Podcast appearances and mentions of ben goldfarb

Episode 116: In this conversation, Kate sits down with John Seabrook, author of The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty, to explore the intersection of farming, family history and intergenerational trauma, and the evolution of the agricultural industry. John shares insights from his family's farming legacy, discussing the transformation from traditional farming to mechanization and industrialization. The dialogue delves into labor, farming, class, legacy, industrialization, and more—a historical conversation that highlights the complexities and challenges faced by the agricultural sector today.Kate and John also explore the complexities of family dynamics, brand identity, and the expectations placed upon him by his family legacy. He reflects on the blurred lines between the real family and the branded image they created, the impact of generational trauma, and the challenges of reconciling his family's history with the truth. They also touch on the mythologizing of the American dream, ultimately asking what we do with narratives that we've inherited, and how to tell new stories for the living. Find John:The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American DynastyWebsiteInstagram: @jmseabrookX: @jmseabrookRelated Episodes:Episode 86: Nicola Twilley and the history of the cold chain and refrigerationEpisode 72: Ben Goldfarb talking about how building roads changed AmericaEpisode 75: Cole Mannix on intergenerational farming Episode 108: Alice Driver on immigrant workers in modern poultry processingEpisode 88: Steven Kurutz on the legacy of American manufacturing Episode 104: Will Bardenwerper on how baseball builds communitiesSupport Kate: PatreonSubstackPayPal-Leave a One Time TipAffiliates:REDMOND REAL SALT: Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off at Redmond.lifeFIELD COMPANY CAST IRON: fieldcompany.com/kate_kavanaughBAHÉ FOOTWEAR: Use the code ‘Kate10'...

Episode 115: In this episode, Kate sits down with Jordan Thomas to talk about his new book When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed World. It might not be the conversation you expect, opening by exploring fire's centrality to what it is to be human and how relational and contextual fire is. Jordan guides us through the last ten thousand years of fire use by Indigenous communities. Jordan then does a dive into understanding the intertwining of fire and capitalism through the last 300 years, culminating in the last decade or so of megafires, fueled by climate change. Jordan is an anthropologist and former wildland firefighter and while he's sharing how fire has transformed our world, he also shares how the process of writing this book transformed him, and the joy, grief, trauma, and love he goes through in his search to better understand fire. The conversation winds down talking about prescribed burns and using fire with intention. In the end, Kate and Jordan come back around to relationships and how much they matter in exploring how humanity might once again shift their relationship with fire. Jordan's Book: When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed WorldReference Episodes:Episode 112: Mariah Blake on PFAS, Chemicals in Firefighting Episode 61:Robbie Krapfel on Fighting FireEpisode 95: Brock Dolman on Fire, Water, and BeaversEpisode 72: Ben Goldfarb on Beavers, Built and Natural Worlds Episode 85: John Vaillant on FireEpisode 93: John Perlin on our Relationship to Wood and ForestsEpisode 113: Marguerite Holloway on Our Relationship to ForestsSupport Kate: PatreonSubstackPayPal-Leave a One Time TipSponsored By:REDMOND REAL SALT: Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off at Redmond.lifeAffiliates:FIELD COMPANY CAST IRON: fieldcompany.com/kate_kavanaughBAHÉ FOOTWEAR: Use the code ‘Kate10' for 10% off. HOME OF WOOL: 10% off Home of

On this weeks episode Brendan sits down with Ben Goldfarb, an independent conservation journalist.  He's the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.  His work has appeared in a number of publications you've probably heard of, from The Atlantic, New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Science, The New Yorker, National Geographic, and many other publications! Ben talks about his first two books, how he connects with the audience, and a request for your input Fisheries Podcast listeners!  Ben is working on his next book about fish movement and migration.  If you're interested in talking to Ben about your work he encourages you to reach out!    Check out his website for his contact information, and information about his books! https://www.bengoldfarb.com/   Main point: "Don't be afraid to talk to journalists about your work!" Get in touch with us! The Fisheries Podcast is on Facebook, X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky: @FisheriesPod  Become a Patron of the show: https://www.patreon.com/FisheriesPodcast Buy podcast shirts, hoodies, stickers, and more: https://teespring.com/stores/the-fisheries-podcast-fan-shop Thanks as always to Andrew Gialanella for the fantastic intro/outro music. The Fisheries Podcast is a completely independent podcast, not affiliated with a larger organization or entity. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the podcast. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by the hosts are those of that individual and do not necessarily reflect the view of any entity with those individuals are affiliated in other capacities (such as employers).

Amy, gravel rider (1:05). News: Street safety advocates call for protected bike lanes on California's deadly Pacific Coast Highway. https://mailchi.mp/streetsforall/pch-master-plan-042025?e=efb877b7f5 The City of Sacramento will be the first in the Nation to use cameras on buses that detect cars parked in bike lanes. https://fox40.com/news/local-news/sacramento/automated-bike-lane-enforcement-launches-in-sacramento-first-in-the-nation/ Austin, TX is going to spend $80,000 to remove a two way bike lane after some neighbors complained that they could not park immediately in front of their house and had difficulty driving to their mailboxes. https://www.kxan.com/news/why-austin-will-spend-80k-to-remove-newly-installed-bike-lanes/. (3:04). Transpo Maps creator and safe streets activist Stephen Bratisch discusses how SF was able to continue the Slow Street movement after the Pandemic ended and car dominance returned (6:38). Crossings author Ben Goldfarb on LA's massive wildlife crossing over the 101 freeway, and what will keep wildlife from being slaughtered on roads (24:35). Corra Boushel of Edinburgh's Infrasisters - a group of women campaigning for night-time cycling infrastructure that's safe and comfortable for women and girls (40:17). Bike Thought: “Crosswalk creepers” by Our Streets Minneapolis Board President Laura Groenjes Mitchell (54:23).

