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Pitching in on rescues

Mike De Socio

August 14, 2021 |

Adirondack Explorer |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Hampshire

Several years ago, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department created a form of insurance as a way to raise money for search and rescue operations for people hiking in the mountains. These voluntary insurance cards cost $25 per person and protect them from covering the costs of their rescues. In 2020, the state sold 7,752 cards, which generated over $200,000 of income for rescue missions. While the revenue can be inconsistent year to year, the cards can usually cover their costs.

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Evidence Indigenous burning works is growing. Could Australia offer a model for B.C.?

Stefan Labbé

August 07, 2021 |

Tri-City News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Australia

A review of 120 years of data found that traditional indigenous fire burning practices, which are low-intensity and controlled, lead to an increase in biodiversity. The practice has been done for years in indigenous communities to clear forage space, stimulate growth, or clear waterways. In Australia, where the practice has wide support, traditional low-intensity fires have led to a reduction in the intensity of large wildfires. They have also reduced and methane and nitrous oxide emissions by close to 40 percent. Other countries like Canada face hurdles to implementing the practice on a wider scale.

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When Disaster Strikes

Taylor Perse

August 05, 2021 |

Eugene Weekly |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

Disaster preparedness in the form of close inter-agency coordination and communication helped Cuyahoga County, Ohio, protect its unhoused population from COVID-19 to a greater extent than Lane County, Oregon. Although Cuyahoga (Cleveland) is larger, with more resources, its effective responses still offer a model to Lane County (Eugene), where a scattered approach and homeless-camp sweeps proved counterproductive. In Cleveland, hotels were quickly enlisted to house people, reducing crowding in shelters by half and street homelessness by 30%. Its largest men's shelter ended up with a low infection rate.

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Expanded Silver Alert system helps those with developmental disabilities

Gianluca D'Elia

August 05, 2021 |

Cronkite News - Arizona PBS |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Arizona

Three years after Arizona added people with intellectual or developmental disabilities to the list of people who can trigger a public alert when they go missing, advocates say the state enjoys better coordination from one community to the next. While the numbers aren't tracked, advocates say many people on the autism spectrum or with other disabilities have been quickly found and returned to safety. The state expanded its Silver Alert program, originally for missing seniors, and other states are starting to follow suit. An alert can result in notifications by phone, news and social media, and highway signs.

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PA cities have a sewer-system problem. Green infrastructure can help — but comes with its own risks

Madison Goldberg

August 05, 2021 |

StateImpact Pennsylvania |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

In many cities, rainwater is drained through "grey infrastructure" things like pipes, streets, etc. In some cities, this system is combined with the sewage system. Rainwater drains into the sewage system, is then cleaned, then emptied into the river. However, with strong storms some sewage systems overflow. A problem that will worsen with climate change. In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, rain gardens are one solution to overflowing sewage systems. Cities like Harrisburg are turning to green infrastructure, things like rain gardens, roofs with gardens, and parks, to ease the burden on gray infrastructure.

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California's Yurok Tribe grows solutions in soil of crises

Mackenzie Wilkes

August 04, 2021 |

Cronkite News - Arizona PBS |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

The Yurok Tribe, located in Northern California, depends on fishing to sustain a living. However, a severe drought, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a crumbling highway severely affected the tribe. So, leaders are turning towards new ways of making an income: a community garden.

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Giving Mother Nature a Hand

Zdenka Kovarikova

August 03, 2021 |

Transitions Online |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Czech Republic

Cervene Pecky and Dolany, two small towns in Prague, were able to fix their flooding problems through a process known as land consolidation. Prior to the land consolidation, the towns would get flooded by rainwater. Through land consolidation, property owners are able to redraw property lines. Thanks to the consolidation, the field that emptied into Dolany is now covered in grass, trees, and ditches.

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9 Potential Solutions to Keep Chicagoans Safer From Fires

Cecilia Reyes Madison Hopkins

August 02, 2021 |

Better Government Association |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Many cities have experienced tragic deaths in rental apartments, but Chicago's poor record in this realm is compounded by officials' refusal to concede systemic problems. So, to follow up on an earlier report about those problems, reporters compiled a list of nine effective policies and which other cities use them. In each of the areas, Chicago has failed to adopt policies that in other places have made fire safety a priority, starting with routine inspections, effective enforcement of regulations, and licensing and tracking of landlords to more easily spot scofflaws.

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When earthquake and storm unite: Sarapiquí's early alerts

Alfonso Gatgens

July 30, 2021 |

El Colectivo 506 |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Costa Rica, Sarapiquí

Early warning systems in Sarapiquí have proven effective in the wake of natural disasters. After hurricanes in 2016 and 2017, “institutions were able to carry out and fulfill their tasks” in response to alerts. Funding for the systems has been approved by other communities that wish to replicate the results.

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Fighting fire with fire

Amanda Monthei Zoeann Murphy Lo Bénichou Shikha Subramaniam Dylan Moriarty

July 29, 2021 |

The Washington Post |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seeley Lake, Montana

Regular burns of forests in the American West historically occurred naturally or as a forest management tactic by Indigenous people, but suppressing all fires has been the predominant policy for well over a century. As a result, what would be small fires that benefit flora and fauna have turned into giant, uncontrolled wildfires that feed off uncleared brush and deadwood. The Forest Service and others use prescribed burns, in fairly limited ways at this point, to prevent bigger fires in the future. More could be done but budgets are consumed fighting the many uncontrolled wildfires.

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