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Environment 73 results
John Lawrence, the assistant director of Sycamore Land Trust, sprays a patch of vinca near the Sycamore headquarters with herbicide. | Photo by Annie Corrigan, WFIU

With Invasives, an Ounce of Prevention Is Worth a Pound of Cure
Earth Eats
A healthy environment requires native plants that interact with insects, birds, and wildlife. When invasive plants are introduced, they can quickly crowd out native species and wreak havoc on an ecosystem. Annie Corrigan, announcer and producer at WFIU Public Radio, wrote about invasive plants for her weekly radio show, Earth Eats. Click here to read the full story.
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Where once there was a trailhead near Crooked Creek Road on the Tecumseh Trail, Matt Flaherty encountered logging equipment and a trail in ruin. | Courtesy photo

A Hike on the Tecumseh Trail Now Ends in Destruction
Matt Flaherty
Matt Flaherty has traveled the Tecumseh Trail by hiking and camping on it with friends in late summer, running the marathon course in October, and running all 42 miles on one winter’s day. The last trip, though, ended when they reached the southern trailhead and found it had been destroyed by logging trucks. Click here to read the full story.
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This swarm landed in a tree in Kara Krothe's backyard on a Wednesday evening in June 2016. Come Friday morning, the bees had flown off to try to find a more permanent home. | Photo courtesy of Kara Krothe and Earth Eats

Swarm of Bees Free to a Good Home (If You Can Catch Them)
Earth Eats
It’s swarm season, when honey bees search for new places to build hives. Which means swarm chasers aren’t far behind — beekeepers who hope to capture the swarm and make it into a new colony. Annie Corrigan, announcer and producer at WFIU Public Radio, wrote this timeless story last year for her weekly radio show Earth Eats. Click here to read the full story.
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Some of our favorite restaurants might never have happened without world-renowned chef, author, and food activist Alice Waters, who will visit Bloomington in April to inaugurate the IU Food Project. | Photo courtesy of Pexels, surajith s

Food Icon Alice Waters to Help Launch IU Food Project
Benjamin Beane
Some of our favorite restaurants might never have happened without world-renowned chef, author, and food activist Alice Waters. Writer Benjamin Beane spoke to Waters about her visit to Bloomington on April 6-8 to officially launch the IU Food Project, which was created to address the challenges of providing sustainable food for a changing planet. Click here to read the full story.
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Lindsay Welsch Sveen chose to knit socks using the yarn from Marble Hill Farm's fleece crop. This photo shows the satisfying last step of sock knitting: stitching the toe closed. | Photo by Lindsay Welsch Sveen

Farm to Yarn: The Craft Part 3 of a 3-Part Series on the Life of Local Fiber
Lindsay Welsch Sveen
In parts one and two of her “Farm to Yarn” series, Lindsay Welsch Sveen procured yarn from its source and learned how to dye it. In this finale, she finds help with knitting “magical creations” — socks! Click here to read the full story.
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Permaculture, says writer Daniel Bingham, originated as an attempt to reshape industrial agriculture into sustainable ecological design that works in harmony with the natural world. First applied to farmsteads, it’s also used to create self-reliant homesteads. | Photo by Natasha Komoda

Can Permaculture Make Society Sustainable? Part 1
Daniel Bingham, Natasha Komoda
Permaculture, says writer Daniel Bingham, originated as an attempt to reshape industrial agriculture into sustainable ecological design that works in harmony with the natural world. First applied to farmsteads, it’s also used to create self-reliant homesteads. Part philosophy, part methodology, and part science, permaculture integrates humans with the natural environment. Click here to read the full story.
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The Eastern box turtle is one of many Indiana species on the state's "special concern" list. | Creative Commons, Branlon

150 Species in Indiana Now Listed As Endangered or ‘Special Concern’
Susan M. Brackney
What would happen if the hellbender goes? More than 150 mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and mollusks that call Indiana home are now listed as “endangered” or “special concern” in the state. Susan M. Brackney shows who decides which animals make the cut — and how. Click here to read the full story.
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The stars of the 7th Annual Marsh Madness Sandhill Crane Festival at Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area in Greene County. Tens of thousands have already been spotted in the area. | Photo by Thomas Marriage

Treasure Hunting at Goose Pond During Marsh Madness
Limestone Post
The spring migration of sandhill cranes and countless other birds will be celebrated on March 4-5 during the 7th Annual Marsh Madness Sandhill Crane Festival at Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area. David Rupp, owner of IndiGo Birding Nature Tours, gave Limestone Post a preview on a recent trip to the pond. Click here to read the full story.
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The American Discovery Trail is a 6,800-mile, coast-to-coast phenomenon that is the first of its kind in the country. Much of it travels along existing trails, such as this one in the Harrison-Crawford State Forest in southern Indiana. | Photo by Ron Eid

From the B-Line Trail to the Pacific Ocean — Hiking the American Discovery Trail
Ron Eid
Imagine hiking from the B-Line Trail to the Pacific Ocean (or the Atlantic) without ever leaving an official hiking trail. For years, hiking enthusiasts have been working on the American Discovery Trail, a coast-to-coast trail that passes through southern Indiana. Connecting it to the B-Line, via the Knobstone Trail, isn’t far-fetched. Click here to read the full story.
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Susan M. Brackney says mixed greens (shown above), sprouts, microshoots, and vegetables grown indoors pack a nutritional punch you’re unlikely to get from the grocery store. | Photo by Susan M. Brackney

Getting Fresher Greens This Winter — Indoor Gardening Is Easier and Cheaper Than Ever
Susan M. Brackney
Nothing beats just-picked veggies, and the cold, short days of winter need not stop you from having them. Susan M. Brackney shows how greens, sprouts, microshoots, and vegetables can be grown cheaply and easily indoors. One reason, she explains, is that lighting has become more efficient. T-what?! Click here to read the full story.
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Plant-dyed wool dries on the sheep deck while the Marble Hill Farm cattle enjoy their evening graze. | Photo by Samuel Welsch Sveen

Farm to Yarn: The Dye Part 2 of a 3-Part Series on the Life of Local Fiber
Lindsay Welsch Sveen, Samuel Welsch Sveen
Lindsay Welsch returns to Marble Hill Farm for the second article in her three-part series on procuring yarn from its source. Stage two comprises the many steps in dyeing wool and the hands-on relationship that develops with color as it’s drawn out of indigo, goldenrod, marigold, and onion skins and affixed to the animal fiber. Click here to read the full story.
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This unprocessed fleece has been soaked and skirted (the dirty parts removed) but still contains organic debris and long, scraggly top hairs. It will be among the fleeces Whitney sends off to be milled for her spring CSA shares. | Photo by Lindsay Welsch Sveen

Farm to Yarn: The Wool Part 1 of a 3-Part Series on the Life of Local Fiber
Lindsay Welsch Sveen
Knitting and other fiber crafts have found a new generation of enthusiasts who care about the source of their yarn as much as about its color and pattern. In this first installment of a 3-part series, Lindsay Welsch traces yarn to one of its local sources, Marble Hill Farm. Click here to read the full story.
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