Join us for replay of  Spokesman-Review Northwest Passages conversation with Ben Goldfarb, author of the New York Times bestseller "Crossings" from Sept. 21, 2023.In this engaging event, we'll delve into the world of animal migrations, conservation, and the challenges they face. In his compelling book, he examines our dependence on highways and roads as an environmental concern as well as a social one. "Crossings" explores the incredible journeys of wildlife as they traverse diverse landscapes. From salmon's epic migrations to the monarch butterflies' incredible feats, Goldfarb's book highlights the struggles and successes of these creatures in adapting to changing environments.During this live event, Ben Goldfarb will share insights into the obstacles these animals encounter and the innovative conservation efforts aimed at protecting them. He's a dedicated advocate for preserving ecosystems, making this conversation a valuable opportunity to discuss pressing environmental issues. In this special conversation, celebrate wildlife resilience and explore ways to foster coexistence with nature. Whether you're an environmental enthusiast or just curious about the natural world, this event promises an enriching experience.

Episode 105: In this conversation, Kate sits down with author and entrepreneur Paul Hawken ti explore the multifaceted role of carbon in life and talk about his new book, ‘Carbon: the Book of Life'. It's an episode challenging the conventional narrative that reduces carbon to an errant molecule within the atmosphere and connects it back to the molecule that flows through 99% of all substances on earth. Paul and Kate discuss the importance of recognizing the complexity and interconnectedness of life–encouraging a shift from reductionist thinking to a more holistic understanding of our relationship with the environment, advocating for transformative actions rooted in compassion and connection while recognizing humanity's role. They also discuss the power of language, the potential of possibility, and some of the incredible innovations we're embarking on. This is an episode for the curious!Find Paul: Carbon: the Book of Life by Paul HawkenRegeneration by Paul HawkenDrawdown by Paul HawkenBlessed Unrest by Paul HawkenInstagram: @paulhawkenWebsiteResources Mentioned:Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de WaalThe Master and His Emissary by Iain McGilchrist Related Episodes:Episode 67 with Dan Egan on Phosphorous Episode 87 with Ferris Jabr on Earth's InterconnectionsEpisode 76 with Melanie Challenger on the Human AnimalEpisode 58 with Fred Provenza on Embracing the Unknown and AweEpisode 72 with Ben Goldfarb on Circular EconomiesSponsored By:REDMOND REAL SALTMine to Table Salt from Utah, Redmond Real Salt is packed full of 60+ Trace Minerals and is a staple in my kitchen. Find their salt, Re-Lyte Hydration Powder, and so much more here. Use code MINDBODYSOIL_15 for 15% off!redmond.lifeFIELD COMPANY CAST IRONUSA made cast iron. Light, thin bottomed, and smooth - just like vintage cast iron. My go to for everything from small skillets to big dutch ovens. fieldcompany.com/kate_kavanaugh

Wildlife crossings save animals' lives by enabling them to cross roads in search of food, water and nesting sites safely, while also protecting biodiversity and reducing costly motor vehicle accidents. Without a safe place to cross the roads cutting through their habitat, animals suffer many negative consequences, explains my guest this week, environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb, the author of the book “Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet.” Podcast Links for Show notes Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It's what I still do today, without exception to get incredible results, even in the most challenging conditions. Subscribe to the joegardener® email list to receive weekly updates about new podcast episodes, seasonal gardening tips, and online gardening course announcements. Check out The joegardener® Online Gardening Academy for our growing library of organic gardening courses. Follow joegardener® on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, and subscribe to The joegardenerTV YouTube channel.

A new framework for considering the needs of the “more-than-human world” when designing human-made systems is “ecological empathy,” the focus of Lauren Lambert, founder of Future Now, a sustainability consulting firm. Her research, Ecological empathy: Relational theory and practice, was published in the journal Ecosystems and People in late 2024, when she was at Arizona State University. She joins the podcast to detail the concept and its potential for reconnecting humans with nature for mutual benefit. "Ecological empathy as I define it [is] essentially a framework of practice for how to use empathy as a guide to connect to the more-than-human world, and integrate our interdependence and relationships with the more-than-human world in everyday thinking, everyday practice, and specifically in the places where we work," she says. Previous newscast guests like Carl Safina, argued for overhauling how humans raise and farm seafood. Ben Goldfarb discussed how road crossings can help humans move toward a less environmentally damaging road infrastructure network in his award-winning book Crossings, which documents what he calls “road ecology.” Subscribe to or follow the Mongabay Newscast wherever you listen to podcasts, from Apple to Spotify, and you can also listen to all episodes here on the Mongabay website. Image Credit: A Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita) in Indonesian New Guinea. Photo by Rhett A. Butler. ---- Timecodes (00:00) What is ‘ecological empathy'? (10:50) The limits of feelings (15:38) The theory of change (21:22) How do you apply it? (33:29) Real-world examples (44:29) What empathy is and isn't (52:30) Credits

Guest Ben Goldfarb is an environmental journalist whose work has appeared in National Geographic, the Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, and many other publications. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. He lives in Colorado with his wife, Elise, and his dog, Kit — which is, of course, what you call a baby beaver. Summary In this two-part episode, Jeff Ikler talks with author and environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb about his book Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. They explore the intersection of wildlife conservation and infrastructure, focusing on wildlife crossings, roadkill reduction, and habitat preservation. Ben highlights the economic and environmental benefits of wildlife-friendly infrastructure and discusses the importance of advocacy, public awareness, and collaboration to address the challenges posed by human development. Overall Takeaways Wildlife Crossings Save Lives: Properly designed crossings dramatically reduce roadkill and improve public safety, addressing the economic and ecological costs of animal-vehicle collisions. Collaboration is Key: Road ecology requires partnerships between transportation agencies, conservationists, policymakers, and communities to implement effective and sustainable solutions. Advocacy and Awareness Matter: Public support and legislative action are essential to fund and prioritize wildlife crossings and habitat preservation projects for long-term impact. Social Media / Referenced Website: https://www.bengoldfarb.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben.a.goldfarb/ X: https://twitter.com/ben_a_goldfarb Books: Crossings: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1324005890 Eager: https://www.amazon.com/Eager-Surprising-Secret-Beavers-Matter/dp/160358739X Overall Takeaways Wildlife Crossings Save Lives: Properly designed crossings dramatically reduce roadkill and improve public safety, addressing the economic and ecological costs of animal-vehicle collisions. Collaboration is Key: Road ecology requires partnerships between transportation agencies, conservationists, policymakers, and communities to implement effective and sustainable solutions. Advocacy and Awareness Matter: Public support and legislative action are essential to fund and prioritize wildlife crossings and habitat preservation projects for long-term impact. Social Media / Referenced Website: https://www.bengoldfarb.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben.a.goldfarb/ X: https://twitter.com/ben_a_goldfarb Books: Crossings: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1324005890 Eager: https://www.amazon.com/Eager-Surprising-Secret-Beavers-Matter/dp/160358739X

