Join host Chris Clarke as he explores the proposed Great Bend of the Gila National Monument with advocates Skylar Begay and Mike Quigley. They discuss the importance of protecting this pristine Sonoran Desert landscape, rich in cultural and natural history. With the threat of encroaching development and destructive recreation, the establishment of the monument would safeguard significant cultural sites and provide habitat for endangered species like the Sonoran pronghorn.

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: We are out to recruit you to the cause.

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: We are out to recruit you to the cause.

Vital info on protecting our irrepaceable deserts

90 Miles from Needles: the Desert Protection Podcast

It's not a real desert hike unless you get thirsty. Unless your skin gets punctured by an innocent-looking plant. Unless you have a close encounter with a nervous venomous critter. The desert is alive, and it will defend itself. And we will help. 90 Miles From Needles brings you stories from far out in the American outback: a land unlike any other that is both intense and subtle, that has endured for eons in the harshest conditions imaginable but which could go away in a heartbeat if we act the wrong way. Science, politics, hiking and history, culture and creativity all go into defending the desert. Be forewarned: We are out to recruit you to the cause.

It's not a real desert hike unless you get thirsty. Unless your skin gets punctured by an innocent-looking plant. Unless you have a close encounter with a nervous venomous critter. The desert is alive, and it will defend itself. And we will help. 90 Miles From Needles brings you stories from far out in the American outback: a land unlike any other that is both intense and subtle, that has endured for eons in the harshest conditions imaginable but which could go away in a heartbeat if we act the wrong way. Science, politics, hiking and history, culture and creativity all go into defending the desert. Be forewarned: We are out to recruit you to the cause.

90 Miles from Needles Member feed

90 Miles from Needles is a podcast about the environment, landscapes, and people of the American deserts—the Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan, Great Basin and beyond. Host Chris Clarke explores desert ecology, wildlife, public lands, history, culture, road trips, conservation and the people working to protect these landscapes.

90 Miles from Needles is a podcast about the environment, landscapes, and people of the American deserts&mdash;the Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan, Great Basin and beyond. Host Chris Clarke explores desert ecology, wildlife, public lands, history, culture, road trips, conservation and the people working to protect these landscapes.

Arizona's Great Bend of the Gila holds an extraordinary concentration of Indigenous cultural sites, wildlife habitat, and largely intact Sonoran Desert landscape. Chris Clarke talks with advocates Skylar Begay and Mike Quigley about efforts to secure permanent protection for the region. They discuss its cultural and natural history, threats from development and destructive recreation, habitat for species including Sonoran pronghorn, and why protecting the Great Bend means recognizing a landscape shaped by thousands of years of human history.

S3E5: Protecting the Great Bend of the Gila

For this episode on the weekend of Dia De Los Muertos, host Chris Clarke celebrates the life and  work of five departed desert defenders: Judith Ackerman of El Paso; Tomás Rojo Valencia of Sonora's Yaqui communities; Donna Charpied of Desert Center, CA; David Gaine of Lee Vining, CA, and Ken Sleight of Green River, Utah. In these all-too-brief descriptions, Chris gives us a glimpse into each activist's work and life. Some of the five died tragically and far too soon, others lived out longer lives. All are missed. Bonus: If you stay to the end, Chris lists and commemorates 60 other departed desert defenders. Their work made our work possible.

Chris also observes the passing of labor icon Dolores Huerta, and in a mid-stream PSA, he urges listeners to donate to groups aiding survivors of the serious flooding in the Four Corners area. Check out the Bluff Community Foundation, Hopi Relief, the Navajo Relief Fund, and/or Samaritan's Purse to help out. 

Chris is eagerly anticipating his attendance at the CHihuahuan Desert Conference in El Paso on 11/4-6, and hopes to see some of you there.

