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>

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

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.

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.