Guest Ben Goldfarb is an environmental journalist whose work has appeared in National Geographic, the Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, and many other publications. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. He lives in Colorado with his wife, Elise, and his dog, Kit — which is, of course, what you call a baby beaver. Summary In this episode, Jeff Ikler talks with author and environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb about his book Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. They explore the intersection of wildlife conservation and infrastructure, focusing on wildlife crossings, roadkill reduction, and habitat preservation. Ben highlights the economic and environmental benefits of wildlife-friendly infrastructure and discusses the importance of advocacy, public awareness, and collaboration to address the challenges posed by human development. Focus of Part 1 Defines road ecology Explains why crossings are critical How various groups—road ecologists, wildlife biologists, conservation aid organizations, government agencies, and transportation departments—collaborate to bring about beneficial solutions How crossings are financed Argues that we must commit to habitat preservation as well as providing safe passage Overall Takeaways Wildlife Crossings Save Lives: Properly designed crossings dramatically reduce roadkill and improve public safety, addressing the economic and ecological costs of animal-vehicle collisions. Collaboration is Key: Road ecology requires partnerships between transportation agencies, conservationists, policymakers, and communities to implement effective and sustainable solutions. Advocacy and Awareness Matter: Public support and legislative action are essential to fund and prioritize wildlife crossings and habitat preservation projects for long-term impact. Social Media / Referenced Website: https://www.bengoldfarb.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben.a.goldfarb/ X: https://twitter.com/ben_a_goldfarb Books: Crossings: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1324005890 Eager: https://www.amazon.com/Eager-Surprising-Secret-Beavers-Matter/dp/160358739X  

Ben Goldfab is an independent conservation journalist. He's the  author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. Ben's writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Science, The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic, Orion Magazine, Mother Jones, The Guardian, High Country News, Outside Magazine, Smithsonian, bioGraphic, Pacific Standard, Audubon Magazine, Scientific American, Vox, OnEarth, Yale Environment 360, Grantland, The Nation, Hakai Magazine, VICE News, and other publications.His fiction has appeared in publications including Motherboard, Moss, Bellevue Literary Review, and The Hopper, which nominated me for a Pushcart Prize. My non-fiction has been anthologized in The Best American Science & Nature Writing and Cosmic Outlaws: Coming of Age at the End of Nature. I live in Colorado with his wife, Elise, and his dog, Kit — which is, of course, what you call a baby beaver.In this episode, Mark and Ben speak about beavers and their importance in balancing the ecosystems in which they live, animal migration patterns and how humans have impacted these routes and much more.  To read some of Ben's works, see the links below:Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our PlanetEager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They MatterArticles Save What You Love with Mark Titus:⁣Produced: Emilie FirnEdited: Patrick Troll⁣Music: Whiskey Class⁣Instagram: @savewhatyoulovepodcastWebsite: savewhatyoulove.evaswild.comSupport wild salmon at evaswild.com

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for January 23, 2025 is: wanderlust • WAHN-der-lust • noun Wanderlust refers to a strong desire to travel. // During their final semester at college, the two friends were both filled with an insatiable wanderlust and began planning a journey to Patagonia together. See the entry > Examples: "In a few weeks, Ortega explained in a quiet moment, the Red Desert herd would begin its annual pilgrimage toward summer range. ... Some were homebodies, wandering only a few dozen miles. Others, as Hall Sawyer had shown, would trek 150 miles. And one legendary doe, Deer 255, ditched her herdmates and pressed on—up to the Gros Ventre Range, along the shores of Jackson Lake, and across the Snake River, all the way to Idaho. Was this mere wanderlust or part of a broader survival strategy?" — Ben Goldfarb, Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, 2023 Did you know? "For my part," writes Robert Louis Stevenson in Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes, "I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move..." Sounds like a case of wanderlust if we ever heard one. Those with wanderlust don't necessarily need to go anywhere in particular; they just don't care to stay in one spot. The etymology of wanderlust is a very simple one that you can probably figure out yourself. Wanderlust is a lust for wandering. The word comes from German, in which wandern means "to wander, hike, or stray" and Lust means "pleasure" or "desire."

This week on the KPL Podcast we provide and list of some of our favorite books of 2024.  We tried to limit ourselves to 4 books apiece so 8 in total.1. Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb   episode 2262. The Measure by Nikki Erlick3. The Golem of Brooklyn by Adam Mansbach  episode 2564. The Cook's Book: recipes for keeps and essential techniques to master everyday cooking by Bri McKoy   episode 2215. The Talented Mrs Mandelbaum: This of rise and fall of an American organized crime-boss by Margalit Fox6. The Secret History of sharks: the rise of the ocean's most fearsome predators by John Long episode 2497. Ship Fever and Other Stories by Andrea Barrett8. The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong  episode 252

On this episode of "Ready: Leaders to Know," Bill's guest is Ben Goldfarb. Ben's leadership journey began with his parents' commitment to civic advocacy and activism and continued through his discovery of “organizing” as a field. His organizing has spanned work with indigenous communities in Montana to election campaigns in Ireland. He's run the Klobuchar campaign and Wellstone Action and is currently working with the McKnight Foundation and excited about their bold shifts on climate and democracy.

This week on ‘The Write Question,' conservation journalist Ben Goldfarb discusses ‘Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet' (W. W. Norton & Company).

This week on ‘The Write Question,' conservation journalist Ben Goldfarb discusses ‘Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet' (W. W. Norton & Company).

