Episodes

Chris examines why diversity, equity and inclusion are inseparable from desert protection, from Indigenous dispossession and border militarization to inequities within the environmental movement itself.

Journalist Caroline Tracey explains Plan Sonora's solar, lithium, gas pipeline and logistics projects—and how a purported green transition can transfer environmental costs to Indigenous and Mexican communities.

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.

Field recordings from Amargosa Valley and Joshua Tree capture residents defending Ash Meadows from mining and protesting cuts that threaten National Park Service staff and visitor safety.

Kristen Brengel explains how mass federal layoffs and disrupted seasonal hiring damage National Park Service operations, visitor safety, conservation work, and gateway communities.

Chris recommends six podcasts that deepen understanding of wilderness, desert development, the Colorado River, public lands, and the U.S.–Mexico borderlands.

Chris Clarke recounts the environmental history of the Ivanpah solar power tower, its effects on desert tortoises and birds, and the economic forces now bringing the troubled plant toward closure.

Mason Voehl explains how community organizing and scientific advocacy produced an interim halt to new mining claims near Ash Meadows—and what must happen to secure a 20-year mineral withdrawal.

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.