Saving The West

In this episode, we look at the complicated landscape of waste management in the West with Kate Bailey of Eco-Cycle in Boulder, Colo. and environmental justice advocate Ms. Margaret Gordon in West Oakland to hear how bad things are, and what we can do to up-cycle toward better future.

One thing is clear--we’ve only got this one planet. So we’ve gotta take care of her. And while we figure it out, we’ve all gotta eat. But what’s the best diet, the most sustainable, the food for the future? We speak with UCLA professor Jenny Jay who argues for increased veganism -and Joe Morris, of Morris Grassfed, who is pushing for sustainable ranching as the best model for the future of food.    

It’s produce grown in the Central Valley and shipped to your supermarket, the dinner plate served at your favorite restaurant. Most likely it was brought to you by the blood, sweat, and tears of immigrants. And today we’re looking at immigration through the lens of food. Saving the West speaks with Saru Jayaraman (co-founder of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United), Hernan Hernandez (executive director of the Central Valley Farmworker Foundation), and Ben Miller and Cristina Martinez (who run South Philly Barbacoa in Philadelphia).

Whether it’s Annie Oakley or Sheryl Sandberg, women in the West forge their own paths--from the frontier to the digital frontier. This episode spotlights women forging their own paths, and blazing trails for other women to follow.

In December, a famous Yellowstone wolf nicknamed Spitfire was legally shot outside the park--bringing fresh immediacy to an age-old debate about man vs nature, and man vs wolf. So have federal wolf protections been successful, allowing them to fend for themselves? Or do wolves still need a helping hand after some breeds neared extinction? Depends who you ask. Cole Mannix, the associate director of the Western Landowners Alliance, tells us that wolves should be killed to save livestock. Meanwhile, author and wolf advocate Brenda Peterson says wolves must be protected at all costs, as a necessary part of a healthy Western landscape--and the Western mind. Buckle up and Giddy Up!

From rising sea levels in Miami to melting snow in the Cascade Mountains, winter’s hot future is as tumultuous as the political climate in Washington. Throw a midwestern polar vortex into the mix and you’ve really got yourself some global weirding. Saving the West speaks with a climatologist studying how warming winters affect ski towns and ripple effects in the economy--and a climate activist working to keep Florida above water. Buckle up and Giddy Up!

Missing federal paychecks and warring political parties spell dangerous conditions for firefighters and air traffic controllers--and Saving The West shares stories from the firelines and eyes in the skies. And while the government is temporarily reopened, it's not back to business as usual. So many of our federal institutions are still suffering and bracing for long term impacts, in face of a short term solution. Nothing will erase the traumas and long-term impacts of FBI agents getting food at a local food bank, TSA agents in danger of losing their houses, major airports grounding flights. Sounds like a scene from an apocalyptic Hollywood blockbuster. No, just a country in chaos, during the longest government shutdown in American history. In this episode we hone in on safety during the shutdown, from our air spaces to our fire prone federal lands. Our hosts Devan Schwartz, Alex Warren, and Megan Donis speak with Aaron Merrick of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association in Kansas City and Mike Degrosky of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation in Missoula, about the human cost of a government shutdown.

Strong men also cry. And farmers often don't address depression. From rural farmland to urban centers, we find struggles in the American food system--and explore solutions via farmers and farmers markets. Reporter Maggie Mullen explores #AGTWITTER and then we host a conversation between a cattleman well-versed in how social media can help during lonely times and an advocate from eliminating food deserts.  

Native American identity came into the spotlight this year when Senator Elizabeth Warren claimed Cherokee status through a DNA test. President Trump, who called her Pocohontas, wasn’t satisfied. Justifiably so, Native Americans had their own opinions. Our hosts Devan Schwartz, Alex Warren, and Megan Donis speak with: Joe Whittle, an enrolled member of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, and Janeen Comenote, executive director of the National Urban Indian Family Coalition. And we hear about Inter-mountain West schools’ expanded Native American curricula with reporter Ali Budner.

Big Tech continues to expand in the West. And as they do, they’re increasingly looking beyond their birthplace - Silicon Valley. In this episode, we travel to Nevada to hear about a Tesla factory that's fundamentally changing an area known as much for natural beauty as manufacturing efficiency.

Monsoons are nothing new in Arizona--but hurricanes? As the Southwest dries out from massive flooding, we hear from ordinary citizens dealing with the fallout--and experts who break down future challenges in the region of precipitation and rising temperatures. Then we talk with two men of faith who read the tea leaves very differently when it comes to weather vs. climate change.

The over 3 million miles of American rivers and streams meet between 80,000 and Two Million dams. They were built for water storage, hydroelectricity, and flood control. Since the nation was founded, we’ve built an average of a dam per day. But should four dams on the Snake River be removed to help the struggling Salmon--or are there better solutions? Join us to learn more about the high-stakes debates over hydroelectric dams.

The vast landscape of the Western United States encompasses pretty much every terrain imaginable. A rising mass from eastern plains on west, across a continental divide featuring some of the continent’s tallest peaks. But there is something that unites the communities of the West: wildfire. And with an already historic fire season on hand, the question remains, are we doing enough to prevent them?

The U.S. government lays claim to more than 630 million acres of land. For some perspective, that’s more than the combined area of California, Florida, New York state and Texas. Public land is exactly what it sounds like, right? Owned by everyone. But this episode shows how ownership and stewardship mean two very different things when a prominent group of ranchers take on the federal government.

The prevailing narrative is clear: America is divided and it’s only getting worse. But if you look closer, you will find there’s much more that binds us together than tears us apart. Welcome to Saving the West, where urban and rural America sit down and listen to each other. Each week, host Steve Chiotakis takes you to different parts of this country to hear stories about everything from conservation to development, public lands management to food production.