Resources:

Judy Ackerman — Texas House Resolution 63 (2023). Official memorial covering her military career, Castner Range work, Rio Bosque protest, and civic organizing. https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HR00063I.htm

Tomás Rojo Valencia — Human Rights Defenders Memorial. Profile and links to additional reporting on his killing and subsequent prosecutions. https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/tomas-rojo-valencia/

CEMDA — Independencia Aqueduct and Yaqui consultation rights (2015, Spanish). Legal and organizing background from an organization involved in environmental-rights advocacy. https://cemda.org.mx/a-dos-anos-del-fallo-de-la-suprema-corte-continua-operando-de-forma-irregular-el-acueducto-independencia/

La Jornada — Arrest in Rojo’s murder (July 6, 2021, Spanish). Contemporary reporting that attributes the toll-revenue motive to prosecutors. https://www.jornada.com.mx/2021/07/06/estados/024n1est

Donna Charpied — First-person interview, parts I and II (2008). Her farming background, the landfill campaign, and her vision for Eagle Mountain. https://edgeofthemirage.blogspot.com/2008/02/interview-with-donna-charpied-part-i.html and https://edgeofthemirage.blogspot.com/2008/03/interview-with-donna-charpied-part-ii.html

Chris Clarke — Court Order Final Blow to Landfill Near Joshua Tree National Park.  https://www.pbssocal.org/redefine/court-order-final-blow-to-landfill-near-joshua-tree-national-park

Donna Charpied — Family obituary notice (2017). Includes remembrances. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/venturacountystar/name/donna-charpied-obituary?id=10096010

John Hart — Storm over Mono (University of California Press, 1996). Free full text of the book recommended in the episode. https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/public/book/storm-over-mono-the-mono-lake-battle-and-the-california-water-future.html

California State Water Board — Mono Lake Basin. Official entry point to the 1983 court ruling, Decision 1631, and restoration requirements. https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/mono_lake/

John Wesley Powell River History Museum — Ken Sleight. River-guide biography and Hall of Fame profile. https://johnwesleypowell.com/ken-sleight-2012-hall-of-fame-inductee/

Richard Markosian — The Last Man To Know Glen Canyon Before Lake Powell (Utah Stories, May 29, 2014). Source of the interview and compromise quotation used in the episode. https://utahstories.com/2014/05/glen-canyon-before-lake-powell/

Ken Sleight — The Death of Glen Canyon. His own account, republished by the Canyon Country Zephyr. https://www.canyoncountryzephyr.com/2020/11/30/from-the-archives-ken-sleight-remembers-the-death-of-glen-canyon/

Dolores Huerta Foundation — In Memory of Dolores Huerta. Official memorial and family statement. https://doloreshuerta.org/in-memory-of-dolores-huerta/

Places and assistance links

Glen Canyon Dam facts and history — Bureau of Reclamation. Construction, power generation, and reservoir filling. https://www.usbr.gov/uc/rm/crsp/gc/index.html

Lake Powell operations — Bureau of Reclamation. Date-sensitive reservoir conditions and operational forecasts. https://www.usbr.gov/uc/water/crsp/cs/gcd.html

Hopi Relief. Assistance to Hopi communities. https://hopirelief.org/

Navajo Relief Fund. Partnership With Native Americans program supporting food, water, and emergency assistance. https://nativepartnership.org/nrf/

