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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
Environmental Activism
Mexican Wolves
Joshua Trees
Chihuahuan Desert
Lithium Mining
Colorado River
Desert Advocacy Media Network
Biodiversity
Death Valley National Park
Joshua Tree 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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes159Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
NaturePlaces & TravelScienceSociety & Culture

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Artwork for 90 Miles from Needles: the Desert Protection Podcast

Latest Episodes

• we realized that our continent's easternmost desert, the Chihuahuan Desert, is not as well known in many ways as its sister deserts like the Mojave and Sonoran. And we had to do what we can to rectify that! So in this episode, Chris chats with Dr. ... more

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Listeners in Joshua Tree and Moab may think their homes are overrun with jackasses, but this episode's guest has got them beat. We talk with Dr. Jennifer Anderson, whose diverse career has brought her to stewarding 300 acres of Sonoran Desert landsca... more

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As promised a few episodes back, Chris explores a sneaky trick developers sometimes try to use to evade legally required environmental analysis of their projects. Segmentation, the term of art for dividing a large project into smaller pieces to obscu... more

YouTube

Desert Dispatch Media is bringing together artists and communities to document how the AI buildout is affecting desert lands and the people who live there. Chris talks with organizer Melinda Matson Spina, filmmaker Jodi Darby, and musician Sage Bond ... more

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Recent Guests

Jennifer Anderson
PhD in theology, environmental activist, land steward
Anderson-Arroyo Foundation; Sonoran Desert Sanctuary
Episode: S5E33: From Starfleet to the Sonoran Desert: Coping With a Burro Onslaught
Melinda Matson Spina
Member of No Desert Data Center Coalition; involved with Desert Dispatch Media
Desert Dispatch Media / Desert Advocacy Media Network
Episode: S5E31: Desert Dispatch, Data Centers, and the People Pushing Back
Sage Bond
Musician and composer involved with Desert Dispatch; vocal and artistic contributor
Desert Dispatch Media
Episode: S5E31: Desert Dispatch, Data Centers, and the People Pushing Back
Jodi Darby
Media artist, activist, educator
Desert Dispatch Media
Episode: S5E31: Desert Dispatch, Data Centers, and the People Pushing Back
Joe Dana
Journalist at 12 News in Phoenix, Arizona
12 News (NBC Phoenix)
Episode: S5E29: Why Was the North Kaibab Trail Still Open?
Kimon de Greef
Author of The Ego Trip, Psychedelic Toads, A Trail of Deaths and The Guru Who Held Transcendence
Author
Episode: S5E27: Sonoran Toads and the Dirty Business of Ego Death
Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho
Arguably the world's leading expert on Vaquitas in the scientific community
Vaquita researcher/expert
Episode: S5E25: The Vaquita Can Still Recover
Kate Scott
Southern Arizona activist, co-founder of the Madrean Archipelago Wildlife Center
Madrean Archipelago Wildlife Center
Episode: S5E24: Tree Sit at the Border
Morgan Sjogren
Writer and conservation advocate focused on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante
Author; Glen Canyon Backcountry Club (mentioned as guiding service); recipient of the 2026 Ellen Malloy Desert Writing Fund Award
Episode: S5E22: Morgan Sjogren on the War on Utah's National Monuments

Host

Chris Clarke
Host with strong focus on desert conservation, land use, and environmental justice; appears across multiple platforms including desert protection and related media networks.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 82 ratings
  • Depth, breadth and desert curiosity

    Been loving this podcast for a few years. Current desert events, ways to take action, memorable natural writing and natural

    History of the desert. Whether you’re in it or for away, it’s a moment to get back into and care for desert landscapes.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    ajdbriw fiodnan
    United States4 months ago
  • 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 Statesa year 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 States2 years ago

Listeners Say

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

Guests and host are repeatedly described as informed, engaging, and genuinely passionate about the desert.
Many hear a strong, urgent call to protect desert ecosystems and communities.
Listeners praise breadth of topics and storytelling that blends science with heartfelt desert love.

Chart Rankings

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

Apple Podcasts
#178
Canada/Science/Nature
Apple Podcasts
#189
France/Science/Nature
Apple Podcasts
#224
South Africa/Science/Nature
Apple Podcasts
#246
Netherlands/Science/Nature

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

S5E29: Why Was the North Kaibab Trail Still Open?
Q: What role do on-the-ground staff and management play in deciding access versus protection for this trail?
On-the-ground staff emphasized risk and hazard assessment, while higher-level management weighed public access, funding, and messaging, leading to decisions that sometimes prioritized reopening despite warnings.
S5E29: Why Was the North Kaibab Trail Still Open?
Q: Can you summarize the background and context around the North Kaibab Trail decision after the Dragon Bravo Fire?
The trail supervisor highlighted unknowns, rock instability, debris flows, and a shifted risk landscape post-fire, while leadership faced pressure to reopen for access, creating a clash between protection and public use.
S5E25: The Vaquita Can Still Recover
Q: What is the Vaquita, where is it, and why is it in trouble?
The Vaquita is a very small, critically endangered porpoise confined to the northern Gulf of California, and it is primarily threatened by bycatch in gillnets used for shrimp, totoaba, and other fisheries, with illegal trade amplifying risk; recovery hinges on halting bycatch, protecting habitat, and shifting to alternative fishing methods.
S5E24: Tree Sit at the Border
Q: What are the ecological stakes around the grandmothers and the nesting birds, and how do monitors fit into the plan?
The interviewee discusses nesting birds and cavity nests within the cottonwoods, the role of environmental monitors, and the insistence that construction pause until wildlife protections are respected, illustrating the balance sought between activism and ecological safeguards.
S5E24: Tree Sit at the Border
Q: Was this the first time a tree sit has taken place in the context of border wall construction, and how did it come about?
Kate explains that the tree sit emerged as a strategic point of the spear for a long-standing activist movement, born from a sense of urgency and collective leadership, and that it grew from conversations among local organizers who felt the moment called for direct action.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About This Podcast

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

This show centers on desert conservation, policy, and landscape-scale threats in the American Southwest, pairing host-led explorations with on-the-ground reporting and expert interviews. Episodes span topics like biodiversity, border policy, energy development, water use, and community organizing, all framed around practical advocacy and grassroots engagement. Unique strengths include field reporting, a clear conservation lens, and a willingness to mix science, storytelling, and activism to move listeners toward action.

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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. Fresh Air
3. Democracy Now! Audio
4. The Wild with Chris Morgan
5. Letters from an American

How many episodes of this podcast are there?

this podcast launched 5 years ago and published 159 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. Jennifer Anderson
2. Melinda Matson Spina
3. Sage Bond
4. Jodi Darby
5. Joe Dana
6. Kimon de Greef
7. Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho
8. Kate Scott

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