Ben Goldfarb
@bengoldfarb.bsky.social
Independent conservation journalist writing a book about fish. Author of CROSSINGS, on #roadecology, and EAGER, on beaver belief.
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Ben Goldfarb
@bengoldfarb.bsky.social
· Nov 15
To new Bluesky peeps: I'm currently working on another book, on the organisms nearest my heart. It's fundamentally about fish as engineers—both of ecosystems & human affairs—and how we revitalize their roles in our waterscapes & lives. If this aligns with your interests & expertise, cast me a line!
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
A Minnesota woman observing ICE agents in her car was cornered on one-way streets. An agent approached, called her by name—citing facial recognition. Days later, her Global Entry and TSA privileges were revoked, with no explanation.
How ICE Already Knows Who Minneapolis Protesters Are
www.nytimes.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:55 AM
A Minnesota woman observing ICE agents in her car was cornered on one-way streets. An agent approached, called her by name—citing facial recognition. Days later, her Global Entry and TSA privileges were revoked, with no explanation.
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
"In theater" is a military term that refers to a wartime theater of operations. ICE and CBP agents are in Minnesota, which is one of the United States. The enemy in this military operation are citizens of Minnesotans and the United States.
Q: Can you be specific about how many ICE and CBP agents are currently operating in the state?
HOMAN: 3,000. There's been some rotations. They've been in theater a long time. Day after day, can't eat in restaurants, people spin on you, blowing whistles at you. But my main focus now is draw down
HOMAN: 3,000. There's been some rotations. They've been in theater a long time. Day after day, can't eat in restaurants, people spin on you, blowing whistles at you. But my main focus now is draw down
January 29, 2026 at 5:59 PM
"In theater" is a military term that refers to a wartime theater of operations. ICE and CBP agents are in Minnesota, which is one of the United States. The enemy in this military operation are citizens of Minnesotans and the United States.
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
"I'm coming to Boston and I'm bringing hell with me."
--Homan in February
"Do I expect violence to escalate? Absolutely."
-- Tom Homan in March
"I actually thought about getting up and throwing that man a beating right there in the middle of the room"
-- Homan in July, referring to a D congressman
--Homan in February
"Do I expect violence to escalate? Absolutely."
-- Tom Homan in March
"I actually thought about getting up and throwing that man a beating right there in the middle of the room"
-- Homan in July, referring to a D congressman
Homan: "I begged for the last two months on TV for the rhetoric to stop. I said in March -- if the rhetoric doesn't stop, there is gonna be bloodshed. And there has been. I wish I wasn't right. I don't want to see anybody die."
January 29, 2026 at 3:32 PM
"I'm coming to Boston and I'm bringing hell with me."
--Homan in February
"Do I expect violence to escalate? Absolutely."
-- Tom Homan in March
"I actually thought about getting up and throwing that man a beating right there in the middle of the room"
-- Homan in July, referring to a D congressman
--Homan in February
"Do I expect violence to escalate? Absolutely."
-- Tom Homan in March
"I actually thought about getting up and throwing that man a beating right there in the middle of the room"
-- Homan in July, referring to a D congressman
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
I've been thinking that solar is really just a very weird, high-value crop, with a 30-year rotation and a guaranteed annual offtake/purchase contract, and with dual-cropping possible. Great to see others out in front on this topic!
#EnergySky #Agrivoltaics #ConservationAbundance
#EnergySky #Agrivoltaics #ConservationAbundance
"These days the choice is not between farming and solar; farming and solar are increasingly compatible “crops.”
virginiamercury.com/briefs/solar...
virginiamercury.com/briefs/solar...
Solar can save Virginia farms — if government gets out of the way • Virginia Mercury
It’s not easy to be a farmer in Virginia. Pests, weather, uncertain markets and access to capital are a perennial problem. This year farmers have also had to contend with disruptions from President Do...
virginiamercury.com
January 28, 2026 at 10:14 PM
I've been thinking that solar is really just a very weird, high-value crop, with a 30-year rotation and a guaranteed annual offtake/purchase contract, and with dual-cropping possible. Great to see others out in front on this topic!
