Later in the program, Janek Schaller talks with Clarence Boone, the Coordinator of the Bloomington City Farmers Markets, and Indiana legislators about the connection between local farmers and the community and the future of agriculture.

And now for your environmental reports:

• According to the New York Times, advances are being made to reduce bat losses from the fungus causing the white-nose syndrome. The fungus is native to Europe. It doesn’t harm bats there because their immune systems keep it in check. It’s unclear how the fungus reached the United States; a traveler may have carried a spore of it on a shoe to North America, where bats lack immunity and have proved to be dangerously vulnerable.
• Scientists have found that Earth may soon pass another planetary boundary, meaning it could be operating outside of the safe limits for seven of the nine defined planetary boundaries.
  The Planetary Health Check report, prepared by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), is a new assessment that determines the state of the planetary boundaries. For its first edition, the report found that Earth is near the boundary for ocean acidification.
• The AP reports that Britain’s last coal-fired power plant closed on Monday, ending 142 years of coal-generated electricity in the nation that sparked the Industrial Revolution.
  The Ratcliffe-on-Soar station in central England is finishing its final shift at midnight after more than half a century of turning coal into power. The U.K. government hailed the closure as a milestone in efforts to generate all of Britain’s energy from renewable sources by 2030. Currently, the main source for power generation is natural gas. The UK will have to hustle to convert to wind and solar.

Feature Report:

And now, let’s listen to Janek Schaller talk with local Indiana farmers, Farmers Market vendors and Indiana legislators about the attitudes on agriculture in Indiana.

And now, some upcoming events:

Search for Eagles at the Autumn Birdwatching event on Saturday, October 5th, from 7:30 to 9:30 am at the Griffy Lake Nature Preserve. You will be discovering the hobby of birding while looking for bald eagles. Register at bloomington.in.gov/parks.

Meet at the Lower Cascades Park for a Nature RX Walk on Sunday, October 6th, at 8 am. Learn about native habitat while listening to bird songs and enjoying nature. You can decrease your anxiety, lower stress and cortizol and much more. Nature is good for you!

A Climate Action Workshop on Tree Planting and Maintenance for Storm Resilience is planned for Wednesday, October 9th, from Noon to 12:45 pm on Zoom. Learn how to choose the right place, identifying defects, pruning and much more. To sign up, go to bloomington.in.gov/sustainability/climate-action-workshops.

Take your dog on a Howl At The Moon walk at Switchyard Park on Friday, October 11th, from 7:30 to 8:30 pm. It is a glow-in-the dark walk using glow sticks as you loop through the park.
Enjoy an October Big Day Hike at Touch the Earth Natural Area in Bartholomew County on Saturday, October 12th, from 9 to 11 am. Sycamore Land Trust in partnership with the Indiana Audubon Society and the Indiana Land Protection Alliance will lead you on a morning of fall birding. Please register at the Sycamore Land Trust web site.

Credits:
This week’s headlines were written by Norm Holy.
Today’s news feature was produced by Janek Schaller.
Julianna Dailey assembled the script which was edited by the EcoReport team.
Julianna Dailey compiled our events calendar.
Branden Blewett is our engineer.