Copper Mountain College. Episode sponsor. https://www.cmccd.edu/

Support 90 Miles from Needles. https://90milesfromneedles.com/donate

For this episode on the weekend of Dia De Los Muertos, host Chris Clarke celebrates the life and&nbsp; work of five departed desert defenders: Judith Ackerman of El Paso; Tom&aacute;s Rojo Valencia of Sonora's Yaqui communities; Donna Charpied of Desert Center, CA; David Gaine of Lee Vining, CA, and Ken Sleight of Green River, Utah. In these all-too-brief descriptions, Chris gives us a glimpse into each activist's work and life. Some of the five died tragically and far too soon, others lived out longer lives. All are missed. Bonus: If you stay to the end, Chris lists and commemorates 60 other departed desert defenders. Their work made our work possible. Chris also observes the passing of labor icon Dolores Huerta, and in a mid-stream PSA, he urges listeners to donate to groups aiding survivors of the serious flooding in the Four Corners area. Check out the <a href="https://www.bluffcommunityfoundation.org/relief">Bluff Community Foundation</a>, <a href="https://hopirelief.org/">Hopi Relief</a>, the <a href="https://nativepartnership.org/nrf/">Navajo Relief Fund</a>, and/or <a href="https://www.samaritanspurse.org/article/responding-to-the-flooded-navajo-nation/">Samaritan's Purse </a>to help out.&nbsp;
Chris is eagerly anticipating his attendance at the CHihuahuan Desert Conference in El Paso on 11/4-6, and hopes to see some of you there.
Resources:
Judy Ackerman &mdash; Texas House Resolution 63 (2023). Official memorial covering her military career, Castner Range work, Rio Bosque protest, and civic organizing. <a href="https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HR00063I.htm">https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HR00063I.htm</a>
Tom&aacute;s Rojo Valencia &mdash; Human Rights Defenders Memorial. Profile and links to additional reporting on his killing and subsequent prosecutions. <a href="https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/tomas-rojo-valencia/">https://hrdmemorial.org/hrdrecord/tomas-rojo-valencia/</a>
CEMDA &mdash; Independencia Aqueduct and Yaqui consultation rights (2015, Spanish). Legal and organizing background from an organization involved in environmental-rights advocacy. <a href="https://cemda.org.mx/a-dos-anos-del-fallo-de-la-suprema-corte-continua-operando-de-forma-irregular-el-acueducto-independencia/">https://cemda.org.mx/a-dos-anos-del-fallo-de-la-suprema-corte-continua-operando-de-forma-irregular-el-acueducto-independencia/</a>
La Jornada &mdash; Arrest in Rojo&rsquo;s murder (July 6, 2021, Spanish). Contemporary reporting that attributes the toll-revenue motive to prosecutors. <a href="https://www.jornada.com.mx/2021/07/06/estados/024n1est">https://www.jornada.com.mx/2021/07/06/estados/024n1est</a>
Donna Charpied &mdash; First-person interview, parts I and II (2008). Her farming background, the landfill campaign, and her vision for Eagle Mountain. <a href="https://edgeofthemirage.blogspot.com/2008/02/interview-with-donna-charpied-part-i.html">https://edgeofthemirage.blogspot.com/2008/02/interview-with-donna-charpied-part-i.html</a> and <a href="https://edgeofthemirage.blogspot.com/2008/03/interview-with-donna-charpied-part-ii.html">https://edgeofthemirage.blogspot.com/2008/03/interview-with-donna-charpied-part-ii.html</a>
Chris Clarke &mdash; Court Order Final Blow to Landfill Near Joshua Tree National Park.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.pbssocal.org/redefine/court-order-final-blow-to-landfill-near-joshua-tree-national-park">https://www.pbssocal.org/redefine/court-order-final-blow-to-landfill-near-joshua-tree-national-park</a>
Donna Charpied &mdash; Family obituary notice (2017). Includes remembrances. <a href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/venturacountystar/name/donna-charpied-obituary?id=10096010">https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/venturacountystar/name/donna-charpied-obituary?id=10096010</a>
John Hart &mdash; Storm over Mono (University of California Press, 1996). Free full text of the book recommended in the episode. <a href="https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/public/book/storm-over-mono-the-mono-lake-battle-and-the-california-water-future.html">https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/public/book/storm-over-mono-the-mono-lake-battle-and-the-california-water-future.html</a>
California State Water Board &mdash; Mono Lake Basin. Official entry point to the 1983 court ruling, Decision 1631, and restoration requirements. <a href="https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/mono_lake/">https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/mono_lake/</a>
John Wesley Powell River History Museum &mdash; Ken Sleight. River-guide biography and Hall of Fame profile. <a href="https://johnwesleypowell.com/ken-sleight-2012-hall-of-fame-inductee/">https://johnwesleypowell.com/ken-sleight-2012-hall-of-fame-inductee/</a>
Richard Markosian &mdash; The Last Man To Know Glen Canyon Before Lake Powell (Utah Stories, May 29, 2014). Source of the interview and compromise quotation used in the episode. <a href="https://utahstories.com/2014/05/glen-canyon-before-lake-powell/">https://utahstories.com/2014/05/glen-canyon-before-lake-powell/</a>
Ken Sleight &mdash; The Death of Glen Canyon. His own account, republished by the Canyon Country Zephyr. <a href="https://www.canyoncountryzephyr.com/2020/11/30/from-the-archives-ken-sleight-remembers-the-death-of-glen-canyon/">https://www.canyoncountryzephyr.com/2020/11/30/from-the-archives-ken-sleight-remembers-the-death-of-glen-canyon/</a>
Dolores Huerta Foundation &mdash; In Memory of Dolores Huerta. Official memorial and family statement. <a href="https://doloreshuerta.org/in-memory-of-dolores-huerta/">https://doloreshuerta.org/in-memory-of-dolores-huerta/</a>
Places and assistance links
Glen Canyon Dam facts and history &mdash; Bureau of Reclamation. Construction, power generation, and reservoir filling. <a href="https://www.usbr.gov/uc/rm/crsp/gc/index.html">https://www.usbr.gov/uc/rm/crsp/gc/index.html</a>
Lake Powell operations &mdash; Bureau of Reclamation. Date-sensitive reservoir conditions and operational forecasts. <a href="https://www.usbr.gov/uc/water/crsp/cs/gcd.html">https://www.usbr.gov/uc/water/crsp/cs/gcd.html</a>
Hopi Relief. Assistance to Hopi communities. <a href="https://hopirelief.org/">https://hopirelief.org/</a>
Navajo Relief Fund. Partnership With Native Americans program supporting food, water, and emergency assistance. <a href="https://nativepartnership.org/nrf/">https://nativepartnership.org/nrf/</a>
Copper Mountain College. Episode sponsor. <a href="https://www.cmccd.edu/">https://www.cmccd.edu/</a>
Support 90 Miles from Needles. <a href="https://90milesfromneedles.com/donate">https://90milesfromneedles.com/donate</a>

