Conservation
TSL:SFN – Restoring Eden w/ Dr. Elizabeth Hilborn

TSL:SFN – Restoring Eden w/ Dr. Elizabeth Hilborn

First, the tadpoles and frogs disappeared; then the bats and the songbirds left. Dr. Elizabeth Hilborn, a honey bee veterinarian and environmental health scientist, soon realized the bees—the vital pollinators of fruits, plants, and vegetables—were dying. Everything was still and silent. In 2017, after a large flood, most of the teeming life on her beloved family farm in North Carolina had vanished in a matter of weeks.

As a scientist and a naturalist, Hilborn set about to get answers: RESTORING EDEN: Unearthing the Agribusiness Secret That Poisoned My Farm Community (Chicago Review Press; August 8, 2023) is her story.

With her farm suddenly lifeless, Hilborn was disoriented, bereft, and determined to understand. She documented the trail of death, taking water samples, scouring the internet, and calling every environmental expert, government agency, and agricultural consultant she could find. She got her first solid clue when she learned that a neighbor’s tractor had been submerged in the floodwaters.

What caused the sudden collapse of life on her farm? How was Dr. Hilborn able to unravel the mystery? Today we hear her story! Listen in!

Find Dr. Elizabeth Hilborn Online

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