- [Joleene] Tonight on WPBS Weekly: Inside The Stories.

- [Diana] The human family have made tremendous problems for themselves in cutting down most of the global forests.

- [Joleene] Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger of Ottawa has a bio plan that could combat the climate crisis.

We'll share her plan with you.

And bolder safety tips magnified as we prepare for one of the busiest days on the water this summer, Independence Day.

Also, acoustic guitarist Scott Bravo visits the WPBS studios all the way from New York City to share his unique playing style.

Your stories, your region coming up right now on WPBS Weekly: Inside The Stories.

(invigorating music) - [Announcer] WPBS Weekly: Inside The Stories is brought to you by the Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation, the Watertown Oswego Small Business Development Center, Carthage Savings, CSX, The Oswego County Community Foundation at the Central New York Community Foundation, The Richard S. Shineman Foundation and the Badenhausen Legacy Fund at the Northern New York Community Foundation.

- Good Tuesday evening everyone, and welcome to this edition of WPBS Weekly: Inside The Stories.

I'm Joleene DesRosiers.

Combating the climate crisis by replanting over 50 billion trees.

This is the goal of botanist and author Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger, who lives in a self-made wilderness in Merrickville, Ontario.

She's been accused of being a tree hugger, but she doesn't mind.

So long as her voice is heard and her bio plan executed, she'll keep talking and keep writing.

- Tweet, tweet!

Tweet, tweet!

My name is Diana Beresford-Kroeger.

It's Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger, and if you wanted to speak to me in Irish, Oscalga, my name would be (speaking foreign language) - [Joleene] She was raised by Celtic medicine women.

This lively botanist, author, and medical biochemist is a rare gem and her ideas, handwritten books, and research on the extraordinary potential of trees should therefore be protected at all costs.

- That's the way it starts.

And then it's going to get edited.

And this gets edited and then it gets typed and edited again after typing.

And then it goes to a publisher.

And I have a pile of publishers who want this.

- [Joleene] Her books talk of the medicinal value of trees.

And a documentary titled, "Call of the Forest" does the same, taking it a step further to explain how each human in the world can save our planet from being destroyed by climate change by planting one single tree a year for six years.

Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger lives in a hand built home on a self-made forest floor of 160 acres in Canada, among some of the rarest trees in the world.

- This is the Abies concolor, Candicans.

There is only one of these left.

This is the one tree.

- [Joleene] At 77, nothing slows her down.

She's still authoring books, first by hand and really her process is just as organic as the forest floor.

- These are pencils.

I'm not causing any problems of pollution.

They're just pencils, graphite, and wood.

I write a book about, some book of importance on nature and somehow I'm not wasting anything.

I'm using them down to the nothings.

(laughing) I buy them and they always have to have color in them to match my mood.

And I say to the clerk selling the pencils to me, I say, 'These are to write a book" and they always laugh.

They can't absolutely believe that three pencils will write a book, which the do, HB pencils.

Now why I do it that way is because writing is a creative process.

Writing is a ceremony of the mind.

You have to go into deep silence to write.

It is art.

- [Joleene] Her art is a plea to the world, stop destroying forests.

Instead, start rebuilding them.

- The human family have made tremendous problems for themselves in cutting down most of the global forests.

And we didn't know it when we were cutting them down for the last a hundred or a hundred and a half years, but we know it now.

The science behind this now tells us we should never have done that because what's happening is carbon dioxide is actually layering itself into the atmosphere and it's going to be there for a very long time.

Hence, climate change.

Hence, a climate crisis and we've got to do something about this.

I studied classical botany.

That's one of the many degrees that I have.

And I realized when I came to Canada, that people had forgotten their knowledge about the forests and the trees.

And most people, even in academia, don't understand that actually the forests, the great forests of the world, we call them the global forests, they hold the balance between life and death for this planet because they produce oxygen and they sequester carbon dioxide.

Forests are molecular machines.

We know that now.

This is the secretary of the first nations here.

This one.

- [Joleene] For years, Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger has gathered and planted rare seeds from across the globe to grow right here on her acreage.

It's all part of what she calls her bio plan.

Put simply, the replanting of native trees worldwide could help mitigate climate change.

- The bio plan came out of the agony of what's happening to the forests.

All over North America, and then I discovered all over the world, they were coming down and I thought, what can I do to stop this?

Because I knew climate change was on the way, I knew disaster was on the way, and as a matter of fact, it will bring famine with it also, not to mention wars.

