Public Lands Podcast

Eight captivating and inspiring stories from our public lands, parks, and waterways, expertly crafted by guest producers.  

An interview with Dr. Christine Marran, the author of Ecology without Culture.

Three visitors tell us about their most memorable park adventures, featuring audio production by University of Minnesota students. Yellowstone, Ho Rain Forest (Olympic National Park), and the US/Canada border on Lake Superior.

The start of a new series: "Park Stories." Visitors to Bryce Canyon National Park, Cabrillo National Monument, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, as well as the coast of Alaska recall special moments on public lands and waterways. Photo of Bryce Canyon by Jon Sullivan, reprinted with permission via Creative Commons License. Thanks, Jon, and all artists that make their work available to the public via Creative Commons. Thanks as well to the two uncredited storytellers for this episode: Robert Poch and Debbie Reiter.

The Friends of the Falls tell us about the history, present, and possible futures of an iconic waterscape in Minneapolis on the Mississippi River, including an act of truth telling and restitution.

A look back at the recent floods in Death Valley National Park and Kentucky opening its state parks to flood refugees, plus recent research regarding "forever chemicals" in rainwater, as well as a look forward to new programming that starts in September.

A look at National Monuments at the local, state, and national level; why their existence is so tenuous and necessary.

As we continue to bridge our interview format from the past several years to more interviews, stories, and policy discussions later this fall, today is about some hopeful and fun stories from and about our public parks, including Ecosia's global search engine, California's attempts to expand and diversify public access to public lands, and a wonderful "What if" event in Kirtland, Ohio.

Three stories--one local (SC, GA), one at the state level (ID), and one national (USA)--illustrate ongoing threats to our public lands.  

An interview with Anjela Barnes, Vice President of the Accokeek Foundation, concerning her organization's efforts to enhance conservation and support cultural heritage work at Piscataway National Park.

A conversation with Cora Berchem of the Friends of Blue Springs State Park in Orange City, Florida. Photo 

Three audio rich stories from Campfire Stories: Tales from America's National Parks, performed and produced by guest hosts.

Sam Coulter interviews Nikayla Barnes about chronic wasting disease in deer.

Guest host Ben Reiter interviews Maddy Witt, Education Supervisor at the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota. Wolf photo by Derek Bakken, used via permission, Creative Commons.

Professor Olusegun Titus discusses his research and performances in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Germany and the UK, explaining how music amplifies the voices of communities struggling against environmental injustice. 

Three experts from the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC) explain their informative research and creative mitigation efforts for dealing with carp. 

Sierra Salato and Mikaela Morris interview the band NUNNABOVE about their environmental musicianship for the Together Alone project, performance for Metro Blooms, new album, as well as their experience on America's Got Talent.

An interview with musician Alisha Todd from the Gold Coast of Australia. Alisha discusses her music and music videos as well as her upcoming performance for the Together Alone project. 

A quick recap of the past year and an introduction to a special series of upcoming episodes with musicians from the Together Alone project.

A conversation with Clement Loo, Host of the Just Sustainability Podcast, concerning public land policies and changing cultural perspectives on land.

Environmental Journalist Heather Hansman discusses the reclamation of mines and other lands for the creation of parks and trails as well as the work and life of an environmental journalist.

An interview with Stephen Capra, Executive Director of Footloose Montana. Capra discusses conservation issues surrounding the trapping of wildlife in Montana as well as the increasing numbers of wolves hunted each year in the state. Photo taken by Gary Kramer and used under Creative Commons license.

Courtney Lyons-Garcia, Executive Director of the Public Lands Foundation, discusses the work of the PLF and their ongoing efforts to steward and advocate for Bureau of land Management lands, waterways, and communities. Credit and thanks to Justin Meissen for the use of photo, copyright: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

A discussion with Trish Riley, Founding Director of the Cinema Verde Film and Arts Festival in Gainesville, Florida. Trish explains the important and growing roles of film, festivals, and the arts in environmental stewardship.

Today we talk with Abby Wines, Spokesperson for Death Valley National Park, about the recent heat waves and what can be learned from Death Valley when facing a future of increasingly extreme weather. 

An interview with Chris Havel, Associate Director of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. After Portland hit 116 degrees on Monday, June 28, and a “heat dome” hovered over the Pacific Northwest, what did this weather event portend for Oregon's state parks and what does it portend for the future?

