Come Rain or Shine

What are "May Gray" and "June Gloom"? How does the southwestern U.S. monsoon season impact low-level clouds on the California coastline? In this episode, we talked with Dr. Rachel Clemesha, a Project Scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California - San Diego, to help answer those questions. Dr. Clemesha's research focuses on the climate of coastal California and western North America. She examines climate extremes, marine layer clouds and fog, relationships b...

In this episode, we spoke with Dr. Camille Stevens-Rumann, interim director of the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute at Colorado State University and associate professor in the Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship. Dr. Stevens-Rumann’s research focuses broadly on disturbance ecology, including post-fire forest recovery. She examines how ecosystems respond to disturbances like wildfire, to help improve restoration and management strategies. She shares how fire regimes in the west...

In this episode we spoke with Dr. Flavie Audoin, an Assistant Professor in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona and Assistant Rangeland Management Specialist for the UA Cooperative Extension. Dr. Audoin’s research examines solutions for livestock producers who are seeking to raise animals and manage rangelands in a sustainable way. She talked with us about how targeted grazing can help minimize invasive plants and reduce wildfire risk, and shared th...

Happy Holidays! In this episode we talked to Max Wade, the owner of Galloping Goat Grazing, and Michael "Scial" Scialdone, Bosque Project Manager with the Pueblo of Sandia Environment Department. Max and Scial explained how utilizing goats for targeted grazing allows problematic vegetation to be removed, and can help reduce the risk of devastating wildfires in our wildland/urban interfaces. Relevant links: Check out Galloping Goat Grazing and the services offered by Max Wade and his her...

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, three fourths of the world's flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world's food crops depend on pollinators to reproduce. We interviewed Melanie Kirby and Davon Collins to learn more about the beekeping program at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM. Relevant Links: IAIA’s Beekeeping Journey If you’re enjoying this podcast, please consider rating us and/or leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, or Podc...

Dr. Elise Gornish discusses her research on restoration and weed management strategies to minimize the effects of changing climatic conditions - especially warming temperatures and decreasing precipitation. Her work focuses on designing realistic restoration strategies and solutions that are both financially and logistically feasible. Relevant links: The Gornish Lab If you’re enjoying this podcast, please consider rating us and/or leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, or ...

In this episode we continue our discussion of the reforestation pipeline. Last month, we discussed how reforestation efforts are critical after high severity wildfires, like the ones we have been witnessing across the Southwest. Now we sit down with two researchers who specialize in modeling to learn more about the science of choosing the right spot on the landscape for the best chances of planted seedling survival. If you’re enjoying this podcast, please consider rating us and/or leaving us...

Dr. Joshua Sloan and Rachael Foe discuss the process of conifer seed selection and harvest for reforestation efforts in the Southwest, from selecting the parent trees and scouting for good cone crops to climbing the trees and collecting cones. Did you know some forest stands only produce a viable seed crop once every decade? Learn how you could help scout for cones through a new app from the New Mexico Reforestation Center. Relevant links: Related podcast episode: After-Fire Reforestation:...

According to 2022 statistics published by the US EPA, enteric fermentation (a digestive pathway that produces gasses in the gut) by cattle accounted for around 3% of total US greenhouse gas emissions when converted to carbon dioxide equivalents. We spoke with Dr. Glenn Duff, from New Mexico State University to learn more about the research he and his team are conducting to measure gas fluxes and emissions from cattle in pursuit of improving efficiency and lowering emissions from this sector. ...

Flows in the Rio Chama, a tributary of the Rio Grande in northern New Mexico, have dwindled from drought and rising temperatures as well as diversion for agricultural irrigation. These diminished flows threaten groundwater resources and habitat for endangered plants and animals. Paul Tashjian, Director of Freshwater Conservation with Audubon Southwest, tells us about solutions that have been implemented to alleviate pressures on the Rio Chama and other waterways, bringing back flows for the n...

We continue our discussion of the Southwest Chapter of the 5th National Climate Assessment (NCA5). Each Chapter of NCA5 is organized around Key Messages. This month we interviewed the lead authors of four Key Messages in the Southwest Chapter, covering human health, water, agriculture, and wildfire. Each author shares what they would like people to know and what they found hopeful or encouraging within their Key Message topic. Relevant links: Read the 5th National Climate Assessment (NCA5) W...

We speak with the directors of two non-profit organizations who are turning problems into solutions by getting nutritious food that would normally go to waste back into our food system and into the hands of those who can use it - reducing waste, methane emissions, and fighting food insecurity all at the same time. Cover Image credit: USDA Photo by Lance Cheung Relevant links: Association of Gleaning Organizations Falling Fruit National Gleaning Project Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act ...

Kernza® is a small perennial grain with multiple environmental benefits, including carbon sequestration. We are joined by Nicole Tautges (Michael Fields Agricultural Institute) and Hana Fancher (The Land Institute) to learn more about the benefits and uses of Kernza®, as well as some of the challenges associated with growing this grain, and possible future directions. Photo credit: USDA Relevant links: Kernza® Coordinated Agriculture Project (CAP) Kernza® Grower Guide Kernza® Community Bake...