The Sky is Burning

FromOutside/In

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The Sky is Burning

FromOutside/In

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Length:

36 minutes

Released:

Aug 16, 2018

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

There are between eight and ten thousand wildfires in the United States each year, but most quietly burn out and we never hear about them. The Pagami Creek Wildfire in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area was supposed to be like that, but things turned out differently. And Greg and Julie Welch were camping right in its path.

Released:

Aug 16, 2018

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

A show about the natural world and how we use it. We explore science, energy, environmentalism, and reflections on how we think about and depict nature, and always leave time for plenty of goofing off. Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio. Learn more at outsideinradio.org

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Gridlocked: We're gonna give it to you straight. This story is Sam's white whale. For years, the electrical grid has called to him like a siren, and lead him down a treacherous path of unintelligible tech jargon, mind-numbing energy reports, unfinished radio stories, and lots of mixed metaphors. But out of the ashes, the story of Boothbay, Maine rose like a Phoenix...or perhaps it was cobbled into existence, like Frankenstein. Either way, this is a story about the electrical grid, and it's darned interesting. Sam has slayed the beast. by Outside/In
22 min listen
The Moose Whisperer: In 2015 about 2,700 of the 50,000 people who applied will receive a moose hunting permit. If you're one of the lucky ones who has waited 20 years for this moment, you're going to want an expert on your team. You're going to want a moose whisperer. by Outside/In
15 min listen
The Kiwi Apocalypse: Or, how Sam learned to stop worrying and love the cold hardy kiwi. It's a fruit you've never heard of, but it could be the key to one man's dream, even though it's another man's invasive nightmare. by Outside/In
17 min listen
The Early Birder Gets the Bird: In 2013, Neil Hayward was depressed. He had just left the biotech company he helped start, and he was getting over the end of a very serious relationship. He had disposable income, and free time. Suddenly, he found himself doing a lot of birding. A LOT. In this episode Sam delves into the subculture of extreme bird-watching. Plus, this week’s Ask Sam is all about assassin crows. by Outside/In
23 min listen
The Young Man of the Mountain: Tyler Armstrong is 12 years old. He likes to play laser tag. He’s learning to play guitar. And this spring he’s heading to China, where he will attempt to summit the world’s highest mountain. In this episode, an ethical debate: how young is too young to climb Everest? by Outside/In
20 min listen
The 2nd Greatest Show on Earth: Mount Washington is famously home of "The World's Worst Weather", but it also hosts a huge amount of tourist infrastructure. Senior producer Taylor Quimby brings us this tale of how the mountain was conquered, and how that process became the template for mountain tourism nation-wide. by Outside/In
21 min listen
WTF is TFC?: When you walk a trail in the woods, have you ever wondered, how did this get here? Who carved this path? Was this stone staircase always like this? Nope. Chances are a team of hardscrabble men and women worked tirelessly to make sure the paths you follow blend right into the landscape. In this story, we find out why one such trail crew, known as the 'TFC', is the stuff of legend. by Outside/In
25 min listen
Smashing Pumpkins-The Gourd That Changed A Town: In the early '90s Keene, New Hampshire created a pumpkin festival to bring the community together, but after 24 years the quaint festival tore the town apart. by Outside/In
23 min listen
Look Toward the Dawn: Today, we take a step back to imagine a world without a web of GPS satellites telling your smartphone where you are every second of the day. While this might sound scary, come along and maybe you’ll discover you have a secret sixth sense...one that’s been inside you all along, if you just knew how to turn it on. by Outside/In
25 min listen
10x10 - Vernal Pools: ....or, why you should always be careful when you're traipsing through the woods in the springtime. In this episode we check out the most short-lived and abundant sources of life that you've never heard of. by Outside/In
11 min listen
These Shoes Were Made For Mocking: Producer Taylor Quimby has been defending Vibram FiveFingers™ shoes to naysayers for years. When people see him wearing them while he’s on the trail or out for a run, they tend to have a pretty visceral reaction, and that reaction is typically disgust. So what is it about these glove-like shoes that makes people so upset? #running #fivefingers #vibram by Outside/In
25 min listen
The Hitchhiker's Guide to WWOOFing: Looking for a relatively cheap way to spend a few weeks abroad? You might want to consider World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, or WWOOF. Have an aversion to mud, farm animals, and learning on the job? Maybe reconsider that first suggestion. But for those of you who are looking for an adventure, on a budget, Sam and Molly have composed a “guide” for would-be WWOOFers to think about before taking off–from how to make sure your visa is in order, to embracing the awkwardness of close quarters with strangers, while still maintaining your dignity. by Outside/In
23 min listen
When the Cat's Away, The Mice Will Play: The producers commandeer the show while host Sam Evans-Brown is on a much-needed vacation. They sail into weird territory almost immediately. Note: Sam will be back with a new, normal episode right after Labor Day. by Outside/In
10 min listen
Champagne on the Rocks: This past summer, Scott Jurek set a new record for running the 2,181 miles of the Appalachian Trail. But on his triumphant day atop the last mountain in Northern Maine, his 21st century campaign for the trail's record ran afoul of a park founded on ideas about wilderness from a decidedly earlier time. Photo credit: "The Shared Experience" via Creative Commons BIT.LY/23A9KSV by Outside/In
