The Spark

Spring is around the corner and so is allergy season. If you suffer from sneezing, itchy eyes, and congestion we’ve got you covered. Dr. Tyler Liebgott, Pharm D is a Pharmacy District Leader for CVS Pharmacy in the Harrisburg region. He shared advice on how to manage allergies before they start, the best over the counter treatments, and simple lifestyle changes to help you breathe easier this season. Asia: Could you tell us the current pollen conditions in Harrisburg? Dr. Liebgott: Yeah, so looking at the forecast, currently we're around the medium threshold for pollen. And over the next few days, we're about to see the same thing, but as we inch closer to spring, we're gonna see an increase in pollen and it's best to get ahead of the spring allergies before they truly hit oneself. Asia: Why does it seem that in the spring, that's when allergies hit the hardest? Dr. Liebgott: It's just due to the pollen in the air. There's different allergens that people can be allergic to, and it allows our body to create a histamine, which is a chemical, which increases inflammation within the body and can have symptoms such as runny nose, itchy eyes, post -nasal drip, coughing and sneezing that we commonly see throughout the springtime. So... Um, my, you know, I'm excited to be able to talk through some of those things and how we can best prepare our, uh, the people of Harrisburg and central Pennsylvania to help prepare them through the spring season and hopefully control their allergies. Asia: Yeah, so what are some of those most common allergens that you were talking about that people experience in the spring? Dr. Liebgott: The allergens that most people experience, pollen is number one. And then maple right now is really big. It's the number one allergen on the list as of right now. And elm is also an allergen as well. It's pretty common amongst people in central Pennsylvania. You know, one of the best things to do is what I say when you're preparing for allergy season, and if you know you have spring allergies, always try and start two to four weeks before those symptoms start. You can either go in by talking to one of our pharmacists in a store or chatting with one on cbs .com and they can really recommend over -the -counter products or natural ways to prevent allergies from really being bothersome this season. Listen to the podcast to hear the full conversation. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some of President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs are on hold for now. However, they could have huge impacts in Pennsylvania as billions of dollars in goods comes from Canada annually. Kevin Schreiber, President and CEO of York County Economic Alliance and Jonathan Bowser, President & CEO of Steel Works Construction shared how this could impact businesses in Central PA. Asia: Kevin, so could you give us an overview on these new tares on Canadian goods and what they mean for York County's economy? Kevin: I think right now we're in a period of a little bit uncertainty. You know, I think what most in, you know, the country, let alone here in central Pennsylvania and across the Commonwealth are wondering are when the tariffs might go into effect, if the tariffs might go into effect, and then ultimately why and what they'll cover. But, you know, unquestionably right now with respect to the Canadian tariffs, Canada is our number one trading partner in Pennsylvania. So, you know, annually Pennsylvania exports over 14 billion worth of goods to Canada and we receive about 13 and a half billion worth of goods back from Canada. So, imagine 25 % tacked on top of that. Someone's ultimately going to pay that. And, you know, unfortunately the burden generally will fall to consumers or, as I'm sure Jonathan will talk about, businesses as they conduct their business. But here in central Pennsylvania, There's just shy of 40 ,000 jobs that depend on Canadian trade. So that's a significant amount of our workforce right here across Pennsylvania. There's about 300 ,000. And right here in central Pennsylvania, and that's generally Dolphin, Lancaster, York, and Cumberland counties. We're exporting about two and a half billion worth of goods to Canada and about 240 million worth of services to Canada. So, there's a lot of money on the line. And I think right now there's a lot of uncertainty. And as I noted, you know, I think we're just sort of trying to grapple with if these are going to happen, when they may happen, what they may cover, and then why. Asia: So, like you said that Pennsylvania imports around 13 billion in goods from Canada. What specific industries in York County will feel those effects the most? Kevin: These tariffs don't discriminate. They really will be across the board and felt mutually by everyone. Some of the biggest industries are agriculture manufacturing. York County specifically were a strong manufacturing hub in central Pennsylvania. About 18 percent of our labor force is employed in advanced manufacturing. There's steel going across border up to Canada there's parts going up to Canada. There's motorcycles going up to Canada. So, you know, obviously we're concerned about the manufacturing impact, but unquestionably agriculture, chemicals, energy, manufacturing, and then services as well. Professional services, travel, things of that nature, all from central Pennsylvania going up there. Asia: Jonathan steelworks constructions it relies on materials and goods and supplies kind of like what Kevin was just saying Are there any sourced from Canada from your supplies? Jonathan: I would say that probably the largest Interiors that we see sourced in the construction industry and we're a general contractor Is usually in the steel and aluminum is probably the biggest ones that we've been really Just keeping an eye on and just trying to understand a little bit better one of the things that we've that we've seen Probably over the last month as these tariffs conversations have really ramped up has been in the proposals that we receive from a lot of our steel and aluminum contractors that are putting on 10 to 15 day price guarantees and they're not guaranteeing anything beyond that. And so for us, you know, that does create a lot of uncertainty in our marketplace because if we're pricing a project today, we may not get started on our project for six months. And so, you know, right now, we don't know where to really price some of...

