Woods & Wilds: The Podcast Woods & Wilds Podcast

Leaves You Hopeful is a short podcast series by 2023 Dogwood Alliance Fellow Aanahita Ervin. It highlights stories about large institutions - government, private foundations, corporations - misusing forests against the wishes of the local community members. While misuse of forest land is often legal, it is not ethical. These offending institutions are large and powerful. Oftentimes people assume they can’t ask questions. Sometimes, they don’t have the resources to do so.



THIS EPISODE:


L’eau Est La Vie Camp is a group of Native American water protectors that formed in 2018. L’eau Est La Vie, along with a diverse coalition of organizations, worked together to resist the construction of the Bayou Bridge Pipeline. It goes through the Atchafalaya basin, the largest river swamp in the United States. 

Louisiana is an industry heavy state and faces severe pollution. This pipeline risks the health of already vulnerable people, the local economy, and the environment. This story shows how state militarization, intimidation, and laws are weaponized to suppress the rights of protestors. This episode follows the strong and strategic resistance the coalition staged against Energy Transfer. 


Special thanks to Karen Savage for the insight into the events described in this episode. Her work speaks truth at a time of dying local news and increasing disinformation.

Leaves You Hopeful is a short podcast series produced by 2023 Dogwood Alliance Fellow Aanahita Ervin. It highlights stories about large institutions - government, private foundations, corporations - misusing forests against the wishes of the local community members. While misuse of forest land is often legal, it is not ethical. These offending institutions are large and powerful. Oftentimes people assume they can’t ask questions. Sometimes, they don’t have the resources to do so.



THIS EPISODE:


Mr. Charlie’s life’s work culminated into a 1000 acres of forest land he created after 30 years of hard work. His last wish? To give that land perpetuity. He bequeathed his land to the University of Georgia Foundation (UGAF) in hopes of achieving that. Unfortunately, his wishes were not fulfilled. 

Beginning with Mr. Charlie, this episode follows his life journey and how it led him to plant a million trees. Then the legality, but ethical opaqueness, of UGAF’s actions is explored with the help of Aliss Terrell. The role UGAF plays in this story and their actions are explained by discussing the history and power university foundations have historically had. The episode ends with a brief look into how Aliss, seemingly alone, can act to fight for our forests in her own way.


Special thanks to Aliss Terrell for her dedication to her uncle’s story and legacy. Her research and thoroughness helped tremendously. Here is the trailer to the documentary about Mr. Charlie’s Trees, as well as the GoFundMe.

Leaves You Hopeful is a short podcast series produced by 2023 Dogwood Alliance Fellow Aanahita Ervin. It highlights stories about large institutions - government, private foundations, corporations - misusing forests against the wishes of the local community members. While misuse of forest land is often legal, it is not ethical. These offending institutions are large and powerful. Oftentimes people assume they can’t ask questions. Sometimes, they don’t have the resources to do so.



THIS EPISODE:


Land Between the Lakes (LBL) national recreation area has a history of government mismanagement. The story begins with the 1958 removal of families by the Tennessee Valley Authority to create LBL. It then fast forwards to the perceived mismanagement of lands by the forest service in 2014. A broad coalition of people came together to stop what they thought was a misuse of their forest. They believed a public good was being destroyed in favor of timber companies and an unfamiliar landscape. This episode explores how the history of a land and people can play a pivotal role in events 55 years later.

A Podcast Interview with Leandra Taylor on becoming water
Welcome back to another episode of  Woods & Wilds: The Podcast. Join us for Episode 5 of Season 3! In this episode we’re joined by educator and business founder, Tierra Mack. Tierra joins us to talk about the children she works with, creating comfortable and safe space to be a kid in this current environment, and becoming water.

Tierra Mack (she/her)  is a Georgia native with a passion for digital media, reproductive justice and environmental advocacy. Tierra is a first generation college student senior political science major, Spanish minor attending the illustrious Hampton University. Her advocacy for women and children began during her youth in Savannah, Georgia. Today, Tierra is an aspiring nonprofit leader and entrepreneur with a passion for community activism programs and youth programs. During her Service Year she served as the administrative assistant for the Southeast Care Coalition in which she organized grass-root campaigns for community leaders. Tierra is also the founder of WP Lincoln, llc , a business consultancy firm and Ms. Mack’s Loving Arms, a transportation service. These two business endeavors help to holistically bridge the gap between small business and the global community at-large.

Welcome back to another episode of  Woods & Wilds: The Podcast. We are now on episode four of Season 3!  In this episode with are joined by Leandra Taylor. As she tells us about the time she was part of the first all-Black crew to hike Mount Kilimanjaro.



Leandra Taylor is an artist, environmental scientist, mountaineer and educator based in Asheville, North Carolina currently working as the partnership and community outreach coordinator for the Southern Appalachian wilderness stewards, otherwise known as SAWS. Leandra focuses her efforts on building meaningful community relationships and creating partnerships to support equitable access to nature. She is passionate about communicating and interpreting science to the public and helping Black and Brown people reconnect with nature. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, bird watching, and nature journaling.

In this episode, we are joined by Youth Activist Demon Thomas. Demon talks about education justice as liberation justice and having faith in yourself. 

Demon Thomas is the former president of UNC Asheville’s Student Government Association and the student representative on the Board of Trustees. He was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, and received his degree in mass communication, sociology, and Africana studies. Demon is a fashion model and plans to further his education to become a film producer. Demon strives to become a TV entertainer who uses his platform to promote social justice. As a public figure, he aims to be a voice for the unheard and to ignite black pride amongst the youth. In addition to having served as class president at West Charlotte High, he also founded the organization UNCA Umoja (brother of unity), which is a club for men of color. He currently volunteers at Youth Transformed for Life (YTL). And he interned with the S.T.E.M. Fun-Packs initiative during the summer of 2021. To create tool kits for Black and Brown children in Asheville.