18 min listen
Parenting At 24,000 Feet: For alpinist Ben Clark, scaling the world's toughest montains was a source of pride and accomplishment, for his parents it was a source of constant worry. After learning to live with their son's adventurous streak, Ben decided to quit mountaineering altogether. Why? The answer may surprise you. by Outside/In
19 min listen
Tiny Terror: A mini-episode about the world's cutest predator. by Outside/In
8 min listen
Trailer: What is Outside/In?: Introducing our new podcast about the outside world and how we use it. Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio by Outside/In
2 min listen
The Death Machine: When Ryan and Sinehan Lessard first started dating, they discovered they have something strange in common: after they die, they both want to “become a tree”. This is the story about a growing number of people who want to forgo standard funeral practices like embalming, caskets and big granite monuments in favor of a more natural burial - and why that’s easier said than done. by Outside/In
31 min listen
Dr. Percy & the Magic Soybean: It’s not surprising that many of the medicines we use today are derived from plants. The surprising part is how similar the molecular components of plants are to the building blocks of our own human, mammalian bodies. This week we dive head first into a vat of soybean oil with Dr. Percy Julian who, against all odds, became one of the most prominent chemists of his time and whose work paved the way for the birth control pill. Plus, why the cone snail and its deadly neurotoxin just might be the key to a pain free future. by Outside/In
36 min listen
Up Against the Ropes: The “Save the Whales” movement of the 1970’s was instrumental in putting a stop to commercial whaling. But even as humpbacks and other whale populations have bounced back, one species is still up against the ropes. Literally. In this story, Sam tackles the problem of whale entanglement - and discovers that proposed solutions include crossbows, Australian lobsters, and Chinese finger traps. by Outside/In
28 min listen
After The Flood: In 1982, Times Beach was wiped off the map by an environmental disaster. But once the houses and streets were gone, the town was erased again, this time in a way that may make it difficult to learn from the mistakes of the past. by Outside/In
24 min listen
Fantastic Mr. Phillips: In the late sixties, a soap factory in suburban Illinois discovered one of its outflow pipes had been intentionally clogged by an industrial saboteur. Does environmental damage ever demand radical action? And when does environmental protest cross the line and become eco-terrorism? by Outside/In
33 min listen
Nature is a Haunted House: Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Friday the Thirteenth, Blair Witch. It seems the woods make a great backdrop for scary stories, but why? Are we hardwired to fear the forest? Or, let’s throw it out there, do ghosts just like hanging out in the thickets? Sam goes on the trail with paranormal experts and talks with Lore’s Aaron Mahnke to find out what makes the woods so terrifying, and tests his own beliefs along the way. by Outside/In
22 min listen
Anothah Boston Cheat: Ari Ofsevit is a guy from Boston fueled by an intense, nerdy love for sports. The day after running this year’s Boston Marathon, his face was all over the cover of the Boston Globe and on all of the network news channels, but on the internet, people were accusing him of cheating. This is Ari’s story. by Outside/In
20 min listen
Pier Pressure: In 1998, Forest Quimby spent thousands of dollars building one of the most beautiful, most elaborate docks on Franklin Pierce Lake in New Hampshire. There was just one problem – it was illegal. In this story, we hear about Quimby’s seventeen-year battle with the NH Department of Environmental Services, and find out why small-scale environmental regulations are so hard to enforce. by Outside/In
22 min listen
Eat the Invaders - Lionfish: This is Eat The Invaders - our occasional segment where we take a bite out of invasive species populations. On the menu today, one of the scariest, most voracious and intractable invaders out there: the lionfish. by Outside/In
16 min listen
Bonus Episode: 3 1/2 Feet Under: This is a follow-up to Episode 30: The Death Machine. by Outside/In
18 min listen
Ask Sam Round-up: Since we launched the toll free version of our Ask Sam hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER (844-466-8837), we've seen a real healthy uptick in queries. This time around we decided to ask Chris Martin of the New Hampshire Audubon, and Dave Anderson from the Forest Society to join Sam in our quest to answer your questions about the outdoor world. We've got everything from the geometry of wombat feces to planting trees by the light of the moon. #AskSam by Outside/In
19 min listen
HumaNature - Hoofprints on the Heart: This week on the show we’re bringing you something a little different, a story from someone else. Caroline Ballard and Micah Schweizer started HumaNature, which is based in Wyoming, and they’re part of the team responsible for bringing us the story of a man, his walk through an unfamiliar culture and an unexpected friendship, in a couple of different ways. by Outside/In
23 min listen
Never Bring a Sledgehammer to a Scalpel Fight: When a Harvard professor accidentally let Gypsy Moths loose in the 1860s, he didn’t realize he was releasing a scourge that would plague New England forests for more than a century. Nothing could stop the moths except a controversial method of wildlife management called biocontrol. It’s the scientific version of “fighting fire with fire”: eradicate an invasive species by introducing another invasive species. Since then, there have been lots of biocontrol success stories, but also a few disastrous failures. In this episode, we ask whether biocontrol is the best--maybe the only way--to combat invasives, or if it’s just an example of scientific hubris. by Outside/In
30 min listen