 For Día de los Muertos, Chris Clarke remembers five people whose work helped protect the deserts: Judy Ackerman, Tomás Rojo Valencia, Donna Charpied, David Gaines, and Ken Sleight. Their stories lead from El Paso and the Yaqui River to Eagle Mountain, Mono Lake, and Glen Canyon, tracing decades of organizing, resistance, and love for desert places. The episode also honors Dolores Huerta and a wider community of departed desert defenders, with an Amargosa River recording from Fred Bell.

S5E36: Desert Defenders, We Remember You

Blackbrush, Coleogyne ramosissima, is easy to overlook. Its tiny, dark leaves and gray stems can make a stretch of landscape look at best boring, at worst funereal. But this rose family plant’s low, dense canopy helps shape desert plant communities, and gives desert animals an important food source. Nurse plants shelter vulnerable seedlings from heat, drying winds, and hungry animals. Blackbrush may well be the most important nurse plant for Joshua trees.

Long-lived adults, episodic seed production, rodent seed caches, and suppressed young plants help blackbrush stands persist. But blackbrush isn’t well adapted to what North America’s hot deserts have become. Research in the Panamint Mountains shows why rebuilding a mature desert shrub community can take far longer than replacing its individual plants.

Protecting existing blackbrush matters as warming and disturbance make natural recovery harder.

Also, you still have a few days left to apply for our Fellowship for Desert Reporting, viewable at https://thedamn.org/fellowship.

Sources cited, plus extras:
Webb, R. H., Steiger, J. W., & Turner, R. M. (1987).Dynamics of Mojave Desert Shrub Assemblages in the Panamint Mountains, California. Ecology, 68(3), 478–490. The exceptionally slow recovery of blackbrush communities after disturbance, including the climatic and geomorphic stability quotation. Free PDF. pubs.usgs.gov
Hunter, K. L., & McAuliffe, J. R. (1994).Elevational Shifts of Coleogyne ramossissima in the Mojave Desert during the Little Ice Age. Quaternary Research, 42(2), 216–221. Packrat midden evidence for blackbrush expansion at the southern Nevada study site during the Little Ice Age. The extra “s” in ramossissima appears in the published title. Cambridge Core
Meyer, S. E. (2023).Factors Regulating Population Stand Structure in Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima: Rosaceae), a Masting North American Desert Shrub. Diversity, 15(5), 619. Stand structure, episodic seed crops, rodent dispersal, and banks of suppressed young plants within adult crowns. mdpi.com
Pendleton, B. K., & Meyer, S. E. (2004).Habitat-correlated variation in blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima: Rosaceae) seed germination response. Journal of Arid Environments, 59(2), 229–243. Differences among populations in seed chilling requirements and germination responses. . ScienceDirect
Jones, L. C., Schwinning, S., & Esque, T. C. (2014).Seedling ecology and restoration of blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) in the Mojave Desert, United States. Restoration Ecology, 22(5), 692–700. Seedling establishment, herbivory, and how nurse-plant effects change with elevation and environmental stress.

