Plateau on the Radio: Episode 5 The Uranium Legacy

A still from the film 'Too Precious to Mine'
If you missed this weeks episode of This is the Colorado Plateau you can listen here, we focused on the people of the Grand Canyon, Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers and their deep connections to these amazing places. Also we interviewed photographer Amy Martin and Filmmaker Justin Clifton about the legacy and continuing threat of Uranium contamination on the Plateau and especially on the Diné (Navajo) Nation, as well as their films, art and an art show at Firecreek Coffee Company in Flagstaff called Uranium: Ignominious Legacy on the Colorado Plateau. We also had Plateau reporter Ashley Doyle on with a new segment called Plateau Food Ecology where she discusses the traditional foods of the Hualapai tribe, as well as music by Ed Kabotie from the edge of Grand Falls at the Little Colorado River.
just like to hear it one more time you can listen to it

And please check out the films we discussed: Too Precious to Mine and Half Life: The Story of Americas Last Uranium Mill

And, as always, we would truly appreciate it if you Plateau lovers out there would consider submitting an Audio Postcard from the Plateau. It could be about anything you'd like as long as its Colorado Plateau related...for instance you could speak about a rare bird you saw, or a really great hike you did, or just what the Colorado Plateau means to you...anything goes! So grab your phone or other recording device and send us your amazing words. You can send the mp3 file to thecoloradoplateau@gmail.com and listen for your voice on the air!


Dark Skies of the Plateau: The Temple of the Moon

The Temple of the Moon - Capitol Reef National Park - Photo by Royce Bair
The Colorado Plateau offers remote and spectacular places to escape light pollution and see the stars at a handful of world-renowned dark-sky parks. At Capitol Reef National Park for instance, one can marvel in Cathedral Valley as the dark skies envelop the entire area. 

As light pollution increases across the country, some national parks on the Colorado Plateau are being recognized internationally as places to experience an extraordinary and diminishing resource—dark night skies. Less than one-third of the country’s population lives in a place where they can see the Milky Way, and in many national parks, stargazing programs draw more visitors than any other ranger-led activity.

In 2007, the International Dark-Sky Association designated Natural Bridges National Monument in southeastern Utah the world’s first International Dark Sky Park. In 2013, the association awarded International Dark Sky Park status to Chaco Culture National Historical Park in northwestern New Mexico for its natural nighttime darkness, commitment to reducing light pollution, and public outreach and education programs. And in 2014, the association also recognized Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument as the newest dark-sky park for its superior opportunities to view the night skies.






Plateau on the Radio: Episode 4 Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project

If you missed this weeks episode of This is the Colorado Plateau where we interviewed Emily Renn (Executive Director) and Lauren Cain (Outreach and Education Coordinator) of the Grand Canyon Wolf Recovery Project, you can listen to it right here. We also had our first Audio Postcard from the Plateau by Plateau reporter Ashley Doyle that highlights a stroll through Walnut Canyon National Monument in Northern Arizona.

And we would truly appreciate it if you Plateau lovers out there would consider submitting an Audio Postcard from the Plateau. It could be about anything you'd like as long as its Colorado Plateau related...for instance you could speak about a rare bird you saw, or a really great hike you did, or just what the Colorado Plateau means to you...anything goes! So grab your phone or other recording device and send us your amazing words. You can send the mp3 file to thecoloradoplateau@gmail.com and listen for your voice on the air!


Plateau Paleontology: The Dinosaurs of Utah

The beauty of sharing science to a community that is not only comprised of amazing citizen scientists and science advocates, but also comprised of actual scientists working in their respective fields is that everyone shares their knowledge together, and that is how the best learning takes place sometimes. So thank you to everyone who takes the time to share things with us, like this great Dinosaurs of Utah image for instance that was put together by the hardworking folks of the Utah Geological Survey (you can find a pdf version to download here.).


Plateau on the Radio: Episode 3 Edward Abbey

If you missed this weeks episode of This is the Colorado Plateau on Radio Sunnyside 101.5 in Flagstaff, AZ you can now listen anytime you'd like!


Plateau Geology - The Cathedral of the Sun

Cathedral of the Sun
Cathedral Valley presents another chapter in the story of Capitol Reef's geology. The geologic layers and eroded features here are different than those seen in other sections of the Waterpocket Fold. The Bentonite Hills among the Hartnet Road and the Painted Desert on the Cathedral (also known as the Cainville Wash) Road appear as softly-contoured, banded hills in varying hues of brown, red, purple, gray, and green. The hills are composed of the Brushy Basin shale member of the Morrison Formation. This layer was formed during Jurassic times when mud, silt, fine sand, and volcanic ash were deposited in swamps and lakes. Bentonite clay (altered volcanic ash) absorbs water and becomes very slick and gummy when wet, making vehicle or foot travel difficult or impossible.