On today's This Green Earth, hosts Nell Larson and Chris Cherniak speak with (01:30) Dr. Bonnie Baxter, Director of the Great Salt Lake Institute and biology professor at Westminster College and (27:07) Kevin Perry, Professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Utah. Over the past decade, the Great Salt Lake has continued to deplete. It is now a third of its original size and recently the last remaining boats were pulled from the Great Salt Lake Marina. The troubled body of water desperately needs more water. These record lows are taking a toll, and the effects are wide reaching. These two environmental experts speak to the issues of this once great lake and what the future holds.

In this episode of This Green Earth, (01:51) Marc Peterson with Citizens Climate Lobby comes on the show to answer the question: What will it Take to reduce global warming and how are we already moving in the right direction? He'll also help explain the details of the $370 billion climate and tax package recently passed by the Senate.Then, (27:49) Andrea Walker, Salt Lake County Director for Agriculture and Natural Resources brings us the buzz on bees. She’ll talk about everything from honey bee biology to the Utah bee keeping community.

On today's episode of This Green Earth hosts Nell Larson and Chris Cherniak speak with : (01:52) Evan Fricke, an ecologist at Rice University. When it comes to keeping pace with a changing climate, plants face a particular challenge, they are quite literally rooted in place. Now, their ability to move to cooler areas as places heat up is being further imperiled by loss of animals which plants often hitch a ride. They discuss a study that shows how technology can step in to predict how quickly plants need to migrate to remain in a climatic zone where they can survive.Then (27:37) Kimberly Flores, owner of FulFILLed Utah comes on to talk about her local business that specializes in low-waste living. At her shop you can reduce, reuse, and refill from a curated selection of eco-friendly personal care items and household cleaning products.

On today's This Green Earth guests include: Zach Schumm, an arthropod diagnostician in the Department of Biology at Utah State University. Chris and Nell speak with Schumm about ticks. In Utah the American dog tick and Rocky Mountain wood tick are the most commonly encountered species and are starting to become most active right now. Then local author, Melissa Marsted, comes on the show to talk about her new book, The Bird that Lives in Paradise. This is Marsted’s ninth book in her Wildlife Adventures for young readers series. Finishing out the show is Ecologist and Founder of Ecology Bridge Sarah Jo Dickens who brings us an update on the success of the recent Garlic Mustard Games.

On this week's This Green Earth, hosts Chris Cherniak and Nell Larson speak with Department of Wildlife Resource’s Bruce Johnson. He comes on to discuss invasive quagga mussels in Utah waters, and what is being done at a State level to protect our lakes, and how you can help mitigate the contamination.

On this week's This Green Earth, hosts Nell Larson and Chris Cherniak speak with special guests including: (01:41) Michelle De Haan, Park City's water Quality and Treatment Manager and Mike Luers, General Manager of the Synderville Basin Water Reclamation District. They join the show to discuss the Annual Water Quality Consumer Confidence Report and water testing. Then (32:20) Kayli Yardley, Statewide Prevention and Fire Communications Coordinator, joins the show to discuss Utah's current wildfire season.

Cheryl Fox from Summit Land Conservancy shares information about the connection between land conservation and water in the Great Salt Lake – it starts with the watershed.

Ecologist James Cornett discusses his new book "The California Deserts: Then and Now," which uses repeat photography to examine how climate change has impacted arid landscapes.

As many countries adopt renewable energy targets, more and more are looking into floating solar panels. Sika Gadzanku from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory provides details about the underlying technology, benefits, potential impacts and how to appropriately analyze their effects.

Marine biology professor and author, Dr. David Scheel has been studying octopuses for more than 25 years. He has written a comprehensive book about these fascinating sea creatures called "Many Things Under a Rock: The Mysteries of Octopuses."

In celebration of wildflower season, local photographer and author Robert Hedges talks about his book "Wildflowers of Park City, Utah."