In Tune to Nature Podcast

This election season is the ultimate time to consider that this decade is our last best chance to transition to a liveable planet instead of continuing to further recklessly degrade the sustainability of our own species’ future, and that of fellow earthlings, and our one Oasis Earth. Marine conservationist, former U of Alaska professor, and clean energy and wildlife consultant, Dr. Rick Steiner speaks with In Tune to Nature radio host Carrie Freeman about his book Oasis Earth: Planet in Peril – Our Last Best Chance to Save Our World. Anyone can download, read, and share this open-access/free digital book at the website  https://www.oasis-earth.com/oasis-earth-planet-in-peril (or you can buy a hardcopy of this beautiful, full-color book, full of images from the UN Environmental Program’s photographic contest winners and NASA images of Earth from space). In this special 52-minute radio show, we set the stage for outlining environmental solutions by first reviewing the four fundamental causes of ecological crisis and why this decade 2020-2030 is so crucial to everyone’s future viability (why we can’t keep going business as usual). Then we go through some of the main environmental problems we face, especially human population growth, unsustainable animal agriculture and fishing, and the climate and wildlife extinction crises. In the latter half of the show, we focus on Rick’s many solutions and goals in Oasis Earth, including redefining progress to account for what we really care about (going from GDP to wellbeing), instituting more citizen advisory councils around all communities for bottom up democratic leadership, and funding/investing in ecological initiatives like wildlife conservation and a living planet emergency fund and no longer subsidizing destructive practices like fossil fuel energy and unsustainable ag. We focus a lot on needed government policies and legal means to ensuring our political leaders and us as citizens start to foster a liveable planet rather than a dying planet, and creating that political will to prioritize this transition to an ecocentric way of living and not a short-sighted/misguided anthropocentric way of living (living as only human lives matter is ultimately going to kill us, along with so many other species). Dr. Rick Steiner helps us understand his concept of “constructive engagement” toward a variety of Oasis Earth goals he outlines for Agenda 2030. But in this decade, will we vote in the kind of political leaders who are brave and visionary enough to institute these needed, life-saving transitions to a liveable planet?  Can we make that our priority? Please share this podcast to see if we can make it a movement!   In Tune to Nature is a weekly radio show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-plus-year old independent, progressive, non-commercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Photo Credit: The cover of the Oasis Earth book published by Cirque Press, Anchorage, Alaska Vote not only to take care of yourself, but to take care of others, including other species who need us to be their voice!

We voters really do care about eco issues (it's aligned with our health and economy and love for other animals...and future generations), so I wanted to get us prepared, motivated, and confident for early voting in Georgia Oct 15 - Nov 1st, with resources and tips shared by Brionte McCorkle, Executive Director of the nonpartisan Georgia Conservation Voters (GCV) at  https://www.gcvoters.org/vote/ That GCV voter resource website includes a link to this nonpartisan tool  https://gcv.branch.vote/summary  where you can see your ballot ahead of time and check out the candidates' views on various issues and an explanation of referendums, so you can make your voting decisions before heading to the polls. Brionte suggested printing this out and bringing it with you to early vote. It's the latter half of the podcast that focuses on these tips on how, where, and when to vote in GA, finding your many early voting locations -- like libraries-- (most open 7am - 7pm) across your county Oct 15-Nov 1st (whereas if you wait until Nov 5th election day, you have to go to your one set polling location and will likely have a longer wait).  You can check out all of your voting options at the GA My Voter Page https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/   so you can making a voting plan! This election is really high stakes, so plan to go early vote with a friend and offer neighbors rides to the polls or get a ride at rideshare2vote.com (or you can also volunteer to be a driver). It can be good to have the voter protection hotline number in your phone contacts in case you run into any issues or shenanigans at the polls: 866-OUR-VOTE.  In the first half of this 47-minute In Tune to Nature podcast (hosted by Carrie Freeman), Brionte tells us how we care about eco issues in Georgia, and highlights the GCV "environmental scorecard" for legislators' voting records and why some elected officials rank higher or lower in environmental and voter protection policymaking. We did discuss my observation that most republicans ended up ranking lower and how we hope that will change in the future to make eco issues nonpartisan again, as we need that desperately in this era of climate and species extinction crises. In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive, noncommercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Photo Credit: Edmond Dantes (got from GCV). Vote not only to take care of yourself, but to take care of others, including other species who need us to be their voice!

Elections are about more than just the current economy. We citizens must consider longterm effects of policies on our climate stability, wild animal livelihoods, community wellbeing, ecosystem health, and sustainable economic opportunities for future generations. But "Project 2025," the Heritage Foundation's extreme right-wing policy plan for a trump presidency forecasts a grim future of handing over more power to industries for oil and gas exploitation in ocean habitats, increasing not decreasing the deadly climate crisis, with less government scientific oversight and fewer protections and preservations of aquatic communities, more noise and toxic disruptions and killing/fishing of animals who live in the sea, and less respect for local coastal and indigenous communities. Based on his article "Project 2025’s Plan To ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Threatens Ocean Health and Economic Stability," Angelo Villagomez, Senior Fellow on the Conservation Team at the Center for American Progress (a progressive policy institute) talks with host Carrie Freeman in this 32-minute radio show about the dangers of Project 2025 and what would be a healthier and fairer path forward for ocean life and coastal communities. It's up to the American voters.  Angelo reminds us at the end (right before he closes the show with his not so "mediocre" ukulele solo) that voting Nov 5th is the least we should do, and we should also get civicly engaged in participating in our government as part of our life, such as sharing public input via checking the federal register frequently https://www.federalregister.gov/  Your vote matters! In preparation for everyone early voting, find out and share more about what a potential trump presidency under a Project 2025 plan would actually mean for America (and our precious planetary habitats) in terms of a power grab by the president and industries over the wellbeing of people and wildlife, weakening scientific governance and protections; see these series of reports https://www.americanprogress.org/series/project-2025-exposing-the-far-right-assault-on-america/  And to prep for voting, investigate what other Presidential candidates' (and state and local officials) plans are to protect our habitats and health,  and which candidates the League of Conservation Voters endorses as being environmentally responsible and why https://www.lcv.org/  In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive, noncommercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Vote not only to take care of yourself, but to take care of others, including other species who need us to be their voice!

The Marine Protection Atlas maps the global conservation of ocean areas that are supposed to legally protect aquatic animals and plant life from industrial activities like commercial fishing, mining, and drilling, but they have varying levels of protection and effectiveness so far. In this 33-minute podcast, we discuss the status of legally protected marine ocean areas worldwide, some of which are called “blue parks,” based on a report titled “Ocean protection quality is lagging behind quantity: Applying a scientific framework to assess real marine protected area progress against the 30 by 30 target” this was published in the Conservation Letters journal in 2024. Host Carrie Freeman interviews our guest -- the lead author of that report -- Beth Pike, who is also a ship captain, whale researcher, and the current Director of Marine Protection Atlas at the Marine Conservation Institute. You can explore the maps at https://mpatlas.org/  This is in context of the monumental agreement from 188 countries at the COP15 UN Biodiversity Conference in 2022 to protect 30 percent of our planet's land and waters by the year 2030 (Hence "30 by 30"). Beth's co-authored report tells us how we are lagging behind on that 30 x 30 goal and what we need to do to meet it, including ensuring that nations hold themselves accountable for not just making a marine area a park on paper but actually taking the extra steps to fund and enforce protections to avoid oil drilling, mining, and commercial fishing/poaching in those areas --high protections well managed so they actually allow marine plants and animals to regenerate and flourish and stem the tide of mass extinction we humans have caused.  Parks require policy, and they need political will to be funded and protected, so at the end we discuss the importance of voting for political leaders who care to do the right thing for biodiversity and our planetary health, and do so in an equitable/fair way that works with frontline and indigenous communities to use their knowledge in the process of developing policies that work for humans and nonhumans alike. In the context of US Politics, see articles like https://www.americanprogress.org/article/project-2025-would-be-a-disaster-for-national-marine-sanctuaries/  You can see a summary of Beth's report in this Inside Climate News article that alerted me to this issue. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/17062024/largest-marine-protected-areas-have-inadequate-protections/  In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive, noncommercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like those who live in our oceans. Photo Credit: Stellar sea lions looking at us and depending on our marine protection efforts, by Jett Britnell/Coral Reef Image Bank.

Water is essential to life, yet factory animal farms have polluted freshwater and river and wetland ecosystems and rural neighborhoods for decades. But we can work to protect water, wildlife, animals, and community health. To tell us how, is our guest Larry Baldwin. He’s with the nonprofit group Waterkeeper Alliance   https://waterkeeper.org/ and serves as their Campaign Coordinator for the “Pure Farms, Pure Waters” program in North Carolina. He works with the 15 licensed Waterkeeper Alliance groups in North Carolina in their efforts to reform the current polluting practices of the industrial meat producing facilities, known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, or CAFOs. In this 36-minute interview, "In Tune to Nature" radio host Carrie Freeman asks Larry Baldwin about what these mass hog facilities and mass chicken warehouses look and smell like (horrible for the animals), how the growers/farmers are in debt while agribusiness corporate executives profit, what water and air pollution these animal factories produce, like the open manure pits surrounding pig factory farms -- feces that puts bacteria and sewage into creeks and also gets sprayed into the air, creating environmental injustices in the largely Black rural communities where these factory farms are ruining quality of life. Larry was featured in a documentary on fighting this injustice, called The Smell of Money, streaming now.  Larry discusses programs and policies that can protect communities and water ecosystems from CAFO pollution, and helps us know how we can help move past factory animal farming.  In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive, noncommercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like those who rely on healthy river ecosystems. Photo Credit: Waterkeeper Alliance photo of hog CAFOs in NC next to open manure pits (those aren't lakes, people). We purposely can't see the pigs suffering behind closed doors.

I love hearing about "wildlife equity" for the wild animals who are often an integral focus of tourists. As ecotourists, we long to see amazing wild animals, but how can we ensure we aren’t endangering or harming them and putting ourselves or tourism profit before the lives and wellbeing of local humans and other animals in these tourism hotspots? To tell us about her (and co-authors') concept of wildlife equity and multispecies tourism justice is our guest Dr. Carol Kline, Appalachian State University Professor and Hospitality & Tourism Management Program Director, in the Department of Management. She recently edited two books about the ethics of eating animals within the context of tourism: called “Animals, Food & Tourism” and “Tourism Experiences & Animal Consumption: Contested Values, Morality, & Ethics.” An intersectional scholar, she is part of a network of researchers who focus on Race, Ethnicity, & Social Equity in Tourism. In this 30-minute podcast with host Carrie Freeman, Dr. Kline tells us about the burgeoning scholarship and advocacy on wildlife equity in tourism, and how to reduce risks to wildlife, respect animals' will/agency/privacy, what would be responsible marketing and transparency from wildlife tourism operators, and issues related to responsible food consumption while on vacation, including maintaining your own value system when traveling while still trying to enjoy local culture (authentically). Plus we address what we can do to be responsible ecotourists when nonhuman animals are part of our trip plans, since so many of us love and appreciate the more-than-human world. In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive, noncommercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like the wild animals we share the planet with. Image Credit: Carrie Freeman took this image of a humpback near Juneau, Alaska on a whale watching tour in 2024. The small boat near the whale was not moving and the whale chose to get close to it, but boats are required to back off to a certain distance when near whales. I was on a whale watch tourboat that is a member of the Whale Sense program that I mention in this podcast and I zoomed in to get this image as the whales were feeding on herring, swimming around us.

We talk with Catherine Ridley, VP of One Hundred Miles, about wildlife protection efforts in coastal Georgia, focusing on the endangered North Atlantic Right Whale and Loggerhead Sea Turtles who breed here and are at risk due to fatal ship strikes, fishing gear entanglements, dredging, and noise and light pollution, as well as discussing ancient Horseshoe Crabs, who are especially under threat lately by pharmaceutical industries who are capturing (kidnapping) hundreds of thousands of them and draining them of their blue blood, despite a synthetic substance that serves the same medical purpose without the massive animal exploitation.  In this 27-minute interview with In Tune to Nature host Carrie Freeman, Catherine Ridley discusses policy solutions such as zones for slower ship speeds, beach lighting ordinances, dredging bans during breeding season, and synthetic alternatives to horseshoe crab blood, all of which would save animal lives if we made them and our ecosystem health a priority. Catherine urges civic engagement and for us to get passionate and speak up. See the Horseshoe Crab Recovery Coalition that has action items to ban the mass exploitation https://hscrabrecovery.org/ See action items for all coastal species at One Hundred Miles' page on wildlife https://onehundredmiles.org/wildlife/  and you can join their email action item list here https://onehundredmiles.org/join-mailing-list/  In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive, noncommercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like the individuals who live along our coasts. Photo credit at horseshoe crab pharmaceutical facility: Ariane Mueller

Conservation Journalist Ben Goldfarb explains stories and lessons from his fantastic book "Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet" It examines how our vast system of roads and all our car and truck traffic is dissecting landscapes and making life dangerous and often lethal for other animal species (to bypass the "moving fence" of traffic) – and what we can do about it to support biodiversity and to share our planet more equitably with other animal individuals striving to thrive and survive amongst the noisy and dangerous new roadway 'ecosystems.' I found "Crossings" so eye-opening and so comprehensive –it's about every aspect of road and vehicle impacts you could ever think of and for all kinds of animals from bears to butterflies to frogs and fish--  and so many interesting and well written stories. It’s heartbreaking to hear about this constant mass killing of animals and infringement upon their freedoms, migration, and lives, but also heartwarming due to all the people (from engineers and biologists to animal activists) trying to help other animals and find solutions like building wildlife crossings and rewilding older roads in public forests. In this 34-minute interview host Carrie Freeman asks Ben Goldfarb why our road systems have such an extremely negative effect on wildlife and ecosystems, how various animal species have different ways of dealing with roads (some more cautious and some more cavalier), how wildlife overpasses over highways are helping larger mammals like mountain lions out west connect to other habitats/mates, and how underpasses are helping some smaller animals like turtles in Florida get to other habitats without getting squashed by the thousands. We also discuss the surprising effects of road noise on animals' ability to thrive and communicate, and we conclude with a variety of solutions, including more roadless areas in national forests and more carpooling in buses in national parks, slowing down speed limits, and building safe wildlife road passages in key migration sites (a bipartisan win/win issue as it pays for itself). Conservation journalist Ben Goldfarb has other great books and articles. See his work at his website  www.bengoldfarb.com/  In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive, noncommercial Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species...by driving less often and slower and advocating for roadless spaces and wildlife crossings.

