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Dr. Brent Hughes takes us on a fascinating journey through California's coastal ecosystems, revealing the unexpected ways sea otters transform their environments. As an Associate Professor at Sonoma State University with a background spanning from the center of landlocked Kansas to the rugged Pacific coast, Hughes brings unique perspective to marine conservation.

The conversation explores how foundation species like kelp, seagrass, and salt marshes create the physical structure that supports entire ecosystems. Hughes shares his groundbreaking discovery that sea otters prevent coastal erosion by consuming burrowing shore crabs – research so significant it earned the cover of Nature magazine. These "crab condos" weaken marsh banks, but when otters remove the crabs, the marshes stabilize. It's a perfect example of how restoring natural food webs can solve environmental problems that human intervention struggles to fix.

California's sea otter population faces a precarious future, stalled at just 3,000 individuals despite historical numbers likely reaching 20,000-30,000. The culprit? What Hughes calls the "white shark gauntlet" preventing otters from expanding their range north or south of central California. His research suggests San Francisco Bay alone could support twice the state's current population, reveali

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Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

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What if the trash polluting our environment could be transformed into schools, homes, and opportunities? In San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala, that's what's happening thanks to Matt Panaitz and Long Way Home. 20 years ago, Matt was a Peace Corps volunteer stationed in this predominantly Mayan community nestled in Guatemala's Western Highlands. Rather than returning to ordinary life in the U.S. after his service, Matt sold his car, moved back to Guatemala, and embarked on a remarkable journey. What began as building the town's first grass soccer field evolved into a revolutionary approach to education and sustainability. The Hero School campus now stands as a testament to possibility—20 buildings constructed from over 35,000 discarded tires and 100,000 plastic bottles filled with trash. This approach has earned recognition from UNESCO- aligning Education with Sustainable Development and ripples far beyond the school itself—in one village, students mapped every household, identified needs, and implemented 57 stove projects, with grateful residents throwing rose petals at their feet as they departed. By treating waste as a resource rather than a problem, they've created sustainable infrastructure while addressing poverty through education that empowers students to become heroes in their own communities. Learn more about volunteering,

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Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

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Storytelling has the power to transform how we see our oceans and inspire meaningful action. Two visionary filmmakers, Cynthia Abbott and Andrea Leland, join us to share how they're using documentary filmmaking to spotlight both the crisis facing our marine environments and the everyday heroes working to save them. Their Emmy-winning documentary "Three Ocean Advocates" introduces us to remarkable individuals making a difference: Dick Ogg, a fisherman developing innovative methods to prevent whale entanglement; Tess Felix, an artist transforming beach plastic into stunning portraits; and Barbara Kritz, who unintentionally captured the devastating decline of Caribbean coral reefs through her underwater photography. The conversation takes a deep dive into Cynthia's latest project, "The Abalone Chronicles," which explores the critical endangerment of red abalone along the Northern California coast. Through the eyes of 3 distinct characters—a shell collector, a Yurok tribal regalia maker, and a diver working to restore kelp forests—viewers witness the interconnected challenges facing our coastal ecosystems. Rather than overwhelming viewers with environmental doom, Abbott and Leland spotlight solutions and provide concrete calls to action. Become an ocean advocate! Visit everysecondbreathproject.org to watch these inspiring films,

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Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

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Captain Paul Watson speaks with us from Paris about his experiences at the UN Ocean Conference, meetings with global leaders including President Macron, and his continued ocean conservation efforts after his release from a Greenland prison.

• The UN Ocean Conference yielded a major victory with 64 countries ratifying the High Seas Treaty, providing additional legal protection for ocean interventions
• Captain Paul met with French President Macron, the Mayor of Reykjavik, the President of French Polynesia, and Brazil's Environment Minister to discuss marine conservation
• Whaling in Iceland has been paused for three consecutive years, signaling a potential permanent end to the practice as public opinion shifts
• Deep sea mining threatens to create devastating sediment clouds lasting 3-6 years that could suffocate marine life across hundreds of square miles
• Krill overfishing in the Southern Ocean by factory ships from Norway, Japan and Russia is starving penguin and whale populations while producing cheap feed for factory farms
• The Captain Paul Watson Foundation is planning direct interventions against krill fishing operations, creating a new TV series called "Krill Wars" to raise awareness
• Commercial fishing operations globally are sustained by approximately $90 billion in government subsidies, not by actual market profitability
• The foundation's upcoming projects include anti-poaching operations in the Mediterranean, protecting turtles in Mayotte, and opposing seismic testing off Uruguay

Join us in supporting ocean conservation by donating to Resilient Earth Radio and the Captain Paul Watson Foundation to help protect our blue planet. Visit our website or find us on social media to learn how you can contribute.

