Tom Atzet, Ph.D. (Merlin, OR), retired regional ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service, discusses the indispensible bacteria and other micro-organisms. Although not often celebrated, bacteria are invaluable to all of earth’s ecosystems. They are not only ubiquitous, bacteria are both abundant and foundational, providing many of the basic activities that keep our planet functional and sustainable.



Second guest, Art Bernstein (Gold Hill, OR), naturalist and author, discusses the mighty Niagara Falls, the world's second largest falls on the globe next to Victoria Falls in southern Africa, and surrounded by Niagara Reservation State Park, the oldest state park in the United States. The Niagara Escarpment, the edge of a thick series of dolomite layers, begins in Watertown, New York and continues westerly through Wisconsin and Illinois. Without the Niagara Escarpment, Niagara Falls would not exist.