Outside/In

It’s Outside/In’s annual winter show, in which the team gathers around the proverbial fire to share our best ideas towards becoming better friends with winter. The dream is to not just survive, but thrive – dare we say, to “surthrive” – and embrace the season, both the cold and the cozy.This year, we’re joined by the wonderful Mara Hoplamazian, climate and environment reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio. You can read our list here. We’d also love to hear your recommendations! We might even play them on the podcast or share your tips in our (free) newsletter. Send your suggestions, ideally as a voice recording, to outsidein@nhpr.org or call our hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER.Featuring a few of the cold-water dippers of Maine, including Betsy Lou Dawkins, Cholla Foot, Juliet Cox, Anne Buckwalter, and the crowd at a Two Maine Mermaids full moon dip. A word on cold water immersionPeople engage in cold water dipping or swimming around the world. Many claim health benefits, like a boosted immune system and reduced inflammation. But it’s obviously not a risk-free activity. Physiologist Michael Tipton told us a couple things to be aware of: 1) cold water shock, which prompts an involuntary gasp – bad news if you’re underwater 2) cold water exposure can send competing signals to your heart, potentially causing cardiac arrhythmia.  But he also said,  "I'm not sitting here as the fun police stopping people doing what they want to do. It's just we would encourage them to do it safely."Here’s another overview of benefits and risks of cold-water swimming.  Support the showOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our (free) newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook. CreditsHost: Nate HegyiProduced and mixed by Justine ParadisEdited by Taylor QuimbyExecutive producer: Rebecca Lavoie Music for this episode by Autohacker, Nul Tiel Records, John Runefelt, Blue Dot Sessions, Smartface, Xavy Rasan, Iso Indie, and Vaain.Special thanks to Michael Tipton, Kelsy Hartley, Caitlin Hopkins, and Judith Greene-Janse.Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s high time to shine a light on an under-appreciated nocturnal visitor to America’s backyards and garbage cans: the opossum.The opossum is the only marsupial in North America, and they’ve been snuffling around since before the dinosaurs died. It faints at the slightest threat, yet can be struck by a venomous snake and, unfazed, turn right around and eat it. Also, they have two vaginas, and an extra pseudo-vagina. What more do you need? The opossum’s superpower is its reproductive system, and the thing that’s really going to make you say “holy scat!” is what’s going on in that pouch. So…what’s it going to take to get some respect for the opossum?Featuring: Jessica Anderson, Joseph Bruchac, Danielle Draback, and Frannie Greenberg  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The premise of History’s reality TV show Alone is about as straightforward as it gets. Ten people are dropped into the remote wilderness with nothing but a handful of tools, a supply of GoPro cameras, and instructions to document their entire experience. As contestants put their wilderness skills to the test, they face some of reality television’s most intense physical and emotional stakes; struggling with isolation, cold, wild animals, and even starvation. The last person standing wins the grand prize: half a million dollars. But while the contestants must leave the comforts of home behind, the show still carries societal baggage. In this episode, two critics explore the subtext of History’s Alone, and the messages it might be sending about class, gender, entertainment, and human relationships with the natural world. Featuring Eric Martin and Tracy Clark-Flory. SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our free newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook LINKSCheck our Eric Martin’s article: ALONE — What is this reality tv show really about?And Tracy Clark-Flory’s piece for Jezebel: A Woman Alone: On History’s Survival Show, There’s No Escaping Gender, Not Even In The Woods.  CREDITSHost: Nate HegyiReported and produced by Taylor Quimby and Nate HegyiMixed by Taylor QuimbyEdited by Rebecca Lavoie and Nate Hegyi, with help from Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, and Jessica Hunt. Rebecca Lavoie is our Executive ProducerMusic for this episode by Blue Dot Sessions, The New Fools, Guy Trevino and Friends, Ambientalism, 91 nova, and Sarah the Illstrumentalist. Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s time to open our mailbag and answer your questions about fall – and not just the season. We’ve interpreted the theme to include everything from dreams about falling to fallout shelters and, um, tornadoes. Plus, we reveal the long-anticipated winner of our poll on best alternatives for replacing the term “leaf-peeping.”Question 1: Why do so many have recurring dreams about falling?Question 2: How do tornadoes figure in myths around the world? Question 3: How deep does a fallout shelter need to be? Question 4: Are berries ripening earlier because of climate change?Do you have a question about the natural world? Submit it to the Outside/Inbox! Send a voice memo to outsidein@nhpr.org or call our hotline: 1-844-GO-OTTER (844-466-8837). Don’t forget to leave a number so we can call you back.Featuring: Abhinav Singh, Nani Pybus, David Monteyne, Shaheen Dewji, Richard Primack, Nicole Herman-Mercer, Katie Spellman. SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our (free) newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook. LINKSOn dreamsGerman chemist August Kekulé claimed to have pictured the ring structure of benzene, after dreaming of a snake eating its own tailA study on the threat simulation theory of dreamingOn Fallout SheltersFallout Shelter: Designing for Civil Defense in the Cold War by David MonteyneA calculator to estimate your personal annual radiation doseFallout Five Zero, a photographic chronicle of the Boston area’s now defunct sheltersOn BerriesWalden Warming: Climate Change Comes to Thoreau’s Woods by Richard PrimackA study on Indigenous knowledge on climate-related changes to berry production in Alaska CREDITSHost: Nate HegyiReported, produced and mixed by Felix Poon, Justine Paradis, Taylor Quimby, and Jessica HuntEdited by Taylor Quimby and Justine Paradis.Executive producer: Rebecca Lavoie Music for this episode by Jharee, Thea Tyler, and Blue Dot Sessions.Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jack Rodolico knows exactly what scares him. Sharks. But here’s what he doesn’t get: if he’s so freaked out, why can’t he stop incessantly watching online videos of bloody shark attacks? Why would he deliberately seek out the very thing that spooks him?To figure it out, Jack enlists the help of other scaredy-cats: our listeners, who shared their fears about nature with us. Together, Jack and the gang consider the spectrum of fear, from phobia to terror, and what it might mean when we don’t look away.Featuring Lauren Passell, Arash Javanbakht, Nile Carrethers, and Sushmitha Madaboosi. SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our (free) newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook. LINKSLauren Passell’s Podcast the Newsletter.Related: why people love horror movies.The ubiquity of smartphones means plenty of hair-raising amateur videos of shark attacks to get you started on your doomscrolling (warning: a couple of these are bloody).If this image of an octopus freaks you out, you might share Lauren’s “fear of holes,” or trypophobia.Learn more about augmented reality technology and other projects at Arash Javanbakht’s clinic. CREDITSHost: Nate HegyiReported and produced by Jack RodolicoMixed by Taylor QuimbyEdited by Taylor Quimby, with help from Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, Nate Hegy, and Jessica Hunt.Executive producer: Rebecca Lavoie Music for this episode by Silver Maple, Matt Large, Luella Gren, John Abbot and Blue Dot Sessions.Thanks to everyone who sent in voicemails and memos, even the ones we didn’t play: Erin Partridge, Lauren Passell, Nile Carrethers, Michelle MacKay, Alec from Nashville, and Hillary from Washington. Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When it comes to protecting the biodiversity of Planet Earth, there is no greater failure than extinction. Thankfully, only a few dozen species have been officially declared extinct by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in the half century since the passage of the Endangered Species Act. But, hold on. Aren’t we in the middle of the sixth mass extinction? Shouldn’t the list of extinct species be… way longer? Well, yeah. Maybe.Producer Taylor Quimby sets out to understand why it’s so difficult to officially declare an animal extinct. Along the way, he compares rare animals to missing socks, finds a way to invoke Lizzo during an investigation of an endangered species of crabgrass, and learns about the disturbing concept of “dark extinctions.” Featuring Sharon Marino, Arne Mooers, Sean O’Brien, Bill Nichols, and Wes Knapp. SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our FREE newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook LINKSCheck out this 2005 feature from the CBS Sunday Morning archives: In search of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker… …and this one from 60 minutes, also from 2005, pulled from the archive and rebroadcast after the proposed delisting.Nate’s favorite ivory-billed story came from NPR, and featured songwriter Sufjan Stevens.Watch the US Fish and Wildlife Service virtual public meeting about the proposed delisting of the ivory-billed woodpecker on January 26, 2022.Read this 2016 paper that outlines, among other things, the consequences of being wait-listed under the ESA: “Taxa, petitioning agency, and lawsuits affect time spent awaiting listing under the US Endangered Species Act.”From Simon Fraser University, “Lost or extinct? Study finds the existence of 562 animal species remains uncertain.”More on the unknown status of Cambodia’s national mammal, the kouprey.Wes Knapps’ paper on “Dark Extinctions” among vascular plants in the continental United States and Canada.Read about the extinction of smooth slender crabgrass, the first documented extinction in New Hampshire. CREDITSHost: Nate HegyiReported and produced by: Taylor QuimbyMixer: Taylor QuimbyEditing by Rebecca Lavoie and Nate Hegyi, with help from Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, and Jessica Hunt.Rebecca Lavoie is our Executive ProducerSpecial thanks to Noah Greenwald, Jonathan Reichard, Tom Martin, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.Music for this episode by Silver Maple and Blue Dot Sessions.Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you've been having trouble getting in with a veterinarian, you're not imagining it. Across the country, pet care is increasingly hard to come by, and more vets are leaving the job.Alaska’s capital city, Juneau, has lost roughly half of its veterinarians since the pandemic began. Pet owners often have to wait several weeks for an appointment, surgery is scarce, and 24/7 emergency care doesn’t exist. Now, a local animal shelter is stepping up to try and fill the gap for desperate pet owners, who often have nowhere else to turn. In an industry rife with burnout, turnover, and high suicide rates, veterinarians and vet technicians are being forced to choose between taking care of animals and taking care of themselves.Featuring: Tracy Ward, Jocelyn Andrea, Krista Miller, Sam Smith, Sam BlankenshipIf you or someone you know is struggling with depression, reach out to the folks at the Crisis Text Line, a texting service for emotional crisis support. To speak with a trained listener, text HELLO to 741741. It is free, available 24/7, and confidential.LINKSA professor at Auburn University looked into the role pentobarbital plays in suicides among veterinarians and vet techs. The American Veterinary Medical Association broke down the reasons why it’s tough to find veterinary care these days. The USDA has a cool map of places that are experiencing a shortage in veterinary care.  SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our FREE newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook CREDITSHost: Nate HegyiReported and produced by Nate HegyiEditing by Taylor QuimbyAdditional editing help from Justine Paradis, Felix Poon, Rebecca Lavoie and Jessica Hunt. Rebecca Lavoie is our Executive ProducerMusic for this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Planting a tree often becomes almost a shorthand for doing a good deed. But such an act is not always neutral. In some places, certain trees can become windows into history, tools of erasure, or symbols of resistance.This episode originally aired in October of 2020. Featuring: Liat Berdugo, Irus Braverman, Jonathan Kuttab, Noga Kadman, Iyad Hadad, Raja Shehadeh, Rabbi Arik Ascherman, Miri Maoz-Ovadia, and Nidal Waleed Rabie and his granddaughter Samera. SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our FREE newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook LINKS & BIBLIOGRAPHYBerdugo, Liat. “A Situation: A Tree in Palestine.”Places Journal. January 2020. Braverman, Irus. Planted Flags: Trees, Land, and Law in Israel Palestine. Cambridge University Press: 2009.Kadman, Noga. Erased from Space and Consciousness: Israel and the Depopulated Palestinian Villages of 1948. Indiana University Press: 2015.Long, Joanna. “(En)planting Israel: Jewish national fund forestry and the naturalisation of Zionism.” University of British Columbia: 2005.”Our History.” Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael Jewish National Fund. Accessed 8 October 2020.Pappe, Ilan. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine. One World Oxford: 2006.Shehadeh, Raja. Palestinian Walks: Forays into a Vanishing Landscape. Scribner: 2007.Tal, Alon. Pollution in a Promised Land: An Environmental History of Israel. University of California Press: 2002. CREDITSHost: Nate HegyiReported and produced by: Justine ParadisMixer: Justine ParadisEditing by Taylor Quimby, Sam Evans-Brown, and Erika JanikRebecca Lavoie is our Executive ProducerMusic for this episode by Blue Dot Sessions. Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.Special thanks to Yehoshua Shkedy, Amit Gilutz, Eliana Passentin, and Vered Ben Saadon. Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It’s that time again when we open our mailbag to answer your (oh-so-delightful) questions. This time, we deliberate over what seagulls are doing so far from the sea, the reason that staring at fire is so compelling, why dogs kick up dirt after they poo, and other timeless inquiries.Submit your own question (the weirder the better) on Instagram, via email at outsidein@nhpr.org, or by calling our Outside/Inbox hotline: 1-844-GO-OTTER. Question 1: Would ice age humans still think of ice as ‘cold?’Question 2: Why do we like to stare at fire?Question 3: Why do dogs scratch the ground after pooping?Question 4: Shouldn’t seagulls be at sea? Question 5: Do animals get seasonal allergies?  SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our FREE newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook CREDITSHost: Nate HegyiReported and produced by: Taylor Quimby & Felix PoonMixers: Taylor Quimby & Felix PoonEditing by Taylor Quimby, Justine Paradis, and Rebecca LavoieRebecca Lavoie is our Executive ProducerMusic for this episode by Blue Dot Sessions, Felix Johansson Carne, Stationary Sign, Jules Gaia, Yomoti, and Flouw. Our theme music is by Breakmaster Cylinder.Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ever have an unexpected animal encounter that leaves you filled with adrenaline? Or awed by the natural world? Or filled with fear? On this episode, we hand over the reins to the folks at Every Little Thing, a Spotify-exclusive podcast hosted by Flora Lichtman.They asked their listeners for stories about extreme animal run-ins, and boy did folks deliver…. From a tangled antlers conundrum, to a life-altering encounter with jellyfish, these are animal stories that will make you laugh, sweat, and want to stay on the boat. Thanks to Cory, Sara, Geoff and everyone who called in to Every Little Thing with a wild animal tale.Every Little Thing is made by Flora Lichtman, Annette Heist, Phoebe Flanigan, Hadley Robinson, Stephanie Werner and Carla Javier.Outside/In is produced by Nate Hegyi, Taylor Quimby, Justine Paradis, Jessica Hunt, and Felix Poon  AFRAID OF NATURE? SEND US YOUR STORIES!Halloween is coming up, and we want to know what natural thing scares the bejeezus out of you. Is there a particular animal, insect, or encounter that just absolutely creeps you out? Or maybe it’s just an idea: like you’re afraid of the dark, or the ocean, or thunderstorms? Submit your fear, and we may feature it on a future episode of the show - or call you up to talk about whatever it is that freaks you out.  Here are some prompts:What scares you? How does that fear manifest in your life? Where do you think that fear stems from? Tell us a specific anecdote or story related to your fear.Submit your story by sending a voice memo to outsidein@nhpr.org. Or by calling our hotline: 1-844-GO-OTTER.  MORE ABOUT EVERY LITTLE THINGWhy do news anchors all sound the same? Do wolves really howl at the moon? How did Elvis imitators take over Las Vegas wedding chapels? On ELT, you call with a question, they find you an answer. Their helpline is open 24-7. Call 833-RING-ELT or send an audio message to elt@gimletmedia.com. SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our FREE newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.