 

Blackbrush, Coleogyne ramosissima, is easy to overlook. Its tiny, dark leaves and gray stems can make a stretch of landscape look at best boring, at worst funereal. But this rose family plant&rsquo;s low, dense canopy helps shape desert plant communities, and gives desert animals an important food source. Nurse plants shelter vulnerable seedlings from heat, drying winds, and hungry animals. Blackbrush may well be the most important nurse plant for Joshua trees.
Long-lived adults, episodic seed production, rodent seed caches, and suppressed young plants help blackbrush stands persist. But blackbrush isn&rsquo;t well adapted to what North America&rsquo;s hot deserts have become. Research in the Panamint Mountains shows why rebuilding a mature desert shrub community can take far longer than replacing its individual plants.
Protecting existing blackbrush matters as warming and disturbance make natural recovery harder.
Also, you still have a few days left to apply for our Fellowship for Desert Reporting, viewable at <a href="https://thedamn.org/fellowship">https://thedamn.org/fellowship</a>.
Sources cited, plus extras:
<ul>
<li>Webb, R. H., Steiger, J. W., &amp; Turner, R. M. (1987). <a href="https://doi.org/10.2307/1938453">Dynamics of Mojave Desert Shrub Assemblages in the Panamint Mountains, California</a>. Ecology, 68(3), 478&ndash;490. The exceptionally slow recovery of blackbrush communities after disturbance, including the climatic and geomorphic stability quotation. <a href="https://www.resolutionmineeis.us/sites/default/files/references/webb-steiger-turner-1987.pdf">Free PDF</a>. <a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/publication/70014100">pubs.usgs.gov</a></li>
<li>Hunter, K. L., &amp; McAuliffe, J. R. (1994). <a href="https://faculty.salisbury.edu/~kxhunter/Taylor-Hunter_Lab/Publications/hunter.1994.pdf">Elevational Shifts of Coleogyne ramossissima in the Mojave Desert during the Little Ice Age</a>. Quaternary Research, 42(2), 216&ndash;221. Packrat midden evidence for blackbrush expansion at the southern Nevada study site during the Little Ice Age. The extra &ldquo;s&rdquo; in ramossissima appears in the published title. <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/quaternary-research/article/abs/elevational-shifts-of-coleogyne-ramossissima-in-the-mojave-desert-during-the-little-ice-age/FEE620E10969CBB203103F891C576A34">Cambridge Core</a></li>
<li>Meyer, S. E. (2023). <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/d15050619">Factors Regulating Population Stand Structure in Blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima: Rosaceae), a Masting North American Desert Shrub</a>. Diversity, 15(5), 619. Stand structure, episodic seed crops, <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/5/619">rodent dispersal, and banks of suppressed young plants within adult crowns.</a><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/5/619"> m</a><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/5/619?utm_source=chatgpt.com">dpi.com</a></li>
<li>Pendleton, B. K., &amp; Meyer, S. E. (2004). <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140196304000382">Habitat-correlated variation in blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima: Rosaceae) seed germination response</a>. Journal of Arid Environments, 59(2), 229&ndash;243. Differences among populations in seed chilling requirements and germination responses.&nbsp;. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140196304000382">ScienceDirect</a></li>
<li>Jones, L. C., Schwinning, S., &amp; Esque, T. C. (2014). <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.12128">Seedling ecology and restoration of blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) in the Mojave Desert, United States</a>. Restoration Ecology, 22(5), 692&ndash;700. Seedling establishment, herbivory, and how nurse-plant effects change with elevation and environmental stress.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

Fire can erase blackbrush stands quickly, while invasive annual grasses can make subsequent fires more likely.

