The Water We Swim In

University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
  • 5.0 (4)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
The Water We Swim In

Meet the Wisconsinites and Great Lakes advocates working toward equity in a society where environmental injustice, racism, ableism and economic injustice are the waters we swim in. Join Wisconsin Sea Grant’s Bonnie Willison and Hali Jama as we bring you inspiring stories from the community organizers, researchers, and leaders navigating Wisconsin’s waters.

  1. FEB 12

    Lead paint, pipes, and progress in Milwaukee

    How does lead contamination affect Great Lakes communities, especially marginalized ones? In this episode, Bonnie and guest host Dr. Deidre Peroff to explore the impact of lead contamination in Milwaukee.  Special thanks to our guests: Jamie Ferschinger, (former) Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers Alejandra Vigil, Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers Dr. Molly Cousin, Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers Professor Melissa Scanlan, UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences  Andrian Lee, (former) Wisconsin Sea Grant, UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences Links: Resources for Milwaukee residents:Check if you home has a lead lateralLead-Safe MilwaukeeMilwaukee segregation mapCoalition on Lead Emergency Badgers & Lead miningSpatialized Intersectionality: Gendered and Racialized Residential Segregation and the Milwaukee Lead Crisis by Erica Morell and Dalvery BlackwellThe intersectional effect of poverty, home ownership, and racial/ethnic composition on mean childhood blood lead levels in Milwaukee County neighborhoodsLead-Safe Wisconsin: Childhood Lead Poisoning Data and Data AnalysisWisconsin's Black children 4 times more likely to be lead poisoned than white children in 2022Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: A Historic Investment in WaterSixteenth Street’s Lead Poisoning Prevention work

    41 min

  2. 12/19/2023

    4. Public Trust: David and Goliath

    For the final episode of Public Trust, we head to the communities of Peshtigo and Marinette in northeast Wisconsin, where we meet local residents who have been engaged in a yearslong battle with a multinational company that polluted their drinking water with PFAS. We learn how community members have come together to fight for clean water and why they are committed for the long haul.  Transcript available here. Learn more: Midwest Environmental Advocates Wisconsin Sea Grant

    29 min

  3. 11/15/2023

    3. Public Trust: Testing the Waters

    Are PFAS in maple sap, wild rice, fish and other harvestable goods important to the Anishinaabe way of life? These are some of the questions the Voigt Intertribal Task Force asked Gavin Dehnert, Wisconsin Sea Grant’s emerging contaminants scientist, after PFAS were found in wolves. In this episode, Public Trust producer Bonnie tells Richelle about the beginnings of a tribally-driven research project testing the waters of the ceded territories of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan for PFAS. Learn more: Midwest Environmental Advocates Wisconsin Sea Grant GLIFWC - Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission More about PFAS

    36 min

  4. 10/25/2023

    2. Public Trust: Fighting Fires

    Firefighting foams made from PFAS have been used at airports for decades, contaminating groundwater throughout the country. In this episode of Public Trust, we return to French Island, a community near La Crosse in Western Wisconsin, to learn more about how local drinking water became contaminated with PFAS. Listen to episode 1 of Public Trust here. View the transcript Midwest Environmental Advocates Wisconsin Sea Grant More about PFAS Lee Donahue’s testimony audio clip courtesy of Wisconsin Eye

    23 min

  5. 10/04/2023

    1. Public Trust: Tapped Out

    Public Trust is a new podcast miniseries by Midwest Environmental Advocates and Wisconsin Sea Grant. The series explores Wisconsin's response to PFAS contamination. Host Richelle Wilson visits communities impacted by these toxic "forever chemicals" to understand how local residents have been affected and what they're doing to secure their rights to clean water. In this episode, we travel to the small town of Campbell on French Island, to find out. French Island resident and local official Lee Donahue gives us a tour of the neighborhood and tells the story of how local drinking water was contaminated with "forever chemicals" - PFAS. Along the way, we meet local residents who reveal how the crisis has changed their lives and what they're doing to secure their rights to clean water. Read the transcript here. Learn more: Midwest Environmental Advocates Wisconsin Sea Grant More about PFAS News clips courtesy of WXOW News 19

    25 min

  6. 02/08/2023

    Fire, blueberries and treaty rights

    Today, we're talking about red pine forests, blueberries, treaty rights, and how they all converge around fire on a tiny split of land jutting out into Lake Superior - Minnesota and Wisconsin Points. Melonee Montano tells us about the importance of cultural fire for the Anishinaabe people and Evan Larson takes us on a walk in the woods to decipher the stories left by elder trees. Wildland firefighter Damon Panek shares his vision for collaboratively restoring fire to Wisconsin and Minnesota points, an end goal of the Nimaawanji’idimin giiwitaashkodeng: We are all gathering around the fire project, funded by Wisconsin Sea Grant.    Special thanks to our guests: Melonee Montano, University of Minnesota Evan Larson, University of Wisconsin-Platteville Damon Panek, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Mocha, Valerie, Ashla, Emily, Project research team Marie Zhuikov, Wisconsin Sea Grant   Links: Listen to the Wisconsin Water News episode The Stories Trees Tell Read more about this project Cultural fire returns to Stockton Island Native fire management returns to Apostle Islands Ojibwe history on Wisconsin Point is complicated, painful, beautiful Wisconsin Point Restoration Site

    46 min

  7. 02/06/2023 · BONUS

    Season Two: An Update

    Hear an update about season two and a farewell message from Hali, co-creator of The Water We Swim In and former Wisconsin Sea Grant intern.

    5 min

  8. 11/29/2022

    Houselessness and the environment: a roundtable

    People experiencing houselessness are amongst those most affected by extreme cold, extreme heat, wildfires, and other weather exacerbated by climate change. The Water We Swim In team wanted to learn more about houselessness and its ties to the environment - especially because Wisconsin’s already frigid winters and hot summers might become more erratic. We sat down with 7 community leaders and researchers from Boston to Portland to talk about the housing crisis, climate, and community. Finally, we visit Porch Light, Inc, right here in Madison, Wisconsin. Special thanks to our guests: Tony Shu, Breaktime April Ballard, Emory University MyDzung Chu, ADAPT, Tufts Medical Center Lisa Fay, Right 2 Survive, Resting Safe Ibrahim Mubarak, Right 2 Survive Erin Goodling, Right 2 Survive, Resting Safe  Karla Thennes, Porch Light, Inc Looking to support our guests’ work? Breaktime Right 2 Survive Resting Safe Porch Light, Inc Links:  Erin Goodling’s zine House on Fire: Housing and Climate Crisis, Housing and Climate Resistance More on climate change in Wisconsin Spidey Senser More about Spidey Senser: We Keep Us Safe: Building a Web of Social Action (Chris L. Hawn)

    55 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Meet the Wisconsinites and Great Lakes advocates working toward equity in a society where environmental injustice, racism, ableism and economic injustice are the waters we swim in. Join Wisconsin Sea Grant’s Bonnie Willison and Hali Jama as we bring you inspiring stories from the community organizers, researchers, and leaders navigating Wisconsin’s waters.

Information

  • Creator
    University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2024
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
  • Show Website
    The Water We Swim In

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