Surface Exposure

Deepti Kannapan joins me for this episode. She’s known for her TED Talk entitled ‘ The Climate Movement Needs Your Creativity, Not Your Guilt ’. The Ted Talk presents powerful insights on dealing with feelings of responsibility and guilt over climate change, the mechanics of change, and how to turn negative feelings associated with the issue into positive meaningful action. I recommend you give it...

Horticulturalist Niccole C Radhe joins for this episode. She breaks down the importance of reconnecting with our food through gardening and sourcing locally grown products. Niccole makes the case that, in addition to being healthy and tasty, consciously grown food promotes positive impacts to the environment, ecology, community, and society.  Niccole describes methods to overcome barriers to growi...

I am joined by Rodrigo Sierra Corona, the executive Director of Borderlands Restoration Network; an organization that strives to grow a restorative economy by rebuilding healthy ecosystems, restoring habitat for plants and wildlife, and reconnecting border communities to the land through shared learning.  The organization envisions connected borderlands where rivers flow, plants, wildlife and cult...

What’s the best kept secret in Arizona? What’s it take to build and maintain an 800 mile long National Scenic Trail from Mexico to Utah? Looking for an adventure of a lifetime? On this episode I chat with Executive Director of the Arizona Trail Association, Matthew Nelson. The Arizona Trail Association’s Mission is to build, maintain, protect, promote the Trail, engage with the public in working t...

What does a day in the life look like protecting our public lands? Join conservationist, trail builder, and wildland firefighter Simon McKay for a deep dive into the work that protects America’s public lands. Simon shares honest insights from years of building and maintaining trails, serving in conservation programs, and fighting wildfire across the West. We explore the meaning of public lands, th...

What does it take to make resource conservation projects happen? In this Episode, Dexter Kopas illustrates issues involving public lands and resources in Arizona. Then describes the Campaigns set in place by Wild Arizona in response. Dexter shares his experiences from his years doing conservation work, reveals bigger picture insights and the knitty gritty details of making resource protection happ...

For over 50 years, Jay has built and maintained hiking trail access in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area and surrounding Wilderness areas in the Salmon-Challis and Boise National Forests. To this day, Jay continues to serve on a Wilderness Trail maintenance assignments with organizations such as The Pulaski User’s Group, Idaho Trails Association, and the Selway Bitterroot Frank Church Associat...

In this episode I sit down with Leo Mercado, The Peyote Lorax. Leo, a career botanist, serves as the cultivation director and liaison for a non profit called the Morning Star Conservancy.  Their mission is simply to ‘protect and preserve our sacrament.’  In this episode Leo illustrates the threats that are facing the peyote cactus on a grand scale. Then describes efforts in developing solutions to...

Allan is a career archeologist and currently serves with the non profit called Archeology Southwest.  In this episode, Allan illustrates the tools and practices originating from the day to day lives of of peoples from the past. Allan then tells the story of his passion in recreating 'ancient technologies', shares his experience as a career archeologist, and provides resources for listeners interes...

For decades Eric has designed and built hiking trails. I ask him about public lands, wilderness areas, and the trails that access these places. Towards the end we talk about ways folks can participate in the maintaining of access to wild public lands. Thanks for tuning in. Any and all feedback, input, critique, and ideas are most appreciated. --- Connect with, support the podcast, and more content...