A decade after the release of the 2014 award-winning documentary Cowspiracy, filmmakers Kip Anderson and Keegan Kuhn come together with Atlanta animal activists and scholars in a webinar on May 21st 2024 to discuss the impact of the film and the status/progress/strategies of the vegan movement today. Facilitated by host Dr. Natalie Khazaal, a critical animal studies scholar and Associate Professor at Georgia Tech (the webinar was funded by a grant from her department, the School of Modern Languages), this 57-minute webinar allows the filmmakers to answer questions from GA Tech students and Atlanta animal activists (including me, In Tune to Nature host Carrie Freeman) where we discuss: which few environmental orgs actually have the integrity to campaign to reduce or replace animal ag, knowing its immense environmental destructiveness (shout out to the Center for Biological Diversity and the Western Watershed Project); the pros and cons of lab-grown/cultivated meats (esp. good for pet food); the need to campaign against animal ag subsidies and regenerative ag/holistic grazing myths and for divestment from animal ag; and how best to persuasively connect with people, such as using ethical/animal rights messages, and bypassing cognitive dissonance in favor of carnism/meat-eating. We also mention other impactful animal/food documentaries, as Kip and Keegan run AUM (Animals United Movement) Film and Media company https://www.aumfilms.org/ , a nonprofit that produces provocative full-length films inspiring healthy coexistence, such as Seaspiracy, What the Health, and the End of Medicine. Christpiracy is the latest film, which addresses spiritual/ethical and religious tenets in support of abstaining from farming/eating other animals.  For studies I have published in the Environmental Communication journal analyzing environmental organizations' campaigns related to animal ag and commercial fishing and the need for greater critiques, see Take Extinction Off Your Plate (2022) and Meat's Place on the Campaign Menu (2010). Both found on my open-access site https://works.bepress.com/carrie_freeman/  In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent, progressive Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Note: I edited the original webinar to fit the radio format to be under an hour.  Take care of yourself and others, including other species...by supporting animal activism and veganic/produce farming.

Food justice activist and veganic farmer Eugene Cooke shares an aspirational vision for why he practices agro-ecology in urban ag at Grow Where You Are farms around Atlanta and how (and why) this can be scaled up for widespread regenerative agricultural practices that the U.S. needs to stay viable and sustainable to feed our human population and nurture our soil naturally not chemically. In this 25-minute podcast (from Sept 2022), Eugene explains his unconventional roots from artist to farmer and what it's like to share his biodiverse, Atlanta-based veganic crop farms with wandering wildlife (not domesticating or farming any animals) and how they use composted food and yard scraps to generate compost fertilizers without all the slaughterhouse or antibiotic and chemical remnants in animal-based fertilizers. He and his farming partner Nicole then share their organic bounty with local folks (like at the Freedom Farmer's Market at the Carter Center each Saturday morning). Host Carrie Freeman is one of those nourished market customers enjoying their produce weekly (then composting the food scraps to make fertilizer to grow more food, via her CompostNow service). Eugene Cooke encourages us consumers to be part of this sustainable food transition by starting to eat more fresh foods/produce from regenerative agriculture producers, more so than eating processed and sugary commercial foods from big commodity monocrops. Check out his videos at https://www.growwhereyouare.farm/ or https://www.patreon.com/growwhereyouare  In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50plus-year old independent progressive Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species...by supporting veganic farmers

To honor primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall's 90th birthday (April 3 2024) and her continuing conservation work, I am playing part of a recent Mongabay News interview with her, hosted by Rhett A. Butler, followed by a PBS News Hour interview from 2016 with the late biologist E.O. Wilson where he discussed his final book "Half Earth" which he wrote in his late eighties. He continued working until he passed at age 92 in 2021 and his legacy lives on with his many nature books and his Half Earth Project nonprofit that seeks to protect half of our planet's most biodiverse land and sea spaces to ensure wildlife has access and can thrive there without humans exploiting them or taking over the space -- this protection Wilson explains is necessary to end the mass extinction crisis (other animals cannot thrive living in fragmented isolated parks here and there). I think you'll enjoy hearing from these legends with their hopeful messages and solutions on this 31-minute podcast. You can find out more about the pioneering and ongoing work of these inspirational lifelong biologists at their nonprofits: The Jane Goodall Institute and the Half-Earth Project. You can also support non-commercial news like Mongabay and the PBS News Hour whose journalistic work was featured on this program...and Radio Free Georgia, my indie station! "In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature  Please support indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/   Take care of yourself and others, including other emotional animal species. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG its board, staff, or volunteers....most of us are volunteers. Photo Credit: Mongabay News

Renowned animal ethologist Dr. Marc Bekoff shares insights from the newly revised edition of his classic book: “The Emotional Lives of Animals: A leading scientist explores animal joy, sorrow, and empathy, -- and why they matter” with a foreword by famed primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall. In April 2024, with the release of the book near Dr. Goodall's 90th birthday, Dr. Bekoff spent 38 minutes with host Carrie Freeman discussing: what it's like working with Dr. Goodall, what has changed in the exploding field of cognitive ethology (the study of animal minds) in the last 20 years, how fairness and justice are a common trait in social animals to maintain cooperation (like with coyotes), why less "charismatic" animals like fish and mice will surprise us with their personalities (as all animals are individuals not just inter-changeable members of their species), how we need to work for animal "wellbeing" not just animal "welfare" for domesticated and wild animals, and ethical choices -- what we all can do to play our part in reducing animal suffering and advocating for animals (whom we should no longer under-estimate or ignore). We end on a hopeful note, thanks to a 4th grader who inspired Marc.  The Emotional Lives of Animals book chapters cover: the indisputable case for animal emotions; animal minds and hearts;  what animals feel;  wild justice, empathy, and fair play; and a final chapter on why animal wellbeing matters - with lots of recommendations across various fields of animal types and uses (zoos, farms, research labs, etc.). The author, Marc Bekoff, PhD has been an animal advocate and researcher for close to 50 years, and he’s a prolific author of more than 30 books on nonhuman animals. A professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Dr. Bekoff has won many awards for his research on animal behavior, compassionate conservation, animal protection, and animal emotions. He publishes regularly for Psychology Today. His website is https://marcbekoff.com/  I’m happy to report that The Emotional Lives of Animals book is printed on 100% recycled paper bc the publisher -- New World Library--  is part of the Green Press Initiative. I wish all book publishers made recycled paper a priority.   "In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature  Please support indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/   Take care of yourself and others, including other emotional animal species. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG its board, staff, or volunteers....most of us are volunteers.

We discuss the latest in the 2024 fight against environmental racism and stream water degradation as part of the "Save The Atlanta Forest" movement also knowns as the "Stop Cop City" movement, in Southeast Atlanta, comprised of many allied groups of citizens who over the last several years are working to stop/discontinue the building of a multi-million dollar mega law enforcement training center in a forested watershed area, where it is unwanted by the adjacent human community of many Black residents, and by the wildlife who (used to) live there too. To tell us about the ongoing legal efforts is Dr. Jacqueline Echols, Board President of the South River Watershed Alliance. @southriverGA #southriverGA  In this 28-minute Feb. 2024 interview, host Carrie Freeman asks Dr. Echols to explain the civil rights act administrative complaint her organization filed, alleging the origins of the copy city installation constitute intentional harm and qualify as environmental racism. And she discusses another pending legal case alleging violations of the clean water act from increased sediment deposits harming the already polluted streams and river that may not be able to sustain life. Dr. Echols notes that stalling/delay by the courts and government officials seems to be a tactic used throughout this project to get the facility built under the radar before the city is officially told they legally cannot. Construction of the facility and destruction of many trees has already taken place.  The "Save the forest" image of the sad rabbit painting on the bridge on the South River Trail taken by host Carrie Freeman. See cement barricade there.  Note: you never see any "tear down the Atlanta forest" or "build cop city" artwork around the city. There was a lot of helicopter noise that was in the area too at that cop city building site, and noise like that scares away a lot of the wild/free animal residents. Carrie didn't get audio of the copters but she does play an audio clip several times of the frog serenade along the South River trail wetland. "In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature  Please support indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/   Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like the wetland frogs you hear in this podcast. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG its board, staff, or volunteers....most of us are volunteers.

In this double-show we explore problems and solutions for transforming America’s flawed model of wildlife management that is oddly human-centric (hunter-centric), undemocratic, and often cruel, by speaking with wildlife advocate and author Anja Heister, PhD, about her recent book “Beyond the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation: From Lethal to Compassionate Conservation,” published by the academic press Palgrave Macmillan as part of their Animal Ethics Series. Founder of Footloose Montana, an anti-trapping organization, and decades long advocate for animals, Dr. Heister wrote a book that provides a nuanced analysis of the wildlife management system and its faults in the U.S. and a vision for what could be a compassionate conservation alternative that is nonviolent, and more democratic and representative of the interests of all Americans (not primarily hunters and trappers), including the interests of all of America’s wild animals, not just endangered species or the so-called “game species.” We can’t keep leaving wildlife to be at the mercy of management by a small group of Americans, namely hunters and trappers, sporting and ranching industries, and rural residents, and instead let all of us put wildlife first in wildlife policies. In this 54-minute episode, hosted by Carrie Freeman, she and Dr. Heister discuss: misconceptions many Americans have about the way wildlife is managed, challenging historic myths of hunting and/as conservation, how our wildlife system is funded by hunting licenses and gun sales providing misguided incentives, and Governors having more control than citizens in policymaking, examples of cruel policies towards wolves in Montana,  how many laws protect hunters and trappers more than animals, enabling cruelty, how empathy and emotion should play a larger role with rationality in wildlife management, and a vision to transform our U.S. wildlife management agencies based on compassionate conservation principles that value individual animal lives and promote all Americans' input in protecting and supporting our wild animal neighbors. Consider supporting nonprofit conservation groups who advocate for change, like Wildlife For All. https://wildlifeforall.us/  "In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature  Please support indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/   Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like the free-living animals who share our land and waters. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG its board, staff, or volunteers....most of us are volunteers.

Today it's one of my favorite topics -- the benefits of humans starting to embrace our animality and kinship with other animals, instead of falsely repressing our animality and continuing to think of ourselves as exceptional and above all animal life. We’ll talk about how we human animals can productively change our self narrative to be more honest with author and environmental philosopher Melanie Challenger who wrote the fascinating book “How to be animal: A New History of What it Means to be Human.” As she phrases is, “It's an invitation to refresh in our minds the loveliness of being animal.” You can find out more at her website https://www.melaniechallenger.com/  In this half hour "In Tune to Nature" radio podcast, host Carrie Freeman talks with award-winning author Melanie Challenger about: what drew her to the conclusion that the fundamental issue of humanity is that we don’t want to admit we are an animal, but should; the false mind/body dualism and the struggle for us humans to accept our vulnerable bodily selves (we are not just our brains); what we gain and share with other animals in these bodies that is a lovely part of being human; how we can recognize "the world is alive with intelligence" and "if we matter, so does everything else" (p.217); and ways that we can collectively help create a more truthful and productive narrative on humanity that embeds us within the broader, rich animal community. and she ends by telling us how her "How to be Animal" book sets up her latest book on the topic of Animal Dignity and the role of respect. "In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature  Please support indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/   Take care of yourself and others, including human and nonhuman animals.

We focus on the creative process of several artists in the road ecology movement who have promoted safe passageways for wildlife to cross over and under human highways, via song, children’s literature, and documentary film. Our guests are writer Frances Figart of Asheville, NC and filmmaker Ted Grudowski of Seattle, WA, interviewed in this 30-minute podcast by host Carrie Freeman. Our discussion explores creative ways these artists have inspired humans to more safely and fairly share land with free-living nonhuman animals, specifically to promote the design and build of wildlife road crossings to enable safe passage for animals across human highways --  like Highway I-40, North of Asheville NC near the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, where there are lots of bears, elk, deer, and other animals needing to migrate to feed and mate, and that highway is a dangerous barrier to their livelihood, causing vehicle collisions. You can find out more about that ongoing safe passage project and its coalition of conservation supporters at the Smokies Safe Passage website: https://smokiessafepassage.org/ In this podcast, Frances Figart tells us about her children's book (for ages 7 - 13) "A Search for Safe Passage" (illustrated by Emma Dufort) about a council of 19 animal species who work together to find an underpass that allows them to safely get to the other side of a scary and loud human road in their mountain forest. That also inspired her song "Safe Passage: Animals Need a Hand." You can see and share a cool music video of this song by Asheville band The Fates in a celtic/bluegrass style on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLbyQB5mqtU (we play a portion of this song in the podcast). Filmmaker and photographer Ted Grudowski also tells us about "Cascade Crossroads" the award-winning half-hour documentary he co-produced that chronicles the amazing story of seemingly opposite interests out West joining forces to restore a critical wildlife corridor while improving Washington State’s vital transportation corridor over the Cascade Mountains -- a documentary that is actually encouraging in these polarizing times. You can watch it to inspire similar problem-solving in your own town, at Ted's website https://www.tedgrudowski.com/cascade-crossroads-documentary-film  The nonprofit Conservation Northwest also has a lot of resources on reconnecting habitats.  "In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature  Please support indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/   Take care of yourself and others, including other species -- like wildlife who need to get where they are going safely (with road underpasses and overpasses and more roadless areas to live).

