First up this episode is Peter Linderoth, director of science and watersheds for Save the Sound's Healthy Waters Institute. Save the Sound is doing so many good things to take care of our fragile ecosystem the Long Island sound. He joins me today to tell us about the results of the 2025 bacteria monitoring season in the western Sound.

Then I talk to Tom Anderson, who is Director of communications at CT Audubon Society and editor of the Connecticut state of the birds report

We discuss the key issues that the Connecticut Audubon Society is concerned about.

Dr. Michael E. Mann Returns to "Digging in the Dirt ", for his 5th visit, to talk about his new book called, "Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces that Threaten Our World": it is cowritten with Dr. Pete Hotez the Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and professor of virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine. Much of this book points fingers very explicitly at some of the bad actors shaping the narratives around Climate Change and Vaccinations. The authors call them the different P's, plutocrats, petro-states, propagandists, pro’s and the press.

Secondly, I’m pleased to welcome to "Digging in the Dirt" the Co-director of the film "The little things that run the world ", Doug Hawes-Davis

The film delves into the story of how insects face unprecedented decline, their fate becomes a stark warning: that without them, neither we, nor the planet can endure. Even still, there is hope! The film is a survey of what E.O. Wilson, the man behind the half earth concept called, “THE LITTLE THINGS THAT RUN THE WORLD”, Insects.

This "Digging in the Dirt" starts off with Tom Anderson, who is Director of communications at CT Audubon Society and editor of the Connecticut state of the birds report. We talk about all the threats that our birds are facing. Habitat loss, pesticides, windows and feral cats.

Then joining me is Megan Clendenan author of The book Just in Case: Saving Seeds in the Svalbard Global Seed Vault A recent review said of her book, "This tale has an unusual ecological theme that makes seed preservation not only an essential task, but a sacred one. A must-have story."