Politics And Activism Episodes

Chris Clarke reflects on the 2024 election, traces longer political currents, and argues that desert protection requires grassroots organizing, community involvement, and a positive vision of the world advocates want to build.

Released on Election Day 2024, this episode argues that voting is only one part of protecting North America's deserts and calls for sustained public engagement, advocacy, and participation in environmental decisions.

Chris Clarke talks with public lands journalist Jonathan Thompson about Utah's lawsuit seeking greater state control over federal lands and what it could mean for development, recreation, conservation, and NEPA.

For decades, the Chevron doctrine gave federal agencies substantial latitude to interpret ambiguous laws passed by Congress. The Supreme Court's decision to overturn that doctrine shifts more authority over those interpretations to federal judges. Chris Clarke explains what Chevron deference was, why its demise matters, and how the change could affect environmental regulation and the federal agencies responsible for protecting wildlife, clean water, public lands, and other natural resources.

When developers proposed a large glamping project called Flamingo 640 in California's Mojave Desert, local residents organized to stop it. Chris Clarke talks with Caroline Partamian, Justin Merino, and Luke Basulto about concerns over wildlife, traffic, noise, and the project's effects on the surrounding rural community. They recount how neighbors organized, challenged the proposal, and ultimately prevailed—a case study in how local activism can successfully shape land-use decisions and protect desert communities.

Wonder Valley is more than a quiet Mojave community—it's a place where residents are working together to defend the character of their desert home. This episode explores the challenges facing Wonder Valley, from industrial development to land-use conflicts, and highlights how local organizing can help protect both communities and the landscapes that surround them.

At a demonstration in the Nevada Mojave, environmental advocate Shannon Salter discussed the growing pressures facing the desert Southwest and the campaigns working to protect public lands and wildlife. Together we explore grassroots organizing, effective advocacy, and why individual voices continue to make a difference.