We enjoy the poetry and photography in a new book Wild Atlanta: Greenspaces and Nature Preserves of “The City in the Forest” with the book author and poet Stephen Wing and the book’s photographer Luz Wright. Their 98-page full color poetic photo book is an artistic tribute to several dozen of Atlanta’s gorgeous public forests and parks for humans and wildlife to share.  In this 26-minute interview (airing in December 2023), I have Stephen read a few of his poems that ingeniously weave in the climate crisis, wild animals like hawks, and protecting natural areas like Intrenchment Creek Park from development (from becoming 'Cop City' and/or a movie studio lot). And Luz explains a collection of photos she took of trees, crickets, streams, leaves, and butterflies at Heritage Trail Park. You can see it's a great creative connection between Luz and Stephen to bring each wild space alive through an intriguing and unique visual and written conversation. The book's website is https://wildatlanta.net/ and it lists the local independent bookstores where you can obtain a copy and where the authors sometimes come do a reading. "In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature  Please support indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/   Take care of yourself and others, including other species and wild spaces.

To have a more meaningful holiday season and avoid buying a bunch of stuff, this is a replay of my 28-minute annual green gift giving show -- this time focusing not on eco-friendly products but more on eco-friendly experiences in order to avoid cluttering up our lives with more stuff that lands in our homes permanently. So the emphasis is on gift-giving ideas for vegan food/meals or experiences (travel, parks, spas, etc.) or lending a helping hand (dog-sitting, babysitting/tutoring, lawncare, home organization), and savings/investing. It is an Atlanta focused show. It also highlights the So Kind Registry that allows you to let your friends and family know what is meaningful and fun for you (registering for that as gifts) instead of more "stuff" to buy. https://www.sokindregistry.org/  "In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature  Please support indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/   Take care of yourself and others, including other species.

Did you know one third of North America's birds have vanished over the last 50 years -- on our watch? That's 3 Billion fewer birds in our ecosystems, skies, trees, farms, and backyards! In their book "A Wing and a Prayer: The Race to Save our Vanishing Birds," journalists and bird lovers Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal went on an adventure to sound the alarm and help us discover why birds aren't thriving anymore (after tens of millions of years on this planet) and to profile the many unique and innovate ways that scientists and outdoor enthusiasts are helping to preserve species and habitats. In this 28-minute podcast, where host Carrie Freeman interviews Anders Gyllenhaal, we also discuss the need for the general public to invest in wildlife conservation (at least $1 billion a year is needed) to prevent bird losses, not just rely on taxing hunters and guns, nor wait and try to save those species who are on the brink of extinction (a much more costly and less effective solution than prevention now). Reinvigorating the U.S. Fish & Wildlife agency and passing the bipartisan 'Restore America's Wildlife Act' are part of what is needed. You can find out more about the book and what birds are teaching us at their website https://flyinglessons.us/ There you will also find suggestions on how you can be part of the solution to save birds and their habitats, which we discuss at the end of the podcast. "In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature  Please support indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/  In fact, Anders supplied a signed hardcopy of the book as a fundraising incentive, and I can send it to anyone who donates $50 or more at wrfg.org (just message me at the facebook page to let me know). Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like our vanishing birds.

Discussing his book "Nature, Design, and Health: Explorations of a Landscape Architect," David Kamp describes his nature-inspired design philosophy, and we specifically concentrate on garden project elements designed to enhance the wellbeing of older adults and people with special needs. We also discuss how wildlife can be encouraged and supported in our yards and landscapes. You can see his lovely designs at the book website https://www.naturedesignhealth.com/.  This 24-minute podcast is hosted by Carrie Freeman, who recorded it for "In Tune to Nature," a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station). Hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature  Please support indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/  Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like those who wander through and feed in our backyards.

This double-length show explains tips from the book "Advocating for the Environment: How to Gather Your Power and Take Action" by environmental lobbyist, public servant, teacher, and author Sue Inches from Maine. https://sueinches.com/  After meeting at the 2023 Conference on Communication & Environment and hearing about her book and vast experience, I invited Sue to be interviewed on In Tune to Nature for a longer format show (52 minutes). This gave us more time to discuss advice from the book, such as: the power of being visionary in environmental action (and the 80-10-10 rule), the importance of reframing our earth stories and values to focus on interconnection, bridging partisan politics in the U.S., effectively lobbying of decision-makers, reasons to be hopeful for environmental change, and key steps you can take to get active. In Tune to Nature is a long-time weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent, non-commercial, progressive Atlanta radio station at https://wrfg.org/   Remember to take care of yourself and others, including other species.

We discuss the need for marine eco policies and "sustainable fishing" policies to move toward a non-industrial discourse that treats fish as subjects and as ecological beings rather than primarily objectifying them as human food/stock/seafood – basically sustainable fisheries rhetoric should stop reducing fish and other aquatic animal species to mere economic resources to be 'sustainably managed'. Dr. Jennifer Jacquet, Professor of Environmental Science and Policy at Univ of Miami, explains her rationales for why a change in our discussion of fish (and relationship with fish) is warranted and ecologically beneficial, in this 25-minute podcast with host Carrie Freeman.  This is based on an provocative perspective piece that Dr. Jennifer Jacquet recently co-authored with Dr. Daniel Pauly, published in the journal PLOS Biology, titled "Reimagining Sustainable Fisheries" that challenges the bias toward industrial fishing and economic commodities in our fisheries and marine environmental policies. She also unpacks the excuse that we need managed industrial fishing with quotas to "feed people" or for "food security" when so much caught fish just goes to feed farmed animals (including farmed fish) and to feed wealthier consumer market demands when these consumers often have more sustainable food options (like plant-based). She explains why sustainable fisheries policies need to focus on subsistence fishing (not industrial) and especially protecting marine habitats to help aquatic animals begin to thrive free of harassment/harm. The move to reimagine whales as beings not commodities can be a model for cultural and political change toward other marine animals. See https://ali.fish/blog/reimagining-sustainable-fisheries  The photo of free/wild fish in the Maldives is by Sebastian Pena Lambarri on Unsplash.  In Tune to Nature is a long-time weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent, non-commercial, progressive Atlanta radio station at https://wrfg.org/   Remember to take care of yourself and others, including other species, like those who live underwater.

The Buffalo Field Campaign has worked for decades restoring rights to the wild Bison of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming to live and freely migrate in and outside of Yellowstone National Park in their rightful territory. Carrie Freeman's radio guests Mike Mease and Dallas Gudgell are from the nonprofit Buffalo Field Campaign and we discuss their achievements since the 1990s. In this 25-minute podcast recorded late July 2023, they explain why the bison are at risk of being killed by hunters and ranchers when they leave Yellowstone National Park and how Montana's wildlife policies have been hostile to this threatened and recovering species (treating the species as 'livestock' instead of wildlife). Buffalo Field Campaign volunteers work annually to document and protect the bison in the field (they invite you to join them). Dallas explains the bison's key role in local First Nations' cultural identity and how a coalition of dozens of tribes are meeting in November 2023 to discuss a path to more unified Tribal stewardship over the Yellowstone bison as part of reparations and a path for true protection and recovery of the wild bison herds.   The Buffalo Field Campaign is the only group working both in the field and in the policy arenas to stop the harassment and slaughter of America’s last wild buffalo. Formalized as a nonprofit in 1997, they also protect the natural habitat of wild free-roaming bison and other native wildlife, and stand with First Nations to honor the sacredness of wild buffalo. The primary goal of the Buffalo Field Campaign is to create permanent year-round protection for bison and the ecosystem they depend on—including respect for the migratory needs of this long-exploited and clearly endangered species. Their website full of info, photos, and action items is BuffaloFieldCampaign.org. Photo taken by host Carrie Freeman of the bison herd in Yellowstone (during her visit in 2017). In Tune to Nature is a long-time weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent, non-commercial, progressive Atlanta radio station at https://wrfg.org/   Remember to take care of yourself and others, including other species, like the bison, with whom we share the planet.

We discuss findings from a 2023 report “Animal Agriculture is the Missing Piece in Climate Change Media Coverage”. Given the policy agenda-setting role of the news media, this report details what coverage improvements are warranted to facilitate needed farming and dietary changes in the U.S. to help mitigate the climate crisis, given the large role that animal ag plays in greenhouse gas emissions (especially via methane and deforestation). In this 25-minute podcast, In Tune to Nature host Carrie Freeman interviews two of the report's co-authors, Coni Arevalo (Research Associate at Faunalytics) and Jenny Splitter (Managing Editor at Sentient Media). The report and its recommendations can be found, with an easy-to-read executive summary and infographics, at https://faunalytics.org/animal-ag-in-climate-media/ Faunalytics is a nonprofit research organization that conducts studies and shares knowledge to help advocates support animals effectively. Their website is https://faunalytics.org/.  And Sentient Media is a nonprofit journalism organization and news outlet dedicated to changing the conversation around animal agriculture. Their website is https://sentientmedia.org/   Photo of cow used in the dairy industry, by Jo-Anne McArthur of We Animals Media. The breeding, raising, and feeding of cows is the main contributor in ag to the climate crisis. In Tune to Nature is a long-time weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent, non-commercial, progressive Atlanta radio station at https://wrfg.org/   Remember to take care of yourself and others, including other species, like all the free/wild animals we share the planet with.

Ecoflix.com is the first not-for-profit streaming channel of entertainment and educational shows and podcasts dedicated to saving animals and the planet. We talk with founder and CEO David Casselman about why he founded Ecoflix, how the non-commercial global programming is different from other animal channels (more advocacy oriented and family friendly, non-graphic), some of the most popular shows (saving bears, elephants, wolves, leopards, whales, rainforests, and more) including kids shows, as well as what wildlife and animal protection NGOs Ecoflix works with and supports with 100% of the subscriber fees. Share with educators that all fees are waived for teachers so that educational content is free in classrooms. In this 25-minute "In Tune to Nature" podcast hosted by Carrie Freeman, David also explains the various wildlife and climate protection projects Ecoflix supports and documents for original programming (like drones that can prevent whale strikes with ships). Ecoflix content is varied and also has music videos, podcasts, and poetry. David recommends this fascinating poem about the value of whale poo toward phytoplankton and all life.  https://watch.ecoflix.com/videos/hot-poets-matt-harvey-praise-the-whale  In Tune to Nature is a long-time weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent, non-commercial, progressive Atlanta radio station at https://wrfg.org/   Remember to take care of yourself and others, including other species, like all the free/wild animals we share the planet with.

Due to the threat of titanium mining, the biologically rich and unique Okefenokee Swamp habitat at the GA/FL border has unfortunately been named one of America's Most Endangered Rivers of 2023 (by the organization America Rivers). But there's a wide alliance of bipartisan wilderness and water protectors at https://protectokefenokee.org/ defending this National Wildlife Refuge, including The Georgia River Network. Their Executive Director, ecologist Rena Ann Peck talks to host Carrie Freeman in this 25-minute podcast about why and how so many groups are protecting this delicate and one-of-a-kind ecosystem from damaging mining efforts on the trail ridge (bordering the swamp ecosystem). It's a sacred space to the Muskogee Creek Nation and home to hundreds of plants and unique animals, such as alligators, salamanders, birds, and fish, some endangered. Rena also explains what is being done in the GA Legislature to try to establish permanent protection against future mining (HB 71 Okefenokee Protection Act) and actions to urge the Georgia EPD (Env Protection Division) and Governor Kemp not to issue a mining permit to Twin Pine Minerals company. With overwhelming bipartisan support in favor of park protection, we hope that government listens and acts. Interested citizens can text 52886 with the word SWAMP and it takes you to action items. You can also see the action items and many gorgeous videos at this GA River Network site https://garivers.org/protectokefenokee/  In Tune to Nature is a long-time weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent, non-commercial, progressive Atlanta radio station at https://wrfg.org/   Remember to take care of yourself and others, including other species, like the thousands who live in rivers and wetlands.

