Places & Issues
Dr. Laurie Marker, the Jane Goodall of Cheetahs
Dr. Laurie Marker—the Jane Goodall of Cheetahs—has revolutionized cheetah conservation. I met Dr. Marker in the Kalahari Desert in Namibia, where she showed me cheetahs up close and explained how the Cheetah Conservation Fund is working to ensure that cheetahs can live wild. One surprise: The CCF’s very successful “Dogs Saving Cats” program.
Find out how dogs are saving cheetahs in Namibia
Shari Elf, The Art Queen of Joshua Tree, California
Shari Elf is the Art Queen. Her logo looks suspiciously like the one Dairy Queen used back in the 60s and 70s, but that’s pretty much the only thing about Shari that isn’t unique.
Shari describes herself as a “roadside attraction.” She is a folk artist, clothing designer, musician, singer-songwriter, performer, seamstress, and—although she does not crochet—Shari is also owner of the World Famous Crochet Museum in Joshua Tree, California. It seems to me that she is the curator of the museum, too, but Shari insists that job belongs to a crocheted alligator named Bunny.
Listen in as we talk about making art, music, recycling, energy fields, healing and life in the desert. Shari’s perspective is wise, generous, and joyous; you’ll likely find yourself grinning as you listen along.
Hear Shari's wise, generous and joyous perspective on desert living!
The Jumping Frogs of Calaveras County
Did you know that a person can win $5,000 if they break the Calaveras County frog jumping record? The annual competition is held every May. Listen in as I try to pry frog-jumping secrets from:
The official Calaveras County Frog Meister, who runs the fair’s luxurious Frog Spa.
An experienced frog-jumper—the human half of a contestant team.
An enthusiastic volunteer who traveled all the way from Nebraska to be part of this extravaganza.
You’ll also learn how to tell a male bullfrog from a female one, and find out what it sounds like when a frog pees on the person standing next to you.
Learn the secrets of Calaveras County frog jumping.
Foraging on the California Coast
How to Find Food and Friendship in the Forest
I went foraging recently—for food—on the California coast with Caitlin Wild of Mountain Soul Adventures. We said hello to two dozen plant-friends like mushrooms, wild strawberry and western hazelnut. Afterward we talked about what we mean when we say something is “edible,” what medicinal plants do, how to harvest and eat foraged plants, and how to stay safe when foraging for food.
Caitlin has a few surprises, like a plant that indigenous Americans used to carry embers from place to place, and another plant that came to her rescue once—and may have even saved her life. Caitlin also discusses connectedness, gratitude, eco-therapy, community and the profound awakening she experienced in her early 30s, when she was called onto be a bridge to the wild world. We talk about the way plants can remind us of our connectedness to the rest of the living world, and powerful ways plants and the Earth can help heal us.
I love this conversation and want to share it! Please forgive the slight hum on the audio.
Listen to Caitlin and you'll think about plants in a fresh way
Cheese, Bees and Innovative Land Management
Chat with Vivien Straus, a Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) board member, at Straus Home Ranch in the rolling hills of Marshall, California.
The organization works with local ranchers—many of whom are struggling now because of the drought—to help them stay on their land, address climate change, and experiment with innovative ways to manage water.
Vivien knows the creameries in West Marin and Sonoma, and has been impressed with the area’s particularly skillful craft cheese makers.
She founded the Cheese Trail to help draw attention to them, eventually expanding to include cheese makers all the way from Crescent City to San Diego, including a significant cluster on California’s Central Coast. Vivien gives us the inside scoop on where we can sample cheeses, take cheese-making classes, go on farm tours, experience goat yoga, and even pet a water buffalo—they apparently get ecstatic if you brush them the right way.
Hear Laurie's chat with rancher Vivien Straus
Calaveras County Terroir—With a Twist
How does a former Tesla employee who has moved to California’s Gold Country make use of what he learned in high-tech to partner with local farmers? Hint: It’s all about the terroir. We know about the importance of soil, climate, and sunlight in giving wine its distinctive character. But now Gold Country terroir is showing up with a twist—in spirits such as gin, vodka, and whisky.
I talk with distiller Nate Randall in Calaveras County, California. Nate and his wife, Bonnie, live in the small town of Arnold where they distill California wines, then infuse the resulting spirits with locally sourced botanicals such as juniper, gooseberries, elderflower and other native flora from the Sierra Nevada foothills.
Hear how Nate Randall works with Calaveras County terroir
Ecotarium: The Future Comes to San Francisco
One of the world’s most iconic cities is about to experience a transformation. George Jacob, president and CEO of the Bay Ecotarium, has plans for San Francisco’s Smithsonian-affiliated Aquarium of the Bay at Pier 39: He and his team are transforming it into a startlingly unique Climate Resilience and Ocean Conservation Living Museum.
I visit with Jacob about the Ecotarium’s immersive exhibits focusing on climate change, ocean acidification, sea-level rise, micro-plastics … on possible solutions … and on the consequences of inaction. What will the Bay Area be like in 50 or 100 or 200 years if we continue in the direction we’re going now? Then we get into the Ecotarium’s impressive biomimetic façade that generates power using micro-algae; a holographic waterfall; the “Mother Portal,” which cyber-curates live streaming environmental data from around the world, bypassing geopolitical boundaries; and the Ecotarium’s use of artificial emotional intelligence—which allows machines to react to a human’s emotional state in intelligent ways. Wow!
Visit with futurist George Jacob about his plans for the new San Francisco Bay Ecotarium
What’s the Secret that Makes Cuban Pork so Delicious?
Why is Cuban pork so delectable? To find out, I follow a trail of rose petals up a candle-lit marble staircase to Paladar Los Mercaderes in Old Havana. The restaurant’s owner, Yamil Alvarez Torres, lets me in on the secret of perfect pork and talks about mouth-watering Cuban cuisine, his customers’ favorite dishes, and the Cuban farm-to-table tradition.
I also learn about the development of private restaurants in Cuba—and hear first-hand the effects recent U.S. government regulations are having on the Cuban people. (If you want to travel to Cuba, that’s legal and easy for Americans to do in groups, although individual travelers now have a bit of red tape to contend with.)
Listen in: What’s the secret that makes Cuban pork so delicious?
Elephants Threaten Your Coffee, Your Coffee Threatens Elephants
Elephants are the world’s largest agricultural pests, threatening the livelihoods—and even the lives—of coffee growers in southern India. Of course, the reason for human/elephant conflict is that humans are encroaching on the elephants’ land. I interviewed the producers of a documentary film, Elephants in the Coffee, that considers this deadly problem. Listen in as DK Bhaskar and Dr. Thomas Grant discuss the situation from multiple perspectives and what they’re doing—with the help of the enterprising students in CLIC Abroad—to raise global awareness.
Are there elephants in your coffee? Listen in…
Taiwan: A Beautiful Island Rediscovered
Taiwan, named Isla Formosa or “Beautiful Island” by the Portuguese, is known for friendly people, tasty cuisine, and inspiring scenery. Listen in to learn how to petition the Moon Elder for a new relationship, why some riders think the bullet train is too smooth, how a sub-tropical climate affects whiskey-making, and how Taiwan’s annual Lantern Festival is becoming one of the world’s preeminent celebrations. You’ll hear the famous changing of the guard ceremony and find out how to toast in Taiwanese, too.
Listen to Taiwan, Isla Formosa