Arizona Episodes

A lyrical argument against border violence traces migrant deaths across the Sonoran Desert and asks listeners to imagine a borderland restored to wildlife, Indigenous communities and human freedom.

Humane Borders chair Laurie Cantillo describes placing and maintaining life-saving water stations in the Sonoran Desert while confronting migrant deaths, militarization and disinformation at the U.S.–Mexico border.

Kyle Paoletta discusses American Oasis and the histories of Albuquerque, Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas and El Paso, arguing that understanding the desert Southwest requires understanding its cities.

Season Four opens with the Los Angeles fires, the designation of Chuckwalla National Monument, and the emerging Moab-to-Mojave network of protected lands across the Southwest.

Arizona's Great Bend of the Gila holds an extraordinary concentration of Indigenous cultural sites, wildlife habitat, and largely intact Sonoran Desert landscape. Chris Clarke talks with advocates Skylar Begay and Mike Quigley about efforts to secure permanent protection for the region. They discuss its cultural and natural history, threats from development and destructive recreation, habitat for species including Sonoran pronghorn, and why protecting the Great Bend means recognizing a landscape shaped by thousands of years of human history.

The saguaro cactus is an enduring symbol of the American Southwest, yet its life story is even more remarkable than its silhouette. This episode explores the biology, ecology, and cultural significance of the Sonoran Desert's iconic giant, revealing how saguaros support countless other species throughout their centuries-long lives.

Conservation work can be exhausting, especially when environmental setbacks seem relentless. In this personal episode, Chris reflects on activist burnout, the emotional challenges of protecting the desert, and the encouraging successes that remind us why the work is still worth doing.