join the Reduce, Reuse, and Refill Revolution,

On This Green Earth, Nell and Chris talk with author and National Geographic magazine contributor, Doug Chadwick. 

Chadwick's new book is titled, Four-Fifths a Grizzly - A New Perspective on Nature that Just Might Save Us All. The book takes a close look at our place in the natural world from a scientific angle, with the underlying message that humans aren't that much different from other creatures. 

On This Green Earth,  Nell and Chris speak with Miami Herald journalist Jim Wyss.

On This Green Earth, Jeff Bousson, Climate Program Manager for Utah Clean Energy, joins Nell and Chris to discuss opportunities to address the climate as it continues to change. 

Bousson breaks down a year-long program Utah Clean Energy just wrapped, which involved local citizen input on energy use, efficiency and reduction.

On This Green Earth, Jordan Clayton, Data Collection Officer with Utah Snow Survey, joins the show to share the outcome of the Utah Water Supply Outlook Report for May. 

The lack of snow over the season has made a grim impact on our water supplies. Clayton says that ninety percent of our state is in an extreme drought situation and Lake Powell could even see a record low this year.

On This Green Earth, Recycle Utah Executive Director Carolyn Wawra comes on the show. 

Wawra gives us the lowdown regarding this year's Hazardous Waste Drop Off Day, which took place on April 24.

Each year, this event helps to ensure toxic waste items are disposed of properly. 

On This Green Earth, joining the show is Diana Movius, Director of Global Forest Policy with the non-profit group, Climate Advisers.

Movius discusses the actions of private businesses and countries who are developing financial incentives to protect and preserve threatened tropical rain forests.