And I can honestly say it's the bio plan came into my mind just like a flash of inspiration.

It was like an epiphany about the forest because I can tell you, we are all responsible for taking them down.

All of us are.

Every single woman, every single man on this earth, child.

We need a home.

They've come down because of us.

But then I thought, well, we can plant them back.

- [Joleene] Now, Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger's plan doesn't include the planting of just any tree.

To help shift climate change and bring our globe back to a healthy place, they need to be trees native to our respective regions.

And with nearly 8 billion people on the planet, based on her bio plan, that means a total of 50 billion trees.

So how do we even begin getting that many trees into the ground?

(gentle music) - [Diana] And what it needed to be at the least average, the smallest least average, was one person per year plant one tree per year for the next six years.

And you've got a choice of four trees to plant for all of North America.

And that you will give you a good start in stopping climate change.

What the trees do is they have an immense thirst for carbon dioxide.

We, all of us, you and me, we have to think through the minds and the eyes of our children and our grandchildren to give them a future.

And that's how you do it with the bio plan - [Joleene] Aside from bringing our planet back to life, she reminds us of just how powerful these magical structures can be.

Medicinal, really.

Spending a mere 15 minutes under a pine for example, can heal you.

It's called forest bathing.

And according to Diana, it's life changing.

- As you walk slowly around the pine or sit, but breathe deeply, you have to have your chest back and breathe deeply.

Get the pinine into your lungs and what the alpha and beta pinine does for you is an extraordinary thing.

What it does is it boosts your immune system, it boosts your neutrophils in your blood and your circulation, and it protects your entire body.

You, your wife, your husband, your children, your dogs, your cats for one month.

You will not get cancer for that one month.

It is an extraordinary phenomenon that the trees are producing this, these pinine aerosols.

- The passion that Dr. Diana Beresford-Kroeger exudes is palpable and at a youthful 77, this lively botanist, author, and medical biochemist is indeed a rare gem.

If you find your way into one of her books, you'll feel that passion.

And if all goes according to her plan, you'll start planting native trees and join the global solution for climate change.

For WPBS Weekly, I'm Jolene DesRosiers.

Tonight, we share statistics with you that just may shock you as boaters prepare for one of the busiest days on the water, Independence Day.

The number of rescues the coast guard deals with each summer can easily be curved if boaters pay mind to safety tips and regulations.

Here is your refresher on those tips, should you choose to take your celebrations on the water this Independence Day.

(indistinct chatter) (boat siren blaring) The United States Coast Guard in Oswego, New York is always ready to aid boats in distress.

But during Independence Day celebrations on the water, they're even more on guard.

- So typically July 4th weekend is one of our busiest boating weekends of the year.

Typically families are out enjoying the fireworks, enjoying the nice weather.

If they own boats, they're usually out boating with family and enjoying the day.

- [Joleene] Sounds right on target, but are these boaters prepared should an incident occur?

Mariners may overlook updating flares, checking their engines, or having more than enough life jackets handy.

It's easy to do when nothing has ever gone wrong before, but there's a first time for everything.

For example, here on the break wall on Lake Ontario, something called the bathtub effect occurs and it can cause chaos with new boaters.

- What you have is Oswego Rivers coming out with the currents coming down, and then you have a a south wind that's kind of pushing it even harder.

And then you'll notice kind of coming around the break wall, there's some wind coming this way, too.

So as it meets right here, it kind of makes it more of a confused sea, where it kind of stands up a little more.

So typically entrances, inlets, and bars like this are a dangerous place to transit.

It's usually where it's the roughest.

- [Joleene] Tell me about a call you've been on and how you handled it when someone was in danger.

- So a couple of years ago, we got a call that a vessel was right outside of the break wall here.

It was about a 13 foot little runabout.

There were three gentlemen on board, all senior citizens, who were thrown onto the break wall by the rough seas and we launched two of our vessels to head out and myself, inside the Harbor over here, I was placed onto the break wall and helped carry one of the gentlemen on board and take him to EMS on shore, so.

- I know this is your job and you love to do it, but would you be grateful if you could do it less because people paid attention to motor safety?

- Absolutely, yeah.

So that's one of our big things is preaching boater safety to the public, kind of getting them all aware of what they're supposed to be doing and have on board their vessels.

But it's good to know at the end of the day, if they need us, we're here.

- [Joleene] New and even seasoned boaters are encouraged to take boating safety classes.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary, the US Power Squadron, and your local Sheriff's department offers them.

