Archives: Podcast

Ep. 13: Oil Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with Sabrina Shankman

Ep. 13: Oil Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with Sabrina Shankman

As the Trump Administration prepares to sell drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Gary Strieker talks with Inside Climate News reporter Sabrina Shankman about the opposition to leasing and what’s at stake in this pristine wilderness area in northeast Alaska.

Ep.12: Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon with Alicyn Gitlin

New uranium mining activity just outside the boundary of the Grand Canyon National Park would pose the risk of serious radioactive contamination of air and water, especially threatening the Havasupai people who live at the bottom of the Canyon. Gary Strieker talks with the Sierra Club’s Alicyn Gitlin about the campaign to persuade Congress to enact a permanent ban on uranium mining in the Canyon area.

Ep. 11: Oil and Gas Drilling on Public Lands with John Rader

With oil and gas drilling on public lands at historically high levels, Gary Strieker talks with the Wyoming Outdoor Council’s John Rader on the environmental impacts and what needs to be done to protect the public’s interests in natural resources.

Ep. 10: Monument Cutbacks with Josh Ewing

President Trump has reduced the size of two national monuments in southeast Utah — Grand Staircase Escalante and Bears Ears — the largest elimination of protected lands in U.S. history. Conservation groups have filed lawsuits to reverse these decisions. Gary Strieker talks with Josh Ewing of Friends of Cedar Mesa, one of the plaintiffs in the litigation.

Ep. 09: Controlling Wild Horses with Keith Norris

With nearly 100,000 protected wild horses and burros on public lands, the federal government is struggling to manage them, at great expense, but their numbers are exploding out of control. A new plan relying on contraception and more roundups has been proposed for funding, but critics say it’s not feasible and that wild horses and burros will continue to multiply. Gary Strieker talks with Keith Norris of The Wildlife Society about possible solutions.

Ep. 08: Wildlife Vehicle Collisions with Patricia Cramer

Wildlife-vehicle collisions are a serious hazard in many parts of the country, killing a million large animals and hundreds of drivers or passengers every year. Transportation departments in many states are building overpasses and tunnels to allow animals to cross roads safely, with proven results. Gary Strieker talks with Patricia Cramer, an expert in researching and designing wildlife crossing structures that prevent accidents and save lives.

Ep. 07: Boundary Waters Mining Threat with Rebecca Rom

A million-acre pristine wilderness in northern Minnesota faces a major toxic threat from a sulfide-ore copper mine project that was once rejected by federal authorities but is now supported by the pro-industry Trump administration. Gary Strieker talks with Rebecca Rom, who leads the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters.

Ep. 06: Grizzly Bears with Louisa Willcox

In 1975 grizzlies were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and since then a back-and-forth legal battle has followed attempts to de-list them and allow hunting of grizzlies outside national parks in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. Gary Strieker talks with leading grizzly advocate Louisa Willcox.

Ep.05 Threatening the Endangered Species Act with Noah Greenwald

Since 1973 the Endangered Species Act has empowered the federal government to save bald eagles, brown pelicans, peregrine falcons, California condors, American alligators and a wide range of other animals and plants. But there is an active opposition to the Act that threatens to weaken it. Gary Strieker talks with Noah Greenwald, Endangered Species Director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

NOTE: Since this episode was recorded, new regulations under the Endangered Species Act have been issued, and we will devote another episode to these changes and their impact on enforcement of the Act.

Ep. 04: Big Bad Wolves with Carter Niemeyer

Host Gary Strieker talks with wolf specialist Carter Niemeyer about the history of wolf eradication, the re-introduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park, the continuing campaign by some ranchers and politicians to limit the spread of wolves to wider ranges, and the outlook for wolves in the West and the Great Lakes region.