KZMU News

Today we're airing episode two of a special series, Thirst Gap: Learning To Live With Less On The Colorado River, by KUNC. You can catch the show live at 6:00 p.m. on KZMU, or follow this link to listen to the podcast. //https://www.kunc.org/thirstgap/2023-04-24/cash-flows //Farmers use the majority of the Colorado River’s water, and they’re trying to find ways to use less. But it’s a huge challen...

Today we're airing episode one of a special series, Thirst Gap: Learning To Live With Less On The Colorado River, by KUNC. You can catch the show live at 6:00 p.m. on KZMU, or follow this link to listen to the podcast. //https://www.kunc.org/thirstgap/2023-04-17/wishing-up-a-river //You can trace the Colorado River’s problems back for more than a hundred years. We’ve known about the Southwest’s gr...

It’s Regional Roundup Monday! Today we feature a new, biweekly production of the Rocky Mountain Community Radio Coalition, of which KZMU is a proud member. Today’s show includes a report on secret firefly populations across Utah, a skate camp in Telluride, plus audio postcards from Puebloan dancers in Mesa Verde and bagpipers in Aspen.

We can learn a lot about our community based on our sewage. Today we look at how we can use Moab’s wastewater treatment facility to predict tourism trends and disease outbreaks. //Plus, the Weekly News Reel! Sophia Fisher of The Times-Independent discusses upcoming construction on the new Utahraptor State Park, the monsoon forecast for this summer, Moab’s skyrocketing construction costs, and a new...

Tucked away off of Mill Creek Drive, there’s a turn-of-the-century cabin full of local artifacts. It’s a museum, of sorts, run by longtime collector Mark Beeson. Soon, he’ll have to put his collection in storage. //Show Notes: //Photo: Mark Beeson describes a photograph that hangs in his cabin museum. Photo by Emily Arntsen / KZMU. //Mark Beeson’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php...

Tune in to our next episode of Lift Up, a storytelling project intending to deepen understanding and empathy within our community and reinforce a sense of safety and belonging for all. // Our next Lift Up storyteller is John Costanza. From Moab, John graduated from Grand County High with the class of 1976. As a cook, he spent decades living from coast to coast before recently coming back to Moab,...

When Sand Flats Recreation Area was established in 1995, managers made a promise that the local resource would be entirely self-sustaining. All revenue collected through fees directly funds operations. In order to keep that equilibrium - and Sand Flats in the black – staff say fees need to increase over the next five years. Plus, tens of thousands of people weighed in on the BLM’s proposed public...

Today we revisit a feature story on the growing field of archeoastronomy. This piece first aired around the summer solstice in June 2022. Thanks for listening! // Original Broadcast https://www.kzmu.org/the-people-chasing-sunlight-inside-the-growing-field-of-archaeoastronomy/ // Photo: A spear of light is seen on the summer solstice at McKee Springs in Dinosaur National Monument. Credit John Lundw...

Hey listeners, KZMU News is taking a little break today and tomorrow. In the meantime, you can catch up on our recent stories wherever you listen to the KZMU News podcast. We’ll be back on Monday with our usual programming. As always, thanks for tuning in and supporting community powered radio.

Until recently, lots of people, including scientists, thought fireflies only lived east of the Rockies. The Western Firefly Project is a citizen science initiative that’s studying firefly populations across the West, including in Moab. Today we also hear from our partners at KSJD about a land swap settlement in Bears Ears National Monument, a new conservation bill for the Dolores River, and a mora...

Horses, fire trucks and local elected officials were on display this morning during the Fourth of July parade. The event was part of the days-long Grand County Fair, which culminates this evening with family games and contests. Plus, Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute children are heading to Halifax, Nova Scotia this summer for the 2023 North American Indigenous Games. And later, a new exhibit take...

It’s Regional Roundup Monday! Today we feature a new, biweekly production of the Rocky Mountain Community Radio Coalition, of which KZMU is a proud member. Today’s show includes a report from AstroFest here in Southeastern Utah, current threats to DACA amid ongoing uncertainty in the immigration system, and more.

Pride Month is a time to celebrate and honor the impact the LGBTQ+ community has on our shared history. So during this final week of June, KZMU News is revisiting Season 1 of Lift Up: LGBTQ+ Visibility. We’ll hear many local stories and perspectives, including thoughts on creating and protecting queer joy in our community. // Our final storytellers this week are Sylvia Bentley and Matthew A. Jonas...