Patrick Kelly explores the Newton Horace Winchell Trail along the Mississippi River Gorge

Sean Quartz interviews Blair Libby. Libby has helped facilitate collaboration between Forest Managers belonging to the National Forest Service, Salish, Kootanai, and Pend d’Oreille tribes.

Nicole Binder covers the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood of Raingardens project in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and interviews the Executive Director of Metro Blooms, Becky Rice

Dalicia Davis speaks to environmental justice organizer and teacher, Louis Alemayehu. Alemayehu teaches environmental sustainability at the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs in Minneapolis Minnesota and is a community organizer with Environmental Justice Advocates of Minnesota (EJAM).

This week we visit Milltown State Park and the Four Dances Recreation Area in Montana as well as the Lower Paddock Trail in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It is a hopeful story of confluence, conservation, and restoration told at and across each of these beautiful parks and preserves. Photography and original sound produced on site. Additional sound files provided by the following Freesound contributors: sandyrb, ryanconway, AlanCat, Andune, fabianofa, waxsocks, InspectorJ Bansemer, Nivatius, and bevibeldesign.

An interview with Tim Morton about his book Hyperobjects: Philosophy and Ecology after the End of the World, hosted by the Environmental Humanities Initiative at the University of Minnesota.

Grace Augustin interviews wildlife photographer, Ben Olson.

Carynn Jo Randolph explores discrimination against LGBTQ communities, equity, access, and inclusion in outdoor recreation

Alexandra Barret explores the ecological roles played by urban parks and gardens and interviews Dr. Greg Pratt in regard to the effects of poor air quality on parks and gardens. Photo used by permission from Mactan Urban Demonstration Farm.

Valerie Lucas interviews Julie Van Stappen, Chief of Resource Management at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore about the islands, Lake Superior, and the environmental challenges they have been facing in recent years. Photo courtesy of Jeff the quiet, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Grace Hiljus interviews National Park Service Ranger Hanna Schwalbe about the impact of air pollution at Joshua Tree National Park.

This year will bring new interviews of environmental and public land experts each week, dropping on Mondays, starting January 25. This podcast kicks off the year by telling what's to come and reviewing the many environmental regulations rolled back during the Trump Administration, including in the waning days of his Presidency.

Taylor Leapaldt interviews legendary singer songwriter about his performance for the Together Alone project (togetheralonemusic.net) and the role of music in relation to environmental justice, making place, and protecting public lands. Photo of Chuckanut Point used with permission: By Waterboy881 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76218539

Dr. Catherine Squires, Associate Dean at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, discusses her long term research and community engagement at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center and Gordon Park High School in St. Paul, the history of racist displacement by development and transportation plans, and community resistance and healing.

David Beard and Heather Graves join us to talk about their book, The Rhetoric of Oil in the Twenty First Century. Photo used by permission, thanks to Ali Abu Ras https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=95959798

A panel of scientists and organization leaders discuss the impact of whale watching on Southern Resident Killer Whales to mark the free public launch of "Sentinels of Silence: Whale Watching, Noise, and the Orca," which is available on YouTube and Ecosong.Net.

A conversation with Geographer Rod Squires about the cultural landscape of public land policy making in America.

We chat this week with Colorado University's Phaedra Pezzullo about her book Toxic Tours, her collaboration with the Sierra Club's (and UNC prof) Robert Cox, environmental advertising, and signs of hope in environmental communication.

This week we explore the rise of Zoomtowns in gateway communities to our state and national parks, and the overcrowding problem that has resulted in part from COVID-19.

This week we explore the rise of "Zoomtowns" and the impact of COVID-19 on public lands as visitation to parks and wildlands increases.

As we think about the public dissemination of science in relation to our public lands and waterways, a rebroadcast of one of our greatest hits, and interview with marine scientist, Joe Gaydos, Director of the Sea Doc Society.

Hadley Nellis brings us Part 3 of her series on Environmental Racism, interviewing Gina Ramirez of the National Resources Defense Council.

Associate Producer Hadley Nellis brings us her 2nd podcast in a series on Environmental Racism and Justice. Adrien Salazar, Senior Campaign Strategist for Climate Equity, brings home the story of the inequitable systems and relationships that created the climate crisis, and offers effective and equitable responses to the global climate crisis.

Public lands news of the week and interpretive resources in the time of COVID-19, and a rerun of last year's interview with NPS ranger, Paula Swingley, to remember what interpretation was like before the virus and will be again in the future.