The strange and mysterious history of the Joshua tree

Kate and Aaron interview author Barret Baumgart about his new book Yuck: The Birth and Death of the Weird and Wondrous Joshua Tree. Baumgart became obsessed with Joshua trees during the pandemic and ended up uncovering some interesting facts and stories about them.

News

• Trump admin to ink deals with states for forest management – E&E News
• The Forest Service Claims It’s Fully Staffed for a Worsening Fire Season. Data Shows Thousands of Unfilled Jobs. – ProPublica
• As US wildfires rage, Trump staff cuts force firefighters to clean toilets, critics say – Reuters
• DOE picks 4 sites to build data centers on federal land – E&E News
• How Native Homes in New Mexico Are Tapping the Sun – New York Times

Resources

• Email us at podcast@westernpriorities.org
• Keep Parks Public summer roadtrip
• Episode transcript (coming soon)

Credits

Hosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss

Feedback: podcast@westernpriorities.org

Music: Purple Planet

Featured image: JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK; NPS/Wikimedia Commons

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