To help us understand how coyote families live among us in urban/suburban areas as productive members of ecosystems, Berry College Professor of Biology, Dr. Chris Mowry (and co-founder of the Atlanta Coyote Project) tells us about the natural history of wild canine species in the North America, specifically the Southeast region, where settler colonists drove out the native Red Wolf, and over the centuries the coyote has migrated to take the place of their wolf cousins. Also in this 26-minute In Tune to Nature radio show, recorded in May 2023, host Carrie Freeman expresses concern over the GA Dept of Natural Resources' unfair designation of the coyote as an "invasive species," allowing open-season unlimited killing of coyotes by humans with hunting/trapping licenses. Dr. Mowry explains his and other scientific research findings that coyotes, like most predator species, end up productively enriching the biodiversity of our local ecosystems and therefore do not deserve the title of "invasive" (especially given the natural presence of wild canines in the Southeast historically). We also discuss the family lives of coyotes and their daily routines, eating some plant foods and some small rodents. We end by discussing how to coexist with coyotes in our neighborhoods so that we don't attract them to our yards with petfood or seeds or fruits, and we avoid poisoning their food sources with rat poison, which could cause them to become diseased. Dr. Mowry explains why hiring a trapper to get rid of some local coyote isn't ultimately going to keep coyotes out of your communities, as other coyotes will eventually fill that open territory, so the smartest and most humane action is to coexist peacefully with this often elusive and reclusive species. Find info about how to coexist and other fun facts about local coyotes (plus photos and videos) on the Atlanta Coyote Project website. https://www.atlantacoyoteproject.org/  In Tune to Nature is a long-time weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent, non-commercial, progressive Atlanta radio station at https://wrfg.org/   Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like our urban wildlife. PHOTO CREDIT: Biologist Dr. Larry Wilson (photo of a male coyote spotted in Atlanta's Piedmont Park in 2016. Since coyote's mate for life, he's also someone's partner and dad)

From taking selfies with wild animal individuals, to promoting them as pets, to faking animal rescues for clicks, content harmful to animals abounds on social media platforms like YouTube, Tik Tok, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. To help us identify what is inappropriate, harmful, or cruel content and what to do about it, in this 28-minute radio show, host Carrie Freeman interviews Nicola O'Brien, leader of the Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition. Nicola explains why we should NOT engage with a harmful post or click/comment on it and why we should instead flag and report it to the platform, and then report it also via the Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition reporting form here https://www.smaccoalition.com/report-a-concern as they act on and collect data on each social media platform and work to get policies that will recognize psychological animal harm and bad behavior promoting wildlife-human interactions as inappropriate content that should not be seen as meeting the platform's policies and thus gets taken down.  Act on these petitions https://www.smaccoalition.com/petitions  because a lot of work is yet to be done to get these platforms to have truly animal-friendly policies that go beyond just removing obvious physical abuse torture videos (and helps ensure that people who use animals can't make money on social media content). We all need to get involved in pressuring our favorite social media platforms to have much stricter policies regarding nonhuman animal content so we don't promote harmful human practices and also cause animal suffering for those animals in the posts. Here's another resource to help you identify cruel content: https://www.smaccoalition.com/ask-yourself  In Tune to Nature is a long-time weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent, non-commercial, progressive Atlanta radio station at https://wrfg.org/   See other guidelines for holding media accountable (journalism, filmmakers, advertisers and PR folks) at https://animalsandmedia.org/  Take care of yourself and others, including other species (whether online or in your neighborhood)

On behalf of Atlanta's biggest in-town forest, its resident wildlife, and nearby human neighbors, we discuss the 'Save The Atlanta Forest' movement also known as the 'Stop Cop City' movement, in Southeast Atlanta, comprised of many allied groups of citizens, especially Black residents, who over the last several years are working to stop the installation and building of a multi-million dollar, noisy and explosive, mega law enforcement training center in a greenspace and forested area (a former prison farm), where it is vehemently unwanted by the adjacent community and was already promised by a former mayor to be a preserved park. To tell us about that ongoing effort from an ecological and an environmental justice/racial justice perspective, host Carrie Freeman speaks with Dr. Jacqueline Echols, Board President of the South River Watershed Alliance and 2017 winner of GreenLaw's Environmental Hero award, who has worked in clean water and tree protection for a quarter century. This website provides action items and more info on the river and forest protection  https://www.southriverforest.org/   FYI: The email for the CEO of Dekalb County is CEOMichaelThurmond@dekalbcountyga.gov  and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens can be reached at  adickens@atlantaga.gov   In this 26-minute podcast, originally aired in April 2023, Dr. Echols explains how this police training facility could be decentralized and placed in other communities -- ones who want it or who have not been disproportionately impacted by police violence and legal system discrimination for decades, as has this majority Black Southwest Atlanta community. Let's respect these residents' wishes and give them the park, the peace, and the clean water they want and deserve and that the local wildlife need.  In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent, non-commercial, progressive Atlanta radio station at https://wrfg.org/   PHOTO: Dr. Jackie Echols kayaking on the South River Take care of yourself and others, including other species.

In this double-show, Leah Garces, President of Mercy for Animals, discusses initiatives to protect taxpayers, farm workers, chickens, and pigs in an unprecedented and long-overdue marker to the 2023 Farm Bill -- the Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act -- to be considered in the U.S. Congress in Fall 2023. After learning about these issues, U.S. citizens can contact their Congresspeople to express opinions on this critical bill, as Senators and Representatives in the House would need to sign on to it this spring and summer. This link helps you easily make contact: https://mercyforanimals.org/iaa/   The Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act was put forward by Senator Cory Booker, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, who worked with Mercy for Animals and other farming groups to propose this groundbreaking legislation to start to hold accountable a corporate-dominated animal agribusiness industry, especially to get companies to better prepare for (and pay for) inevitable natural disasters and pandemics. So I devoted a double-long show to this topic, especially since the myriad problems with industrial animal agribusiness rarely get addressed in Congress (due to a powerful agribusiness lobby), despite how much the public disapproves of factory farming and how much taxpayer money goes to subsidize it (millions of taxpayer dollars annually are bailing out profitable factory farming corporations, especially during disasters, but also routinely in subsidizing their feed crops rather than subsidizing fruits and vegetables humans need to be eating more of). This radio show and this bill shine a light on many problems with factory farming that most of us don’t know. In this this 49-minute show recorded in March 2023, In Tune to Nature host Carrie Freeman interviews Leah Garces, long-time farmed animal advocate and current President of the nonprofit group Mercy for Animals at https://mercyforanimals.org/ With her on-the-farm experience, she helps us understand all the various exciting initiatives of the Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act and what it proposes to do to help humans (agricultural workers, incarcerated workers, and also taxpayers and some smaller ‘growers’ in debt to larger animal ag corporations) as well as helping other animal species in terms of reducing some of their immense suffering. From slowing down the kill-line speeds, to including chickens and turkeys in the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, to prohibiting the killing of pigs too lame to walk, to reducing the time that hungry and thirsty animals are kept in transit to slaughterhouses, to offering severance pay and healthcare to vulnerable farmworkers in disasters, to prohibiting the continued exploitation of incarcerated workers made to work in factory farming disasters – this Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act is long overdue and needs everyone’s attention, as the Farm Bill only gets amended every 5 years. Also, in Dec 2022, Vox wrote a great overview of Sen. Booker’s act titled “Sen. Cory Booker has a plan to stop taxpayer bailouts of Big Meat.” In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent, non-commercial, progressive Atlanta radio station at https://wrfg.org/   PHOTO: Leah Garces and rescued chicken Take care of yourself and others, including other species.

Mercy for Animals' Managing Director AJ Albrecht updates us on the state of the Avian Influenza crisis and the tens of millions of factory farmed birds who have been inhumanely killed/suffocated in an attempt to stop the spread (largely at U.S. taxpayer expense); she outlines a joint lawsuit Mercy for Animals filed against the USDA for their inadequate response to this massive outbreak, and she discusses the legal settlement. Additionally, bird flu isn't limited to birds, and it is spreading globally across wild and domesticated animal species, including mammals, but is especially problematic in spreading among the intensive confinement of egg laying hens in battery cages or chickens crammed in warehouses, making industrial animal agriculture a recurring problem for spreading zoonotic diseases. In this 25-minute radio podcast, host Carrie Freeman interviews AJ Albrecht, licensed attorney and Managing Director at the nonprofit Mercy for Animals, as she outlines the problems and the solutions. Find out more about this advocacy organization's plans to create an ecologically sustainable and compassionate food system at www.mercyforanimals.org  In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent, non-commercial, progressive Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Photo: AJ Albrecht shown holding a chicken friend (neither of them has bird flu). Take care of yourself and others, including other species, especially birds like chickens.

Guest Eva Hamer discusses a recent study of American attitudes toward using animals for food that suggests how best to strategically frame campaign messages promoting a path to evolving together toward animal freedom and plant-based food systems. We discuss what those new policies might be that Americans can support through collective action to get past this feeling of futility that we as individual consumers experience -- that we can't stop factory farming through individual food choices and thus need to work collectively. Host of In Tune to Nature, Carrie Freeman, interviews Eva Hamer, Operations Lead at the nonprofit think tank Pax Fauna in this 26 minute podcast. Details of the Pax Fauna study, strategy recommendations, and some video presentation summaries are found on their website:  narrative.PaxFauna.org.    In their name, Pax stands for Peace and Fauna stands for Animal.  Pax Fauna is a nonprofit that exists to design a more effective social movement for animal freedom in the U.S., using original research as well as careful study of social movement literature and the recent history of the animal movement, in order to reverse the cultural norm of eating animals.   In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent, non-commercial, progressive Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species...other fauna.

The stench and pollution of pig factory farms is devastating Black rural neighborhoods, but, despite intimidation, NC residents are fighting back in court against the world's largest pork corporation, as documented in "The Smell of Money" a full-length documentary film winning awards at festivals. Radio host Carrie Freeman interviews the film's writer and producer, Jamie Berger, a native of North Carolina, in this 25 minute podcast recorded in February of 2023. We know these warehoused pigs are suffering, but you'll also learn what is wrong with pig CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) and their manure cesspools, and how unhealthy it is for the local community's wellbeing, dignity, quality of life, and property values in Eastern NC, such as Sampson and Duplin counties. You can find out where to view or financially support the film and see a trailer and photos of the characters at https://www.smellofmoneydoc.com/  In the podcast, filmmaker Jamie Berger discusses ways we can help by being conscientious consumers, getting politically active, and joining NGO advocacy groups for environmental justice and clean water (like Riverkeeper groups or Food & Water Watch). Carrie adds that Senator Corey Booker, on the Senate Agriculture committee, put forward an unprecedented bill called the Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act that really asks for some needed reforms to factory farming. So that could be a bill that folks may choose to ask their congress people to cosponsor or support, as the Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act, would really need widespread public support to be able to go up against the agribusiness and Big Meat lobby that wants business as usual, despite how environmentally unsustainable, polluting, and cruel it is. In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent, non-commercial, progressive Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species.

We take on some tricky ethical dilemmas in how we should treat animals in nature, especially “non-native” species (more respectfully called 'Introduced species'), and when and how we should interfere in the lives of animals in a 'post wild' world, based on her thoughtful and nuanced book “Wild Souls: Freedom & Flourishing in the Non-Human World, by environmental writer Emma Marris  https://www.emmamarris.com/.  Carrie Freeman, host of "In Tune to Nature," interviews Emma in this 26-minute podcast where we discuss: the idea of abandoning "species purity" and static or colonial notions of who should be in a given ecosystem; how to value sentient beings (animals) in relation to other (plant) living beings, systems, or whole species; and ethical, fair, and compassionate ways to resolve conflicts that arise between animal species (especially "non-native" vs "native" or "endangered/rare" species). While we don't have definitive answers to these ethical dilemmas, we take a perspective that includes the interests of all animal individuals in decision-making (not just what is presumed best for the ecosystem as a whole). This is part of the classic dilemma of how to fairly balance individual rights with societal/group rights. Other resources on this topic include: The nonprofit science group working on welfare called  Wild Animal Initiative.  Or The Centre for Compassionate Conservation at UT-Sydney. Additionally, Catia Faria has a new book “Animal Ethics in the Wild”; and Kyle Johannsen has the new book "Wild Animal Ethics." In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent progressive Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including all the unique beings we share our planet with.

We should begin to see multiculturalism as including the creativity and morality found in the cultures of fellow animal species (besides just us humans). In this 27 minute interview, host Carrie Freeman talks with Dr. Carol Gigliotti who shares insights and examples from her book “The Creative Lives of Animals” by NYU Press (2022), from whales to dogs to chimps to birds, mice, and ants. There is a lot to discover if we are willing to recognize the creative ways that other animal species choose to live their lives and solve problems (as whole cultures but also as unique individuals). Carol Gigliotti, PhD is an author, artist, animal activist, and scholar whose work focuses on the reality of animals’ lives as important contributors to the biodiversity of this planet. She is Professor Emerita of Design & Dynamic Media and Critical & Cultural Studies at the Emily Carr University of Design, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Her website is www.carolgigliotti.com   In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent progressive Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including all the unique beings we share our planet with.

How are individual fish (as sentient beings) affected by industrial and recreational fishing practices? We find out by talking with the best selling author of “What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of our Underwater Cousins.” biologist, Dr. Jonathan Balcombe, who also recently authored a children's book about a boy and a fish "Jake & Ava". In this interview, we discuss crowded fish farms, death by nets and suffocation, pain from barbed hooks, catch (harass) and release, and ways to avoid all of this by respecting fishes and considering their interests (including eating vegan/plant-based fish or avocado and cucumber sushi). This 28-minute radio show was recorded with Jonathan in the Atlanta studio with host Carrie Freeman in 2018. Check out Dr. Balcombe's books at https://jonathan-balcombe.com/  To advocate for fish species, check out the nonprofit Fish Feel https://fishfeel.org/  In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie radio station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent progressive Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like fishes.

What would a clean, renewable energy future look like in Georgia? Neil Sardana, Beyond Coal rep from the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club provides a hopeful yet feasible vision. For energy independence and less pollution and less greenhouse gas emissions, we know we need to move away from dependence on fossil fuels like coal and gas, but could we be 100% renewable, and what would the new energy mix be in Georgia? How feasible is that clean energy transition and how can we get the political will in a rather conservative state to make these massive infrastructure changes happen? Neil Sardana explains how in this 25-minute interview hosted by Carrie Freeman. The Public Service Commissioner seats are the key to redirecting the for-profit Georgia Power mega-utility to clean energy, and solar is the affordable available solution in our sunny state (as Georgia Power Company is considering raising consumer rates again for mostly dirty energy). We should demand the clean energy future we need. You can find out more at https://www.sierraclub.org/georgia/BeyondCoal  or follow @GABeyondCoal  Look for ways to send public comments about the Georgia Power energy rate hikes and encourage them to replace coal and gas with home-grown solar. In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie radio station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent progressive Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species.

