Beyond the Shore

Today we’re sharing a podcast from our friends at KALW Public Media called How Wild . In the podcast, journalist and longtime backpacker Marissa Ortega-Welch explores where the original ideas for wilderness came from and how today’s changes are testing the definition of wilderness. In the first episode, Marissa ventures off trail in California’s Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park to see a grove of...

Out in the open, beyond the noise of everyday life, the land has a way of revealing us. ‘American Storytelling’ is a collection of podcasts from across the NPR Network, and this summer, we’re presenting a selection of shows that celebrate the great American outdoors, and the deeper stories it tells about who we are.

The American eel is an unlucky and undeniably slippery hero. Sometimes thought of as slimy or scary, it’s an underdog in the conservation world. An animal existing in frighteningly low abundance compared to its early 20th century glory. An animal that has the power to instantly capture the imagination with its mysterious and obscured life cycle. In this episode, we take a road trip through Canada,...

Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes, one of the largest lakes in the world. And its history stretches back to a stunning geological event in the earth’s history. That event made the Upper Peninsula's Keweenaw Peninsula rich with copper - and it didn't take long for humans to start mining it. The impact of this copper mining boom is evident everywhere you go in the Keweenaw Peninsula. ...

Lake Sturgeon are huge, long-lived fish that are often called “living fossils.” They have survived all of Lake Erie’s hardships, and now scientists, educators and community members are all working hard to restore their populations. Michigan Public's Kate Furby and Jodi Westrick traveled around the state to learn more about Lake Sturgeon, from going out on frozen Black Lake during the ice fishing s...

Michigan Public's Dustin Dwyer dons a wet suit, borrows a surfboard, straps on a GoPro, and heads into the waves of Lake Michigan. In November. All in the name of finding out: How does anyone have fun surfing in Lake Michigan? Waves on Lake Michigan can be fickle creatures, surfers told him. For non-surfers, it’s a bit of a wonder how there are waves at all. In the second episode of Beyond the Sho...

The Great Lakes hold more than 20% of the fresh surface water in the entire world. If you live here or you’ve been here, you’ve probably gone to the beach. Maybe you’ve gone fishing or gotten water up your nose. But there’s so much more to the Lakes when you look below. Like shipwrecks! Each of the Great Lakes has sunken ships. But in Lake Huron, there’s a place nicknamed Shipwreck Alley. Michigan...

You could be forgiven for mistaking the Great Lakes for oceans. Many of us have made memories on the beaches – but there’s so much more to learn about our huge inland seas. Join us as we travel to Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, Lake Superior, and Lake Ontario to discover something about each that makes them so special and learn why it will take communities across the Great Lakes region to e...