Natural Causes

James talks about the ecological disaster that is the border wall and interviews Dr. Christina Aiello about the Peninsular Bighorn ram that was killed by razor wire in the Jacumba mountains. Sources: https://www.usaspending.gov/search?hash=29de9d51905bd175a701b04c24176b46 https://www-jstor-org.sdmesa.idm.oclc.org/stable/3636811?seq=5 https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_employer=Atkore https://tucson.com/news/local/border/article_a11265b0-17c3-5bed-b50a-72e5d17e1369.html https://www.blm.gov/visit/jacumba-wilderness https://www.usaspending.gov/search?hash=29de9d51905bd175a701b04c24176b46 https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/08/2025-05992/determination-pursuant-to-section-102-of-the-illegal-immigration-reform-and-immigrant-responsibility https://www.enr.com/articles/54215-us-settles-border-wall-suit-against-contractor-fisher-sand-gravel https://www.atkore.com/about-us https://desertreport.org/a-border-wall-in-the-jacumba-wilderness-area/ https://gizmodo.com/trumps-border-wall-torn-apart-by-arizona-monsoon-rains-1847535174 https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_70B01C25F00001112_7014_70B01C23D00000010_7014 https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1666138/000166613826000010/atkr-20260429.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James and journalist Jason Dove Mark explain the roadless rule, national forests, and the Trump administration's attempts to strip protections from tens of thousands of acres of public land.  https://www.regulations.gov/document/FS-2025-0001-223869 https://www.onxmaps.com/onx-access-initiatives/roadless-rule https://morethanjustparks.com/threatened-public-lands-map/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James is joined by Molly to discuss how the Bureau of Land Management is quietly changing its approach to public land management and what it means for approximately 900 bison in Central Montana. (originally run on It Could Happen Here in May 2026) Sources: https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/810541893_202412_990_2025073023621659.pdf  https://gov.mt.gov/_docs/governor/AmericanPrairieProposedDecisionJanuary162026.pdf  https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-17537.pdf  https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2026-01-21/blm-cancels-bison-grazing-permits-for-montana-nature-reserve https://news.mt.gov/Governors-Office/Governor_Gianforte_Appeals_Judges_APR_Bison_Grazing_Decision#:~:text=Following%20the%20judge's%20order%2C%20DNRC,appeal%20may%20be%20found%20here.  https://t.co/HUAyMUnOVi  https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2015/06/18/business-leaders-provide-green-behind-conservation-effort/28960843/  https://www.blm.gov/press-release/blm-revokes-american-prairie-bison-grazing-permit https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/estatetaxfinal.pdf  https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/05/12/2026-09386/rescission-of-conservation-and-landscape-health-rule   https://www.blm.gov/about/laws-and-regulations/conservation-and-landscape-health-rule  https://largetribes.org/2026/02/affirmative-action-for-cattle-tribes-challenge-feds-plan-to-revoke-bison-grazing-leases-on-public-land-media-share/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James follows up on last week's episode and talked to Miles Gray about what it is like to lose your home in a fire and how people can continue to help fire survivors. Sources: https://lacounty.gov/2026/08/04/county-of-los-angeles-fire-department-releases-the-investigative-reports-on-the-cause-of-the-eaton-fire/  https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-03-19/sce-decomissioned-power-line-eaton-fire-risk  https://apnews.com/general-news-ffcad08a8ef14fa88df8bacdd9e73883  https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/08/newsom-wildfire-utility-liability-package/  https://x.com/WildfireVics1st/status/2078175502523585021  https://clickstrategies.us/   Donation Links: Spokane Immigrants Rights Coalition: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/sirc-community-fund  Spectrum running the Rainbow Relief Fund: https://spectrumcenterspokane.app.neoncrm.com/forms/donate  Colville Fund: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/cedar-fund-wildfire-recovery-campaign See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weeks after more than 600 houses in Spokane burned, James talks to community members about how people prepared, cared for each other, and worried about migration enforcement during the fire evacuations. Sources: Aldo Leopold- A Sand County Almanac  https://www.instagram.com/p/DcBqjR6RdzJ/ Donation Links: Spokane Immigrants Rights Coalition: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/sirc-community-fund Spectrum running the Rainbow Relief Fund: https://spectrumcenterspokane.app.neoncrm.com/forms/donate Colville Fund: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/cedar-fund-wildfire-recovery-campaign See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.