In time for winter wardrobe & gift-giving, we review the many eco problems with the wool industry and what materials fashion-makers and consumers can support instead (like organic cotton and bamboo). The role of raising, killing, and processing farmed animals, like sheep, for fiber/clothing is often overlooked in environmental discourse (as we tend to just focus on the meat industry). So in this 27-minute podcast for In Tune to Nature, host Carrie Freeman talked with Stephanie Feldstein of The Center for Biological Diversity about their recent report (with the Collective Fashion Justice group) called "Shear Destruction: Wool, Fashion & the Biodiversity Crisis," https://www.collectivefashionjustice.org/shear-destruction where Feldstein notes that “From habitat degradation caused by grazing sheep to the chemicals used in scouring, the entire process of rearing sheep and turning shorn wool into usable fiber is riddled with threats to wildlife.” The extensive report has creative and beautiful artwork by Ari Liloan (as seen in the cover illustration I'm using). You can find out more about the Center for Biological Diversity at https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/  In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie radio station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent progressive Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like wild and domesticated sheep, and other animals we share the planet with.

In support of eco-friendly candidates who are climate champions, Georgia Conservation Voters advocates for all citizens in GA to exercise their right to vote, with their "Democracy for All" initiative. In this 28-minute podcast, host Carrie Freeman interviews Brionte McCorkle, Executive Director or Georgia Conservation Voters about issues with voting in Georgia, how to make a plan to vote in this November 2022 election, and how her organization vets Georgia political candidates to decide on whom to endorse each election cycle. You can see their endorsed candidate list along with who is on your own ballot at https://www.gcvoters.org/endorsements/  This helps you make a plan to vote by November 8th and get informed on who has environmental platforms and eco-friendly voting records. Voters in GA can also see their ballot and check on polling locations in their county by going to the GA Secretary of State's election website https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/ (early voting ends Nov. 4th) In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie radio station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent progressive Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species (and keep them in mind when you vote).

Lead report author Lucy Haskell explains BirdLife International’s State of the World’s Birds 2022 report (it comes out every 4 years), finding that nearly half of the world’s bird species are in decline, painting the most concerning picture yet for the natural world,  But it also identifies all the many human-caused drivers of species loss and the critical solutions we desperately need to save nature if we can urgently garner the political will and financial commitment from decision-makers to implement these solutions at scale and pace. This depends on which politicians we elect into office in the next decade and if they make environmental protection, including climate change, a priority. We particularly discuss agricultural and fishing solutions and logging and deforestation solutions to protect bird species and their habitats and note how conservation efforts over the decades have helped reduce the number of birds that have gone extinct, so we know what works. We just need to make these solutions a political priority. This comprehensive report can be found at the website https://www.birdlife.org/  It’s got such beautiful images and so many charts and maps and infographics to make it easy to stay engaged and recognize core findings and see how everything fits together. I think Kids can engage with the report too as they must be part of the solution. In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent progressive Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species -- like birds!

Food justice activist and veganic farmer Eugene Cooke shares an aspirational vision for why he practices agro-ecology in urban ag at Grow Where You Are farms around Atlanta and how this can be scaled up for widespread regenerative agricultural practices that the U.S. needs to stay viable and sustainable to feed our human population and nurture our soil naturally not chemically. In this 25-minute podcast (from Sept 2022), Eugene shares his unconventional roots from artist to farmer and what it's like to share his biodiverse Atlanta veganic crop farms with wildlife (not domesticating or farming any animals) and how they use composted food and yard scraps to generate compost fertilizers without all the slaughterhouse or antibiotic and chemical remnants in animal-based fertilizers. He and his farming partner Nicole then share their organic bounty with local folks (like at the Freedom Farmer's Market at the Carter Center each Saturday morning). Host Carrie Freeman is one of those nourished market customers enjoying their produce weekly (then composting the food scraps to make fertilizer to grow more food, via CompostNow). Eugene Cooke encourages us consumers to be part of this sustainable food transition by starting to eat more fresh foods/produce from regenerative agriculture producers, more so than eating processed commercial foods from big commodity monocrops. Check out his videos at https://www.growwhereyouare.farm/ or https://www.patreon.com/growwhereyouare  In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent progressive Atlanta radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species.

An interview with Kristin Ohlson, author of "Sweet in Tooth & Claw," showcasing examples of how nature (including we human animals) thrive on cooperation and mutual aid between species, rather than focusing on the competitive or violent elements in nature that prompt us to try to tame and control species (and douse them with chemicals). The book “Sweet in Tooth and Claw: Stories of Generosity and Cooperation in the Natural World” shows how when we look deeper and embrace the complex interdependent communities all over our planet, we can all reap mutual rewards, much more so than when we see ourselves as needing to simplify, contain, and control species (in isolation). In Tune to Nature host Carrie Freeman interviews award-winning author and journalist Kristin Ohlson in this 24-minute uplifting podcast, talking trees, bees, birds, fungi, and coffee beans.  The 400-page coffee-table book by Patagonia is printed on 100% recycled, chlorine-free paper and is filled with gorgeous color photos.  In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent progressive radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species. (that's my motto and the theme of the book)

Communication Professor Dr. Debra Merskin discusses her study of arguments for and against a ban on Oregon's coyote killing contests, including her recommendations for animal advocates to use approaches that are more likely to resonate with the rural residents arguing to keep the killing contests (although, other rural residents and some hunters also believe these killing contests should be banned). This 27-minute interview, hosted by Carrie Freeman for "In Tune to Nature," from August 2022, is broad enough to be applicable to any state's efforts to ban wildlife killing contests in considering various people's worldviews on animals, government, and independence. You can read Dr. Merskin's full study in the international open-access scholarly journal Journalism & Media at https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/3/2/22/htm  Project Coyote is a good resource for those looking for wildlife advocacy strategies that have worked. Their website is https://projectcoyote.org/ In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50-year old independent progressive radio station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species.  Photo credit of coyote killing contest: Humane Society of the U.S.

From Cumberland Island up through Tybee Island, the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act of 1970 is the reason the Georgia coast is largely a protected natural marshland and not a polluted, exploited, and/or commercialized tourist trap. Historian & former GA congressperson Dr. Paul Bolster discusses the political lessons of getting this marshland protection act passed, as explored in his award-winning new book: “Saving the Georgia Coast: A political history of the coastal marshlands protection act" (UGA Press). In this 26-minute interview with host Carrie Freeman, Dr. Bolster also discusses issues affecting the Georgia coast today and how the political lessons of the 1970s could create bipartisan support for environmental protection today. https://www.paulbolster.com/  In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50 year old independent progressive media station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species.

The large proportion of agricultural land (the majority) allocated for grazing of farmed animals doesn't equate to a large amount of nutrients/calories produced and is thus a misuse of land that could be re-wilded or used to grow nutrient dense crops. Host Carrie Freeman interviews Dr. Jennifer Molidor, Senior Food Campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity to discuss how we can move toward more sustainable agriculture that allows for less grazing and feed crops, and more precious space designated to wildlife thriving and forests regenerating. This more efficient and smart use of land for organic plant based ag can increase food production necessary to nutritiously feed a growing human population. She discusses the https://grazingfacts.com/ website and its section on land use issues https://grazingfacts.com/land-use (see land map there) as well as how governments can help us make this sustainable agriculture transition that is needed. In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50 year old independent progressive media station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species.

Is the news helping us prevent future zoonotic disease pandemics by facilitating needed policy changes in animal and eco protection (namely the wildlife trade/hunting and agribusiness)? In Tune to Nature radio host and researcher Dr. Carrie Freeman, a professor of communication, shares her recent study in this 31-minute podcast analyzing the pandemic prevention solutions covered in the last 2.5 years of global news coverage of zoonotic disease and its relationship to meat (from wild animals hunted or domesticated animals farmed). She discusses findings and interesting quotes from the news stories and her recommendations of how the news media could cover this topic further (it dropped off the radar since spring of 2020) and help urge societies to curb risks they know are catalysts for pandemics (deforestation, hunting, farming, and trading in animal bodies), and cover solutions such as fostering plant-based foods as replacements and new livelihood practices for those affected by needed changes to business as usual with animals. Experts predict it's not a matter of if but when we get hit with another pandemic that likely could be deadlier than covid (such as avian influenza/ bird flu). What have we changed in our interactions with other animal species and nature to prevent this?  For more information, check out an interesting documentary on this topic: End of Medicine.  In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta indie station WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) 89.3FM hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. Please consider donating to support this 50 year old independent progressive media station at www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species.  Image of factory farmed birds is from Getty Images in a recent story on the first American to contract Avian Influenza this spring in this latest bird flu outbreak.  https://www.everydayhealth.com/bird-flu/us-reports-its-first-human-case-of-bird-flu/

This 25-minute interview features the whistleblower from The End of Medicine documentary (on Apple TV and itunes), former pig farm industry veterinarian Dr. Alice Brough in the UK who shares why she quit trying to reform animal ag from within, given its immense systemic problems with animal welfare, public health and antibiotic resistance, environmental racism, and environmental pollution and destruction. As a vegan, she now advocates for animal rights, human rights and public health, and environmentalism, and is pressuring the UK government to make policy changes to prevent future pandemics and continued antimicrobial resistance caused by animal agribusiness practices.  https://www.scrapfactoryfarming.org/ Dr. Brough's story is featured prominently in the new documentary The End of Medicine @theEndofMedicine, along with other experts on health and environmental and human rights issues caused by the raising and eating of animals for food. In the podcast and in the film, it discusses systemic solutions that can save lives and medicine as we know it. https://lockwoodfilm.com/unbound  This podcast is an episode of a weekly radio program on Radio Free Georgia (wrfg.org) (airing Wednesdays at 6:30pm EST-Atlanta) called In Tune to Nature, hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, and/or Melody Paris. If you appreciate the publication of these important topics, please support independent, non-commercial progressive media like Radio Free Georgia www.wrfg.org  Take care of yourself and others, including other species.

Law professor Dr. Raj Reddy explains an important new global treaty for animal welfare and pandemic prevention called “Convention on Animal Protection” found at https://www.conventiononanimalprotection.org/   This is a first draft of a treaty prepared by Lawyers for the Convention on Animal Protection, following the passage of a resolution on animal protection by the American Bar Association House of Delegates in February 2021 which “urges all nations to negotiate an international convention for the protection of animals that establishes standards for the proper care and treatment of all animals to protect public health, the environment, and animal well-being.”  In this 26-minute podcast, host of In Tune to Nature, Carrie Freeman, speaks with Raj Reddy, JD, PhD who directs the Global Animal Law and Animal Law Advanced Degree Programs at the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School in Oregon, USA. He discusses the purpose and need for the Convention on Animal Protection global treaty that nations and international bodies could ratify that guides animal welfare policies to better protect the interests of nonhuman animals, as well as humans (via public health) and our mutual life-preserving interests in environmental sustainability. We especially concentrate on the One Health concept and how the treaty addresses the holistic approach to preventing future pandemics (and zoonotic disease transmission) by dramatically improving our interactions with fellow animals in wild and domesticated settings. If we go back to business as usual in trading in and confining and eating nonhuman animals, we will continue to see more frequent and probably more virulent pandemics in human society. Now is the time to leverage the political will to act to set standards for how we relate to the nonhuman animal world. This Convention on Animal Protection is one way to get started, so please do promote it with your political leaders. Check it out at www.conventiononanimalprotection.org In Tune to Nature is an eco and animal protection radio program hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, and Melody Paris as part of Radio Free Georgia’s progressive indie media programming. It streams weekly on Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on www.wrfg.org and 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and can also be subscribed to on streaming sites via podcasts and shared at https://cpfreeman.podbean.com/. Please consider making a financial donation to support non-commercial, indie media with a mission at www.wrfg.org (40+ years strong). Take care of yourself and others, including other species!

A highly pathogenic bird flu is causing the premature deaths of millions of birds in 2022, including wild birds but especially domesticated birds on industrial egg farms, since U.S. factory farms are conducting horrific mass killings of tens of millions of birds exposed to the virus. Unlike most news stories that focus on avian influenza from a human economic or agricultural perspective, we are going to talk about it from the perspective of those who are most affected and are suffering painful deaths – the birds themselves – and we will talk about the three main ways these grotesque mass killings are being conducted in the sheds, proving there is no way for large farms to protect individual animal welfare, especially not in crisis situations. In this 27-minute podcast, "In Tune to Nature" Host Carrie Freeman interviews Lauri Torgerson-White, an animal welfare scientist and research director at the nonprofit Farm Sanctuary. https://www.farmsanctuary.org/  For over 35 years, Farm Sanctuary has fought the disastrous effects of animal agriculture on animals, the environment, social justice, and public health through farmed animal rescue, education, and advocacy.  In Tune to Nature is a radio show on WRFG (Radio Free Georgia), an indie station in Atlanta for progressive issues, hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, and Melody Paris, airing Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on wrfg.org and 89.3FM-Atlanta. Please support independent, noncommercial progressive radio like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/ Take care of yourself and others, including other species (like hens). Photo Credit: Animal Outlook photo of egg laying hens in standard cages in U.S. egg farms.

