When it comes to this podcast, it’s all about the stories. Since its launch, there are more than 200 different stories from historical firsts, to biological wonders – from dinosaur discoveries to changing climates. If you’re interested in the nature, culture, history, landscape, and tourism in the mountain west, you’ll find your stories here.
While I’d love you to click the big subscribe button on the top right of this page (from the device you want to listen of course), you can find any individual story that has been covered right here.
Enjoy!
Mountain Building and Structure
- 018 Formation of the Rockies
Glaciation
- 002 Shrinking Glaciers
- 006 Ice Free Corridor Theory Busted
- 010 Bob Sandford’s talk, The Snows of Yesteryear & the Future Climate of the Mountain West
- 011 Glacial History of the Athabasca Glacier by Dr. Brian Luckman.
- 051 Melting Glaciers
Landforms
Astronomy
Plants
- 056 Salal is the new Super Berry
- 060 Calypso Orchid fooling Bumblebee Queens
- 061 Sulphur Storms (Spruce Pollination)
- 063 Yellow Ladyslipper Orchids
- 079 Prairie Crocus
Birds
- 008 Canada’s National Bird
- 014 Gray Jay selected as the nominee for Canada’s National Bird
- 036 Gov’t Refuses to Announce a National Bird
- 037 Golden Eagles
- 055 Woodpecker Headaches
- 058 Time to clean up bird feeders
- 079 Earlier Blooming is Stressing Bird Populations
- 084 Feeding Birds Ethically and Effectively
Mammals
- 005 Ground Squirrel Research in Ptarmigan Cirque
- 006 Reflections from Ground Squirrel Researchers
- 019 Bow Valley Wolf Pack
- 023 Wolves and Ravens
- 025 Going Batty – Bats of the Rockies
- 041 Flying Squirrels
- 045 Wolves help Grizzlies by Killing Elk
- 045 Wolf Reintroduction to Yellowstone
- 054 Are Wolves Returning to the Bow Valley
- 057 Red Fox return to the Rockies
- 058 Bobcats in the mountains
- 061 Mismatched Colours (Animals who’s colour is out of phase w season)
- 067 Measuring the Expansion of Coyote Populations
- 077 Wolverines in the Mountain West
- 080 Alberta’s Wolf Cull
- 085 Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Wolf Reintroduction to Yellowstone
Hoofed Animals
- 008 Life in a Rut
- 015 Rutting Moose
- 017 Mountain Caribou
- 019 Bison Return to Banff National Park
- 021 Bison Belongs Banff Presentation
- 022 North America’s Earliest Bison
- 027 Bison Babies
- 030 Baby Bison meet Bears for the First Time
- 033 Bulletproof Elk
- 038 Bird-eating Deer
- 043 Save a Caribou by Shooting a Moose
- 049 Cougars that Aren’t Solitary
- 055 Bison Release Plans for 2018
- 067 Reintroduced Bison Test their Boundaries
- 066 Finally Free-Ranging Bison in Banff
- 069 A Look at why Elk Keep Their Antlers through the Winter
- 080 Do linear features allow wolves access to caribou habitat?
Bears
- 001 Buffaloberries and Bears
- 002 Black Bear locks itself in Subaru
- 003 Bear 148’s Wanderings
- 004 Buffaloberry and Bear Updates
- 007 Buffaloberry Season Ends
- 008 Grizzlies Swimming to New Territories near Vancouver Island
- 019 New Bear Research in Banff
- 020 Using electrified Fencing to Keep Bears off Train Tracks
- 022 Grizzly Reintroduction to the North Cascades
- 023 The Boss Awakens
- 028 Bear 148 Gets Cranky
- 033 Exploding Bear Spray
- 034 Bear Spray Safety Containers
- 034 Bear 148 In Trouble
- 034 New Method to Count Bears
- 036 Bear 148 Gets One More Chance
- 037 Buffaloberry Primer
- 038 Farewell to Bear 148
- 039 Hiker injured by a bear within closed area in Canmore
- 042 Grizzlies Choose Berries Over Salmon
- 046 New Research on Bears and Trains
- 049 a Look at Polar Bear Ecology
- 049 Does Shooting Problem Bears Work?