Pride Month is a time to celebrate and honor the impact the LGBTQ+ community has on our shared history. So during this final week of June, KZMU News is revisiting Season 1 of Lift Up: LGBTQ+ Visibility. We’ll hear many local stories and perspectives, including thoughts on creating and protecting queer joy in our community. // Our fourth storyteller is Sallie Hodges, who moved to Moab in 2004, from...

Pride Month is a time to celebrate and honor the impact the LGBTQ+ community has on our shared history. So during this final week of June, KZMU News is revisiting Season 1 of Lift Up: LGBTQ+ Visibility. We’ll hear many local stories and perspectives, including thoughts on creating and protecting queer joy in our community. // Our third storyteller is Sam Van Wetter, an organizer, writer, and outdo...

Pride Month is a time to celebrate and honor the impact the LGBTQ+ community has on our shared history. So during this final week of June, KZMU News is revisiting Season 1 of Lift Up: LGBTQ+ Visibility. We’ll hear many local stories and perspectives, including thoughts on creating and protecting queer joy in our community. // Our second storyteller is Nicole Croke, a lover of art and the outdoors....

Pride Month is a time to celebrate and honor the impact the LGBTQ+ community has on our shared history. So during this final week of June, KZMU News is revisiting Season 1 of Lift Up: LGBTQ+ Visibility. We’ll hear many local stories and perspectives, including thoughts on creating and protecting queer joy in our community. // We begin with Laura DeFrain, a trauma-informed yoga, climbing, and mindf...

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a staggering 85 percent of the U.S. prison population either has a substance use disorder or was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of their arrest. Local corrections officers report similar numbers in Grand County. They say they are tired of being a revolving door for substance use related issues. But now, Grand County’s Sheriff'...

Last week, 48 Grand and San Juan County residents signed a letter petitioning a proposed wastewater treatment plant that could possibly serve a new development down Kane Creek Boulevard. For context, we talked to the public utilities director at the Moab Wastewater Reclamation Facility about how sewage is treated in Moab. Plus, we hear from our partners at KGNU in remembrance of Daniel Ellsberg, w...

Lift Up is a KZMU storytelling project intending to deepen understanding and empathy within our community and reinforce a sense of safety and belonging for all. // Our next Lift Up storyteller is Zachary Johnson. A long-time Moab resident, Zachary grew up here and graduated from Grand County High School. He’s worked in Moab’s hospitality industry most of his life. He is fluent in Spanish, and love...

This past weekend was AstroFest, an annual astronomy event held at three International Dark Sky Parks — Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park, and Dead Horse Point State Park. We hear from rangers about a new supernova and what constellations can be seen in the summer season. We also hear from our partners at KGNU about a Colorado theater group’s work regarding undocumented immigrants. /...

It’s Regional Roundup Monday! Today we feature a new, biweekly production of the Rocky Mountain Community Radio Coalition, of which KZMU is a proud member. Today’s show features stories from Moab and Boulder, Colorado, about the role public libraries play in the those communities. We also hear from High Country News journalist Nick Bowlin about how western resort towns risk being loved to death. W...

Easy Bee Farm is opening a new farm stand on Saturday. We talked to the farm stand manager, Mel Eliason, about the storefront and other upcoming news on the farm. Plus we hear from our partners at KUNC about new laws regarding the Colorado River. We also hear from a reporter at KSJD about plans to compensate Navajo coal miners with black lung. Finally, our partners at KHOL report on one Jackson re...

For some of Moab’s local kids, summertime means perfecting backflips, pencil dives and yes – cannonballs. School was out for just a few days when KZMU News visited Moab City’s aquatic center. And kids were already making plans to hang with friends there all summer break. Plus, our radio partners report on how rural health systems might adapt to a hotter future. And later, some groups in Arizona wa...

Who lived here when Moab was an ocean? We went to the Paleo Aquarium at the Moab Giants museum to find out. Plus, we hear from our partners at KRCL about anti-BDS laws, and from KDNK about pride celebrations in Glenwood Springs. //Photo: Kids learn about an ichthyosaur, a type of marine reptile that lived in Utah millions of years ago, in a 3D virtual aquarium. //Show Notes: //Moab Giants https://...