Today we are graced by the presence of Dr. Roo Vandegrift - queer scientist, illustrator and producer of the forthcoming documentary film Marrow of the Mountain. Roo received his doctorate in mycology from the University of Oregon’s Institute of Ecology and Evolution, doing much of his dissertation work on the ecology of fungi at Los Cedros, in Ecuador.
Please support Roo's documentary "Marrow of the Mountain":
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/werdnus/marrow-of-the-mountain-the-covid-emergency-fundraiser?ref=discovery&term=marrow%20of%20the%20mountain
Help their team bring international attention to the threat posed by international mining companies to biodiversity and environmental health in Ecuador!
Getting lost in the jungles of Ecuador, we find Roo Vandergrift crawling through the undergrowth of the Los Cedros bio-reserve performing fungal diversity surveys. Originally studying the genus xylaria, Roo quickly fell in love with Los Cedros and his relationship with this vibrant and powerful land would change his life forever.
Multinational mining companies have bought the rights to huge swaths of the country, leaving Ecuador’s most sensitive and biodiverse habitats at the mercy of international mining interests. This happened suddenly, and without public knowledge or consent. We witness the deep impact of extractive industry on Ecuadorian lives, as three women struggle to protect their families and communities whilst the land is being sold out from under their feet. Told in the powerful voices of Afro-Ecuadorian farmer Isabel Anangonó, indigenous leader Filomena Rosero, and scientist and activist Elisa Levy, and following a scientific expedition into the heart of the rainforest, this film explores the impact of mining on people's lives with both beauty and stark candor. How did the International Monetary Fund set in motion circumstances that would clear a path for giant Australian and Canadian mining corporations to gain access to mining territories, even in areas protected by environmental legislation? How is a pending Constitutional Court Case ruling pivotal in the future of protecting Ecuador's biodiversity from destructive mining?
Due to the COVID-19 lockdowns all people, including activists, have been forced inside. This has allowed international mining companies to continue their illegal mining and environmental destruction without any resistance. These same lockdowns have also meant that the documentary has been set back. So the Marrow of the Mountain team needs all of our support on their new Kickstarter! Empower this documentary activism and help defend biodiversity.
Episode Resources
Marrow of the Mountain Documentary Website: https://marrowofthemountain.com/
Roo Vandergrift IG: https://www.instagram.com/werdnus_roo/
Reserva Los Cedros: https://reservaloscedros.org/
OMASNE: https://www.facebook.com/OMASNE/
Spatial Ecology of the Fungal Genus Xylaria in Cloud Forests (article): https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/btp.12273
Ep. 118: Galloway Wild Foods - Wild Mushrooms, Coastal Foraging & Botanical Cocktails (feat. Mark Williams)
Ep. 117: Bolt Threads & Mylo™ Unleather - Inspired by Nature, Designing for the Future (feat. David Breslauer)
Ep. 116: Just Mushrooms Cookbook - Celebrating the Future of Food (feat. Michelle Russell & Camille DeGabrielle)
Ep. 115: Feral Fungi - Alchemycology, Astromycology & Spagyric Tinctures (feat. Jason Scott)
Ep. 114: Jamaica's Mushroom Queen & Wake Network (feat. Terri Smith)
Ep. 113: Mushrooms of the Rocky Mountains and Arctic Alpine Biome (feat. Dr. Cathy Cripps)
Ep. 112: Making Music with Mushrooms - Transcription of Bioelectric Action Potentials (Michael Allen Z Prime)
Ep. 111: Mushroom Safaris in Wales & Perspectives on Anglo-Saxon Foraging (feat. Daniel Butler)
Ep. 110: Melanated Fungi - Protecting from Radioactivity & Surviving Extreme Conditions (feat. Dr. Ekaterina Dadachova)
Ep. 109: Integrated Land Enhancement & Applied Mycology (feat. Leif Olson)
Ep. 108: Mushrooms of Cascadia, Mentoring Stamets & the Promise of Psilocybe (feat. Prof. Michael Beug)
Ep. 107: Lingzhi Girl - Uniting East & West, Nature & Modernity, Death & Immortality (feat. Xiaojing Yan)
Ep. 106: Truffle Hunting, Raising a Truffle Dog & Managing Truffle Forests (feat. Melissa Waddingham)
Ep. 105: Alchemi, Amycel & Monterey Mushrooms - Mushroom Medicine, Fungal Genetics & Agaricus Farming (feat. Amir Karian)
Ep. 104: Wild Food Year - Mushrooms, Herbalism, Plant Wisdom & the Inner Universe (feat. Monica Wilde)
Ep. 103: Exploring Fungal Taxonomy, Phylogeny & the Future of Conservation (feat. Else Vellinga)
Ep. 102: The Psilocybin Mushroom Bible & The Psilocybin Chef Cookbook (feat. Dr. K Mandrake & Virginia Haze)
Ep. 101: Queendom Fungi - Mycology as a Queer Discipline (feat. Dr. Patricia Kaishian)
Ep. 100: Mycoworks - Mycelium Leather, Reishi & the Future of Fashion (feat. Phil Ross)
Ep. 99: Fungi for the People - Understanding Bioremediation & Engaging Fungal Allies (feat. Ja Schindler)
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