- 054 Success in Relocating Grizzly Bears
- 056 Ecological Traps for Grizzly Bears
- 058 The bears wake up
- 059 Kananaskis Grizzly Updates
- 062 Bears Along the Train Tracks
- 065 The Buffaloberries are Back
- 066 Bear Safety in Buffaloberry Season
- 072 The Bears will be waking up soon
- 075 Grizzlies Emerge From Their Winter Dens
- 079 Buffaloberries are blooming earlier and that may not be good for bears
- 082 The impact of grizzlies digging for ground squirrels and roots
Fossils and Dinosaurs
- 007 New Burgess Shales Fossils Found
- 030 Best Dinosaur Fossil Found Near Fort McMurray
- 030 Hudson’s Hope Dinosaur Track Site
- 043 The Burgess Shales
- 044 Flying Giraffes – Giant Pterosaurs
- 048 Neanderthal Medicine
- 057 New Burgess Fossils (Habelia, Tokummia, and Kootenayscolex)
- 076 The Biggest, Scariest, and Cuddliest Tyrannosaurus Rex Discoveries
- 076 The Day The Dinosaurs Died
Other Wildlife Stories
- 003 HELS (High Elevation Localized Species) Research
- 007 Whirling Disease and Quagga Mussels
- 008 Whirling Disease Update
- 014 Desperate Measures for Johnson Lake
- 016 Winter Ticks
- 016 Winter Insect Survival
- 020 Whirling Disease Updates
- 020 Mountain Pine Beetle Updates
- 029 Draining Johnson Lake
- 059 Whirling Disease Spreads to Oldman, Red Deer and North Saskatchewan
- 060 Calypso Orchid fooling Bumblebee Queens
- 077 Tick Season is Upon Us
The Environment
Ecology
- 012 Adapting to Winter
- 028 B.C.’s Interior Rainforest
- 074 How Alberta has Kept out the Norway Rat
- 074 How introduced lake trout caused an ecosystem collapse in Yellowstone Lake
- 079 How Warming Climates Are Changing Blooming Times and The Availability of Buffaloberries
Climate Change
- 016 New Northward Migrations
- 017 Canmore becomes a Hub of Water Research
- 017 Climate Trends in 2016
- 031 Scientific Fact vs Politicized Fantasy in the Post-Truth Trumpocene
- 031 Canada in 2050
- 032 Climate Science in Mountain Landscapes, a presentation by Dr. John Pomeroy
- 033 Drones in the Mountains, a presentation by Dr. Joe Shea
- 048 Pikas struggling with Warming Climates
- 052 What’s Up with Climate Science Deniers
- 070 Albertan’s Most Likely to Deny Climate Change
- 070 Climate change deniers take aim at Polar Bears
- 070 Western Alberta sees the Highest Temperature Increases
- 070 Did the Spanish Arrival in the New World Cause the Little Ice Age?
- 072 Saying Goodbye to the father of Climate Change
- 073 What losing our winter snow covering means to wildlife
- 076 Canada Warming Up Twice As Fast as the Global Average
Forest Fires
- 035 Flames Across the Border (Fires in British Columbia)
- 036 Expanding Forest Fires
- 040 Pine Beetles Bring Fire Fears
- 041 2017 is the worst B.C. Fire Season Ever
- 043 Fire Updates
- 053 Do Mountain Pine Beetles Increase Fire Risk?
- 068 Fire Ecology in Western Canada with Cliff White
- 069 Forest Fires in California and British Columbia
- 086 Dangers of the Insect Apocalypse
Wildlife and People
- 004 Jasper Fruit Harvest
- 004 Wildlife Overpasses in Banff
- 005 A Second Wolf Shot by Parks
- 006 Unethical Photographers using Telemetry Gear
- 034 Wildlife Crossing Structures are Expanding and Changing
- 050 New Frontiers in Wildlife Crossings
- 065 New Report on Wildlife-Human Coexistence in the Bow Valley
Canmore Wildlife Corridors
- 022 Human Use in Wildlife Corridors
- 024 Bow Valley Wildlife Corridors vs Developers
- 027 Big Wins in Canmore’s Wildlife Corridor Battle
- 029 Living with Wildlife Film
- 047 For the Love of Our Valley Event and Presentations
- 065 New Decisions on Wildlife Corridors in the Bow Valley
Man and the Mountains
Other
History
- 006 Ice Free Corridor Migration Story Busted
- 008 John Franklin’s Second Ship Discovered
- 012 The History of Snowshoes
- 028 Who Owns the Franklin Artifacts
- 029 McDougall Church Burns Down
- 034 The Naming of Waterton Lakes National Park, an interview with Carol Patterson
- 037 Ancient Archaeological Site Found on the West Coast
- 037 The CPR Part 1 – The Surveyors and the Promise to B.C.