We discuss an undercover investigation (in Iowa) of the wild animal trapping industry in the U.S., conducted by Born Free USA and the Humane Society of the U.S., where the investigator witnessed how animals are beaten to death, if not dead already, when found suffering in leghold traps or snares (with callous disregard and even joking), along with the role that government agencies like the DNR play in protecting (poorly regulating) this cruel and unnecessary practice (much of which is to steal and sell their fur). In Tune to Nature host Carrie Freeman interviews Dr. Liz Tyson, Program Director of Born Free USA, about the investigation report and video, the legal issues, and how and why we can work to ban trapping, such as banning it in on public lands or in federal wildlife refuges (yes, despite being called a "refuge," animals are often hunted or trapped in these refuges). (23 minute podcast, free of adverts) See the trapping report and video at https://www.bornfreeusa.org/campaigns/trapping/trappingexposed/  Action: Support the "Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act" https://www.bornfreeusa.org/action-center/rfcta2021/ https://www.bornfreeusa.org/trapfreetrails/ (wildlife refuge page). Action: Tell the Dept of Interior to ban trapping on public lands https://bornfree.salsalabs.org/notrapping/index.html This Born Free page on trapping has resources like the 2017 report that grades each state on their trapping policies, so you can work locally to protect animals. https://www.bornfreeusa.org/campaigns/trapping/resources/ The photo is a still shot from the Born Free investigation of a trapper about to club to death a raccoon who got stuck in his leg hold trap. There is no humane or quick death for anyone crushed in these traps and snares. In Tune to Nature is a radio show on WRFG (Radio Free Georgia), an indie station in Atlanta for progressive issues, hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, and Melody Paris, airing Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on wrfg.org and 89.3FM-Atlanta. Please support independent, noncommercial radio like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/ Take care of yourself and others, including other species.

Women, especially women of color, are highly impacted by the climate crisis and the fossil fuel industry and also are leaders (and increasingly should be) in promoting a clean energy transition and healthy communities. Osprey Orielle Lake discusses the nonprofit she founded and directs -- WECAN -- Women's Earth & Climate Action Network International in this 25-minute podcast recorded in March 2022 (for Women's Herstory Month) for "In Tune to Nature" radio show, with host Carrie Freeman. https://www.wecaninternational.org/  In addition to answering questions about 'why focus on women?' and 'what is your vision for climate solutions?' Osprey also shared some results of WECAN's latest report Gendered and Racial Impacts of the Fossil Fuel Industry in North America and Complicit Financial Institutions: A Call to Action for the Health of our Communities and Nature in the Climate Crisis. The report can be found here; https://www.wecaninternational.org/2021-divestment-report “In Tune to Nature" broadcasts every Wednesday at 6:30pm Eastern Time online at www.wrfg.org and on Atlanta radio station 89.3FM. It is hosted by either Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. The views and opinions expressed on this show do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff, or volunteers. We hosts are volunteers. Please support independent, non-commercial media like Radio Free Georgia. Remember to take care of yourself and others, including other species. Photo credit: WECAN

Chris Bugbee, SW Conservation Advocate of the Center for Biological Diversity, discusses the ecological problems with cheap permits allowing cattle grazing across so many millions of acres of public lands in the U.S. West -- the largest commercial use of public lands. This is especially damaging in riparian zones along rivers, reducing biodiversity and threatening the other animals and plants who live there. We discuss how government land management agencies are not fulfilling a responsibility to serve public and conservation interests as long as they continue catering to ranchers' economic interests (equating to a long-time taxpayer subsidy of the beef industry). We end by discussing some recent victories of The Center for Biological Diversity in its efforts to fight this destructive ranching practice. Host Carrie Freeman interviewed Chris Bugbee in February of 2022 (24 minutes). https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/  “In Tune to Nature" broadcasts every Wednesday at 6:30pm Eastern Time online at www.wrfg.org and on Atlanta radio station 89.3FM. It is hosted by either Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. The views and opinions expressed on this show do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff, or volunteers. We hosts are volunteers. Please support independent, non-commercial media like Radio Free Georgia. Remember to take care of yourself and others, including other species. Photo credit: Greg Shine/BLM

This provocative discussion on Dr. Khazaal's book "Like an Animal" explores the intersection of immigration, discrimination, the problematic human/animal divide, and speciesism, within the context of advancing a mutual concern for human rights and nonhuman animal rights. In this 27-minute podcast, "In Tune to Nature" host Carrie Freeman interviews Dr. Natalie Khazaal, Assistant Professor in the School of Modern Languages at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), discussing the book she co-edited with Spanish scholar Nuria Almiron, called “Like an Animal: Critical Animal Studies Perspectives on Borders, Displacement, and Othering” (Brill 2021). “In Tune to Nature" broadcasts every Wednesday at 6:30pm Eastern Time online at www.wrfg.org and on Atlanta radio station 89.3FM. It is hosted by either Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. The views and opinions expressed on this show do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff, or volunteers. We hosts are volunteers. Please support independent, non-commercial media like Radio Free Georgia. Remember to take care of yourself and others, including other species.

Based on humanity's subconscious anxiety at admitting we are mortal animals, we seek immortality through a denial of death and our animality. Dr. Lori Marino discusses this topic in her research paper with Michael Mountain on terror management theory explaining studies showing that human recognition of our animality and our mortality (as fellow vulnerable creatures) makes us prone to creating out-groups and discriminating against them, particularly nonhuman animals (as a survival mechanism of sorts).  Host Carrie Freeman discusses with Dr. Marino the implications these research findings have for how we should proceed in protecting animals from this discriminatory bias caused by humanity's psychological self-protective need to exalt ourselves above other animal species, leading to exploitation. Neuroscientist and former Emory Professor Lori Marino, PhD is the Founder and Executive Director of the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy. https://www.kimmela.org/  A link to her co-authored study can be found here: https://www.kimmela.org/2021/11/26/i-am-not-an-animal-kimmela-white-paper/  This 26-minute interview was recorded in December of 2021 for Radio Free Georgia’s “In Tune to Nature” program. The show airs every Wednesday from 6:30-7pm EST on Atlanta radio station 89.3FM and https://wrfg.org/   (please go to that website to support this indie progressive radio station with a donation. Thanks) Take care of yourself and others, including other species.

Did you know that birds tend to migrate at night, and light pollution from our homes and buildings can mess up their navigation and cause deadly collisions? Birdcast.info is a website and a research/outreach project that has maps that forecast bird migrations across North America, which are especially prevalent in spring and fall. In this 25-minute interview, host Carrie Freeman talks with Project Leader Julia Wang of Birdcast as she explains how we can reduce light pollution across our cities to save the lives of birds, reducing their needless suffering and species loss. Let's go lights out after 11pm in homes and commercial buildings and put our outdoor lights on timers.  In Tune to Nature airs every Wednesday from 6:30-7pm EST on wrfg.org and 89.3FM-Atlanta on Radio Free Georgia. It is hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. Please support non-commercial indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/   Subscribe to In Tune to Nature on major streaming sites. Take care of yourself and others, including other species -- like birds!

North America’s animals can’t be restricted to living within park boundaries and must migrate freely. The vision of Y2Y is an interconnected system of wild lands and waters stretching 2,000 miles from Yellowstone National Park in Montana to the Yukon region near Alaska in Northern British Columbia, Canada. The nonprofit’s U.S. Program and Adaptive Management Coordinator, Hannah Rasker, explains how the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) works with a network of partners, collaboratively, to knit this landscape together from one jurisdiction to the next. Their website is https://y2y.net/ In this 23-minute this interview in October 2021 with “In Tune to Nature” host Carrie Freeman, Hannah explains how wildlife corridors out west benefit species like grizzlies and wolves and elk, especially the highway overpasses and underpasses that are being built to funnel wildlife into safe crossing zones to traverse highways without deadly vehicle collisions. We discuss ways we can make these wildlife crossing bridges a priority across all regions. In Tune to Nature airs every Wednesday from 6:30-7pm EST on wrfg.org and 89.3FM-Atlanta on Radio Free Georgia. It is hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. Please support non-commercial indie media like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/   Subscribe to In Tune to Nature on major streaming sites. Take care of yourself and others, including other species!

We talk about interspecies justice, animal rights, personhood, and earth jurisprudence from a legal and ecofeminist perspective, putting animal rights in context of intersectional social justice activism, with guest Dr. S. Marek Muller, Associate Professor of Rhetoric at Florida Atlantic Univ and author of the book “Impersonating Animals: Rhetoric, Ecofeminism, and Animal Rights Law” (Michigan State Univ Press). She ends by describing how a critical vegan rhetoric can be a transformative and inclusive communicative perspective to advance interspecies justice (for all of us). This 33-minute podcast was recorded in Sept 2021 and is hosted by Carrie Freeman, for the In Tune to Nature eco radio program airing Wednesday nights from 6:30-7pm EST on Radio Free Georgia (wrfg.org 89.3FM-Atlanta, an indie, non-commercial, progressive radio station). Hosted by Carrie, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris.

Wildlife biologist and journalist Doug Chadwick talks with host Carrie Freeman about his latest conservation book “Four Fifths a Grizzly: A New Perspective on Nature that Just might Save us All" promoting the genealogical kinship we have with fellow animals and even plants and microbes. This beautiful book (part photo book, part nonfiction natural science book, part biographical storytelling book) helps us gain a perspective as part of the animal kingdom and natural world in the hopes we might work harder to save animals and their habitats from extinction. "Four Fifths a Grizzly" shares positive examples such as the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative that connects many wilderness regions to allow needed migrations for many species, including grizzly bears (the book's inspiration).  This 26 minute podcast is hosted by Carrie Freeman for Radio Free Georgia's In Tune to Nature program, which is broadcast each Wednesday from 6:30-7pm EST on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streams live on wrfg.org (hosted by Carrie, Sonia Swartz or Melody Paris). Please consider supporting this indie, noncommercial progressive radio station at www.wrfg.org  Many of the "In Tune to Nature" podcasts hosted by Carrie can be found at https://cpfreeman.podbean.com/  For more information on Doug Chadwick's book and his interesting bio, see the Patagonia book publisher website.

Award-winning animal photojournalism pioneer Jo-Anne McArthur of We Animals Media tells us about the growing field of courageous animal photojournalists worldwide who visually tell the stories of nonhuman animals, by specializing in animal protection issues and undercover investigations of captive animals -- like in farms, zoos, aquariums, markets, and labs. You can see and use some of these compelling images on the We Animals stock photo archive    https://stock.weanimalsmedia.org/ We Animals Media is a nonprofit open to donations. https://weanimalsmedia.org/  They have books and a master class for those interested in the field of animal photojournalism.  This 26-minute "In Tune to Nature" podcast features host Carrie Freeman, and was originally broadcast on Sept 8th, 2021 on Radio Free Georgia. In Tune to Nature airs every Wed at 6:30-7pm EST on wrfg.org and 89.3FM-Atlanta. Hosted by volunteers Sonia Swartz, Melody Paris, or Carrie Freeman. Please support nonprofit independent radio like Radio Free Georgia at https://wrfg.org/

An investigation by the DeSmog Blog team & journalist Caroline Christen explains how giant meat companies "climate-wash" -- misinform the public and politicians to avoid being held accountable for their large contributions to the climate crisis. Caroline outlines misleading tactics from the meat industry playbook meant to delay a needed shift away from animal-based foods. In this 25-minute interview, Carrie Freeman (host of "In Tune to Nature") interviews journalist Caroline Christen, author of "Investigation: How the Meat Industry is Climate-Washing its Polluting Business Model" Photo credit: Cows outside of a JBS slaughterhouse in Texas. By Jonathan Tilove / American-Statesman You can find Caroline's full article at the DeSmog Blog: https://www.desmog.com/2021/07/18/investigation-meat-industry-greenwash-climatewash/     Along with more data on the investigation, including a database of profiles on individual ag companies https://www.desmog.com/agribusiness-database-/ and a factsheet of criticisms and concerns about meat / beef industry climate claims  https://www.desmog.com/2021/07/18/meat-industry-climate-claims-criticisms-and-concerns/  In Tune to Nature is a radio program on WRFG.org (Radio Free Georgia), airing each Wednesday from 6:30-7pm EST in Atlanta on 89.3FM, hosted by either Sonia Swartz, Melody Paris, or Carrie Freeman. Like us at www.facebook.com/intunetonature  Please consider donating to support this independent nonprofit radio station at www.wrfg.org  Thank you.

Author and animal activist Justin Barker shares his inspiring, true, coming-of-age, queer teen heroism story in "Bear Boy" (www.bearboy.org) of liberating Ursula and Brutus, two black bears languishing in a cage at a zoo in California in the 1990s. Through commitment and perseverance, he investigated and documented their conditions, garnered media attention, raised rescue funds across the nation, and held public officials accountable, to ultimately get this brother and sister bear pair moved to a sanctuary to spend their remaining years getting the help and care they needed and deserved. In this 24-minute "In Tune to Nature" podcast, host Carrie Freeman interviews Justin Barker to tell us his teen activism success story and give us tips on how we can stand up for animals in our communities too.  https://cpfreeman.podbean.com/  In Tune to Nature is an eco and animal protection radio show that airs every Wednesday at 6:30pm on Atlanta indie station Radio Free Georgia wrg.org on 89.3FM-Atlanta. Please financially support and listen to independent noncommercial media like Radio Free Georgia. https://wrfg.org/

Bunnies span the globe and may be in our yards or on our laps (and hopefully not on our plates). Author Mark Hawthorne explores the natural and cultural history of rabbits (a favorite animal companion of his) and ways to support them. In Tune to Nature host Carrie Freeman interviews Mark, a long time animal advocate and author, in this 25 minute podcast about his new book "The Way of the Rabbit" (2021, Changemakers Books). His website is www.markhawthorne.com  The "In Tune to Nature" radio show airs each Wednesday at 6:30pm EST on wrfg.org and 89.3FM-Atlanta radio, hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris. Please support independent, non-commercial media like Radio Free Georgia at www.wrfg.org   Find and subscribe to the "In Tune to Nature" podcast on all major streaming sites. 2 to 3 new episodes posted monthly.

