Native Peoples Episodes
Highlighting the deep connections between Indigenous communities and desert landscapes, including traditional ecological knowledge, cultural heritage, and ongoing struggles for land and water rights.
Aug. 22, 2025
S4E32: Joshua Trees are Still Caught in the Climate Crossfire
Chris Clarke and Brendan Cummings discuss the recent approval of the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan by California's Fish and Game Commission. Brendan outlines the journey from the 2019 petition for protection to the 2023 Conservation Act, highlighting its aim to combat climate threats and ma…
Aug. 8, 2025
S4E30: Episode 100 | Former Wildland Firefighter Ruth Nolan's Literary Mission
A distinguished voice in desert poetry and a former wildland firefighter, Ruth Nolan shares her insights into the ecological challenges and intrinsic beauty of California's deserts through her evocative poetry.
Aug. 1, 2025
S4E24: Desert Communities Need Public Broadcasting Now
We discuss crucial topics affecting public media, including funding cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and their impact on stations serving rural and tribal communities.
July 18, 2025
S4E23: Desert Bucket List: 9 Destinations You Must See
Chris Clarke reflects on the recent loss of the Grand Canyon Lodge, urging listeners to prioritize visiting their own wish lists of desert sites before they vanish.
June 10, 2025
S4E18: Resilience & Resistance in Navajo Country
Chris Clarke hosts a compelling discussion with Diné activist Davina Smith on the significance of the Bears Ears National Monument.
June 4, 2024
S3E17: Submerged No More! Restoring Chemehuevi Land and Traditions
Daniel Leivas, Southern Paiute-Chemehuevi from Lake Havasu, shares his journey of reviving ancestral agricultural practices on the Chemehuevi Nation's traditional farm. He narrates how his family transformed the land into a t...
April 30, 2024
S3E13: Why Protecting Cultural Sites is Important
In this revealing episode, we delve into the clandestine underworld of archaeological site looting and cultural vandalism in the Southwest. Our esteemed guests, Shannon Cowell and Dustin Whiting of Archaeology Southwest, shin...
Feb. 20, 2024
S3E5: Protecting the Great Bend of the Gila
Join host Chris Clarke as he explores the proposed Great Bend of the Gila National Monument with advocates Skylar Begay and Mike Quigley. They discuss the importance of protecting this pristine Sonoran Desert landscape, rich ...
May 29, 2023
S2E8: Native Activism in the Desert (Part 1)
Chris and Alicia talk to Elizabeth Paige of Native American Land Conservancy and Save Our Springs. Podcast episode photo by John Fowler. Become a desert defender!: https://90milesfromneedles.com/donate See omnystudio.com/list...
May 21, 2022
S1E10: Remembering Phil Klasky and Ward Valley
From the mid-1980s until the first months of the 21st Century, a coalition of desert tribes and non-Native activists worked to keep the state of California from siting a low-level nuclear waste dump in the Mojave Desert, on l...