#EnergySky #Agrivoltaics #ConservationAbundance
#EnergySky #Agrivoltaics #ConservationAbundance
Just gonna put into the world that one of my ambitions in 2026 is to observe/participate in fieldwork involving some awesome pelagic migratory teleost.
January 28, 2026 at 8:17 PM
Just gonna put into the world that one of my ambitions in 2026 is to observe/participate in fieldwork involving some awesome pelagic migratory teleost.
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
a small majority of us are fueled by spite, but yeah, overall, a completely demoralized workforce
it’s why Russel Vought didn’t administer the FEVS last year (and probably won’t for the next three years)
it’s why Russel Vought didn’t administer the FEVS last year (and probably won’t for the next three years)
Also, the employees that stuck it out are so demoralized that productivity has to be at an all time low. You can't treat your employees like the enemy and expect positive results.
January 27, 2026 at 2:21 PM
a small majority of us are fueled by spite, but yeah, overall, a completely demoralized workforce
it’s why Russel Vought didn’t administer the FEVS last year (and probably won’t for the next three years)
it’s why Russel Vought didn’t administer the FEVS last year (and probably won’t for the next three years)
When you’re too evil for the guys who work at a company named for Sauron’s toy.
Palantir employees are pressing company leadership over its work for ICE in internal company Slacks obtained by @wired.com
"In my opinion ICE are the bad guys. I am not proud that the company I enjoy so much working for is part of this."
Scoop from @makenakelly.bsky.social
"In my opinion ICE are the bad guys. I am not proud that the company I enjoy so much working for is part of this."
Scoop from @makenakelly.bsky.social
Palantir Defends Work With ICE to Staff Following Killing of Alex Pretti
“In my opinion ICE are the bad guys. I am not proud that the company I enjoy so much working for is part of this,” one worker wrote on Slack.
www.wired.com
January 26, 2026 at 11:00 PM
When you’re too evil for the guys who work at a company named for Sauron’s toy.
Crushing little #roadecology moment in Tom McGuane’s “Ninety-Two in the Shade.”
January 26, 2026 at 7:46 PM
Crushing little #roadecology moment in Tom McGuane’s “Ninety-Two in the Shade.”
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
“All books—including your own—might as well be the ravings of a Silicon demon, fattened on our collective preferences, biases, and grammatical errors, & watered by aquifers sucked up from the literal ground.”
Bleak, funny meditation on book coverage in the age of AI.
thebaffler.com/after-the-fa...
Bleak, funny meditation on book coverage in the age of AI.
thebaffler.com/after-the-fa...
List and Shout | Lydia Kiesling
The labor involved in making lists was as close to the opposite of a transcendent reading experience as a disillusioned culture worker could get.
thebaffler.com
January 23, 2026 at 2:51 PM
“All books—including your own—might as well be the ravings of a Silicon demon, fattened on our collective preferences, biases, and grammatical errors, & watered by aquifers sucked up from the literal ground.”
Bleak, funny meditation on book coverage in the age of AI.
thebaffler.com/after-the-fa...
Bleak, funny meditation on book coverage in the age of AI.
thebaffler.com/after-the-fa...
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
Here’s some good conservation news: the first amphibian crossing tunnel to be built in New Hampshire.
“It’s very exciting for us to see that this community science data, this data that’s been collected by volunteers over many years, is being used to inform lasting conservation solutions.”
“It’s very exciting for us to see that this community science data, this data that’s been collected by volunteers over many years, is being used to inform lasting conservation solutions.”
Plan calls for tiny salamander underpasses in Keene
The city of Keene and the Harris Center are partnering to build wildlife tunnels on Jordan Road to protect the Jefferson salamander.
www.keenesentinel.com
January 21, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Here’s some good conservation news: the first amphibian crossing tunnel to be built in New Hampshire.