- 038 Walter Moberly’s Surveys
- 039 Hell’s Bells Rogers
- 040 Rogers Route is Confirmed
- 041 Van Horne Rescues the CPR
- 042 The Last Spike
- 045 Gold Rushes begin in British Columbia
- 046 The Caribou Goldrush becomes a Bonanza
- 050 The Scourge of Scurvy
- 051 David Thompson’s Legacy Begins
- 052 David Thompson Quits the Hudson’s Bay Company
- 053 David Thompson Heads West
- 054 Tom Wilson’s Christmas Ordeal
- 053 David Thompson Explores the Rockies and the Columbia River
- 055 Edward Abbey Quote about burnout
- 056 Lewis and Clark add new names to many animals
- 062 The Life of Chief Crowfoot
- 063 Crowfoot Gets to know the Mounties
- 064 The Story of Crowfoot Wraps Up
- 070 Did the Spanish Arrival in the New World Cause the Little Ice Age?
- 072 Canmore’s Cold War Bunker
- 073 Grotto Canyon Pictographs
- 080 Fossil human footprints fuels the coastal migration theory of North America’s first humans
- 083 The real story of Henry Glass from the movie The Revenant
- 087 Ice Battleships and Alberta’s Connection to the War for the Atlantic
Outdoor Recreation
- 002 Whitewater Rafters vs CP Rail in Golden
- 003 Icefields Bike Trail
- 007 Famous Fall Hikes
- 008 Expired Bear Spray
- 013 Choosing Snowshoes
- 023 Icefields Bike Path Take Two
- 027 Icefields Trail Stalled
- 027 Anglers Beware – The Rules have Changed
- 045 Trans Canada Trail is Complete
- 045 Icefields Bike Trail Falls Into Limbo
Tourism
- 002 2016 Calgary Stampede Foods
- 004 Tips to beat the crowds on busy holiday weekends
- 005 Proposal for a Gondola to the Gondola in Banff
- 013 The Crowds are a comin
- 014 Lake Louise Men’s World Cup Cancelled
- 017 Canada Rated Number One Place to Visit by the New York Times
- 018 Summer Camping Reservations
- 018 Canadian Towns Worth Visiting according to Country Living Magazine
- 022 The Rocky Mountain Pledge
- 023 Winter Olympic Bid for 2026
- 025 Icefields Chalet Upgrades
- 027 New Transportation Options for the Mountains
- 029 2017 Stampede Foods
- 029 The Crowds Are Here
- 044 Loving the Mountains to Death
- 047 Canada’s 150th Birthday and its effects on Visitation to the Mountain Parks
- 061 Famous Filming Locations
- 067 Time to Stop Making Rock Sculptures and Inukshuks
- 072 New Train and Bus Service to Banff Proposed
Parks Canada and AB and BC Prov Parks
- 002 Parks increasing prosecutions for feeding wildlife
- 005 New Funding to Kananaskis Country
- 005 Jasper redeveloping Mt. Edith Cavell Day-use area and Valley of Five Lakes Trailhead
- 006 Parks Canada dog handler honoured
- 008 Intergovernmental Panel looks into the “Banff Experience”
- 011 Parks see increasing illegal use of Drones
- 017 2017 Free Park Passes – You Still Need One
- 018 Radium Hot Springs Expansion
- 020 Castle Park Expansion Announced
- 025 Permits Required for Mount Edith Cavell Road
- 026 Parks Canada Takes Its Lumps
- 028 Banff Launches New Campaign: Human Food Kills Wildlife
- 037 B.C. Announces New Wildlife Agency Funded by Hunting
- 060 Ecological Integrity Job 1 for Parks Canada…Again.
- 075 Glacier National Park in Montana is Losing its Glaciers
Book Reviews
- 003 Book Review: Candid Creatures: How Camera Traps Reveal the Mysteries of Nature
- 006 Book Review: The Pipestone Wolves: The Rise and Fall of a Wolf Family.
- 006 Book Review: The Great Kananaskis Flood