Stories from the Floodplain brings you stories and voices from the frontlines of the fight to protect our environment. Over the next few months, Prairie Rivers Network will talk with experts in many different fields, including water, climate, food, and environmental justice issues. You can support this podcast and our broader work by becoming a member at www.prairierivers.org.
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We Can’t Take Clean Water for Granted
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Providing safe, clean drinking water to all people is one of the most basic roles and responsibilities for a functioning civil society. Yet, 50 years after passing the Clean Water Act, the United States–the richest country in the history of the world–often falls short of this rather modest goal. Aging infrastructure, rising costs, and ineffective g…
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Major Questions (And Answers!) about the Supreme Court
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The recent West Virginia v. EPA Supreme Court ruling has left the environmental community fearing the worst: a conservative Court hamstringing the EPA’s ability to tackle climate change. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the ruling with Professor Eric Freyfogle, legal scholar, author, and former Prairie Rivers Network board member. The conv…
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The Mississippi River–America’s most iconic and storied river, and the lifeblood of human civilizations and cultures dating back centuries–has again been named to a list of the nation’s Most Endangered Rivers. In this episode, we speak with Olivia Dorothy, American Rivers’ Director of River Restoration in the Midwest about why the Mississippi is en…
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Ethanol's False Promise
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Ethanol is promoted by industry as an environmentally-friendly renewable fuel source, but in reality, it’s actually fueling climate change. In this episode of Stories from the Floodplain, Prairie Rivers Network speaks with Dr. Tyler Lark from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He discusses his recent report on ethanol’s contribution to higher car…
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Powering Opportunity with Illinois Solar for All
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Illinois may not be the Sunshine State, but after last year’s monumental legislative achievement - the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act - renewable solar energy is more available and affordable than ever. And there are dedicated people throughout the state working to bring solar projects to communities and rooftops. That includes our latest guest. In…
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Tracy Fox: PRN River Steward Award Winner
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Each year, Prairie Rivers Network honors an individual whose on-the-ground efforts to protect the state’s rivers and streams inspire us. We present that person with the River Steward Award. In this episode of Stories from the Floodplain, Prairie Rivers Network speaks with this year’s River Steward Award winner Tracy Fox, a Peoria-area activist who …
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30x30: A new conservation of, by, and for the people
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Could the answer to the climate and biodiversity crises be a new, more inclusive model for locally-led conservation of America’s lands and waters? In this episode of Stories from the Floodplain, Prairie Rivers Network speaks with Tonyisha Harris, Chicagoland Conservation Manager at the Illinois Environmental Council (IEC). She talks about growing u…
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A New Era for Coal Ash Cleanup
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In April, the Illinois Pollution Control Board issued new rules on dealing with coal ash in the state. In this episode of Stories from the Floodplain, Prairie Rivers Network discusses the implications for this new rule, how we got to where we are on coal ash, and why this new rule will help protect our water from the dangers of coal ash. Links: Pra…
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The natural world is under multiple threats, many of which are complex and difficult to measure. Landowners, farmers, municipalities, and industries across the country apply pesticides at an alarming rate, attempting to conquer nature, maximize yields, and eliminate “pests” and “weeds.” These invisible chemicals often do not just harm the intended …
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Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali is a renowned thought leader, internationally known speaker, policy maker, and the National Wildlife Federation Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization. He spoke at last year’s Prairie Rivers Network virtual annual dinner in October. In this episode of Stories from the Floodplain, Dr. …
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Prairie Rivers Network sits down to talk with Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. We discuss what the Biden administration and a new Congress mean for the environment and climate, the intense divide in the US, and how environmental groups and advocates are rethinking their identities at a time of social and politic…
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Shock to the Food System
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Prairie Rivers Network sits down to talk with three different organizations making an impact on our food system: Dave Bishop’s PrairiErth Farm, Illinois Stewardship Alliance, and Men of Power-Women of Strength. We discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed severe vulnerabilities in our food system, and how this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunit…
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Water Transcends Boundaries: A Conversation with Commissioner Kimberly Neely du Buclet
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Prairie Rivers Network sits down to talk with Kimberly Neely du Buclet, a commissioner for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD). We discuss what MWRD is currently doing to improve the lives of all Chicagoans, including addressing environmental racism. Commissioner du Buclet also talks about her experience as a life-…
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Long Live the Great Lakes Republic: A Conversation with Dr. Rachel Havrelock
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Prairie Rivers Network sits down to talk with Dr. Rachel Havrelock, founder of the Freshwater Lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago. We discuss why the US EPA is failing in its duty to enforce environmental protections and how new, watershed-based political institutions could fill the vacuum. We also touch upon how the COVID-19 crisis echoes…
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An Engineering Paradigm
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Throughout history, humans have made efforts to control nature. We’ve built structures to keep rivers at bay and farmland and towns dry. But these structures have proven themselves to be far from perfect, and attempting to engineer America’s largest river has only made for worse flooding events.On this episode of Stories from the Floodplain, PRN st…
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Mark Twain once wrote, “ten thousand River Commissions, with the mines of the world at their back, cannot tame that lawless stream, cannot curb it or confine it.” These words are immortalized in his book Life on the Mississippi, and it’s no argument the prolific author had a close relationship to the Mississippi River. But in a way, his warning has…
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