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Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

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The ocean isn't silent—it's a symphony of natural sounds that marine life depends on for survival. But human-generated noise pollution is drowning out this essential communication network with potentially devastating consequences. Michael takes us deep into the world of marine bioacoustics, revealing how political decisions directly impact ocean ecosystems. With three decades of experience studying underwater sound, Stocker paints a vivid picture of the challenges facing marine life today. We explore the shocking effects of military sonar on beaked whales, where intense acoustic disturbances cause animals to surface too quickly, resulting in catastrophic internal injuries similar to decompression sickness in human divers. Stocker describes how their bodies appeared like "milkshakes inside" during necropsies—a graphic reminder of how sound can kill. The conversation turns to innovative solutions, including Stocker's groundbreaking work using wavelet analysis to precisely track whale movements near shipping lanes. This technology could revolutionize marine mammal protection by allowing ships to "see" whales on their navigation systems and avoid collisions without necessarily slowing down—a win for both conservation and commerce. Climate change compounds these acoustic challenges, with melting Arctic ice eliminating crucial feeding grounds for gray whales. Whether discussing non-cavitating propeller designs that could dramatically reduce vessel noise or the devastating impact of bottom trawling on marine habitats, Stocker provides both expertise and hope. His parting advice offers meaningful action for listeners. Sites: https://ocr.org/ & https://ocean-noise.com/

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Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

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In this episode, we talk about a devastating crisis that unfolded this year in the San Francisco Bay. March to June 2025 saw an unprecedented 36 gray whales enter, and stay for extended periods in one of the West coast's busiest waterways. The result? A staggering mortality rate with over 20 dead whales—roughly half of all observed individuals—primarily from vessal strikes. We wanted to find out why and what can be and is being done about it. Scott Mercer brought in Josie Slaathaug (pronounced Slot-Howg) to talk about it. She's a cetacean specialist at the Marine Mammal Center and Sonoma State University graduate researcher. She created and maintained the bay's gray whale photo ID catalog, and shares how this extraordinary year contrasts sharply with 2024's minimal whale presence. Most disturbing is that many were, malnourished whales—yet many were in good body condition, actively feeding, and displaying rich social behaviors rarely documented in the bay before: spy hopping, chin slapping, bubble blowing, and forming tight pairs. The maritime community's response offers a glimmer of hope despite the heartbreak. Ferry captains shared real-time whale locations, vessels rerouted especially during nighttime hours, and the Coast Guard broadcast regular whale alerts. Despite these coordinated efforts, vessel strikes still claimed too many lives. Slaathaug's research, matching carcasses to living whales photographed days earlier, paints a poignant picture of an individual whale's final days. How might climate change and shifting Arctic feeding grounds be altering migration patterns? Can we develop more proactive protection measures before next year's migration? We talk about that and more.

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Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

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A powerful wave of peaceful resistance swept across America on June 14, 2025, as over 5 million citizens gathered in 2,100 cities and towns for No Kings Day. From small coastal communities like Wallala to major metropolitan centers, Americans of all ages exercised their First Amendment rights to voice opposition against what many view as presidential overreach and environmental devastation.

The current administration's systematic dismantling of critical environmental agencies stands at the heart of many protesters' concerns. We explore how the gutting of scientific expertise at the EPA and NOAA threatens decades of environmental progress and our ability to address pressing challenges like climate change. When federal authorities released water from California dams without understanding the state's water systems, it highlighted a dangerous pattern of uninformed intervention that wastes precious resources and undermines state authority.

Through intimate conversations with local participants Wendy White and Sandy Wright, we discover the deeply personal motivations driving ordinary citizens to stand up for democracy and environmental protection. Their perspectives reveal how political decisions have real-world impacts on communities, from agricultural workers facing aggressive immigration raids to educators struggling to teach environmental stewardship while the government models the opposite.

Beyond documenting the protests, we examine concerning legislation currently moving through Congress that threatens marine sanctuaries, and we analyze the manipulation tactics being deployed to distract and divide Americans. By recognizing patterns of gaslighting, fear-mongering, and misinformation, we can better equip ourselves to protect

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Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

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Beneath the waves, in the darkness of the deep ocean, lies one of Earth's last pristine wilderness areas – a place we've barely begun to understand. Now, a high-stakes race is underway to mine valuable minerals from the seafloor, with profound implications for marine ecosystems and our planet's future.

Richard Charter from The Ocean Foundation takes us on an eye-opening journey into the complex world of deep sea mining. He expertly breaks down the three distinct types of extraction threatening different ocean ecosystems: hydrothermal vents with their unique energy-transforming life forms, mineral crusts that form along seamounts, and polymetallic nodules scattered across vast stretches of seafloor. These aren't just minerals – they're living habitats that took millions of years to evolve.

What's particularly alarming is the permanence of any damage we inflict. Charter reveals that test mining tracks created 26 years ago remain perfectly visible today, as if freshly made. "If it took millions of years to evolve these life forms in the sea," he warns, "then we know that for them to come back, first of all they may come back in a different form, and it may take millions of years. This is beyond human scale."

While mining companies frame their work as essential for the green energy transition, providing minerals for electric vehicle batteries and renewable infrastructure, Charter challenges this narrative. He points out that automotive technology is already evolving beyond these specific metals, and effective recycling programs could meet many of our needs without risking irreparable harm to ocean ecosystems. Meanwhile, the deep sea may harbor undiscovered solutions to humanity's greatest challenges, including potential cancer t

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Thank you for listening, subscribing, & supporting Resilient Earth Radio!

Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

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We still have time to make a positive impact on the future of life on this planet.