In this interview, biologist and animal advocate Dr. Balcombe helps us appreciate an ecologically beneficial group of animals who are buzzing all around us but whom we mostly ignore, malign, or swat away -- flies -- the topic of his new book “Superfly: The Unexpected Lives of the World’s Most Successful Insects" (Penguin Press, 2021). For this "In Tune to Nature" show, host Carrie Freeman asks Dr. Balcombe to focus on the vital role of flies as pollinators of flowers and food crops (including chocolate!), and as waste disposers, composters, and recyclers (they literally clean up everyone's sh*t) so that we better appreciate them and don't just view them as "pests" (from fruit flies, to house flies, to blow flies, even to mosquitos and midges). We end with ways to protect the important insect population in decline by avoiding insecticide poisons. Learn more about award winning author Dr. Balcombe and his efforts to protect animals and help us understand animal sentience at www.jonathan-balcombe.com  The In Tune to Nature show airs each Wednesday 6:30-7pm EST, hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris, on 89.3FM WRFG (Radio Free Georgia). Please support independent, noncommercial, progressive media like Radio Free Georgia www.wrfg.org

Law Professor Karen Bradshaw (Arizona State U) discusses the innovative biodiversity solution from her book "Wildlife as Property Owners: A New Conception of Animal Rights" (Univ of Chicago Press, 2020). www.wildlifeaspropertyowners.com  This challenges the current system where only certain humans or nations are owners of the entire world. As part of the In Tune to Nature radio show, host Carrie Freeman questions Professor Bradshaw about why animals in nature need to (deserve to) be owners of the property they inhabit, how that would work within our legal system, how this is influenced by postcolonial scholarship, and some examples on land and in the sea. If wildlife were granted some legal standing as owners of their territories, their interests would be more heavily considered by human owners, land trust guardians, and the courts, having benefits for nonhuman animals as individuals and as a species group (and likely for biodiversity as a whole, including human life). These solutions are especially important in an era of mass extinction.  This 25 minute interview was recorded in June 2021 for "In Tune to Nature" on Radio Free Georgia in Atlanta is hosted by Carrie Freeman and aired on 89.3FM-Atlanta on Wed. June 9, 2021 6:30pm EST (In Tune to Nature airs every Wednesday evening). You can donate to support this progressive, independent, non-commercial radio station at www.wrfg.org

In this interview, scientist and Saving Life on Earth campaign director Tierra Curry explains plans that the Ctr for Biological Diversity outlined for U.S. governmental protection of lands and waters (30% by 2030 and 50% by 2050) if Pres. Biden declares global extinction a National Emergency and dedicates $100 billion toward protection efforts (including establishing new parks/reserves, combatting introduced species and illegal wildlife trading, strengthening the Endangered Species Act and who is protected, establishing wildlife corridors, protecting corals and tropical bird habitats worldwide, and avoiding routine practices that disturb and destroy plant and animal species on public lands). See the report and petition to Biden at SaveLifeonEarth.org This 25 minute interview was recorded in April 2021 for "In Tune to Nature" on Radio Free Georgia in Atlanta is hosted by Carrie Freeman and aired on 89.3FM-Atlanta on Wed. April 28th, 2021 6:30pm EST (In Tune to Nature airs every Wednesday evening). You can donate to support this progressive, independent, non-commercial radio station at www.wrfg.org

Media Professor Dr. Debra Merskin and Sentient Media Executive Director Ana Bradley discuss a campaign (started by In Defense of Animals and supported by Jane Goodall and others) to encourage the Associated Press to update its journalism style guidelines to use pronouns like "they," "she," "he," or "he or she" to describe an individual animal, rather than calling him or her "it" (a word only fitting for an inanimate object). In this 26-minute podcast, we discuss the impact of media messages about fellow animals on our treatment of them and ways we can encourage the media to do better. Debra Merskin and radio/podcast host Carrie Freeman are the co-founders of the www.animalsandmedia.org style guidelines for respectful animal representations in news, advertising, PR, TV, and film. It's a useful site to share with media professionals when you are giving them constructive feedback. To read news that takes fellow animals' into consideration as sentient beings, see Sentient Media -- an online news site that promotes respectful journalism stories about fellow animals and the role we play in each others' lives.  This In Tune to Nature episode originally aired on April 14th, 2021. In Tune to Nature is an eco-and-animal-friendly radio show that airs each Wednesday from 6:30-7pm on Radio Free Georgia at wrfg.org or in Atlanta on 89.3FM (hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris). Please consider making a financial contribution to support this indie, non-commercial radio station at wrfg.org. Photo credit: Amy Jones / We Animals. From the Photo Essay Next in Line

Environmental Journalist Georgina Gustin of Inside Climate News discusses the findings of her March 2021 article "Big Banks Make a Dangerous Bet on the World’s Growing Demand for Food" with the subtitle "While banks and asset managers are promising to divest from fossil fuels, they are expanding investments in high-carbon foods and commodities tied to deforestation." (such as animal meat, cow's milk, and palm oil). This 25-minute interview by host Carrie Freeman for In Tune to Nature radio show (March 24, 2021), explores how increasing financial investments in the ag sector are a "catastrophic blindspot" when it comes to calls for carbon divestment, and how it's difficult to have deforestation-free investment fund guarantees due to food companies not demanding more transparency from their supply chain to disclose deforestation and greenhouse emissions linked to climate change. We discuss lack of government regulations for mandatory disclosure of climate risks, and the financial incentives of investing in cheap meat to profit off of feeding a growing human population, despite environmental problems. Some of the big banks in her article include Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Rabobank, Barclays, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs, and some of the biggest Asset Managers are Blackrock, Vanguard, and State Street. There is a need for climate-friendly investment policies to be strengthened and include agricultural investments, especially those linked to deforestation. Even current funds labeled "sustainable" funds, may not account for food/meat companies unless consumers demand it. Cover photo is of cows at a Texas feedlot, Credit: Getty Images, Daniel Acker. In Tune to Nature is a radio program aired each Wednesday from 6:30-7pm EST on Radio Free Georgia (wrfg.org) on 89.3FM-Atlanta, hosted by Sonia Swartz, Melody Paris, and Carrie Freeman. Please support independent, non-commercial media like Radio Free Georgia.  Stay in touch at  www.facebook.com/intunetonature

This 26-minute interview features Dr. Helen Harwatt, one of the researchers of the 2021 report "Food System Impacts on Biodiversity Loss" by Chatham House, a research and policy institute in the UK. We explore what aspects of global agriculture and dietary practices, namely animal ag, are causing species extinctions at such high rates and discuss the three solutions/levers the report proposes: 1) shifting toward plant-based diets, 2) preserving existing habitats and rewilding some farmland, and 3) enacting sustainable farming practices -- all of which need to happen together, hinging on the reduction of animal ag (consumers demanding less animal meat and dairy). We end by discussing some policy implications to enact needed food system changes, especially as leaders meet at global summits on public health, climate, and biodiversity. The interview is hosted by Carrie Freeman, for In Tune to Nature radio show on WRFG (Radio Free Georgia), and aired Wed. March 10, 2021 on WRFG- Atlanta radio.  In Tune to Nature airs every Wednesday from 6:30-7pm EST on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streams on wrfg.org.  Please support independent, non-commercial radio like Radio Free Georgia.  Photo Credit: Farmer standing in his field in the agricultural landscape of Cotabato Province, Mindanao Island, the Philippines. By Tessa Bunney/Contributor/Getty Images. (cover image for Chatham House biodiversity report)

Author and activist Aph Ko explains her novel and insightful ideas on race and animality to foster multidimensional liberation for all human races and animal species, based on her book Racism as Zoological Witchcraft: A Guide to Getting Out (Lantern Press: 2019) (Jordan Peele's movie Get Out is an inspiration here). In this 26-minute "In Tune to Nature" Podcast, host Carrie Freeman asks Aph to explain concepts from the book, such as how racism is a form of "zoological witchcraft" where "white supremacy uses both minoritized bodies and animality to communicate and reinscribe a mythical fantasy of racial superiority" (p. 99). She also explains the value of concurrently fighting racism and animal oppression (as a form of animal oppression) through an "afro-zoological resistance" or "multidimensional liberation" movement. Her advice is pertinent to anyone interested in racial justice, animal liberation, or vegan advocacy. Also check out Aph Ko's website BlackVegansRock.com  In Tune to Nature is a 30-minute show airing each Wednesday from 6:30-7pm EST (hosted by Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, or Melody Paris) on 89.3 FM-Atlanta and on wrfg.org. Please support non-commercial, progressive indie radio like Radio Free Georgia.

Legal scholar Maneesha Deckha explains her novel category of "beingness" to raise the legal status of animals, in her new book "Animals as Legal Beings: Contesting Anthropocentric Legal Orders" (Univ of Toronto Press, 2021). In this 25-minute interview on In Tune to Nature, hosted by Carrie Freeman, Professor Deckha (Univ of Victoria, BC, Canada) explains how feminism, postcolonialism, and critical animal studies informs her less exclusionary and more universal notion of a legal "being" as opposed to some ideal and limiting legal notion of an independent, rational "person." "In Tune to Nature" airs on Radio Free Georgia's 89.3FM-Atlanta and wrfg.org Wednesdays 6:30-7pm EST. Its co-hosts are Carrie Freeman, Sonia Swartz, and Melody Paris. www.facebook.com/intunetonature  Please support independent, non-commercial media like Radio Free Georgia. Take care of yourself and others, including other species.

This 25-minute podcast explains the 2021 Animals' Manifesto to prevent pandemics, signed by over 150 eco & animal protection NGOs to influence international policy-making in support of One Health & One Welfare holistic approaches to considering the mutual welfare interests of humans and other species. "In Tune to Nature" radio host Carrie Freeman interviewed Jessica Bridgers of World Animal Net in early January 2021 to explain the manifesto's origins from the covid crisis, its signatories, its purpose, and its policy recommendations to transform animal farming, animal based food consumption, the wildlife trade, testing on animals for vaccines, and welfare implications for domesticated animals.  In Tune to Nature is an eco and animal protection show hosted by Carrie Freeman on the indie, non-commercial station Radio Free Georgia (WRFG) that broadcasts on Wednesdays at 6:30pm EST in Atlanta on 89.3FM and streams worldwide at www.wrfg.org  Sonia Swartz and Melody Paris also serve as hosts.

In this 50-minute interview with author Dr. Carrie Freeman, fellow activist and host Melody Paris discusses the ideas within Carrie's newest book The Human Animal Earthling Identity: Shared Values Unifying Human Rights, Animal Rights, and Environmental Movements (2020, UGA Press), such as: why identity and values matter to social change, how animal rights can be a bridge between human and nonhuman protection, common opponents and root causes of social and ecological problems, how empathy, respect, and coexistence relate, how social movement organizations can better serve as allies for other causes, and values that befit the Human Animal Earthling identity and how to enact them in ways that are biocentric and inclusive of all living beings. It ends by discussing some ways to overcome philosophical tensions around meat eating, non-native species, and wildlife management, as well as listing 13 projects around which social movements could build coalitions. You can find out more about the book at www.humananimalearthlings.com  This podcast is a joint show that originally aired on Dec 30th 2020 on WRFG Radio Free Georgia 89.3FM-Atlanta for Second Opinion Radio (Melody Paris, host) and In Tune to Nature (Carrie Freeman, host).

In this 25-minute podcast, the Exec. Dir. of Wild Animal Initiative explains their unique research mission to understand and improve the lives of wild animals as sentient individuals not just 'populations'. Animal welfare does not have to be limited to domesticated animals; Wild Animal Initiative hopes to facilitate "research and applied projects that will open the door to a clearer picture of wild animals’ needs and how to enhance their well-being. Ultimately, Wild Animal Initiative envisions a world in which people actively choose to help wild animals — and have the knowledge they need to do so responsibly."  Their website is www.wildanimalinitiative.org where scientists, researchers, and policy-makers are welcome to get involved. Host Carrie Freeman interviewed Michelle Graham for the "In Tune to Nature" radio program on Radio Free Georgia (www.wrfg.org) which was broadcast on 89.3FM-Atlanta on Dec 16, 2020. In Tune to Nature is a weekly show airing Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST. The show's website is www.facebook.com/intunetonature  Take care of yourself and others, including other species.

Host Carrie Freeman provides ideas for green, vegan, natural, & affordable holiday gifts to support health and wellness during this pandemic. This 25 minute "In Tune to Nature" podcast was also broadcast on 89.3FM Atlanta on Radio Free Georgia, Nov. 25th 2020.  She shares her nutrient dense smoothie seed mix, and recommends micro-green and herbal tea growing gifts, specific whole foods plant based diet cookbooks like Eat to Live, Forks Over Knives, How Not to Die, Plant Strong, Plant Pure Nation, and Oh She Glows, or magazines like Veg News, nutmilk makers, and natural and cruelty-free skincare and household cleaners (for a non-toxic home). These gifts are great ways to show your friends and family that you care about them as well as the planet and fellow animals.  You can listen to In Tune to Nature every Wednesday from 6:30-7pm EST on wrfg.org and keep track of guests and action items at our show website at www.facebook.com/intunetonature   Take care of yourself and others, include other species.

