#EnvHist Worth Reading: June 2025

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Every month I carefully track the most popular and significant environmental history articles, videos, audio, and other items making their way through the online environmental history (#envhist) community. You can read all of our past #EnvHist Worth Reading lists right here. Here are my choices for items most worth reading from June 2025.

1. Old Coal Mines Near Crowsnest Pass Are Still Killing Fish

Adding to our knowledge of how mines impact the environment for decades (centuries?) after their closure, Andrew Nikiforuk discusses a new Alberta-funded study that selenium pollution from historic coal mining at Tent Mountain in the Crowsnest Pass continues to poison downstream fish populations decades after the mine closure. Fish in Crowsnest Lake contain selenium levels that are up to six times the provincial safety guidelines, threatening the region’s biodiversity and water security. The researchers warn, Nikiforuk writes, that any new coal development could push fish populations beyond recovery.

2. Sinful. Poisonous. Stinky? How tomatoes overcame their wicked reputation

In this piece for National Geographic, Yolanda Evans, pulling from a book by Andrew F. Smith, recounts the early nineteenth century legend of Salem, New Jersey’s fear of the tomato, which was known in that period popularly as the “poison apple.” Europeans initially mistrusted tomatoes due to their red color and association with nightshades. Wealthy diners suffered lead poisoning from pewter plates reacting with tomato acidity, reinforcing the fruit’s toxic reputation. According to the New Jersey legend, local farmer Robert Gibbon Johnson publicly ate tomatoes in 1820 to prove their safety. Though there is no proof that this event actually took place, the town embraced the story and hosted a tomato festival for several decades (1989-2022).

3. A map, a myth and a pre-Incan lagoon: the man who brought water back to a drought-ridden town

In this article for The Guardian, Mickal Aranha examines the history behind the restoration of lagoons in Ecuador and demonstrates the kind of real-world impact that historians can have. In 1983, Aranha shares, Ecuadorian historian Galo Ramón discovered a 1792 map depicting an ancient lagoon, revealing a sophisticated 1,000-year-old water management system by the Paltas civilization. Located in the drought-prone Catacocha region, the system collected and infiltrated rainwater to recharge aquifers. Revived starting in 2005 through the efforts of Ramón and the Comunidec foundation, the project restored dozens of lagoons and improved food security. Despite the project’s success, government support remains lacking. Ramón argues that reviving ancestral techniques offers low-cost, effective solutions to water scarcity in Ecuador and beyond. “We don’t necessarily need monumental projects to have water. We can also do it by recovering ancestral knowledge,” Estefanía Maldonado, a constitutional rights lawyer, adds.

4. Cultures of Energy – Drifting (feat. Rafico Ruiz)

I’m very glad that Cultures of Energy is back because I adore Dominic and Cymene’s banter. In this episode, they chat with Rafico Ruiz, director of research at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, about his new book project, Phase State Earth, “which uses the different phase states of water to track the impact of shifting climatological conditions upon the earth.” They discuss myriad of other topics that touch upon the arctic, climate change, and Indigenous sovereignty. Well worth a listen!

5. History of Westwood Motorsport Park

The History of British Columbia YouTube channel entered my algo this spring, and I’m not mad about it. They produce engaging and concise videos of around 10-15 minutes. The channel’s creator states that “My goal is to share topics that have an interesting history and share them with you. These videos are intended to provide a brief, high-level overview of the history of various places and events, focusing on key moments and developments.” One of the videos released last month was about the Westwood Motorsport Park, which was the country’s first purpose built racetrack, in Coquitlam, British Columbia. Today the site is just memories, the land has been converted to a high-end golf course and housing development.

Feature Image: “Watching The Racing” by Mark Faviell Photos is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

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Jessica DeWitt

NiCHE Editor-in-Chief, Social Media Editor at Jessica M. DeWitt: Editing and Consulting
is an environmental historian of Canada and the United States, editor, project manager, consultant, and digital communications strategist. She earned her PhD in History from the University of Saskatchewan in 2019. She is an executive member, editor-in-chief, and social media editor for the Network in Canadian History and Environment (NiCHE). She is the Managing Editor for the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and Associate Editor for Environmental Humanities. Closer to home, she is the President of the Saskatchewan History and Folklore Society, a Coordinating Team member of Showing Up for Racial Justice Saskatoon-Treaty Six, and a Conservation Advisory Committee member for the Meewasin Valley Authority. She focuses on developing digital techniques and communications that bridge the divide between academia and the general public in order to democratize knowledge access. You can find out more about her and her freelance services at jessicamdewitt.com.

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