Right now, classes are not mandatory, but highly encouraged.

And come 2025, all boaters in New York state will be required to take a certified course.

For now, if you plan on hitting the water this weekend, here are some safety tips to seriously consider.

- You know, a good first aid kit to have on board is just always great.

Flares.

You have to have your flare kit on board.

So I can have my flares right in here.

Right on each one of them, that's got the date so folks can look at the date and make sure it's within the timeframe.

You know and if you do have an old one, try using it to make sure you understand how to use it.

You know, I won't pop it off, but having that sound producing device, your whistle or your horn, you can have that available.

And you also onboard need to have an SOS flag, that can be right down in here.

So you've got everything right here in your boat safety kit, ready to go.

You know, we always talk about life jackets.

And this boat is equipped with all of the type of life jackets you have to have.

You know, the most common is obviously the type three.

A lot of folks like the inflatables.

You know, again having enough onboard, right size.

So this is an armed, ready to go life jacket.

I'll have you put it on, cause this is my favorite part of it.

- Oh wait, what do I do?

- Put it right on like that and right around you.

Excuse me for helping out here.

I'm gonna let you just go ahead and clip it.

And you're ready to go.

You could be out boating, having a great day and all of a sudden you're having a problem and you need to do something, you're just gonna pull this right down and it's gonna inflate for you.

(air whooshing) - Whoop!

(laughing) I'm ready!

- In 2021, 85% of people who drowned were not wearing a life jacket.

This could be drastically reduced if people have life jackets ready for immediate use when needed, or by wearing them at all times.

- [Joleene] The coast guard is always on the ready should you need them.

But for everyone's safety this holiday, ensure that your boat engine is up to par, your vessel houses first aid kits, flares, and life jackets, and the captain of the boat is not operating under the influence.

In Oswego County for WPBS Weekly, I'm Jolene DesRosiers.

Many of us will be grilling for the holiday, so why not try something completely different?

Spencer Watts of Watts on the Grill brings us a gazpacho and shrimp recipe that you'll definitely want to add to your recipe box.

(upbeat music) - So I know I said today was all about bananas, but this is a banana pepper and it's gonna be the spice in my summer gazpacho with grilled shrimp.

(upbeat music) The colors of summer.

So the secret to my gazpacho is grilled veg.

I like medium to hot heat, little bit of oil.

And there's just something about charring the vegetables that adds kind of like a- (grill sizzling) That's so good.

It adds just like another depth of flavor and it really helps the soup.

(upbeat music) Hanging outside, working on the grill, and wonderful company.

(upbeat music) So my hot veg is done.

And any time I grill veg, there's always a little bit of juice.

Don't waste any flavor, put that juice in the blender.

If you're not gonna put it in the blender, just dip it in warm bread and have a glass of wine.

(invigorating music) Now there's only a few cold soups out there and gazpacho is one of them.

And I love it on a hot summer day.

Ice cold, super flavorful, but by charring all the veg first, it really just amps up the flavor.

And all I want is that sweet, beautiful cucumber flesh.

(invigorating music) I love this soup, cause it's super fast, it's like poker chips and we're almost done.

Worcestershire sauce.

This stuff's really great.

It's fermented so it's good for you and it's made with like molasses and anchovies and spices and there's tons of business going on in there.

And for another little kick of acid, because soup's all about balance, a little bit of Sherry vinegar.

It's just the veg is so sweet and it plays off the acid with the tomatoes, so there's like a little bit of acid in the tomato and the Sherry vinegar just kind of helps the tomatoes sing a beautiful song.

And this is the part where you can get kind of creative.

I was going through my herb garden and what was really fresh was basil and tarragon.

Don't worry about chopping it up, just throw it right in.

So my soup needs a little bit of liquid.

You can use water, tomato juice, I really like veg stock.

I've got a really cool tip for you.

Anytime that I make soup with tomatoes in it, a little bit of olive oil.

The tomatoes are really acidic and it kind of lays on the back of your tongue and a little bit of olive oil just kind of gives everything a big hug.

Just to finish, for a little breath of fresh air and some acid, lime juice.

Buzz it up!

(upbeat music) (blender whirring) (upbeat music) And I gotta taste it.

That is garden fresh.

Perfect on a hot sunny day.

Just a few minutes to cool it in the fridge, which gives me enough time to do some lime shrimp.

(upbeat music) These shrimp take no time to grill up and I just mirrored the flavor like the gazpacho, so there's a little bit of salt, a little bit of white pepper, touch of olive oil, and a little bit of tarragon.

