Why does America have a toxic sea… and how did it get there?I'm old enough to remember when the Salton Sea was the aquatic playground shown in the video and I find it sad that it is now too polluted to still be that. It's now become a place that fits what I wrote in John Oliver examines the UK elections: "One of my favorite sayings that I tell my students is 'no one, or in this case, no place, is completely useless; it can always be used as a bad example.'" It also serves as an example of three of Commoner's Laws, "Everything must go somewhere (There is no away)" for agricultural runoff, "There is no free lunch" for growing winter vegetables, and "Everything is connected to everything else" for water use. "Nature knows best?" We should be so lucky.
The Salton Sea was once one of California’s most vibrant tourist hotspots, a beach teeming with visitors and wildlife. Today it’s a shrinking, toxic lake at the center of a water crisis impacting 40 million people across the Southwest. What happened?
Shane Campbell-Staton visits the Imperial Valley to examine how a desert transformed into America’s vegetable garden, but at serious environmental and social costs. He meets Alex Jack, a third-generation farmer pioneering water-saving techniques to sustain his family’s farm, and Luis Olmedo, a community advocate fighting for the health and rights of migrant workers who harvest the valley’s crops.
The story of the Salton Sea reveals the harsh realities of scarce water, toxic pollution, and a system that doesn’t protect everyone equally. As new water regulations for the Colorado River loom in 2026, this pivotal moment demands a fresh approach to who controls this precious resource, and how it can be allocated more fairly.
Follow over the jump for most read posts featuring clips from Human Footprint during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.
Normal social media promotion earned 'America's Great Lost Tree Is Finally Returning,' a story of hope for the American Chestnut from September 25, 2025 ~1,080 default and 1,088 raw page views during September 2025, ranking fifth by default page views, seventh by raw page views among entries posted during the month, and eighth overall. It ended the blogging year with 1,204 raw page views, placing it sixth among entries posted between March 21, 2025 and March 20, 2026 and tenth overall. It was also among the most active on Bluesday, earning 121 likes, second most for September 2025 and year on Bluesky, 34 reposts, second most for month and year on Bluesky, and 2 replies in 2 threads.
Normal social media promotion also earned 'Human Footprint' explains 'How 13 Rabbits Destroyed a Continent' from September 2, 2025 574 default and 736 raw page views during September 2025, ranking the post 19th by the former, 22nd among entries posted durning the month, and 23rd overall during September 2025 by the latter. It continued to gain readers, ending the blogging year with 735 default and 777 raw page views, placing it sixth by the former, 23rd among entries posted during the blogging year, and 29th overall by the latter.
Now to recycle an entry I covered in The 1969 Cavaliers playing 'The Ten Commandments' for a drum corps Flashback Good Friday/Passover, a holiday special
Infidel753 shared the link to 'I Visited a Mosquito Factory' from 'Human Footprint' on PBS for World Mosquito Day from August 20, 2015, at his blog, which helped attract 478 default and 499 raw page views by the end of the month, ranking it second by all measures during August 2025. It had a total of 636 raw page views by March 20, 2026, ranking it 34th among entries posted during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News and 49th overall.That's a wrap for last year's top posts featuring videos from Human Footprint on PBS and PBS Terra. Stay tuned for an evergreen entry featuring retro, historical, or just plain old content on Throwback Thursday and another retrospective for Flashback Friday. In the meantime, enjoy Wednesday Addams, the mascot for Wayback Wednesday.
Previous posts in this series
- Happy Nowruz and happy 15th birthday to Crazy Eddie's Motie News
- Stats for the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News on Flashback Friday
- Silly and serious closer looks on gas prices, a driving update
- My Saturn Awards votes and predictions vs. the winners
- J.D. Vance gets the 'Last Week Tonight' treatment
- SciShow's '7 Of The Weirdest Fossil Forgeries Ever,' an April Fools holiday special for Wayback Wednesday
- The 1969 Cavaliers playing 'The Ten Commandments' for a drum corps Flashback Good Friday/Passover, a holiday special
- SciShow explains 'Why Geologists Lick Petrified Poop,' a Saturday science special
- 'Star Trek' Easter eggs on First Contact Day
- Randy Rainbow sings 'Not What They're Paid For,' a Tuneful Tuesday special
- PBS Terra warns 'A Hidden Antarctic Tipping Point May Have Just Been Triggered' for Wayback Wednesday
- Peaches and carrots, food history from Vox for Throwback Thursday
- The rise and fall of Boston Market, a tale of the Retail Apocalypse for Flashback Friday
- Bloomberg Television explains 'How Gen Z Is Bringing Back The Mall,' a tale of the Retail Apocalypse
- PBS Terra asks 'The Biggest Climate Scam Ever?' for a Flashback Friday Arbor Day
- 'Last Week Tonight' examines 'Trump & Deportations' for Wayback Wednesday
- Lydic, Colbert, Meyers, and Kimmel take closer looks at the first American Pope for Flashback Friday
- 'Apollo 13: Survival' leads nominees for Outstanding Science and Technology Documentary at the News & Doc Emmy Awards for Wayback Wednesday
- 'Earth's Worst Mass Extinction Is Actually a Warning' for Flashback Friday on Endangered Species Day
- BBC News asks 'Will Bluesky be able to rival X or Twitter?' A Wayback Wednesday special
- Peaches and carrots, food history from Vox for Throwback Thursday
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