Welcome to Season Two! 90 Miles from Needles

Creosote and Fish

Hey folks! Hope your new year has been acceptable so far.

We didn’t expect this, but it turns out we have TWO new episodes to tell you about. Episode one, which dropped on January 16, covers the amazing and often-overlooked desert plant Larrea tridentata, A.K.A. creosote bush. From the show notes:

Chris and Alicia spend time communing with an 11,700-year-old creosote in the Mojave Desert, and discuss the species' importance as well as the ethics of treating millennia-old beings as disposable.

King Clone's Wikipedia page is here. 

If for some reason you want to learn more about creosote gall midges, you can start here. 

You can learn more about the Western Solar PEIS, and find out how to make a comment, at this site. Comment deadline is currently February 6, so don't dawdle!

That bit about the Western Solar PEIS (Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement) concerns an update in the desert news section of the episode, alerting listeners to the fact that the federal government is planning to zone the entire Western US for renewable energy production, and want your input. Click here for more information.

And the obligatory co-hosts selfie at King Clone:

Our second episode was unplanned, prompted by Chris’ learning of the death of veteran desert fish expert Phil Pister. It’s short: you can listen to it here.

Again, from the show notes:

Edwin P. (Phil) Pister, who died January 17, was a fisheries biologist long employed by the California Department of Fish and Game (now Fish and Wildlife.) He was involved in working to protect numerous fish in Eastern California and beyond, including the golden trout and the Devils Hole pupfish. We here re-publish an excerpt of Episode 7 from Season 1 that featured Phil talking about the moment when he literally, with his own two hands, saved the Owens pupfish from extinction. 

Phil was also a founding member of the Desert Fishes Council, which you can join here.

Since this is the first time we’ve put out a sort of rapid response episode here’s your chance to weigh in. Poll below.

Lastly, there is yet another source of background noise in the 90 Miles from Needles Studio. Say hello to Jack:

You will be hearing him whine and bark in many a future episode.

Thanks for reading, and for listening! Don’t forget: This podcast is made possible by desert defenders like you, through our Patreon and Ko-Fi accounts. Please consider tossing us some cash to help the cause.

— Chris and Alicia