Inform. Engage. Educate. Entertain. Delight

90.1FM106.7FM90.7FM
Now Playing: Loading...
Listen Live!

Rock Glaciers and Water Sustainablilty

September 3, 2024 | By Admin

Utah is home to over 800 rock glaciers. These masses of ice covered with rock debris are key to perennial streams and alpine biodiversity, but they are poorly understood. We talk with Scott Hotaling, Assistant Professor in the Department of Watershed Sciences at Utah State University, who is studying the rare stonefly in order to gain understanding of how alpine streams are faring as glaciers recede under a warming and drying climate.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1905626852?secret_token=s-8q04aevLmf4″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Science Moab · Rock Glaciers and Water Sustainability

Unique Alpine Giants

November 7, 2023 | By Admin

Cirsium scopulorum, or mountain thistle, was long thought to be the only species of thistle occurring in the alpine tundra. Molecular, morphological, and geographical evidence now support the recognition of many species of thistles in the alpine tundra of the southern Rocky Mountains. We talk with Jennifer Ackerfield, the head curator of natural history collections, and the associate director of biodiversity research at Denver Botanic Gardens about her quest to delineate the many varieties of thistles across the alpine of the intermountain west, including a unique species right here in the La Sal Mountains of SE Utah.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1652029641?secret_token=s-uLABJcb3ZW0″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Science Moab · Unique Alpine Giants

Recovery After Fire

October 17, 2023 | By Admin

Given the increasing temperatures and aridity, the fate of pinyon-juniper woodlands on the Colorado Plateau is uncertain. We talk with Rebecca Finger-Higgens, Ecologist with the US Geological Survey, about the recovery of the pinyon-juniper woodlands in the La Sal Mountains following the Pack Creek Fire of 2021. Rebecca tackles the question of whether pre-fire forest thinning programs and post-fire seeding and erosion control expedite pinyon-juniper forest recovery.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1635264606?secret_token=s-iKRdUmToQyU” params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Science Moab · Recovery After Fire

Talus Interactions

October 3, 2023 | By Admin

High alpine talus slopes are home to a myriad of creatures, namely mountain goats and American pikas, both specialists in alpine habitats.  We talk with Mallory Sandoval Lambert, whose curiosity about the interactions between these two mammalian herbivores led her to study their behaviors in the LaSal Mountains.  Understanding these interactions will have important implications for the conservation of each species. This data will be particularly useful for both pika conservation and agencies tasked with managing the land that introduced mountain goat herds inhabit.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1622029419?secret_token=s-lWD4pfrLihN” params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Science Moab · Talus Interactions

Mountain Snow to Desert Flow: The Story of Moab’s Water

October 21, 2022 | By Admin

Moab is known as a Colorado River town, but the key to its existence is the LaSal Mountains. With peaks over 12,000’, the LaSal Mountains contain the snowpack that recharges several aquifers that produce potable water for Moab. Hydrogeologist Tom Lachmar talks about the path water takes from the high peaks of the LaSals to the Colorado River. We also talk with Tom about the several water studies that have been conducted on Moab’s aquifers and what the results mean for the future.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1367203909?secret_token=s-XmFolsur6a3″ params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Science Moab · Mountain Snow to Desert Flow

Ambient Water in the Desert

January 14, 2022 | By Admin

Ambient water includes water from sources such as lakes, streams and springs. While ambient water may relate to groundwater or drinking water, it is not the same. Arne Hultquist is responsible for testing the ambient water quality in Grand and San Juan Counties, Utah. This includes the drainages of Mill and Pack Creek. As far as desert communities go, Moab and Spanish Valley have excellent ambient water quality.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1196172769?secret_token=s-QPiJVhendza” params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Science Moab · Ambient Water in the Desert

The Art of Avalanche Forecasting

December 10, 2021 | By Admin

Reading a snowpack can be as much art as it is science. We talk with Eric Trenbeath, avalanche forecaster for the USFS Utah Avalanche Center for the La Sal and Abajo Mountains, about reading patterns in the snow and how that fits into an avalanche forecast. Each snow or wind event change the story and ultimately change the daily forecast.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1174873615?secret_token=s-v9jlSHzpwKh” params=”color=#ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Science Moab · The Art of Avalanche Forecasting