Land and water in California, Nevada and across the country generate politics, money, controversy and forward-thinking. This hour is focused on land, water and related issues.

First, our conversation from 2018 with the interim chief of the U.S. Forest Service, who later became the chief.  She talked about the management of land and the history of harassment cases. Then on to two experts from University of the Pacific, Professor Stephen McCaffrey and Mary Kay Camarillo to talk about water laws and geopolitical issues. Later, the lake that attracts about 29 million people every year and is a critical barometer for the impact of climate change. It’s Lake Tahoe and the focus of a new original CapRadio podcast, Tahoeland.

The U.S. Forest Service’s Vicki Christiansen On Combating Harassment

Like many non-profit organizations, governments, companies and agencies, the U.S. Forest Service has had to address harassment and retaliation against female employees. In 2018, Vicki Christiansen was interim chief of the Forest Service. At that time, a class-action lawsuit that had been filed against the agency in California.

There were also National Park Service lawsuits. Christiansen is now the chief of the U.S. Forest Service, leading a workforce of more than 25,000 permanent employees who steward 193 million acres of national forests and grasslands; support the world’s largest forestry research organization; and work with states, tribes and others. She has served in forest management related fields for over three decades in California, Arizona and Washington.

Water Law And Engineering Experts

Water is a big topic in California, as it is around the world. We invited two experts into the Insight studio in January 2019. Professor Stephen McCaffrey, the Carol Olson Endowed Professor of International Law at McGeorge School of Law, joined us. He’s also the 2018 Distinguished Elisabeth Haub Award Environmental Law and Diplomacy Laureate, and 2017 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate. Also joining us was Mary Kay Camarillo, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at University of the Pacific. They talked about California water projects as well as water projects around the world.

Tahoeland, Episode 1: That Blue Hue

Lake Tahoe is perhaps the most popular lake in the West. It sits at around 7,000 feet and attracts some 29 million visitors a year — more than three times Yosemite and Yellowstone national parks combined. More people visit Lake Tahoe every year than Disneyland.

What people don’t know is the lake’s blue hue is also a barometer of how climate change is impacting our world. In Episode 1 of the podcast series Tahoeland, CapRadio’s Environment Reporter Ezra David Romero takes us inside this “petri dish” for scientific research to see how Tahoe is helping us confront the global climate crisis. Episode 1 is called That Blue Hue.