Author Kevin Macomber speaks with Asia Tabb about his new book about PTSD from his own firsthand experiences. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Erica Jo Shaffer is BACK to tell us all how to kill your tree, or technically, how NOT to kill your tree. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Stroud Water Research Center has been focused on the science of rivers and streams since 1967. Scientists at the center conduct studies on these systems and how to protect them. They work hard to advance our knowledge and stewardship of freshwater systems through global research, education, and watershed restoration. In this episode of The Spark, we spoke with Jessica Provinski, Director of Development, Lisa Blazure, Soil Health Coordinator, and David Bressler, Community Science Facilitator, about the work they do at the research center. We also discussed how the community can get involved to ensure fresh water is safe, clean, and available. Listen to the podcast to hear the entire conversation. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Located in State College, Pennsylvania is Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania. Discovery Space is a non-profit science center designed to provide engaging experiences with the experience of technology that sparks curiosity and creativity. Michele Crowl Executive Director of Discovery Space and The Rivet, says the center opened back in 2011 and has grown ever since. “We've since moved to a larger facility. We've been able to expand the programs that we offer. So, we started out with a lot of pre-K programs and things for early elementary. And now we're able to, in our larger space, do things for up into middle school, high school. And when we get there to talk about the rivet or the other part of our organization, we have 87 -year -olds coming weekly to do things in our space.” The program offers hands-on learning accessible to people of all ages outside of the traditional classrooms. “In a lot of our programs, we're not only doing science experiments or engineering design challenges, but there's literacy woven in there into the whole experience. And so, we really level the playing field because things are hands on.” The center has just received a baby California Round Ray. The exhibit is having a welcome party on 3March 14 from 5:30-7:30 pm. They are also asking the public’s help on a name for the stingray. “You can vote right now if you go to our website. The four names are Sandy, Bubbles, Pearl, and Strawberry. So, one of those names will be the winning name for our baby stingray. It's aa California round ray. Right now, she's only maybe five inches wide. We'll have her for about a year and a half, depending on how quickly she grows. She just arrived with us. So, she's going through a period where she's acclimating to us and our environment and she's already been, um, really playful. Listen to the podcast to hear the full interview. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coming up on this week's edition of the spark weekly. Avian Flu has been impacting Pennsylvania’s farms for nearly two years now. The virus has had a major impact on poultry farmers across the state. Our Braver Angels segment for the month of March was about the Braver Angels National Community Debate – National Debate Series: Trump’s First 100 days. This free national debate offers participants from across the ideological spectrum will have an opportunity to speak and ask their questions. There will also be opportunities for participants to share their experiences in the past 100 days as well. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our Braver Angels segment for the month of March was about the Braver Angels National Community Debate – National Debate Series: Trump’s First 100 days. This free national debate offers participants from across the ideological spectrum will have an opportunity to speak and ask their questions. There will also be opportunities for participants to share their experiences in the past 100 days as well. John Wood Jr, National Ambassador for Braver Angels provided insight into the new initiative. Listen to the podcast to hear the conversation. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our journalist roundtable segment for March 7 included Diane McCormick of The Burg, and Sue Gleiter of Pennlive. During the segment, we discussed a recent town hall meeting where Harrisburg residents voiced their concerns and heard plans about the restoration of the historic Broad Street Market. Listen to the podcast to hear the conversation. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two local filmmakers set out to tell stories about Harrisburg that transcend boundaries of race, class, gender and geography. The result is the film River City Stories, which is screening this week at the West Shore Theater in New Cumberland. WITF's Rachel McDevitt spoke with the film's creators Paul Hood and Wallace McKelvey. According to McKelvey, he loved the City of Harrisburg, and wanted to portray that in a film. “I just feel like there's so much more to the city that people think is there. And with River City Stories, we're trying to show the world that there's more to Harrisburg than just a downtown core, said McKelvey. Hood echoed McKelvey’s sentiments on his love for the area. “There's so much vibrancy here that we don't always appreciate, whether you're a local or whether you're an outsider, you don't fully comprehend the complexity of our culture, the way that it can at once be segregated, but also mix together and overlap. And it's reflected in the way the film is structured, where you have a really diverse group of characters who kind of ebb and flow through these stories where one character will be the protagonist of one and then show up later in the story that has a different perspective, different lead character, because we all interact. We all share this space together. And I don't think we always appreciate that, “said Hood. The idea for River City Stories was born in the middle of the COVID pandemic, where folks were socially distanced and isolated. “We just talked, we just talked, and all these ideas came, and we had a really cool like system. So, we would sit and just have a conversation and then we'd pick out the things that were interesting in those conversations and we'd task each other with going off and working on a script. So, we would do that, we did that for like almost a year and by the next time we met like a year later, “said Hood. The film is screening Friday, March 7 and Sunday, March 9th at the West Shore Theater in New Cumberland. It will also be shown at Zootropolis in Lancaster on May 16th and 18th. Listen to the podcast to hear the conversation. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The documentary The Philadelphia Eleven tells the powerful story of eleven women who in 1974 shattered barriers by becoming the first female priests ordained in the Episcopal Church – challenging tradition, defying expectations, and paving the way for future generations. Margo Guernsey, Director and Producer of the Philadelphia Eleven, felt it was important to tell their story. “I felt like a little bit like I'd been punched in my gut and been told a story that having been an avid student of American history, both in high school and college and getting a master's degree in history and have never heard, it felt like a story that had gone untold in ways that was a disservice to all of us and that I wanted to pursue telling that story, “said Gurnsey. She began working on the film in 2015 by making connections with the women that are still currently with us so they could tell the story from their experience. “They're getting older. And so, it also meant that it was really important to connect with as many of them as quickly as possible because this was 2015. So not quite yet the 50th anniversary of the ordinations but still pretty far along. But having them tell their own story was always at the very top of our list of how to approach the storytelling of this moment in history, “said Gurnsey. Rev. Nancy Wittig, one of the Philadelphia eleven, recounts the day she was ordained. “I think there was a great deal of anxiety in the air. We knew that we were going against tradition, and we didn't know what was going to happen. I think all of us knew at some level that there would be a lot of anger about it and that we would just have to withstand it, “said Witting. Rev. Cater Heyward on the other hand was extremely excited. “Well, I was mainly excited because I mean all of us had been helping planet and we had some sense of what we hoped would happen and the bishops who were ordaining us had been perfectly wonderful and being accessible to us and helping us talk through what it was we were doing and what they were hoping for. and the 11 of us, we had not all known each other. I mean, I think each of us had probably known somebody among the 11, but none of us had known everyone, so. We had just begun to get to know each other, and that was a wonderful thing too. And we knew that there was some risk involved. We had been told that there had been threats against the church and against us. But we were also assured that every possible precaution had been taken to make sure that we and the entire congregation would stay safe. And so we were grateful for that, “said Heyward. The documentary airs Monday March 10 at 9 p.m. on WITF TV. Listen to the podcast to hear the entire conversation. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Homelessness is a complex issue with many causes from economic hardship, housing shortages, and unexpected crisis. The Stronger Together Impact Project brings together officials from various governmental agencies to the issue of homelessness, seeking new solutions to an issue with a variety of causes. The Stronger Together Impact Project was created by Sonia Pitzi, Director of Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness and Lincoln Area Intermediate Unite #12, and Chris Kapp, Coordinated Entry Systems Regional Manager for the Cumberland County Housing and Rehabilitation Authority. Listen to the podcast to hear the entire conversation. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Avian Flu has been impacting Pennsylvania’s farms for nearly two years now. The virus has had a major impact on poultry farmers across the state. According to the Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, it is very devastating to farmers after their farm has been hit by the virus. “Nobody wants to do what these farms are required to do. You have to put flocks down. But you have to contain and suppress the virus as quickly as you can. It's the first principle of eliminating this virus, is to contain and suppress it, “said Redding. For poultry farmers, this is their livelihood. They wake up every single day to tend to the flocks, and it’s financially and emotionally challenging while dealing with avian flu. "These farms are now without a paycheck. It's difficult for them to go for some time. That's part of the challenge when you quarantine and restrict and then have to test. It could be two months; it could be three months without a paycheck. And the state stepped in, and I'll talk about that. And then of course, just sort of the social and emotional impacts of what these farmers are doing in the families, “said Redding. Over the last few years, there’s been 35 confirmed cases of bird flu in the state. The Department of Agriculture has been working to protect farmers during this challenging time. “We've done a lot of testing. So, we're working our way through it, but it's a long process, as you can appreciate. Once you have a positive and you go through the prescribed actions, we have to take on farms and for that farm to get back in business. And of course, our consumers are seeing the impacts of that in the marketplace with the price of eggs is one example, “said Redding. As of now, the 2025-26 Legislative Budget Hearings have been taking place. Secretary Redding shared if there were any updates on budgeting for the surveillance. “So, the legislature and the governor established a recovery fund that we've been able to sort of put aside some dollars and that has $61 .5 million in it. And that is to cover testing and recovery. So that testing recovery I think is what you call surveillance. So, we're doing that testing all the time. A lot of questions this year from the legislature because we did something really important and that was, we reallocated some money that had been for high path avid influenza to our food nutrition programs, knowing what we're seeing in the demand at the food banks as an example, and helping out with some innovation. So, all the money stayed within agriculture, but we did that knowing. that we had a recovery fund that had a significant and healthy cash balance. And that's credit to the governor and really the judicious use of those monies to help our producers, “said Redding. Grant Guilbon, Regulator Affairs Specialist for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau also was a part of the conversation. Listen to hear more of the podcast. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Keystone Indoor Drill Association (KIDA) is one of the oldest organizations of its kind in the country, serving the region since its inception in 1981. The organization sponsors competitive events for Indoor Color Guard, Percussion, Dance, and Winds. “Back in the day, we used to also have a competition with majorettes and drill teams. We don't have any of those anymore, but we're, you know. very, very strong with our members for Color Guard and Indoor Drumline, “said Matt Carraher, President of KIDA. There are similarities and differences between marching bands and indoor drills that includes percussion and ensembles. “So, the easiest way to say it is if you take a marching band and you take away everything except the drums and then mix it together with Cirque du Soleil and then put it in a gym, that's what indoor drumline is. So, it's not just playing the drums or drumline the movie from 20 years ago. It's not just that. We call it pageantry because it's there's choreography, there's dancers, there's props, there's crazy costuming, there's big sound systems, there's lighting, there's all kinds of things that go into it.” KIDA has over 100 participating schools and independent organizations from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. “You know, our big goal and... as an organization is just to make sure that we're fostering the environment of growth for these students and creating a great experience for them. And that's really our goal is we want our events to be a great experience for these students to have a performance outlet and have something that they really look forward to, the audience really looks forward to, and they can do some really cool things.” Listen to the podcast to hear the entire conversation. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