About the Guest: Ben Goldfarb is an award-winning environmental journalist and prolific author known for his focus on the intersection of human activity and wildlife. His works, including Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, explore groundbreaking ecological concepts and have been recognized by outlets such as the New York Times. Goldfarb's influential book Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter has received critical acclaim for its insightful examination of the ecological significance of beavers. He currently resides in Colorado. Episode Summary: In this episode of 90 Miles from Needles, host Chris Clarke engages in a thought-provoking dialogue with environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb. The focus is on the nuanced field of road ecology and its implications on desert ecosystems. Clarke and Goldfarb delve into the effects of roads on wildlife, touching on staggering statistics like the million animals killed by cars daily in the U.S. alone. They explore how roadkill, highways, and infrastructures challenge species such as desert tortoises and pronghorns in arid regions, combining environmental insight with ground-level observations. As the conversation unfolds, Goldfarb expands on the transformative role of road ecology—a growing scientific discipline that examines the relationship between transportation infrastructures and ecological systems. He highlights pressing issues including hydrological impacts, wildlife mobility, and innovative solutions like wildlife crossings to promote ecological connectivity. Clarke and Goldfarb also explore technologies, policies, and community efforts aimed at mitigating the adverse impacts of roads on the environment, weaving in discussions on living sustainability in desert habitats. Key Takeaways Road Ecology Definition: Road ecology is a dynamic scientific field focusing on how transportation infrastructure affects the environment, with extended applications from mitigating roadkill to supporting wildlife crossings. Impact on Desert Ecosystems: Roads in desert landscapes alter wildlife movement and hydrology, posing severe threats to species needing extensive ranges like the desert tortoise and pronghorn. Wildlife Crossings: Successful wildlife crossings such as the Liberty Canyon project are vital in reducing road mortality and ensuring wildlife connectivity, especially in regions with high biodiversity. Human Infrastructure Influence: The conversation highlights how human infrastructure can drive either positive ecological developments as in beaver habitats or embody detrimental impacts like excessive road development. Beavers in Arid Lands: Goldfarb emphasizes that beavers once played a crucial role in maintaining riparian ecosystems in deserts, underlining the potential for ecosystem restoration. Notable Quotes "Road ecology is this relatively small but fast-growing field of science that looks at all of the different connections between roads and nature." – Ben Goldfarb "Beavers are sort of integral to those systems… the amount of lush flourishing in desert landscapes is incredible." – Ben Goldfarb "Every ecological impact stems from a road to some extent. Roads are the root of all evil." – Ben Goldfarb "We happen to do it in a way that is incredibly detrimental to biodiversity." – Ben Goldfarb "In some ways, we and beavers are these weird mirror images of each other." – Ben Goldfarb Resources Ben Goldfarb's Book: Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet Ben Goldfarb's Book: Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter Don't miss out on this enlightening episode as Ben Goldfarb shares his invaluable insights into road ecology and its profound impact on desert ecosystems. Follow 90 Miles from Needles for more episodes that delve into pressing environmental issues and explore sustainable solutions.Become a desert defender!: https://90milesfromneedles.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, to conclude a month of chaos I interviewed environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb about his book Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter. --- Click here to support the Wednesday Blog: https://www.patreon.com/sthosdkane. Links Ben Goldfarb's Website: https://www.bengoldfarb.com NOAA Fisheries, "Oregon Beavers Engineer Better Fish Habitat, More Fish," 14 July 2016. Popular Science, "From the Archives: Do Beavers Rule on Mars?", 6 May 2022. Harvest Public Media, "The Midwest and Great Plains are gearing up for water fights fueled by climate change", 3 Sep 2024. Photo Credit: Beaver in the Pipestone Creek, Pipestone National Monument, Minnesota. Photo: Gabe Yellowhawk. Public Domain. Learn more here. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sean-thomas-kane/support

Some animals plod across roads without hesitation. Others dart across quickly, while still more freeze at the sight of an oncoming car. A final group avoids roads altogether. Four distinct approaches, yet roads can have devastating impacts on animals regardless of their type of response.  Thankfully, wildlife crossings can help.  Join me and award-winning author Ben Goldfarb as we explore a fragment of old growth oak woodland, discussing how roads impact the environment and imagining a future that's safer and more connected for humans and wildlife alike.  Make sure to check out Ben's book, Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, available just about everywhere books are sold. If you'd like to buy Crossings from The Bookery in Placerville, you can reach out to Heather and Darin via DM on Instagram @bookeryplacerville or give them a call at (530) 626-6454. If you're quick, you may even get a signed copy! They also carry Ben's first book, Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why they Matter.  Helpful Links:  Ben's Website California Crossings Map by the Wildlands Network  Report roadkill hotspots with CROS (California Roadkill Observation System)  Support Golden State Naturalist on Patreon and get perks starting at $4/month.  Follow me on Instagram.  My website is goldenstatenaturalist.com.  Bird song recordings are from Xeno-Canto. The western bluebird recording, XC237281, is by Denise Wright, and the Creative Commons license can be found here. The wrentit recording, XC408459, is by Frank Lambert, and the Creative Commons license can be found here.  by John Carrel License. The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found here.

LAist Correspondent Jill Replogle speaks with Ben Goldfarb, an environmental journalist, wildlife enthusiast, and author of Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. They discuss how roads impact the wild animals in our midst, what wildlife crossings can do to mitigate that impact, and some of the other ecological solutions that are taking shape. Grow your business–no matter what stage you're in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. 

LAist Correspondent Jill Replogle speaks with Ben Goldfarb, an environmental journalist, wildlife enthusiast, and author of Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. They discuss how roads impact the wild animals in our midst, what wildlife crossings can do to mitigate that impact, and some of the other ecological solutions that are taking shape. Grow your business–no matter what stage you're in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. 

LAist Correspondent Jill Replogle speaks with Ben Goldfarb, an environmental journalist, wildlife enthusiast, and author of Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. They discuss how roads impact the wild animals in our midst, what wildlife crossings can do to mitigate that impact, and some of the other ecological solutions that are taking shape. Grow your business–no matter what stage you're in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. 

LAist Correspondent Jill Replogle speaks with Ben Goldfarb, an environmental journalist, wildlife enthusiast, and author of Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. They discuss how roads impact the wild animals in our midst, what wildlife crossings can do to mitigate that impact, and some of the other ecological solutions that are taking shape. Grow your business–no matter what stage you're in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. 

