S3E29: Barbed Wire and Border Walls: The Unseen Cost of Fragmented Habitats

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 a…

S3E28: There Ain't No Big Faucet: Water Politics with the Great Basin Water Network

About the Guest: Kyle Roerink is the Executive Director of the Great Basin Water Network. Roerink has been a pivotal figure in advocating for sustainable water management across the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau. His organization has played a significant role in addressing critical issues …

S3E27: Los Alamos's Dark Legacy: Plutonium Pollution in Plain Sight

About the Guest: Dr. Michael E. Ketterer is a Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Northern Arizona University. With extensive expertise in analytical chemistry and environmental analysis of radionuclides such as uranium and plutonium, Dr. Ketterer has dedicated his recent research to studying haza…

S3E26: The New Western Solar Plan: A Disaster for Desert Ecosystems?

Chris Clarke delves into the controversial final programmatic environmental impact statement for the western Solar Plan, revealing the potential ecological damage from vast solar developments across 11 states. Despite personal support and advocacy for solar power, Clarke critiques the plan's sprawl…

S3E25: Utah's Public Lands Lawsuit Sparks Controversy

Public lands in Utah take center stage as Governor Spencer Cox announces a lawsuit aiming to shift control of those lands from federal to state hands. Chris Clarke explores the implications with Jonathan Thompson, a long-time public lands journalist. They dissect the motivations behind the lawsuit,…

S3E24: The Fight to Protect the Pahrump Valley

The rise of renewable energy projects, particularly solar farms, in desert regions has sparked concern regarding their impact on native wildlife, including the desert tortoises. Solar panels cover vast tracts of land to capture sunlight efficiently, which can lead to habitat loss for the tortoises.…

S3E23: Moonlit Deserts and Lost Love

In this heartfelt episode of "90 Miles from Needles," host Chris Clarke shares an evocative reading from his book, "Walking with Zeke," reflecting on meaningful experiences with his previous dog Zeke. This story reveals the depth of his connection to his pets and nature, illustrating the profound i…

S3E22: Debunking Snake Misconceptions

Chris chats with Lucas Basulto, president of the Desert Advocacy Media Network, from a swelteringly hot living room about snakes in the desert. They trade snake stories, discuss common misconceptions about these reptiles, and stress the ecological importance of preserving their habitats. From Lucas…

S3E21: The War on Facts: Environmental Protection after Chevron

Under Chevron, agencies interpreted often vague language in laws passed by Congress. Supreme Court’s move now reallocates these decisions to the courts. We explain what this means.

S3E20: Desert Protection versus Climate Capitalism: Can we have both?

A representative of a Canadian mining firm poised to damage Ash Meadows and the Amargosa says opponents might be shills for oil and gas companies. We take him to task. We often hear that sacrificing natural landscapes is a necessary evil for renewable energy. But as Rebecca Wisent says, “...the con…