March 4th is National Marching Band Day, a day to march forth and celebrate the vibrant tradition of marching bands across the nation. To celebrate, we spoke with Directors of two of Pennsylvania’s premiere marching ensembles-Dr. Matthew Brunner from the Temple University Diamond Band and Dr. Brad Towsend, Director of the University of Pittsburgh Varsity Marching Band. For Brad, he knew early on he wanted to pursue a career in music as a high school band director. But that changed when he took a school trip to the University of Pitt for Pitt Band Day. “They came out, pulled out all the stops, man. They played the over to 1812 and they had cannons. And when the game started, they sat the bands, the high school bands in the end zone. And there's a tunnel that the pit band came running out of, which I'd learned later is called their run cadence. And I was like, that's it, right there. That's what I got to do.” Brads collegiate career kicked off with the Temple Diamonds, before becoming the Band Director at Pitt. “I did direct the Diamond Band for six years and taught in the music education department there. And I made a big move across the country to Oregon State. was there for 11 years. And I've been here at Pitt for the last 12.” Matt was introduced to the band while his uncle was in the Ohio State Marching Band. His grandmother even made him a little marching band uniform for him when he attended the games. “My grandmother made me a little marching band; Ohio State Marching Band uniform and we would go down there and every time I would stand there, and I would conduct and it's kind of fortuitous what I was going to do with the rest of my life.” When Matt went off to college, he set out to study computer science, but switched his major to music and the rest was history. “I was finishing my doctorate in Indiana at Indiana university in Bloomington and I, um, uh, the job came open and it was open. I saw it posted the year before and, um, you know, then it came open again and I applied for it and they hired me and I've been there for 17 years now.” Listen to the podcast to hear the entire conversation. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Civic Club of Harrisburg is a service organization that supports and initiates community projects, provides scholarships and offers services to instill civility and create civil engagement within Harrisburg. To celebrate Women’s History Month, the civic club has a special event on March 24th to honor the past and present women shaping the City of Harrisburg. “So, we are going to be having at the Civic Club of Harrisburg, the Historic Harrisburg Association come and really enlighten everyone about the Civic Club of Harrisburg and how everything began, the story, the lineage, what the audience can expect is a day of history. Things that we don't even take notice of are prevalent within the city of Harrisburg is due to the ladies of the Civic Club of Harrisburg, “said Deena Jangdhari, Director of Event Operations. Mira Lloyd Dock was an American botanist, environmentalist, and educator. She played a major role in the City Beautiful Movement and was a founding member of the Civic Club of Harrisburg. “From what she had learned from abroad, there were tree lines, there were places for children to play, there were sanitation systems, all the things that Harrisburg was missing. If you're not familiar back in the, on. 1800s and even earlier before that, they used to dump all of their waste and garbage along the riverfront, which caused a lot of disease and a lot of trash and it just wasn't a pleasant sight, “said Contrena Baltimore, President of the Civic Club of Harrisburg. Through the City Beautiful Movement, Dock implemented the sanitation system to the City of Harrisburg. “She was even responsible before the sanitation started of implementing. Trash cans. finding folks for spitting. Little things that we take for granted are things that were so important back then. And our civic club has the seeds of those beginnings that they have helped create for us today, “said Baltimore. CLICK HERE to see the Civic Club of Harrisburg events. Listen to the podcast to hear the entire conversation. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pennsylvania has graced the world with an inordinate number of influential women throughout its history but looking with a sharper lens at four women in particular highlights not just their achievements, but also key trends in the U.S. and Pennsylvania in the 1800’s. Dr. Christine Senecal, Medieval Historian, shared some of the most important women from Pennsylvania whose lives made a positive impact on the world today. Mary Cassatt was the only American to exhibit alongside the French Impressionists in France. Cassatt’s artwork was very radical for her time, that is still celebrated to this day. “So, she did many pictures and paintings of women with children, and while that had been a pretty common scene in art, like Renoir did a lot of that, he was an imperious artist, she tended to focus on women, the labor that women did in care taking. So, if you look at a Renoir and you look at, um, like the women with the children, they're both smiling, sort of smiling for the camera, so to speak. Mary