Grouse

Grouse

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Grouse is a show about the most controversial bird in the West and what it can teach us about hope, compromise and life in rural America.Hosted by Ashley Ahearn, Grouse is an eight-part podcast series produced in partnership with BirdNote Presents and distributed in collaboration with Boise State Public Radio.

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    • Oct 27, 2020 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 20m AVG DURATION
    • 8 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Grouse

    Episode 8: If Not Hope, Then Courage

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2020 26:20


    In the final episode of Grouse, Ashley returns to a lek in Washington with biologist Michael Schroeder and finds it scorched by recent wildfire. Michael cries as he looks out over an area that was once home to one of the largest remaining pockets of sage-grouse in the state. But he says he's not ready to retire yet — there's more work to be done.

    Episode 7: The Death Of Compromise?

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 20, 2020 22:32


    In 2015 the Obama Administration hammered out a deal with leaders and land managers across the west that avoided listing the sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act.

    Episode 6: “Oil and Gas”

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 13, 2020 19:26


    Western Wyoming is home to many sage-grouse mating and nesting sites. And, in recent years, it's also become a hub of oil and gas extraction.

    Episode 5: The Story Of The Grieving Lady And The Sage Hen

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2020 21:12


    The sage-grouse plays a big role in the cultural history of several western American Indian Nations. Wilson Wewa, an elder of the Northern Paiute of the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon, still remembers the first time he saw a sage-grouse lek while gathering medicine with his grandfather.

    Episode 4: "All I Want To Do Is Protect This Dirt"

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 29, 2020 22:53


    There are a lot of people who say cows are one of the biggest problems in the West — and are making life a whole heck of a lot harder for sage grouse. But cows are also a symbol of a way of life that many in sagebrush country feel is under attack.

    Episode 3: Streamers

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 22, 2020 18:55


    As the climate warms and invasive cheatgrass moves in, thousands of acres of sagebrush are burning across the West each year. And sage grouse are feeling the heat too, as the ecosystem shift destroys their habitat.

    Episode 2: In Search Of The Bird, Through Time

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2020 18:09


    Join Ashley on a frigid trek through the snow in search of sage grouse with a scientist who has been studying the bird for decades. Michael Schroeder takes us on a journey through the frozen sagebrush and back in time to learn some scientific and cultural lore surrounding this bird. Will we find any birds today? Why are they in so much trouble? Should anyone care?

    Episode 1: Stranger In A Strange Land

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 15, 2020 18:03


    A few years ago, Ashley Ahearn burned out on the urban rat race, quit her job at a top NPR member station in Seattle, and moved to 20 acres of big sky and sagebrush in rural Washington state to try to better understand this country, and do better journalism in the process. And, along the way, she got curious about a weird, troubled bird known as the Greater Sage-Grouse, that is native to the sagebrush ecosystem — and fits in a whole lot better there than she does. What the heck is a sage grouse and why does everyone get so worked up about this bird?

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