LAist Correspondent Jill Replogle speaks with Ben Goldfarb, an environmental journalist, wildlife enthusiast, and author of Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. They discuss how roads impact the wild animals in our midst, what wildlife crossings can do to mitigate that impact, and some of the other ecological solutions that are taking shape. Grow your business–no matter what stage you're in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. Support LAist Today: https://LAist.com/join

LAist Correspondent Jill Replogle speaks with Ben Goldfarb, an environmental journalist, wildlife enthusiast, and author of Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. They discuss how roads impact the wild animals in our midst, what wildlife crossings can do to mitigate that impact, and some of the other ecological solutions that are taking shape. Grow your business–no matter what stage you're in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. 

LAist Correspondent Jill Replogle speaks with Ben Goldfarb, an environmental journalist, wildlife enthusiast, and author of Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. They discuss how roads impact the wild animals in our midst, what wildlife crossings can do to mitigate that impact, and some of the other ecological solutions that are taking shape. Grow your business–no matter what stage you're in. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at SHOPIFY.COM/paradise Support for this podcast is made possible by Gordon and Dona Crawford, who believe that quality journalism makes Los Angeles a better place to live. 

In the second hour of "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, we preview the Western New York Land Conservancy's upcoming event with environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb and discuss how roadways and human infrastructure impact the environment.

Roads are essential to our modern lives, so much so that they largely exist in the background of our minds. When we do think of roads, we're either complaining about traffic or celebrating them for enabling our restless need to explore. Can you imagine if all of the world's 40 million miles of roads were suddenly erased? Chaos for humanity. But a boon perhaps to natural ecosystems. In Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, author Ben Goldfarb takes readers on a fascinating tour of the relatively recent science of road ecology. Even beyond their impact on roadkill, roads are powerful disruptors of natural ecosystems, bringing noise, pollution, and humans to natural areas and fragmenting landscapes. And as Goldfarb demonstrates, we are only just starting to reckon with the widespread effects of roads and integrate this knowledge into road design. After this fascinating conversation, you'll never think of roads in the same way again! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a significant part of the global population now reliant on paved road systems for the daily functioning of our lives, it is easy to overlook the impacts they have on our human and more-than-human communities.But how did so many of us become seemingly locked into this dependence on the “normalized violence” of these networks? And what does it mean to support harm reduction in the context of built infrastructures — or even dare to lean into possibilities of regenerative road ethics?In this episode, second-time guest Ben Goldfarb of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet (previously featured here) calls on us to confront the harmful-by-default impacts of our road systems. Join us as we uncover the various forms of highway pollution that communities of color are disproportionately subjected to; how roads impact our more-than-human communities beyond roadkill; what road decommissioning projects have entailed in practice; and more.What does it mean to alchemize change for transport systems that are quite literally being rigidified as they further expand — entrenching us deeper into these status quo ways of world-making?We invite you to…tune in and subscribe to Green Dreamer via any podcast app;join us on Patreon for the extended version of this episode;and subscribe to our newsletter and latest updates here.

Ben Goldfarb is an independent conservation journalist and award-winning author of books that include Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. In this episode of Nature Revisited, Ben describes how roads have transformed our planet and disrupted the natural order of wildlife throughout the United States and around the world. As our planet's road network continues to grow exponentially, the science of road ecology has become increasingly vital to the future of all living beings. Ben's website: https://www.bengoldfarb.com Ben's book: https://www.bengoldfarb.com/crossings Listen to Nature Revisited on your favorite podcast apps or at https://noordenproductions.com Subscribe on Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/bdz4s9d7 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/5n7yx28t Podlink: https://pod.link/1456657951 Support Nature Revisited https://noordenproductions.com/support Nature Revisited is produced by Stefan Van Norden and Charles Geoghegan. We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions - contact us at https://noordenproductions.com/contact

Ten Across makes the future visible through examinations of communities in the southernmost U.S., which are often on the front lines of climate change. This applies especially to the engineering, design and politics surrounding intersections of our built and natural environments—where the development of more resilient and equitable infrastructure has proven to be an important theme.   Ten Across Conversations with Dr. Robert Bullard and Megan Kimble have offered a thorough look at the impacts of interstate highways on human health. However, we've rarely had the opportunity to explore another trade-off often demanded by these structures—one with tremendous implications for the future.  According to environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb, no human activity kills more animals than driving does. Collisions with vehicles have been responsible for a loss of 60% of the world's animal population since 1970, Ben reports. Further, human infrastructure has massively disrupted wild animals' habitats, health, and abilities to migrate for food and reproduction. Salmon and other migratory fish populations, for one newsworthy example, have rapidly declined due to the effects of mega-dams, culverts, chemicals from car tires, and rising heat from carbon emissions.  Biodiversity is essential to the systems that support life on Earth, and its decline contributes to worsening cycles that threaten ecological, climate and agricultural systems—as well as human health and wellbeing. But there is cause for hope: research provided by road ecologists—including many working along the I-10 transect—is beginning to inform selective redesigns of roadway infrastructure in ways that will protect wildlife.  Listen in as Ten Across founder Duke Reiter and author Ben Goldfarb discuss this extraordinary field—its mission, observations of human and animal behavior, and ideals for the future. Together they discover a vision of design that is inclusive of the natural world and may help us both to reach our climate targets and maintain the beauty of the native environment.

