In every flood scarred bend of an Appalachian river sits a chance to rebuild something stronger, cleaner water for people, and room for a 160 million-year salamander to thrive again. Hurricane-shaped chaos is unveiling a surprising truth when we restore stream banks, fund green storm water projects, and protect keystone species like the Eastern Hellbender, we don't just rescue wildlife, we buffer towns and farms and drinking water intakes against the next big storm. The same fixes that help a snot otter bounce back can future-proof entire communities like yours and mine. So what can I do to turn the washed-out creeks and budget cuts into a cleaner, more resilient future?my guest today is Jackie Flynn Mogensen, senior reporter at Mother Jones. Jackie embedded with conservation biologists after Hurricane Helene and uncovered how saving an ancient salamander could safeguard our waterways and our towns for decades to come.Stick around and you'll discover practical ways to turn today's river wreckage into tomorrow's resilience.-----------Have feedback or questions? <a href="http://www.twitter.com/importantnotimp" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tweet us</a>, or send a message to <a href="mailto:questions@importantnotimportant.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">questions@importantnotimportant.com</a>New here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at <a href="https://podcast.importantnotimportant.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">podcast.importantnotimportant.com</a>.Take Action at <a href="https://www.whatcanido.earth/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.whatcanido.earth</a>-----------INI Book Club:<ul><li><a href="https://undefined/a/8952/9781324086314" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet </a>by Ben Goldfarb</li><li>Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: <a href="https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-club</a></li></ul> Links:<ul><li>Read Jackie's Mother Jones Eastern Hellbenders article https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2025/04/endangered-species-salamander-hurricane-helene-eastern-hellbender-bog-turtle/</li><li>Learn how to build a rain garden https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2023/01/rain-garden-resources-water-flooding/</li><li>Follow Jackie and keep up with her reporting https://x.com/jackiefmogensen?lang=en</li><li>Rain Garden app https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/tools/rain-garden.html</li></ul> Follow us:<ul><li>Subscribe to our newsletter at <a href="https://www.importantnotimportant.com/subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">importantnotimportant.com</a></li><li>Support our work and become a Member at <a href="https://www.importantnotimportant.com/upgrade" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">importantnotimportant.com/upgrade</a></li><li>Get our <a href="https://important-not-important.myshopify.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">merch</a></li><li>Follow us on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/ImportantNotImp" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">twitter.com/ImportantNotImp</a></li><li>Follow us on Threads: <a href="https://www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.threads.net/@importantnotimportant</a></li><li>Subscribe to our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkUwIVGwYxsZHEgL2fstz9Q" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YouTube channel</a></li><li>Follow Quinn: on Twitter - <a href="http://twitter.com/quinnemmett" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">twitter.com/quinnemmett</a>; Bluesky - <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">bsky.app/profile/quinnemmett.bsky.social</a>; Threads - <a href="https://www.threads.net/@quinnemmett" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.threads.net/@quinnemmett</a></li><li>Produced by <a href="https://twitter.com/willowbeck_" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Willow Beck</a></li><li>Intro/outro by Tim Blane: <a href="http://timblane.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">timblane.com</a></li></ul> Advertise with us: <a href="https://www.importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">importantnotimportant.com/c/sponsors </a>Mentioned in this episode:<a href="https://the-most-important-question.captivate.fm/mill">Get Mill</a><a href="https://the-most-important-question.captivate.fm/member">Support Our Work</a>

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