“It’s very exciting for us to see that this community science data, this data that’s been collected by volunteers over many years, is being used to inform lasting conservation solutions.”
“It’s very exciting for us to see that this community science data, this data that’s been collected by volunteers over many years, is being used to inform lasting conservation solutions.”
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
January 20, 2026 at 10:53 PM
This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
www.nature.com/immersive/d4...
That’s right folks—two of the greats 😂
The book, The Best Science Stories and How They Work, is an invitation to engage with some of today’s most respected science journalists, from @maryroach.bsky.social to @bengoldfarb.bsky.social, as they take readers beneath the surface to tell the stories behind 11 of the best science stories.
The Best Science Stories and How They Work: A Collection with Commentary - The Open Notebook
An invitation to engage with some of today’s most respected science journalists as they take readers beneath the surface to tell the stories behind eleven of the best science stories.
www.theopennotebook.com
January 20, 2026 at 4:54 PM
That’s right folks—two of the greats 😂
It’s about ten thousand items down the fuckery list right now, but we really need to prohibit these guys from using the word “kinetic.”
CNBC: McConnell has said that if the president moves on Greenland, this would something that Republican senators would impeach him on. Are you in that camp?
TILLIS: I'm not going to go to impeachment. Let's say it was a kinetic action -- I'd immediately go for a War Powers resolution.
TILLIS: I'm not going to go to impeachment. Let's say it was a kinetic action -- I'd immediately go for a War Powers resolution.
January 20, 2026 at 2:09 PM
It’s about ten thousand items down the fuckery list right now, but we really need to prohibit these guys from using the word “kinetic.”
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
Plenty that is baffling these days, but few things are more baffling than some major auto companies looking at this global trend and deciding NAH, NOT FOR ME
January 19, 2026 at 10:16 AM
Plenty that is baffling these days, but few things are more baffling than some major auto companies looking at this global trend and deciding NAH, NOT FOR ME
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
How much more in your face can it be?
"Why are you asking me for my paperwork?"
"Because of your accent."
"You have an accent too."
"Where were you born sir?"
"Where were you born at?"
"Put your hands behind your back."
"Why are you asking me for my paperwork?"
"Because of your accent."
"You have an accent too."
"Where were you born sir?"
"Where were you born at?"
"Put your hands behind your back."
January 17, 2026 at 9:16 PM
How much more in your face can it be?
"Why are you asking me for my paperwork?"
"Because of your accent."
"You have an accent too."
"Where were you born sir?"
"Where were you born at?"
"Put your hands behind your back."
"Why are you asking me for my paperwork?"
"Because of your accent."
"You have an accent too."
"Where were you born sir?"
"Where were you born at?"
"Put your hands behind your back."
The pettiest people on earth.
Secretary of The Interior Doug Burgum has cancelled the grazing permits of a large nonprofit bison operation in Montana because it doesn't serve a commercial purpose. By @jordyhansen.bsky.social: dailymontanan.com/2026/01/16/b... #mtnews #mtpol #montana
Burgum yanks American Prairie bison grazing leases
American Prairie permits to graze bison on federal land has been revoked, according to a new decision from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
dailymontanan.com
January 17, 2026 at 2:26 PM
The pettiest people on earth.
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
And I would say that it's *far* more amongst the biggest publishers — this average is just being offset by the smaller SEO shops who haven't been decimated. Folks who do original content are being strip-mined.
Google traffic to publishers dropped by ONE THIRD in 2025 pressgazette.co.uk/media-audien...
Global publisher Google traffic dropped by a third in 2025
Google search traffic was down globally by a third in the year to November, according to new Chartbeat data.
pressgazette.co.uk
January 16, 2026 at 4:52 PM
And I would say that it's *far* more amongst the biggest publishers — this average is just being offset by the smaller SEO shops who haven't been decimated. Folks who do original content are being strip-mined.