S5E35: Blackbrush and the Desert's Long Memory

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. Kevin Floyd, botanical curator of the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens at the University of Texas at El Paso, about what life is like in the Chihuahuan Desert. Kevin discusses:
Elevation, winter freezes, and summer monsoon rains.
Why no one really agrees on the precise boundaries of the Chihuahuan Desert
The small cacti, agaves, yuccas, that thrive in the desert’s grassland landscapes
Native bees, birds, bats, and the connections between plant diversity and animal life.
Bighorn sheep in the Franklin Mountains, road mortality, and the case for wildlife crossings.
How native landscaping and reduced pesticide use help support local food webs.

Our first taste of a new batch of Fred Bell’s nature recordings features coyotes around Furnace Creek Campground in Death Valley National Park. And Chris reflects on storm damage, past and future. Check on your neighbors!

Also! We've extended two deadlines. Our Fellowship for Desert Reporting is still accepting applications until October 31, and you can still be the first to submit an answer to our bird ID quiz from last week! Listen to the Fred Bell recording in S5E33; the first three emails received at chris@90milesfromneedles.com that correctly identify the birds in the audio by October 22 win a 90 Miles from Needles T-shirt.

Links and Resources:

Desert Diaries Podcast: https://www.ktep.org/podcast/desert-diaries

Chihuahuan Desert Gardens at UTEP: https://www.utep.edu/centennial-museum/chihuahuan-desert-gardens/

Kevin Floyd and Daniel Carey-Whalen staff profiles: https://www.utep.edu/centennial-museum/about/people.html

Fellowship for Desert Reporting: https://thedamn.org/fellowship

Support 90 Miles from Needles: https://www.90milesfromneedles.com/donate

<ul>
<li>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. Kevin Floyd, botanical curator of the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens at the University of Texas at El Paso, about what life is like in the Chihuahuan Desert. Kevin discusses:</li>
<li>Elevation, winter freezes, and summer monsoon rains.</li>
<li>Why no one really agrees on the precise boundaries of the Chihuahuan Desert</li>
<li>The small cacti, agaves, yuccas, that thrive in the desert&rsquo;s grassland landscapes</li>
<li>Native bees, birds, bats, and the connections between plant diversity and animal life.</li>
<li>Bighorn sheep in the Franklin Mountains, road mortality, and the case for wildlife crossings.</li>
<li>How native landscaping and reduced pesticide use help support local food webs.</li>
</ul>
Our first taste of a new batch of Fred Bell&rsquo;s nature recordings features coyotes around Furnace Creek Campground in Death Valley National Park. And Chris reflects on storm damage, past and future. Check on your neighbors!
Also! We've extended two deadlines. Our <a href="https://thedamn.org/fellowship">Fellowship for Desert Reporting</a> is still accepting applications until October 31, and you can still be the first to submit an answer to our bird ID quiz from last week! Listen to the Fred Bell recording in <a href="https://90milesfromneedles.com/s5e33">S5E33</a>; the first three emails received at <a href="mailto:chris@90milesfromneedles.com">chris@90milesfromneedles.com</a> that correctly identify the birds in the audio by October 22 win a 90 Miles from Needles T-shirt.
Links and Resources:
Desert Diaries Podcast: <a href="https://www.ktep.org/podcast/desert-diaries">https://www.ktep.org/podcast/desert-diaries</a>
Chihuahuan Desert Gardens at UTEP: <a href="https://www.utep.edu/centennial-museum/chihuahuan-desert-gardens/">https://www.utep.edu/centennial-museum/chihuahuan-desert-gardens/</a>
Kevin Floyd and Daniel Carey-Whalen staff profiles: <a href="https://www.utep.edu/centennial-museum/about/people.html">https://www.utep.edu/centennial-museum/about/people.html</a>
Fellowship for Desert Reporting: <a href="https://thedamn.org/fellowship">https://thedamn.org/fellowship</a>
Support 90 Miles from Needles: <a href="https://www.90milesfromneedles.com/donate">https://www.90milesfromneedles.com/donate</a>

The Chihuahuan Desert rewards a closer look. UTEP botanical curator Kevin Floyd joins Chris Clarke to talk about its plants and wildlife, disputed boundaries, and the challenges of protecting biodiversity as the climate changes.

S3E5: Protecting the Great Bend of the Gila

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