Moirs Environmental Dialogues

In June President Trump repealed the National Ocean Policy created by executive order by President Obama. What does this mean for regional ocean planning, particularly in New England and the Mid Atlantic as well as impacts on ocean conservation in America is discussed when Rob talks with Jenna Valente, Ocean Policy Manager for American Littoral Society, and Sarah Whelan, Ocean Policy Program Director, American Littoral Society.

Rob Moir talks to Don Blair, a physicist at the Center for Civic Media in Somerville, and Kyle Neumann, a marine science PhD student at UCSB, about an ingenious device that measures salinity and changes in temperature and depth to find the thermocline, the boundary between water masses. While aboard the RV Nautilus in the Pacific, Don created a small circuit board that fits into a honey bear squeeze bottle to measure water temperature with depth. They added mineral oil and fitted a rubber glove on top for the changing pressure. It dove successfully to 1,000 feet. Don is enlarging with a salinity sensor that will go into a decoy duck. The “bathythermo-duck” will be used to find the thermocline, to document climate change impacts on the ocean. Ocean River Institute’s Deep Sea Canyon Rangers are working to protect sperm whales from ship strikes, cold water corals from trawls, and to prevent mining, oil and gas drilling in NE Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.

Home of the endangered Everglades Snail Kite, Wood Storks, Mottled Duck, White-tailed Deer, Bobcat, Peninsula Cooter and Florida Softshell, the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge has a great diversity of wildlife dwelling in five different habitats. The Ocean River Institute is mounting a national campaign to save the Loxahatchee refuge from being closed by the state and reverted back to a water management district. Max Wagner, student at Northeastern University, Owen Worth, recent grad of U Mass Lowell, and Shesha Manning, student from Maynard High School are working with individuals to develop in their own words with precise descriptions and accurate observations as to why this place is a national treasure and cultural amenity worthy of federal support. Max, Owen and Shesha talk with Rob about the wildlife, the 5 habitats, top 3 issues, and what individuals from far away, from all fifty states, have to say about the Loxahatchee. Talking the River of Turtles on radio.

Rolf Olson, Refuge Manager, Mark Musaus, former Refuge Manager, and Elinor Williams, president, Friends talk with Rob. The Loxahatchee is an awesome threshold brimming with wildlife between Lake Okeechobee, agricultural lands, and pine flatwoods to the north and the Everglades to the south, partially bounded by the largest remaining remnant of a cypress strand. An invasive plant, Old World climbing fern, is smothering about 72% of the Refuge. This tenacious vine with 100-foot-long tendrils kills plants by either blocking out light or by causing trees and other native plants to collapse under the weight. Because aerial spraying kills all plants, the climbing fern stems must be hand-cut. Then the lower portions are sprayed. Crews, brought to each island by air boat, often stand in nearly waist high water. The Refuge is known for having the greatest number of alligators in America, not the greatest biomass of alligators, just the greatest number of snapping jaws per foot. Snakes,too