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
A spectacle to behold, in the shallows, hugging this island, we see broad cowtail rays and mangrove whiprays - and looking with a close eye, few juvenile blacktip reef sharks weave between the rays.
Footage by Sebastian Staines.
#saveourseasfoundation #sharksandrays #conservation #videography
Footage by Sebastian Staines.
#saveourseasfoundation #sharksandrays #conservation #videography
February 28, 2025 at 12:14 PM
A spectacle to behold, in the shallows, hugging this island, we see broad cowtail rays and mangrove whiprays - and looking with a close eye, few juvenile blacktip reef sharks weave between the rays.
Footage by Sebastian Staines.
#saveourseasfoundation #sharksandrays #conservation #videography
Footage by Sebastian Staines.
#saveourseasfoundation #sharksandrays #conservation #videography
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
My cartoon in this weeks @newyorker.com
June 30, 2025 at 2:40 PM
My cartoon in this weeks @newyorker.com
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
January 16, 2026 at 2:36 AM
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
We are 1 mid-sized state away from a salmonid-as-state fish electoral majority. Get on board Ohio, embrace the lake trout!
January 16, 2026 at 12:04 AM
We are 1 mid-sized state away from a salmonid-as-state fish electoral majority. Get on board Ohio, embrace the lake trout!
Obviously Alaska is a unique state, but am I crazy to think that campaigning at least partially on fish would play well in the Northwest, New England, most Rocky Mountain states, and the Great Lakes region (and perhaps beyond)? We need more ichthyocentric politics. #AquaticAbundanceAgenda
My name is Mary Peltola, and I'm running for U.S. Senate to fight for fish, family, and freedom – and that begins with fixing the rigged system in DC that’s shutting down Alaska.
We need systemic change if we're going to lower costs, save our fisheries, and fill our homes with abundance again.
We need systemic change if we're going to lower costs, save our fisheries, and fill our homes with abundance again.
January 15, 2026 at 11:02 PM
Obviously Alaska is a unique state, but am I crazy to think that campaigning at least partially on fish would play well in the Northwest, New England, most Rocky Mountain states, and the Great Lakes region (and perhaps beyond)? We need more ichthyocentric politics. #AquaticAbundanceAgenda
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
As far as I can tell, @billmckibben.bsky.social is the only writer with any real reach who is discussing the liberatory potential of distributed solar power. I'd like that subject to get a lot more air time.
Solar as Solidarity
It's not just for saving planets any more
billmckibben.substack.com
January 15, 2026 at 9:41 PM
As far as I can tell, @billmckibben.bsky.social is the only writer with any real reach who is discussing the liberatory potential of distributed solar power. I'd like that subject to get a lot more air time.
Reposted by Ben Goldfarb
"“They specifically asked me if I knew where the Hmong families lived on my street & in the neighborhood.” Lugert-Thom responded, “I don’t know anything about that” & she said they then asked, “Well, what about the Asian families?”"
"“I was a bit shaken & a bit shocked of what I was asked to do.”"
"“I was a bit shaken & a bit shocked of what I was asked to do.”"
A St. Paul resident says federal officers knocked on her door and asked her to identify Hmong and Asian households in her North End neighborhood last week.
ICE in St. Paul: Man roughly detained at gas station, Border Patrol chief jeered in Midway Target
Videos and photos show a prevalence of federal agents in St. Paul recently.
trib.al
January 13, 2026 at 10:37 PM
"“They specifically asked me if I knew where the Hmong families lived on my street & in the neighborhood.” Lugert-Thom responded, “I don’t know anything about that” & she said they then asked, “Well, what about the Asian families?”"
"“I was a bit shaken & a bit shocked of what I was asked to do.”"
"“I was a bit shaken & a bit shocked of what I was asked to do.”"