It is safe to say that Americans love their cars. The mythology of the open road speaks to us all, calling us for adventure. But American wildlife might have something else to say about that. One million animals are killed on roads every day but the problem with our transportation system goes beyond roadkill. Environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb says practically everything in the natural world is influenced by all these miles of gravel and tarmac. His latest book is “Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of our Planet.”  Enjoy this fascinating conversation with an author who traveled the world for answers about roads. Those roads take us to stories about cougars, butterflies, deer, and of course bears.  This show would not be possible without listener support. You can help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by donating at kuow.org/donate/thewild. Thank you. THE WILD is a production of KUOW, Chris Morgan Wildlife, and the NPR Network. This episode was produced by Matt Martin and edited by Jim Gates. The Wild is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan. Fact checking by Apryle Craig. Our theme music is by Michael Parker.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“We actually do need these animals on the landscape, and we're going to protect them and restore them and help their populations increase. And so, to me, beavers are proof that what we're doing as conservationists is not futile, right? That there really is reason for hope and optimism, which beavers demonstrate. I think that's a really important lesson for young people to hear is that you're not just entering this world of eco-anxiety and climate change and depression. There are some really hopeful wildlife stories out there, and you can be part of that future.”Ben Goldfarb is a conservation journalist. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.www.bengoldfarb.comhttps://wwnorton.com/books/9781324005896www.chelseagreen.com/product/eager-paperbackwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Every year, humanity's footprint casts a deadly shadow over our skies and landscapes, claiming the lives of billions of birds and other wildlife. What is road ecology? How are our roads driving certain species towards extinction? And what can we do about it?Ben Goldfarb is a conservation journalist. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.“We actually do need these animals on the landscape, and we're going to protect them and restore them and help their populations increase. And so, to me, beavers are proof that what we're doing as conservationists is not futile, right? That there really is reason for hope and optimism, which beavers demonstrate. I think that's a really important lesson for young people to hear is that you're not just entering this world of eco-anxiety and climate change and depression. There are some really hopeful wildlife stories out there, and you can be part of that future.”www.bengoldfarb.comhttps://wwnorton.com/books/9781324005896www.chelseagreen.com/product/eager-paperbackwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

“We actually do need these animals on the landscape, and we're going to protect them and restore them and help their populations increase. And so, to me, beavers are proof that what we're doing as conservationists is not futile, right? That there really is reason for hope and optimism, which beavers demonstrate. I think that's a really important lesson for young people to hear is that you're not just entering this world of eco-anxiety and climate change and depression. There are some really hopeful wildlife stories out there, and you can be part of that future.”Ben Goldfarb is a conservation journalist. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.www.bengoldfarb.comhttps://wwnorton.com/books/9781324005896www.chelseagreen.com/product/eager-paperbackwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Every year, humanity's footprint casts a deadly shadow over our skies and landscapes, claiming the lives of billions of birds and other wildlife. What is road ecology? How are our roads driving certain species towards extinction? And what can we do about it?Ben Goldfarb is a conservation journalist. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.“We actually do need these animals on the landscape, and we're going to protect them and restore them and help their populations increase. And so, to me, beavers are proof that what we're doing as conservationists is not futile, right? That there really is reason for hope and optimism, which beavers demonstrate. I think that's a really important lesson for young people to hear is that you're not just entering this world of eco-anxiety and climate change and depression. There are some really hopeful wildlife stories out there, and you can be part of that future.”www.bengoldfarb.comhttps://wwnorton.com/books/9781324005896www.chelseagreen.com/product/eager-paperbackwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Every year, humanity's footprint casts a deadly shadow over our skies and landscapes, claiming the lives of billions of birds and other wildlife. What is road ecology? How are our roads driving certain species towards extinction? And what can we do about it?Ben Goldfarb is a conservation journalist. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.“We actually do need these animals on the landscape, and we're going to protect them and restore them and help their populations increase. And so, to me, beavers are proof that what we're doing as conservationists is not futile, right? That there really is reason for hope and optimism, which beavers demonstrate. I think that's a really important lesson for young people to hear is that you're not just entering this world of eco-anxiety and climate change and depression. There are some really hopeful wildlife stories out there, and you can be part of that future.”www.bengoldfarb.comhttps://wwnorton.com/books/9781324005896www.chelseagreen.com/product/eager-paperbackwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

“We actually do need these animals on the landscape, and we're going to protect them and restore them and help their populations increase. And so, to me, beavers are proof that what we're doing as conservationists is not futile, right? That there really is reason for hope and optimism, which beavers demonstrate. I think that's a really important lesson for young people to hear is that you're not just entering this world of eco-anxiety and climate change and depression. There are some really hopeful wildlife stories out there, and you can be part of that future.”Ben Goldfarb is a conservation journalist. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.www.bengoldfarb.comhttps://wwnorton.com/books/9781324005896www.chelseagreen.com/product/eager-paperbackwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

“The creation of roads is this process that's sort of innate to all beings. You know, we're all sort of inclined to create and follow trails. We just do it at a much vaster and more permanent and destructive scale. I think we need to reconceive how we think about roads in some ways, right? I mean, we think about roads, certainly here in the U. S., as these symbols of movement and mobility and freedom, right? There's so much about the romance of the open road and so much of our popular culture going back to the mid-20th century when the interstate highway systems were built and writers like Jack Kerouac were singing the praises of the open highway. And certainly, roads play that role. I like driving. The iconic Western American road trip is kind of this wonderful experience, but you know, I think the purpose of this book is to say: Yes, roads are a source of human mobility and freedom, but they're doing precisely the opposite for basically all other forms of life, right? They're curtailing animal movement and mobility and freedom, both by killing them directly in the form of roadkill, but also by creating these kinds of impenetrable walls of traffic that prevent animals from moving around the landscape and accessing big swaths of their habitat. Right? So, that's kind of the mental reconfiguration we have to go through, which is to recognize that, hey, roads aren't just forms of mobility and freedom for us. They're also preventing that mobility in basically all other life forms.”Ben Goldfarb is a conservation journalist. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.www.bengoldfarb.comhttps://wwnorton.com/books/9781324005896www.chelseagreen.com/product/eager-paperbackwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

Every year, humanity's footprint casts a deadly shadow over our skies and landscapes, claiming the lives of billions of birds and other wildlife. What is road ecology? How are our roads driving certain species towards extinction? And what can we do about it?Ben Goldfarb is a conservation journalist. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.“The creation of roads is this process that's sort of innate to all beings. You know, we're all sort of inclined to create and follow trails. We just do it at a much vaster and more permanent and destructive scale. I think we need to reconceive how we think about roads in some ways, right? I mean, we think about roads, certainly here in the U. S., as these symbols of movement and mobility and freedom, right? There's so much about the romance of the open road and so much of our popular culture going back to the mid-20th century when the interstate highway systems were built and writers like Jack Kerouac were singing the praises of the open highway. And certainly, roads play that role. I like driving. The iconic Western American road trip is kind of this wonderful experience, but you know, I think the purpose of this book is to say: Yes, roads are a source of human mobility and freedom, but they're doing precisely the opposite for basically all other forms of life, right? They're curtailing animal movement and mobility and freedom, both by killing them directly in the form of roadkill, but also by creating these kinds of impenetrable walls of traffic that prevent animals from moving around the landscape and accessing big swaths of their habitat. Right? So, that's kind of the mental reconfiguration we have to go through, which is to recognize that, hey, roads aren't just forms of mobility and freedom for us. They're also preventing that mobility in basically all other life forms.”www.bengoldfarb.comhttps://wwnorton.com/books/9781324005896www.chelseagreen.com/product/eager-paperbackwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

