Nuclear Episodes

Journalist Zak Podmore connects proposed nuclear-waste storage in southeastern Utah with the rapid ecological recovery emerging from Lake Powell, asking who bears the nuclear fuel cycle’s costs and what a restored Glen Canyon could become.

Michael E. Ketterer's plutonium fingerprinting reveals that eastern California received Nevada Test Site fallout comparable to recognized downwind areas, strengthening the case for expanded mapping and compensation.

Writer Morgan Sjogren reads from Path of Light, tracing the beauty of Glen Canyon alongside the lasting damage uranium mining has inflicted on Indigenous communities, wildlife, water and public lands.

Diné leader Davina Smith explains Bears Ears as a living cultural landscape, the legacy of her grandmothers' resistance and the necessity of Indigenous leadership in protecting sacred lands.

Chris Clarke talks with chemist Michael Ketterer about plutonium contamination in Acid Canyon, isotopic tracing, downstream risks, environmental justice, and the enduring consequences of Los Alamos's nuclear legacy.

Phil Klasky devoted decades to protecting California's deserts, including the successful effort to stop a radioactive waste dump in Ward Valley. This episode honors his life and legacy while revisiting one of the most important environmental victories in modern desert conservation.