Everyday Environment Podcast

Explore the intricate web of connections that bind us to the natural world with a deep dive into a variety of environmental topics with your hosts Abigail, Erin, and Amy.

Latest Episode

For our final episode of our invasive species season we have something a little different: we're sharing the recording of an invasive species livestream we hosted on Facebook with Chris Evans, answering your invasive species questions!
Everyday Environment

A case study in invasive species management: Emiquon Preserve with Dr. Maria Lemke

After decades of draining the land for agriculture, restoring water to The Nature Conservancy’s Emiquon Preserve helped recreate high quality wetland, lake, and marsh habitats that were once common along the Illinois River. Maintaining these high-quality habitats requires monitoring and...

Mushroom minute: a look at the invasive golden oyster mushroom with Aishwarya Veerabahu

Abigail and Amy chat with Aishwarya Veerabahu, a mycologist and PhD candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She enlightens us with the issues surrounding the golden oyster mushroom, a representative of the fungi kingdom , one kingdom we haven't discussed.   We explore the rapid...

Ornamental plants on the move: who is escaping from your garden with Theresa Culley

Join us as we chat with Dr. Theresa Culley, a genetic researcher from the University of Cincinnati. We discuss the genetics of invasives and how genetics helps solve the puzzle of how different invasive species have escaped from managed spaces. Discover the stories of buckthorn, wintercreeper...

Protecting ag commodities, ecosystems and urban environments from invasive pests: the CAPS program with Kelly Estes

During this episode of Everyday Environment, hosts Amy and Erin chat with Kelly Estes from the Illinois Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey. We learn about how the CAPS program works and surveys for invasive pests in our state.

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Tree check! Spotting invasive pests early with Tricia Bethke

Everyday Environment talks with Tricia Bethke, Illinois’ Forest Pest Outreach Coordinator, about the growing threat of invasive pests. We explore how these pests are impacting our forests, what a “tree check” looks like, and which warning signs to watch for in your own yard and community....

When good plants go bad: invasives in the home landscape with Chris Enroth

Listen in on our chat with Chris Enroth, fellow Illinois Extension Horticulture Educator and also co-host of the Good Growing podcast, about invasives in the home landscape. We discuss the challenge of plants that are not...

Looking back to move forward: using historical data to understand invasions with TJ Benson

This week we welcome TJ Benson from the Illinois Natural History Survey to talk about the Critical Trends Assessment Program (CTAP), and how data collected can teach us how invasions have changed plant and animal communities in Illinois.

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Wading through the data: understanding EDDMapS, a leader in invasive species mapping with Rebekah Wallace

This week on Everyday Environment we chat with Rebekah Wallace out of the University of Georgia. Rebekah is the coordinator for EDDMapS, a platform used by the general public and professionals alike for invasive, pest, and biocontrol species reporting and distribution monitoring. For 20 years...

Early detection in public gardens with Michelle Beloskur

Join us as we chat with Michelle about the invasive plant early detection efforts of the Midwest Invasive Plant Network. We take a special focus on the Public Gardens as Sentinels against Invasive Plants initiative, a program focused on sharing information and creating a network to detect...

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