What is road ecology? How are our roads driving certain species towards extinction? And what can we do about it?Ben Goldfarb is a conservation journalist. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.“The creation of roads is this process that's sort of innate to all beings. You know, we're all sort of inclined to create and follow trails. We just do it at a much vaster and more permanent and destructive scale. I think we need to reconceive how we think about roads in some ways, right? I mean, we think about roads, certainly here in the U. S., as these symbols of movement and mobility and freedom, right? There's so much about the romance of the open road and so much of our popular culture going back to the mid-20th century when the interstate highway systems were built and writers like Jack Kerouac were singing the praises of the open highway. And certainly, roads play that role. I like driving. The iconic Western American road trip is kind of this wonderful experience, but you know, I think the purpose of this book is to say: Yes, roads are a source of human mobility and freedom, but they're doing precisely the opposite for basically all other forms of life, right? They're curtailing animal movement and mobility and freedom, both by killing them directly in the form of roadkill, but also by creating these kinds of impenetrable walls of traffic that prevent animals from moving around the landscape and accessing big swaths of their habitat. Right? So, that's kind of the mental reconfiguration we have to go through, which is to recognize that, hey, roads aren't just forms of mobility and freedom for us. They're also preventing that mobility in basically all other life forms.”www.bengoldfarb.comhttps://wwnorton.com/books/9781324005896www.chelseagreen.com/product/eager-paperbackwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

“The creation of roads is this process that's sort of innate to all beings. You know, we're all sort of inclined to create and follow trails. We just do it at a much vaster and more permanent and destructive scale. I think we need to reconceive how we think about roads in some ways, right? I mean, we think about roads, certainly here in the U. S., as these symbols of movement and mobility and freedom, right? There's so much about the romance of the open road and so much of our popular culture going back to the mid-20th century when the interstate highway systems were built and writers like Jack Kerouac were singing the praises of the open highway. And certainly, roads play that role. I like driving. The iconic Western American road trip is kind of this wonderful experience, but you know, I think the purpose of this book is to say: Yes, roads are a source of human mobility and freedom, but they're doing precisely the opposite for basically all other forms of life, right? They're curtailing animal movement and mobility and freedom, both by killing them directly in the form of roadkill, but also by creating these kinds of impenetrable walls of traffic that prevent animals from moving around the landscape and accessing big swaths of their habitat. Right? So, that's kind of the mental reconfiguration we have to go through, which is to recognize that, hey, roads aren't just forms of mobility and freedom for us. They're also preventing that mobility in basically all other life forms.”Ben Goldfarb is a conservation journalist. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.www.bengoldfarb.comhttps://wwnorton.com/books/9781324005896www.chelseagreen.com/product/eager-paperbackwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

What is road ecology? How are our roads driving certain species towards extinction? And what can we do about it?Ben Goldfarb is a conservation journalist. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.“The creation of roads is this process that's sort of innate to all beings. You know, we're all sort of inclined to create and follow trails. We just do it at a much vaster and more permanent and destructive scale. I think we need to reconceive how we think about roads in some ways, right? I mean, we think about roads, certainly here in the U. S., as these symbols of movement and mobility and freedom, right? There's so much about the romance of the open road and so much of our popular culture going back to the mid-20th century when the interstate highway systems were built and writers like Jack Kerouac were singing the praises of the open highway. And certainly, roads play that role. I like driving. The iconic Western American road trip is kind of this wonderful experience, but you know, I think the purpose of this book is to say: Yes, roads are a source of human mobility and freedom, but they're doing precisely the opposite for basically all other forms of life, right? They're curtailing animal movement and mobility and freedom, both by killing them directly in the form of roadkill, but also by creating these kinds of impenetrable walls of traffic that prevent animals from moving around the landscape and accessing big swaths of their habitat. Right? So, that's kind of the mental reconfiguration we have to go through, which is to recognize that, hey, roads aren't just forms of mobility and freedom for us. They're also preventing that mobility in basically all other life forms.”www.bengoldfarb.comhttps://wwnorton.com/books/9781324005896www.chelseagreen.com/product/eager-paperbackwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

“The creation of roads is this process that's sort of innate to all beings. You know, we're all sort of inclined to create and follow trails. We just do it at a much vaster and more permanent and destructive scale. I think we need to reconceive how we think about roads in some ways, right? I mean, we think about roads, certainly here in the U. S., as these symbols of movement and mobility and freedom, right? There's so much about the romance of the open road and so much of our popular culture going back to the mid-20th century when the interstate highway systems were built and writers like Jack Kerouac were singing the praises of the open highway. And certainly, roads play that role. I like driving. The iconic Western American road trip is kind of this wonderful experience, but you know, I think the purpose of this book is to say: Yes, roads are a source of human mobility and freedom, but they're doing precisely the opposite for basically all other forms of life, right? They're curtailing animal movement and mobility and freedom, both by killing them directly in the form of roadkill, but also by creating these kinds of impenetrable walls of traffic that prevent animals from moving around the landscape and accessing big swaths of their habitat. Right? So, that's kind of the mental reconfiguration we have to go through, which is to recognize that, hey, roads aren't just forms of mobility and freedom for us. They're also preventing that mobility in basically all other life forms.”Ben Goldfarb is a conservation journalist. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.www.bengoldfarb.comhttps://wwnorton.com/books/9781324005896www.chelseagreen.com/product/eager-paperbackwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

