The Fusion Forest

Interviews and discussions on a variety of nature, science and environmental topics.  This podcast is a compilation of discussions from The Fusion Forest radio show that airs Monday 11 am – 12 pm EST on 103.3 Asheville FM, but has each discussion in it’s entirety instead of broken into segments as they are during the live broadcast.  Some episodes of the podcast also feature special bonus material that did not air on the live broadcast.

Episodes:

8. Shades of Green Permaculture with Brandy Hall

7. Miami Compost Project with Quinn Metoyer

The Fusion Forest was visited by Quinn Metoyer all the way from Miami, FL to talk about the Miami Compost Project, a community composting initiative gathering food scraps, plant residue, cardboard and other organic wastes and turning them into rich soil through the process of composting.  These soil building methods are allowing communities in Miami to grow healthy local food in otherwise sandy and infertile ground.  Quinn discusses this process as well as the soil microorganisms that makes compost so important.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miamicompost/

 

6. An Ode to Yeast

Yeasts are everywhere in our environment and inside of ourselves and play an unfathomable amount of important roles on our planet, so in this episode I wax poetic and scientific on the importance of yeast to various ecologies and touch on some new research indicating their  potential roles in improving the health of soil and plants.

 

5. Saving Hemlock Trees with Margot Wallston and Thom Green

This episode is all about the Hemlocks as the Hemlock Restoration Initiative’s director, Margot Wallston, and outreach associate, Thom Green, visit The Fusion Forest to discuss these majestic and ecologically influential trees.  In a detailed conversation about the current state of hemlocks in North Carolina, we talk about the ecological and economic importance of hemlock trees, threats to hemlocks in the region like the wooly adelgid that is currently decimating their populations, a variety of solutions and management strategies the HRI is using to save and repopulate hemlocks in the region, a range of partner organizations collaborating with the HRI and most importantly, how community members can get involved in the cause through volunteer events, education, research and applied management strategies.

Help with tree observations with the TreeSnap app: https://treesnap.org/

Learn more about HRI and becoming a volunteer:

Website: https://savehemlocksnc.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaveTheHemlocks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hemlock_restoration_initiative/

 

4. Community Stream Health Monitoring with Ann Marie Traylor

The Environmental Quality Institute (EQI) is a local non profit that collects large amounts of data on water quality in Asheville and the Western North Carolina area primarily through the help of volunteer stream monitors.  EQI executive director Ann Marie Traylor visits The Fusion Forest to talk about EQI’s history and importance to local water issues, what type of activities volunteers engage in, the importance of community science to EQI’s mission and most importantly, a deep dive into aquatic macroinvertebrates, small animals that are a critical metric for EQI’s efforts to assess stream health in the region.  This discussion also features bonus questions not aired during the original radio broadcast.

Learn more about EQI and becoming a volunteer:

Website: http://www.environmentalqualityinstitute.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eqilab/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eqi_lab/

3. Community Labs and the Soil Microcosmos with Craig Trester

Environmental educator and citizen scientist Craig Trester visits The Fusion Forest to discuss a range of topics including the fungi – microbe – soil health connection, open source community research labs, the importance of DNA to mushroom identification, and more.

Follow Craig’s work on Instagram: @nyc.myc
Contact Craig via email: craig@myc.nyc

2. The Central Asheville Watershed Plan with Renee Fortner

Renee Fortner is the watershed resources director for local environmental non-profit Riverlink.  Her visit to The Fusion Forest involved a detailed discussion of the new Central Asheville Watershed Plan addressing stormwater management in the Downtown, River Arts District and Southside parts of the city that collectively drain into the most widely trafficked part of the French Broad River.  Renee explains Riverlink’s background and mission, what watersheds are, how water quality is measured, current challenges to water quality in the city of Asheville, potential remedies for Asheville’s water quality problems, and projects that are now on the table to improve the city’s stormwater issues thanks to Riverlink and the Central Asheville Watershed Plan.  This interview also includes bonus questions not aired during it’s broadcast on The Fusion Forest radio show.

Learn more about Riverlink:

Website:  https://riverlink.org/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/riverlink
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/river.link/
Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiOZfkWSbKgnrflpKe42EcQ

To report an illicit discharge into a stream or storm drain, contact:

City of Asheville
Business hours (7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.): 828-232-4567.
After hours, weekends and holidays: 828-251-1122.
N.C. Department of Environmental Quality- Division of Water Resources
Phone: 828-296-4500

1. Animals and Environmental DNA with Clare Adams

Animal biologist Clare Adams visits The Fusion Forest to discuss her work with fur seals, abalone and turtles and the environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques employed to track and analyze the population health of these different types of animals. A researcher at the University of Otago in New Zealand with previous graduate research experience at Iowa State University, Clare shares her knowledge and love of animals in a practical and scientific context, as well as joining me for a contemplation of unconventional pets.

Follow Clare’s work on Twitter: @clare_eDNA