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Artwork for 90 Miles from Needles: the Desert Protection Podcast

90 Miles from Needles: the Desert Protection Podcast

Chris Clarke
Climate Change
Mojave Desert
Public Lands
Desert Ecosystems
Desert Conservation
California
Environmental Justice
Conservation
Joshua Tree
Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
Mexican Wolves
Joshua Trees
Chihuahuan Desert
Lithium Mining
Colorado River
Environmental Activism
Biodiversity
Bureau Of Land Management
Desert Tortoise
Death Valley National Park

Join Chris Clarke and a variety of guests as they explore the challenges and opportunities of the American Southwest's fragile ecosystems. Engaging interviews with experts, activists, and advocates on conservation, land management, and environmental justice. Science and sentiment, politics and philosophy, hiking and history, culture and creativity all go into defending the desert. Be forewarned: W... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes143Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Places & TravelScienceSociety & CultureNature

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Artwork for 90 Miles from Needles: the Desert Protection Podcast

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Episode Summary:

In this episode, host Chris Clarke revisits the spirited discussion surrounding the High Desert Art Fair and its portrayal in media. Cindy Bernard and Bernard Leibov engage in a dialogue to address critiques and misconceptions, par... more

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In this episode of "90 Miles from Needles: The Desert Protection Podcast," Chris dives deep into the pressing issue of the Colorado River water crisis. As the lifeblood of many thriving cities and fertile fields in the southwestern United States, the... more

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Episode Artwork by Carl Dennis Buell.

In this episode of "90 Miles from Needles," host Chris Clarke shares a poignant and introspective narrative about his early years in the Mojave Desert, weaving together personal reflections and environmental in... more

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About the Guest(s):

Ruth Nolan: Ruth Nolan is a distinguished poet, educator, and an ardent desert advocate residing in the Joshua Tree area. With extensive experience living in Coachella Valley and the Mojave Desert, she has become a central figur... more

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Recent Guests

Cindy Bernard
Artist and activist with a conceptually oriented practice
Founder of SASASAS; co-founder/editor-in-chief of the Desert Trumpet
Episode: S5E15: When Commerce Meets Culture: Art Fairs in the Desert
Bernard Leibov
Founder and director of Boxo Projects; Joshua Triennial co-founder
Boxo Projects; Joshua Triennial
Episode: S5E15: When Commerce Meets Culture: Art Fairs in the Desert
Matt McGuire
Farmer active in desert agriculture since the 1980s
Episode: S5E14: River of Cheeseburgers: The Surprising Water Guzzlers of the West
Laiken Jordahl
Borderlands campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity
Center for Biological Diversity
Episode: S5E10: ¡No al muro! Big Bend Neighbors Fight Proposed Border Wall
Caroline Tracey
Author of Salt Lakes and Unnatural History
Author
Episode: S5E9: Why Salt Lakes Matter More Than Ever
Dr. Jackie Grant
Executive Director
Grand Staircase Escalante Partners
Episode: Brief hiatus due to house fire
Tim Shields
A long-time tortoise biologist focused on desert ecology
Episode: S5E6: Ravens and Splitgrass: A Deep Dive into the Mojave's Ecological Challenges
Zak Podmore
Journalist and author focused on water and conservation issues in the Western US.
Author of 'Life After Deadpool'
Episode: S5E5: From Nuclear Waste to Restoring Glen Canyon
Mary O'Brien
Director of Project 1100, a nonprofit focused on educating about the impacts of honeybee apiaries on public lands.
Project 1100
Episode: S5E3: How Honeybees Threaten The Desert's Native Pollinators

Host

Chris Clarke
Host focused on desert protection, environmental issues, and regional conservation stories; often drives conversations with researchers, activists, and policy experts.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 80 ratings
  • Beautiful and important

    I’m grateful for this podcasts’ breadth of subjects and quality of reporting. The episode I just listened to about borders and those searching for a better life brought me to tears. Thank you for sharing beautiful and tragic stories.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Vegan bmx
    United States10 months ago
  • Liberal tears

    He cries about the current administration more than anyone I’ve heard. Tired of the whining from the left.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Bronzbakattak
    United Statesa year ago
  • A must-listen for desert lovers

    Informative, engaging, and deeply rooted in love for the desert—this podcast covers issues that matter while celebrating what makes the desert extraordinary.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    EchoZey
    United Statesa year ago
  • A breath of fresh dry air.

    A sane take on the threats to desert ecosystems and the beauty of the deserts themselves.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    manlike.
    United Statesa year ago
  • Without the desert our collective futures are barren

    Good podcast, I like it.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Jenandalo
    United Statesa year ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

The show is a deep, non-sensational look at desert protection with strong storytelling.
Guests and topics are consistently relevant to desert conservation and advocacy.
Listeners appreciate the breadth and quality of reporting on desert issues.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#100
United States/Science/Nature
Apple Podcasts
#249
Canada/Science/Nature

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

S5E7: The Battle for Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
Q: What can listeners do to help?
Listeners can contact their legislators, support public lands nonprofits, and engage with local allies to advocate for maintaining or improving management plans, as these plans underpin community economies, conservation, and tribal engagement.
S5E7: The Battle for Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
Q: What does the Congressional Review Act mean for the monument and other public lands?
It creates a formal window in which Congress can disapprove the management plan; if overturned, new rules would be crafted, potentially not substantially similar to existing ones, leading to legal disputes and chaos across public lands that rely on these plans.
S5E7: The Battle for Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
Q: What are the key features of the management plan that came out last year for Grand Staircase Escalante?
The plan details protections for resources identified in the Presidential Proclamation, including cultural and natural resources, protections for night skies, and safeguards for wildlife habitat, while balancing recreation and local stakeholder input to ensure a careful, multi-use approach.
S5E9: Why Salt Lakes Matter More Than Ever
Q: Could you talk about why you integrated queer theory and queer ecology into Salt Lakes, and how that shaped the book's arc?
The author describes how queer theory emerged as a dominant framework during the writing, helping to reframe landscapes as sites of possibility and challenging conventional binaries of human/nature, ultimately deepening the discussion of how landscapes are valued and protected.
S5E4: Celebrating 25 Years: The Timbisha Shoshone's Fight for Their Homeland
Q: What remains to be done here?
There are many initiatives still inside the Homeland Act, including economic development plans and completing agreements that have yet to be finalized.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

What is This Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show centers on protecting and understanding desert ecosystems in the American Southwest, with a steady focus on conservation challenges, land management, and environmental justice. Recent episodes cover topics from raven predation on desert tortoises and invasive plant threats to the Mojave, to the environmental and community impacts of nuclear waste proposals, border infrastructure, and controversial energy data center developments. Across conversations, listeners get grounded insights from scientists, journalists, activists, and local leaders about habitat restoration, wildlife governance, and policy trade-offs, often tying local issues to broader regional resilience and stewardship. Noteworthy is the show's willingness to feature le... more

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Which podcasts are similar to this podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with this podcast:

1. Desert Oracle Radio
2. The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
3. RadioWest
4. Ologies with Alie Ward
5. The Wild with Chris Morgan

How many episodes of this podcast are there?

this podcast launched 5 years ago and published 143 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on this podcast?

Recent guests on this podcast include:

1. Cindy Bernard
2. Bernard Leibov
3. Matt McGuire
4. Laiken Jordahl
5. Caroline Tracey
6. Dr. Jackie Grant
7. Tim Shields
8. Zak Podmore

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