Join Dr. Blaine Cole to explore the western harvester ant's fascinating life cycle. This widespread North American species, known for large nest mounds, has been studied by Dr. Cole for 33 years. His talk covers how new queens form new colonies and factors determining their survival and decades-long lifespan.

Dr. Cole, a University of Houston Professor, specializes in ant behavior and ecology. He has extensively researched ants, focusing for 33 years on the population biology of the western harvester ant (*Pogonomyrmex occidentalis*) with Diane Wiernasz.

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Over the course of its 150-year history, California has successfully protected its scenic wilderness areas, restricted coastal oil drilling, regulated automobile emissions, preserved coastal access

Over the course of its 150-year history, California has successfully protected its scenic wilderness areas, restricted coastal oil drilling, regulated automobile emissions, preserved coastal access and improved energy efficiency. Back in 1963 when the Clean Air Act was written, legislators acknowledged that California was ahead of the curve and wrote a waiver into the law allowing the Golden State to set its own stricter standards. In 2018, that exception is being used in fighting—and so far winning—the loosening of national CAFE standards Join us for a conversation about the past, present and future of California’s leadership in environmental policy. We will look at the lessons—as laid out by David Vogel—offered by California to the nation and the world. What has worked and where has the state fallen short? And later in the show. . . Just ten years ago, an entire state running on 100 percent renewable electricity was considered fanciful. But this dreamy vision became reality when, with the backing of big utilities, California committed to 100 percent use of zero-carbon electricity by 2045. The stakes were raised even higher with a statewide pledge to go carbon neutral by 2045. What will it take for California to achieve such a feat? What are the impacts on the fuel and transportation industries? Will Governor Gavin Newsom embrace climate initiatives started by former Governor Jerry Brown? A discussion on California’s surprise gambit to take the world’s fifth largest economy to net zero with John Hofmeister, former president of Shell Oil, Bob Holycross, Global Director of Sustainability & Vehicle Environmental Matters at Ford Motor Company, and Mary Nichols, Chair of the California Air Resources Board This program is generously underwritten by ClimateWorks Foundation. #letstalkclimate https://climateone.org/ Protect what has already been saved 5:29 Revoking National Monuments? 5:50 California Cars 8:38 Is California anti-business? 10:43 California Going Carbon Neutral 12:45 Oil companies and zero emissions 14:54 Electrification of everything 17:32 Lightening Round 20:20 Artificial Intelligence and Smart Cars 24:50

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Ari Matusiak is CEO of Rewiring America, a nonprofit dedicated to electrifying 121 million U.S. households. His work addresses the fact that 42% of energy emissions originate from home decisions like heating, cooking, and driving, aiming to launch a nationwide electrification movement.

He is also Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Purpose Venture Group, an advisory firm building community-centered ventures to combat climate and economic inequality. Matusiak brings nearly a decade of executive leadership in renewable energy and household electrification.

Previously, Ari served in the Obama White House as Special Assistant to the President, focusing on economic policy and private sector engagement. He is also Co-Founder and Chairman of Young Invincibles, a national nonprofit. Learn more about TEDx events here.

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Join host Jeff Corwin on an epic adventure across the Great Plains of the United States on a mission to understand the connection between the incredible species that call it home. First, Jeff travels

Join host Jeff Corwin on an epic adventure across the Great Plains of the United States on a mission to understand the connection between the incredible species that call it home. First, Jeff travels to the Canadian border to help Native American tribes re-establish bison across tribal lands. Jeff learns how ancient bison herds once shaped the Great Plains and how modern conservationists are fighting to bring those herds back. Later, Jeff works with biologists to manage a delicate population of black-footed ferrets, a species once believed to be extinct. Jeff discovers how wild bison play a vital role in ferret survival and the survival of the Great Plains themselves. Video transcript: Jeff Corwin: Welcome to Northeast Montana, home of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian community. I'm with Jonathan Proctor, from Defenders of Wildlife. It's now about minus nine. Look at our backdrop, we've got American bison. John, they are forever interconnected to this ecosystem. Jonathan Proctor: Yes, this is one of the most important keystone species in the entire Great Plains. This species had an outsized importance, numerous impacts on the environment that benefited a whole host of other wildlife. Jeff Corwin: The bison behind us are descendants of a great and ancient herd, over 30 million animals that moved like a living wave across North America. But this species was nearly wiped out with the western expansion of America and industrial hunting. The deliberate mass slaughter of bison was devastating to the Great Plains, and especially to the native tribes that depended upon them as a food and cultural resource. Tragically, at the start of the 20th century, fewer than 1000 American bison were left alive. Jonathan Proctor: The loss of the bison historically, about a hundred years ago, had ripple effects throughout the entire Great Plains. All of the predators and scavengers that depended on the bison for food disappeared as a result. Bison graze down the grass, which benefit prairie dogs, and so many other species depend on prairie dogs. So when the bison were removed, the whole system unraveled. Jeff Corwin: So, the big challenge we face is to reintegrate them into the ecosystem because this environment, the prairie needs the bison. Jonathan Proctor: To achieve that goal, we need to restore at least 10 large bison herds back to the Great Plains. When we get to that level, we will have truly saved the bison and the environment that it once evolved in and helped create. Jeff Corwin: Leading the charge is the Intertribal Buffalo Council, a group of 76 native tribal communities working to establish new and wild bison herds across the Great Plains. This morning, Robbie Magnan and his team are moving 56 bison from Montana to their new home in Oklahoma. Robbie, for the many tribal communities, bison are so very important, even today. Robbie Magnan: Yes, that's very much so. They're helping us restore our culture, because they've always been part of our culture. And now, we have our opportunity to reconnect with them and restore our culture with them. Jeff Corwin: But here's the thing, we can't get these bison to Oklahoma until we corral them, and that my friends, is going to be a challenge. You ready to do this? Robbie Magnan: Yeah. Jeff Corwin: All right, let's go. Speaker 4: All right, look sharp, stay together. Jeff Corwin: So, what is the plan, Robbie? Robbie Magnan: The buffalo are in a temporary holding pen that we have to round them up. Sometimes it's not so easy. Follow me! Jeff Corwin: Woo, hold on. So you can kind of see what we're trying to do, right here. It's a little bit of chaos, organized chaos. And what we're trying to do is move them into the corral, make sure they're healthy, and then share them with another Native American community. Ooh. Robbie Magnan: You okay? Jeff Corwin: Yeah. Ooh, rock. Rock. Robbie Magnan: Take what you got. Take what you got, guys. Take what you got! Speaker 5: Here they come. Jeff Corwin: Okay, so we didn't get the whole herd, but we've got about half the herd, right here. We're moving them down this quarter and into the corral they go. Robbie, who do I invoice my chiropractor bill to? Now that we've got almost half the herd into the pen, Robbie guides them into a series of smaller quarters. Here, they can be individually identified and have their final health checks before their trip to Oklahoma. Robbie Magnan: Okay, get in there. Jeff Corwin: All right, all right, there we go. We've hit our character limit. Leave a comment for the rest of the transcript.

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Sustasis Foundation Executive Director Michael Mehaffy speaks to the
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Sustasis Foundation Executive Director Michael Mehaffy speaks to the ', 121714);"> Email a Friend