• Dispatches from the Appalachian Trail: Katahdin

    Mount Katahdin sits at the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, in the remote central Maine woods. This bonus episode documents host Matt Podolsky's ascent of this iconic mountain, marking the completion of his Appalachian Trail thru-hike.

    15m | Oct 5, 2022
  • Dispatches from the Appalachian Trail: Cars Versus Hikers

    Navigating trail towns and road crossings along the Appalachian Trail can be a challenge for long distance hikers. Most towns lack pedestrian infrastructure, forcing hikers to get creative when visiting trail communities. We explore some of the difficulties associated with getting around trail towns on foot in this bonus mini-episode of the series.

    11m | Sep 1, 2022
  • Dispatches from the Appalachian Trail: A Not-So-Perfect Day on Bellvale Mountain, NY

    Not every day is perfect, and in this mini-episode we explore one of the most challenging days that producer/thru-hiker Matt Podolsky has had on his Appalachian Trail journey.

    5m | Aug 15, 2022
  • Dispatches from the Appalachian Trail: Birding the AT

    Birdsong is ever present on the Appalachian Trail, and in this mini-episode, host Matt Podolsky shares recordings that he’s gathered of birds that he’s seen and heard on his AT thru-hike thus far.

    9m | Jul 4, 2022
  • Dispatches from the Appalachian Trail: The Loss of a Fellow Thru-hiker

    Just a few weeks ago, a 23-year-old thru-hiker lost his life on the Appalachian Trail. This mini-episode is a reflection on this tragic loss.

    6m | Jun 17, 2022
  • Dispatches from the Appalachian Trail: A Perfect Day on Roan Mountain

    An update from the Appalachian Trail, in which producer Matt Podolsky and his mom Candy share stories from one of their best days of the journey thus far.

    5m | May 27, 2022
  • Dispatches from the Appalachian Trail: Trail Magic and the Church

    Throughout Southern Appalachia, church groups commonly provide what’s referred to as “Trail Magic” - a free bonus snack or meal shared with Appalachian Trail thru-hikers. In this mini-episode, we explore the phenomenon of Trail Magic and its association with the church.

    6m | May 10, 2022
  • Dispatches from the Appalachian Trail: Army Ranger Training

    On day two of my journey along the Appalachian trail, an encounter with an Army Ranger training exercise inspired this interview.

    4m | Apr 18, 2022
  • Dispatches from the Appalachian Trail: Rowan’s Interview

    Before embarking upon a 6-month-long hike across the spine of the Appalachian Mountain range, my 8-year-old son Rowan had some questions. This is the interview that Rowan conducted with me just a few days before my departure.

    10m | Mar 27, 2022
  • BONUS Episode: A Positive Experience

    In this bonus episode of the show, shared with you via the podcast HumaNature, we’ll hear about a father who takes his young daughter out on her first backpacking trip in one of our most treasured protected areas - Bryce Canyon National Park.

    17m | May 21, 2020
  • BONUS Episode: A Tribute to John Freemuth

    John Freemuth was a public policy professor and the Cecil Andrus Endowed Chair of Environment and Public Lands at Boise State University whose voice was featured in season one of Common Land. He passed away on May 2nd, 2020 - this is our tribute to a professor who shaped the way that we view public lands in the West.

    28m | May 13, 2020
  • Season 2 Prequel: COVID-19 and the Appalachian Trail

    Season Two of Common Land was supposed to be focused on the Appalachian Trail, and production was scheduled to start in March of 2020. Unfortunately, the spread of COVID-19 has forced us, along with many others hoping to thru-hike the entire 2,200-mile-long trail, to postpone their trips. In this bonus episode of the show, we explore the motivations behind those seeking to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, and examine how the spread of COVID-19 has affected these hikers, as well as the trail itself.

    40m | May 7, 2020
  • Birds of Prey Episode 10: The Climate Crisis and Our Uncertain Future

    The future of the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey NCA is highly uncertain as the area and its unique raptor population face a multitude of threats stemming from our current climate crisis. Despite this, basic research and monitoring of the health of raptor populations and their habitats has been defunded in recent decades, making it impossible to know what the future holds for this globally unique population of birds of prey.

    39m | Apr 2, 2020
  • Birds of Prey Episode 9: The Cheatgrass Fire Cycle

    Cheatgrass, an invasive annual grass species, has spread throughout the Intermountain West, including the entire area that makes up the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey NCA. As this invasive species has become dominant throughout this large region, it has transformed shrubland ecosystems and dramatically increased the risk of wildfire, causing innumerable problems for both humans and wildlife.

    46m | Mar 26, 2020
  • Birds of Prey Episode 8: Unceded Land

    The arrival of substantial numbers of European American settlers in Southwest Idaho in the mid-1800s led to conflict over land ownership with the Shoshone and Paiute tribes. Although attempts were made to settle these conflicts via treaty-making, the treaties that cover the Snake River Canyon region were never ratified by the US Senate. This, according to current leaders of the Shoshone and Paiute tribes, means that these tribal nations still have a legal ownership claim over all of the land of Southwest Idaho.

    28m | Mar 19, 2020
  • Birds of Prey Episode 7: Ancient History

    While our primary focus in this series has been the very recent history of the Snake River Canyon region, this area has been occupied by humans for over 14,000 years. In this episode we look at the history, culture and life-ways of the Shoshone and Paiute people, who were the stewards of this land for many thousands of years before the arrival of the first European American settlers.

    28m | Mar 12, 2020
  • Birds of Prey Episode 6: Combat Training

    Conflict erupted in the newly designated Snake River Birds of Prey NCA as land managers and recreational users were forced to deal with the presence of an active military training area within the conservation area. Although this National Guard training area had been established in the 1950s, the creation of the NCA presented a series of challenges for those tasked with managing this newly created protected area. Although many of these challenges remain, the story of the Snake River Birds of Prey NCA over the past 26 years has been one of collaboration and co-management between the Bureau of Land Management and the National Guard.

    29m | Mar 5, 2020
  • Birds of Prey Episode 5: A National Conservation Area

    Although Idaho is known as one of the most politically conservative states, it also has a long legacy of land protection. In this episode, we analyze the political process behind the establishment of permanent protection for the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, and explore the future of public lands policy and politics in Idaho.

    29m | Feb 27, 2020
  • Birds of Prey Episode 4: The Swan Falls Agreement

    Just two years after the expansion of the Snake River Birds of Prey Natural Area, an extremely controversial water rights issue exploded into the forefront of Idaho politics. The epicenter of this controversy was the Swan Falls Dam, which sat in the heart of the newly expanded Birds of Prey area, and would play a central role in the future of the Snake River Canyon.

    34m | Feb 20, 2020
  • Birds of Prey Episode 3: Land of the Prairie Falcon

    The 1970s saw the emergence of a truly unique partnership in the Snake River Canyon between scientific researchers and policy makers. Raptor biologists Mike Kochert and Karen Steenhof, at the direction of former Idaho Governor and Secretary of the Interior Cecil Andrus, began conducting research that would determine a biological boundary for a newly expanded protected area along the Snake River. The story behind this research project and how it influenced the dramatic expansion of the Snake River Birds of Prey Natural Area is deeply fascinating and highly instructive.

    30m | Feb 13, 2020
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