Cassatt's women are like tending to the children. And there's a lot of love and affection in her paintings, but also it shows women working. Moreover, there's pictures of women, many women, looking intently at things.” Nellie Bly was an investigative journalist who was known for her undercover reporting on a mental asylum, her trip around the world, and her advocacy for women’s rights. “She would throw herself into some news, a kind of important journalistic story. The most infamous or famous of this is a piece she wrote called Ten Days in the Madhouse. Off of the coast of New York, Manhattan, there's an island, it's an island that's now called Roosevelt Island and there was a woman's lunatic asylum, and it was supposed to be really corrupt. Nellie Bly got herself into the asylum. She did it by like going overnight, like she didn't let herself sleep. And so, she looked all crazy. And she checked herself into a kind of like dormitory to get into it and acted really crazy. Once she was in, she was eventually accepted into the woman's lunatic asylum. She was, you know, able to really record the horrible abuses and broke the story.” Listen to the podcast to hear about Union Organizer Fannie Sellins, and abolitionist Sarah Mapps Douglass. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's edition of The Spark Weekly. Winter road treatments help to keep us safe on the roads, however there are some hidden dangers of road salt and our freshwater ecosystem. Dr. John Jackson, Senior Research Scientist of Stroud Research Center, shared how the road salt makes its way into our fresh water. Also, on the program: Lisa Zoll is a licensed clinical social worker and owner of Grief Relief in Harrisburg. Grief Relief specializes in grief and trauma therapy for adults and first responders within Pennsylvania. Grief is described as the loss of something significant loss and trauma is an event that causes some significant level of distress and anguish for someone. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our journalist roundtable for February 28 included WPSU’s Sydney Roach and WITF’s Jordan Wilkie. Jordan recently covered a protest where more than 300 people marched to the capitol to protest the Donald Trump administration. Sydney discussed her report on the protest in Centre County where people protested the Trump administration’s recent actions, which included pauses on federal funding and Eldon Musk’s involvement in the government. Listen to the podcast to hear the discussion. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winter road treatments help to keep us safe on the roads, however there are some hidden dangers of road salt and our freshwater ecosystem. Dr. John Jackson, Senior Research Scientist of Stroud Research Center, shared how the road salt makes its way into our fresh water. “a portion, maybe half, maybe a little more, maybe less, immediately goes into our waterway by way of the snow melt and runoff. So, we'll see a spike in salt in the stream within hours of snow, or especially an ice event. icing goes because it's sleet right then and there there's a lot of runoffs to the stream, so we'll see a big spike.” The highest spikes occur once the salt hits the seawater. “In one case we've actually measured it being twice as salty as the ocean. And then the second way the salt enters the stream. during the infiltration portion. So, every time it rains or the snow melts, there's a huge chunk of that water actually goes into the ground. And when it's salty water.” The road salt is extremely harmful to the plants and animals that live in the waterways. “These are animals that are used to being in fresh water, just like you and I are used to drinking fresh water. We don't like drinking ocean water. uh we didn't evolve we're not we're not actually physiologically capable of doing well if our drinking water was salty it would be a big strain on us and so the plants and animals that are in that salty water experience that same physical strain um it's a water balance challenge first of all just like you and me being in the desert if you're in the desert you have a That's the first concern from my background.” The salt is also aging our infrastructure and contaminating our drinking water. “So we're seeing an increase in basically an acceleration of the aging of our infrastructure. So we already have infrastructure challenges and our road salt use is making that worse. The second thing is there's drinking water concern. Like I said, we drink fresh water, not salt water, and our water is It's safe to say today our water is probably twice as salty as it was 20 years ago, and 20 years ago was twice as salty as it was 40 years ago. This is a new phenomenon. the science as well as the management of the issue is still evolving.” Listen to the podcast to hear the entire conversation and what we can do as local residents to minimize those negative effects of road salt on our freshwater ecosystems. Support WITF: https://www.witf.org/support/give-now/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.