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Blue is the loneliest color: Roses are red, violets are… red-absorbing? We tackle your questions on the illusory essence of nature’s most elusive color. by Outside/In
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Pigeons are weird: Thought these frequently frowned-upon birds were boring, metropolitan pests? Think again. by Outside/In
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The Oatly Chronicles: In 1994, the world’s first oat milk company was born in Sweden. Three decades later, Oatly is on a high-stakes mission to defeat the dairy industry. by Outside/In
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Dragons, trolls and pine trees: How game designers created the 'natural world' of Skyrim by Outside/In
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Baby it’s GREAT outside: 12 more tips for embracing winter: The weather outside is frightful, but don’t let that stop you from having a wonderful winter. by Outside/In
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Is 'Yellowstone' ruining Montana?: ‘Yellowstone’ is one of the most popular television shows in the country. What does it get right – and wrong – about the people and landscapes of the American West? by Outside/In
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Dear ChatGPT: Are you a climate solution? Or climate problem?: AI is a powerful tool for climate science. It’s also a dangerous distraction. by Outside/In
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How does the National Weather Service work?: A brief history of the national agency tasked with predicting the future by Outside/In
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Why did the road cross the chicken?: From turtles to cougars, the answer to the roadkill epidemic might require more infrastructure, not less. by Outside/In
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The secret lives of bugs: We peek inside the chrysalis and answer your questions about mosquitoes, fireflies, and more. by Outside/In
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As American as hard apple cider: an immigrant food story: What if apples have more in common with American immigrants than they do colonial heritage? by Outside/In
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Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana: Let’s do the time warp again by Outside/In
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Bat Out of Hell Ranch: Nate discovers a colony of bats living in the siding of his new house and is forced to either evict them or learn to coexist. by Outside/In
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Environmental disinformation is getting weirder: We tracked down the people fighting fake news on social media to ask them how they do it. . by Outside/In
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Do airports dream of electric planes?: Please fasten your seatbelts. The future of decarbonized aviation is preparing for take-off. by Outside/In
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Close Encounters with Mato Tipila: Endless Thread’s Ben Brock Johnson is obsessed with a National Monument that goes by many names. by Outside/In
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The Sky is Burning

The Sky is Burning

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from Outside/In

Related podcast episodes