Peggy Whitlow Ratcliffe, Exec Dir & Founder of Live Thrive Atlanta explains today's plastic recycling market and what can be recycled at the Atlanta CHARM facility (Center for Hard to Recycle Materials) and what happens to plastics when they leave the center (some gets recycled into carpeting and foam insulation). With "In Tune to Nature" radio host Carrie Freeman, Peggy discusses how and why manufacturers and governments should facilitate replacement materials that are biodegradable and don't end up polluting the oceans for hundreds of years, killing wildlife, or filling up landfills permanently. We consumers are overloaded with plastics (some of which are non-recyclable) and need sustainable materials instead. In the meantime we should try to avoid plastics, especially #3, #7, and styrofoam, and recycle what we do use. Georgians can make an appointment to visit the CHARM facility (south of Grant Park in Atlanta) on Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Saturdays to recycle items like plastics, glass, electronics, hazardous materials, clothing, mattresses, etc. at LiveThrive.org   This "In Tune to Nature" show on plastic recycling and replacement aired on Wed. Nov 11, 2020 on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia) and 89.3FM-Atlanta. Carrie Freeman hosts this eco-and-animal-friendly show twice monthly. The show's website is www.facebook.com/intunetonature   Take care of yourself and others, including other species.

WWF's Living Planet Report 2020 indicates agriculture and food are key drivers of continued species decline, so they developed a plan to shift humanity toward a restorative PLANET-based diet and food system. "In Tune to Nature" radio host Carrie Freeman interviews Dr. Melissa Ho, Sr. VP of Freshwater and Food at the World Wildlife Fund to discuss these environmental impacts and the WWF recipe for change at the individual level and systems level (ex: regenerative farming and government policies on ag and nutrition that also take environmental impacts into account, for a more comprehensive account of human health). (25 minute podcast) See the WWF food report at https://planetbaseddiets.panda.org/  This radio show originally aired on October 28, 2020 on WRFG.org and 89.3FM-Atlanta. In Tune to Nature is broadcast every Wednesday from 6:30-7pm EST, on the indie media station Radio Free Georgia. Consider donating to non-commercial independent community media at wrfg.org.  The show's website is www.facebook.com/intunetonature

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and Biologist Dr. Jacob Carter recently published detailed recommendations to protect federal employees who work with scientific data to drive decision-making, to ensure that partisan politics or a culture of fear over losing jobs doesn't hinder them from independently serving the public interest in protecting the health of humans and the environment. The path to shore up scientific integrity in U.S. Federal Government Agencies is outlined in the UCS 2020 report: "Roadmap to Science in Decision-Making" and is discussed in this 25 minute podcast by UCS biologist Dr. Jacob Carter with host Carrie Freeman for Radio Free Georgia's "In Tune to Nature" radio show, to air October 14, 2020. If you support scientific integrity measures and the use of science in decision-making (like with climate change and pollutants and public lands), contact your Congressional legislators and mention this UCS report and the "Scientific Integrity Act." Environmental scientists at our federal agencies (like the EPA and the Dept of Energy or Dept of the Interior) need to be able to do their jobs without political interference from whomever holds power in the White House. See here examples of many attacks on science, mainly during trump's reign. In Tune to Nature is long-running eco and animal-protection show (hosted by Carrie Freeman and Sonia Swartz) that aims to increase your environmental literacy and give you info you need to know to be a responsible environmental citizen. It airs every Wednesday at 6:30 - 7pm EST on Atlanta's 89.3FM and streams worldwide on wrfg.org. Keep up with guests and action items at www.facebook.com/intunetonature

In prep for the Nov 3, 2020 election (GA has 2 U.S. Senate Seats on the ballot), we review early voting options in Georgia, such as how to request a mail-in (absentee) ballot (ideally no later than October 1st); or to find early voting polling locations in your county from Oct 12 - 28th (and what counts as valid ID). This  Georgia My Voter page  helps you check your registration status (Oct 5th is registration deadline) and find early voting locations   Another good resource is GoVoteGA.org (for volunteering and for help with voting). Brionte McCorkle, Exec Director of Georgia Conservation Voters talks with "In Tune to Nature" radio host Carrie Freeman for this 24-minute radio show that aired on 89.3FM wrfg.org in Atlanta on Sept 23rd. To research Georgia candidates' voting record on environmental protection legislation, see this Environmental Scorecard   It's hard not to notice that most Democrats score much higher than most Republicans.

The Okefenokee Natl Wildlife Refuge wetland in Georgia is fending off a potential titanium mine and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska continues to be threatened by oil and gas drilling disrupting caribou and bird nurseries. George Nickas, Exec. Dir. of Wilderness Watch, explains the unified efforts of environmental organizations and citizen groups working to defend these precious natural wilderness areas from damaging industrial extractions that fail to provide a "refuge" for wildlife. This 25-minute interview, by host Carrie Freeman of In Tune to Nature, aired on Sept 9, 2020. In Tune to Nature airs live Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on radio station 89.3FM-Atlanta and worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, non-commercial independent radio). The show's website is www.facebook.com/intunetonature  See also https://protectokefenokee.org/ The Okefenokee Protection Alliance

Gene Baur, author and President of Farm Sanctuary, discusses insights on journalistic coverage of farmed animals, vegans, and veganism, as well as the animal agribusiness industry's advertising and marketing tactics. Gene and interviewer Carrie Freeman (radio host, media professor, and coauthor of AnimalsandMedia.org guidelines) also discuss respectful language to use to describe fellow animals. 27 minute podcast. Recorded in November 2019. USA.www.farmsanctuary.org    www.animalsandmedia.org In Tune to Nature airs live Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on radio station 89.3FM-Atlanta and worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, non-commercial independent radio). The show's website is www.facebook.com/intunetonature

"The planet's most abused animals can't run or scream" --they are the trillions of individual fishes we hook, suffocate, farm, eat, experiment on, or breed and keep in captivity in tanks. In Defense of Animals is championing the cause of these misunderstood aquatic beings at Respectforfish.org  August 1st 2020 was the first "Respect for Fish Day" supported by a large coalition of groups. Fleur Dawes of In Defense of Animals discusses why and how to show respect for fish (especially focusing on experimentation and the pet trade), in this 26-minute podcast with host Carrie Freeman of In Tune to Nature, which originally aired Aug. 12, 2020.  In Tune to Nature airs live Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on radio station 89.3FM-Atlanta and worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, non-commercial independent radio). The show's website is www.facebook.com/intunetonature

In this unique time, Atlanta animal activists Christopher Eubanks (Atlanta Save Movement) (shown in photo), and Melody Paris (Georgia Animal Rights & Protection) and Carrie Freeman (PEACE Club at GSU) discuss animal rights and vegan activism strategies for this pandemic era, related to what messages we should use to connect zoonotic diseases like Covid-19 to the meat trade and animal exploitation, and how we can still be effective activists in the shadow of Covid while "social distancing." The latter half of the show covers how animal activists can sincerely support the Black Lives Matter movement to continue its momentum toward social justice in this special moment.   We conducted this 45 minute interview In July 2020 for a double radio show combining Second Opinion Radio (which Melody hosts) and In Tune to Nature (which Carrie hosts) on WRFG (Radio Free Georgia); the show originally aired on July 29, 2020 on wrfg.org 89.3FM radio.   Consider supporting this progressive, independent radio station: Radio Free Georgia. Thank you.

Food justice activist lauren Ornelas explains how to combat environmental racism and other human rights violations in factory farms, slaughterhouses, and plant-crop farm systems that often mistreat and exploit farm workers, many of them immigrants and people of color. Ornelas founded and runs the Food Empowerment Project. Their website www.foodispower.org outlines so many food injustice issues facing humans as well as farmed animals and how consumers can help agricultural workers (including advocating for a living wage and fighting slave labor conditions) and eat ethically (including vegan foods, fair trade, organic, and local). This 22 minute interview was conducted in July 2020 by host Carrie Freeman of In Tune to Nature. Carrie and co-host Sonia Swartz have been hosting the In Tune to Nature program weekly for 10 years to advocate for eco and animal friendly values and practices. https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature/ This radio show airs on July 22, 2020 on 89.3FM-Atlanta and on wrfg.org. Consider supporting this progressive, independent radio station: Radio Free Georgia. Thank you.

Angela Grimes of Born Free USA dispels the myths that American trophy hunters use to justify so much unnecessary killing of wild animals (even endangered species). She explains how trophy hunting is not only cruel but harmful to the ecosystems and the family/community of that individual animal killed. And most of the money earned does not go to local communities, who would benefit more economically from ecotourism that values the long lives (not the deaths) of these charismatic larger species like bears, lions, tigers, crocodiles, elephants, buffalo, rhino, hippos, zebra, giraffes, and others who are slaughtered for sport and egotistical taxidermy displays. In this 22-minute interview with host Carrie Freeman for Radio Free Georgia's "In Tune to Nature" program in early July of 2020, Angela discusses what Born Free USA is doing (with the help of us as activists) to promote federal policies (like the CECIL Act in Congress) to remove loopholes that trophy hunters use to import body parts from endangered species into the USA. Their website with action items is here https://www.bornfreeusa.org/trophyhunting/ Carrie and co-host Sonia Swartz have been hosting the In Tune to Nature program weekly for 10 years to advocate for eco and animal friendly values and practices. https://www.facebook.com/InTunetoNature/ This radio show airs on July 8, 2020 on 89.3FM-Atlanta and on wrfg.org. Consider supporting this progressive, independent radio station: Radio Free Georgia. Thank you.

Brionte McCorkle discusses the connection between racial injustice (disproportionately harming people of color from the pandemic and from police violence) and environmental degradation --- where the many issues overlap in a call for environmental justice. At Georgia Conservation Voters, a chapter of the League of Conservation Voters, they are working toward creating a more diverse and inclusive environmental movement and electorate to elect and hold accountable political leaders who will be responsive to the needs and interests of all Georgia voters in having clean energy, clean air, clean water, mass transit, a stable climate, and an overall healthier living environment for humans and wildlife. Brionte shares some examples pertinent to Metro Atlanta and Albany, Georgia. The group's website is GCVoters.org   This 24-minute interview was conducted by host Carrie Freeman (former professor of Brionte at GSU back in the day) for the "In Tune to Nature" radio show on Radio Free Georgia, in June of 2020. In Tune to Nature airs live Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on radio station 89.3FM (metro-Atlanta) and worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, non-commercial independent radio). The show's website is www.facebook.com/intunetonature

Aysha Akhtar, MD, MPH, is the author of “Animals & Public Health” and “Our Symphony with Animals.” And in this 23-minute interview she explains why by saving other animals, we save ourselves (the human animal), specifically in the context of how pandemics like Covid-19 are caused by our mistreatment of wild and domesticated animals in live animal markets and factory farms. Interviewed by host Carrie Freeman for “In Tune to Nature” radio show on WRFG.org (Radio Free Georgia) on 89.3FM-Atlanta (airs Wednesday nights 6:30-7pm EST). Websites: facebook.com/intunetonature  and  ayshaakhtar.com

Host Carrie Freeman conducts a 23-minute interview with Dr. Jennifer Molidor, Sr. Food Campaigner, at The Center for Biological Diversity who runs their Take Extinction Off Your Plate campaign. She explains how the promotion of plant-based eating (an Earth Friendly Diet) is necessary to help wild animals, through reduction of: habitat loss and deforestation, pollution, climate change, and the killing/hunting of millions of America's wild animals by the federal 'Wildlife Services' agency at the behest of ranchers. Farmed animals are not the only animals harmed and killed by the unsustainable meat, milk, and egg industries.  Find out ways to get involved at TakeExtinctionOffYourPlate.com or BiologicalDiversity.org to help save life on Earth. Tune in to the "In Tune to Nature" radio show Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia) and in Atlanta on 89.FM. Hosted by Carrie Freeman or Sonia Swartz.  www.facebook.com/intunetonature

As the recognition increases for how trading wild animals is the cause of pandemics and many other harms, there is a political moment during this Covid-19 crisis to get legislation passed to end the USA's role in the destructive global wildlife trade. In this 23-minute podcast, "In Tune to Nature" host Carrie Freeman interviews attorney Alice Stroud, Director of Africa Policy & Capacity Building at Born Free USA, who explains what the wildlife trade looks like, who is involved (pangolins, sharks, turtles, tigers, etc), and how the United States can ban this trade and become integral to protecting wildlife and their habitats and, in turn, protecting humans from the spread of infectious diseases. Also see this presentation on what Born Free USA is doing in response to this pandemic crisis. Find out ways to help #keepwildlifeinthewild at www.bornfreeusa.org to support compassionate conservation of wild animals. Tune in to "In Tune to Nature" radio show Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia) and in Atlanta on 89.FM. www.facebook.com/intunetonature

The popularity of Netflix's Tiger King has created an opportunity to discuss the problems with personal ownership of big cats -- like tigers, lions, and panthers -- as 'pets' and/or objects of profit in the USA. In this 23-minute interview from May 2020, host Carrie Freeman interviews Born Free USA CEO Angela Grimes who explains what the Tiger King show doesn't show -- the suffering inherent for cats in being taken from their mothers as cubs and handled by people and tourists for entertainment and profit. And then when the cats are no longer most profitable or cute and safe to handle, they may be sold or killed (which can be for their body parts to be traded globally). They have no control over their own lives and futures. Inadequate legislation varies by state and allows these wild animals to be sold over the internet like commodities, continuing the breeding cycle. Angela explains the bipartisan support for proposed federal legislation, The Big Cat Public Safety Act -- a bill that would prohibit the private possession of big cat species and ban public contact with big cats throughout the USA. She encourages us to ask our own Congressional representatives to cosponsor and support the bill. Find out ways to help #keepwildlifeinthewild at www.bornfreeusa.org to support compassionate conservation of wild animals. Tune in to "In Tune to Nature" radio show Wednesdays from 6:30-7pm EST on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia) and in Atlanta on 89.FM. www.facebook.com/intunetonature