“The creation of roads is this process that's sort of innate to all beings. You know, we're all sort of inclined to create and follow trails. We just do it at a much vaster and more permanent and destructive scale. I think we need to reconceive how we think about roads in some ways, right? I mean, we think about roads, certainly here in the U. S., as these symbols of movement and mobility and freedom, right? There's so much about the romance of the open road and so much of our popular culture going back to the mid-20th century when the interstate highway systems were built and writers like Jack Kerouac were singing the praises of the open highway. And certainly, roads play that role. I like driving. The iconic Western American road trip is kind of this wonderful experience, but you know, I think the purpose of this book is to say: Yes, roads are a source of human mobility and freedom, but they're doing precisely the opposite for basically all other forms of life, right? They're curtailing animal movement and mobility and freedom, both by killing them directly in the form of roadkill, but also by creating these kinds of impenetrable walls of traffic that prevent animals from moving around the landscape and accessing big swaths of their habitat. Right? So, that's kind of the mental reconfiguration we have to go through, which is to recognize that, hey, roads aren't just forms of mobility and freedom for us. They're also preventing that mobility in basically all other life forms.”Ben Goldfarb is a conservation journalist. He is the author of Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, named one of the best books of 2023 by the New York Times, and Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award.www.bengoldfarb.comhttps://wwnorton.com/books/9781324005896www.chelseagreen.com/product/eager-paperbackwww.creativeprocess.infowww.oneplanetpodcast.orgIG www.instagram.com/creativeprocesspodcast

As highways encroach ever further into animal habitats, drivers and wildlife are in greater danger than ever. And off the beaten path, decaying old forest roads are inflicting damage as well. “Roads are this incredibly disruptive force all over the planet that are truly changing wild animals' lives and our own lives in almost unfathomable, unaccountable ways,” says science journalist Ben Goldfarb, author of the 2023 book Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet. Ben wrote about this problem for the March 2024 issue of Smithsonian. For Earth Day, we'll talk to Ben about what's being done to make the relationship between roads and lands more harmonious, and we'll meet Fraser Shilling — a scientist at UC Davis who'll tell us what he's learned from his rigorous scholarly examination of… roadkill. Meep meep! Learn more about Ben and his work at his site. Learn more about Fraser and the UC Davis Road Ecology Center here. Find prior episodes of our show here. There's More to That is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. From the magazine, our team is Chris Klimek, Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly. From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller, Adriana Rosas Rivera, Genevieve Sponsler, Rye Dorsey, and Edwin Ochoa. The Executive Producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales. Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson. Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz. Music by APM Music.

Culverts are all around us and you may not even know it. Culverts are pipes and tunnels, often under roadways and railroads, that allow water to pass through them. While water easily passes through them, the same can’t be said for some migratory fish like salmon. Ben Goldfarb is an environmental journalist who reported on the efforts being made to fix culverts for Hakai Magazine. He joins us to share more on the impacts the infrastructure can have and what it takes to replace them.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 16, 2024 is: turbid • TER-bid • adjective Turbid is a formal word that has several meanings having to do with literal or figurative muddiness or cloudiness. It's most often used literally to describe water that is thick or opaque with stirred-up sediment, as in "the river's turbid waters"; similarly, turbid air is smoky or misty. In figurative use, turbid describes things that lack clarity, as in "efforts to clear my turbid mind." // The group decided to forgo stopping at the swimming hole on their hike because of its turbid waters. See the entry > Examples: "Forty million people rely on the Colorado River's largesse, from Wyoming ranchers to the residents of sprawling Arizona subdivisions to the lettuce farmers in California's Imperial Valley. Less visibly, the river is also a lifeline for 14 native species of fish. They are rarely seen by humans—the river they inhabit is as turbid as coffee, and they're seldom fished for sport—yet they require a healthy Colorado as much as any Angeleno or Tucsonan." — Ben Goldfarb, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2023 Did you know? Turbid and turgid (which means "swollen or distended" or "overblown, pompous, or bombastic") are frequently mistaken for one another, and it's no wonder. Not only do the two words differ by only a letter, they are often used in contexts where either word could fit. For example, a flooded stream can be simultaneously cloudy and swollen, and badly written prose might be both unclear (another sense of turbid) and grandiloquent. Nevertheless, the distinction between these two words, however fine, is an important one for conveying exact shades of meaning, so it's a good idea to keep them straight. Turbid, like its relative turbulent, comes ultimately from the Latin noun turba, meaning "confusion" or "crowd," while turgid comes from the Latin verb turgēre, "to be swollen."

Deer in headlights! Alligators in crosswalks! A possum in the oven? If you love wildlife, this is a must-listen to avoid killing critters with your car. Ben Goldfarb wrote the book on road kill and we chat about: wildlife crossings, skunk smells, moose impacts, ocelot facts, what to do if you see roadkill, how to avoid making more of it, and whether it's okay to pick up a dead thing. Ben is an award-winning science journalist with a Masters in Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and I've waited LITERAL YEARS to talk to him about this topic as he wrote his latest book: “Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet.” Also: flip phones, sleep hygiene, and how to ask your boss for a raise. Visit Ben Goldfarb's website and follow him on Twitter and InstagramShop Ben's book, Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet (2023), and his award-winning first read, Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter (2019)A donation went to Wildlands NetworkMore episode sources and linksSmologies (short, classroom-safe) episodesOther episodes you may enjoy: P-22: The Life & Death of an L.A. Cougar, Cervidology (DEER), Lupinology (WOLVES), Testudinology (TORTOISES), Opossumology (O/POSSUMS), Neuropathology (CONCUSSIONS), Gustology (TASTE), Scuridiology (SQUIRRELS), Acarology (TICKS & LYME DISEASE), Bisonology (BUFFALO), Indigenous Cuisinology (NATIVE FOODS)Sponsors of OlogiesTranscripts and bleeped episodesBecome a patron of Ologies for as little as a buck a monthOlogiesMerch.com has hats, shirts, hoodies, totes!Follow @Ologies on Twitter and InstagramFollow @AlieWard on Twitter and InstagramEditing: Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio ProductionsManaging Director: Susan HaleScheduling Producer: Noel DilworthTranscripts: Emily White of The WordaryWebsite: Kelly R. DwyerTheme song: Nick Thorburn

Environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb says cars are killing animals, while highways cut off them off from their food sources and migration paths. His new book about road ecology is Crossings.Maureen Corrigan reviews C Pam Zhang's Land of Milk and Honey.