(upbeat music) And just to finish it, get a little bit of steam and a little bit of energy, a little shot of lime.

(grill sizzling) Yes!

(upbeat music) Shrimp, check.

Gazpacho, check.

Time to put 'em together.

Gazpacho on a hot summer day needs to look pretty and I just have some cucumber, some tomato and some basil, some of the ingredients that went into the gazpacho, and I like putting it in a bowl cause it adds some texture, it adds a little bit of extra flavor and it's garden fresh.

(upbeat music) - Each and every musical artist that we bring into the studio here at WPBS is unique in their own right and our next featured guest is no different.

He is Scott Bravo, an instrumental acoustic guitarist born and raised in central New York.

This powerful musician shares his sloth style of playing.

Watch his hands as he plays his original song called "Bent."

- I'm Scott Bravo, I live in New York City and I'm a musician.

I am from Syracuse.

I'm from everywhere, but I spent my early years in Syracuse area and I ended up in New York city.

Why not?

(laughs) Why not go to New York city?

I have a picture of me when I was three years old, the first time I saw a guitar.

Just like the look on my face, holding it, I just knew there was something about this thing.

And then throughout my life, I'd picked up guitars that friends had had and I just knew that I felt something when I held a guitar.

And when I was 15, I got my first guitar and that was all I did.

That was it.

I really wasn't good at anything else.

I wasn't really great at sports.

I wasn't so great at school, but I just I loved playing guitar and I never took lessons.

And I learned by, I had books, Metallica, Guns N' Roses scale books and I would just play along with the records and the more I played, the more I could hear what different chords were.

So I could listen to other songs and sort of pick through them and figure it out.

And then I joined a cover band when I was probably 17 and I had to sneak out and go play in bars at night every now and again.

So that was fun.

So finger pickers use all their fingers, flat pickers use just a pick, and I use a pick and one finger, three fingers like a sloth.

So that's sort of my own, that's why I don't sound like anybody else.

I don't sound like a finger picker.

I don't sound like a flat picker.

I've got sort of my own thing because I can't do either and get the sounds I want, so.

And the sloth is sort of like my spirit animal.

You know, they sleep all the time.

They're just chill.

I'm a pretty chill guy.

I think.

So sloth style.

So "Bent" was born from, I work with kids and one of my students had said something about they felt broken.

And I said, "Nobody's broken.

"None of us are broken.

"We're just a little bent."

And it got me thinking about how some of these kids are so quick to self diagnose or listen to someone else that has no business making these judgements on em.

And they take it on themselves and they carry it through life and nothing is really- I just I wanted to express that we're all just different and that's okay.

It's okay to be different and so it's sort of like an encouraging piece for anyone who feels like they're beyond redemption or beyond grace or love or whatever.

Hi, I'm Scott Bravo.

The song I'm gonna play is "Bent" (acoustic guitar playing) - And that does it for us this Tuesday evening.

Please join us next week for a fresh look Inside the Stories.

What's new at Parliament Hill in Ottowa?

We'll take you to the newsroom for the latest.

And little museums share the biggest history.

Visit the Fiddler's Hall of Fame in Oswego County.

Also what's new at the zoo?

Every year, Zoo New York in Watertown has something fresh for you to explore.

Meantime, we want to tell your story.

If you or someone in your community has something meaningful, historic, inspirational, or heroic to share, please email us right here at wpbsweekly@wpbstv.org and let's share it with the region.

That's it for now, everyone.

We'll see you next week.

Goodnight.

- [Announcer] WPBS Weekly: Inside the Stories is brought to you by the Daisy Marquis Jones Foundation, dedicated to improving the wellbeing of communities by helping disadvantaged children and families online at dmjf.org.

The Watertown Oswego Small Business Development Center, Serving Jefferson Lewis and Oswego counties since 1986. for those interested in starting or expanding their small business, serving Jefferson Lewis and Oswego Counties since 1986, online at watertown.nysbdc.org.

Carthage Savings has been here for generations, donating time and resources to this community.

They're proud to support WPBS TV online at carthagesavings.com.

Carthage Savings, mortgage solutions since 1888.

Additional funding provided by CSX, the Oswego County Community Foundation at the Central New York Community Foundation, The Richard S Shineman Foundation, and the Badenhausen Legacy Fund at the Northern New York Community Foundation.

(acoustic guitar playing) (invigorating tone)