Episodes

Chris Clarke talks with journalist Jimmy Tobias about apparent coziness between Nevada BLM staff and renewable-energy interests, focusing on Greenlink transmission projects, environmental impacts, and concerns from conservationists and the National Park Service.

Chris Clarke reflects on how the desert became central to his identity, reviews a year of reporting across North American deserts, and connects personal attachment to the continuing work of ecological advocacy.

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.

Chris Clarke talks with Greta Anderson about Hope, a Mexican wolf whose journey into northern Arizona exposed policy barriers to natural dispersal and the larger challenges facing wolf recovery.

Chris Clarke talks with botanist Naomi Fraga about Tiehm's buckwheat at Rhyolite Ridge and Tecopa bird's beak, exploring how rare endemic plants collide with lithium mining and rapid industrialization.

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.

Mexican wolves once ranged into Texas before persecution and conflicts with livestock helped eliminate them from the state. Chris Clarke talks with Rick LoBello, Erin Hunt, and Philip Sozanski about efforts to restore the lobo to suitable West Texas habitat. They explore the wolf's ecological and historical importance, persistent cultural fears surrounding predators, and efforts to build support among ranchers, landowners, and other residents. Their case for restoration rests not just on saving wolves, but on returning an important missing species to the Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem.

Chris Clarke talks with Sant Khalsa and Juniper Harrower about the book Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees, bringing together artists, writers, and scientists to explore Joshua-tree ecology and culture.

Chris Clarke talks with Ben Goldfarb about road ecology: roadkill, habitat fragmentation, altered hydrology, wildlife crossings, tortoises, pronghorn, and the far-reaching ecological effects of transportation infrastructure.

Chris Clarke talks with Kyle Roerink about Colorado River over-allocation, proposed dams and diversions, direct lithium extraction in Green River, and difficult choices facing Lakes Mead and Powell.

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.

Chris Clarke examines the final Western Solar Plan and argues that fighting climate change shouldn't require sacrificing intact desert ecosystems, pointing to parking lots and disturbed land as alternatives.