Advertise on podcast: The River Radius Podcast

Ben Stookesberry paddles kayaks in his home state of Montana, and around the world. In his teen years he learned to make home movies showing off his rollerblading moves, and in college he learned to kayak. Today he blends the paddling and film making as he runs rivers in global settings. He has created deep and lasting friendships in his travels, and returns to rivers again and again, to paddle more stretches, to learn more, and sometimes to engage in protection work. In this episode, Ben talks through all of this with us, and goes into depth about his current paddling and film efforts on the Jatunyacu and Mulatos Rivers in Ecuador. GUESTS Ben Stookesberry @benstookesberry Bio @ Kokatat Bio @ Jackson Kayak Latest Film:  ¡Ay Chihuahua! Diego Robles:  @ecuskayaker   RESOURCES Ecuadorian Rivers Institute @ecuadorianrivers Steven Donzinger story Savages, book, by Joe Kane   PADDLERS TO FOLLOW @ecuskayaker (Diego) @williehenkel @wyatt_doyle @salmonsourcetosea @elizabeth.tobey @brookehess @oceansandmountains (Hailey) @pedroolivakaiak @riverratmountainkat @mayuwarmikayak @teepee_boys   SPONSORS Denver Area Nissan Dealers @nissanusa         THE RIVER RADIUS Website Runoff signup (episode newsletter) Instagram Facebook Apple Podcast Spotify Link Tree

Podcasting is incredibly unique and fun work that has allowed me to meet so many rivers and river people. And podcasting is a job that I really just created for myself. Yes there are other podcasts and podcasters, but by nature of the work, we are all kind of hidden in quiet places behind microphones and editing screens, so finding a podcasting friend is so helpful. Ed Roberson has built the Mountain & Prairie Podcast and we have become colleagues and friends that can support each other when we have questions and challenges. For this episode, Ed and I decided to interview each other in a single episode and go deeper into our work, and publish it on both of our respective podcasts. Ed is a leading interviewer finding some of the most humble and impactful people of the American West and Ed is in the process of writing his own book. To start off 2026, here is an episode with two podcasters talking about our work, focus and plans for this coming season of episodes.    GUESTS Ed Roberson Mountain & Prairie Podcast website On Apple On Spotify @mtnprairie SPONSORS Denver Area Nissan Dealers @nissanusa THE RIVER RADIUS Website Runoff signup (episode newsletter) Instagram Facebook Apple Podcast Spotify Link Tree

The Vjosa River in Albania is one of the largest of the last free running rivers in Europe and recently it was protected with the new Vjosa Wild River National Park. The Vjosa sources from the mountains of Greece and flows north through Albania where it meets the Adriatic Sea. Eco Albania has led much of the work to create this National Park and our guest Dr Olsi Nika founded Eco Albania.  Dr Nika tells us about this long and beautiful river in his home country, how people in Albania use this river, about life in Albania, and how they did the work to project this river.    GUESTS Dr Olsi Nika   RESOURCES Vjosa River Vjosa Wild River National Park Eco Albania Albania Balkan Peninsula Mediterranean Basin Rewinding Europe Video:  Blue Heart - Eco Albania SPONSORS Denver Area Nissan Dealers Over It Raft Covers   THE RIVER RADIUS Website Runoff signup (episode newsletter) Instagram Facebook Apple Podcast Spotify Link Tree

Amidst a flourish of media about Paddle Tribal Waters, a new film has published from Oregon Public Broadcasting & Jessie Sears, giving focus to the 2025 source to sea run completed by the indigenous teens of PTW. The film, “First Descent: Kayaking the Klamath”, is there to meet the paddlers at the Pacific Ocean when they complete their journey, is with them along the river and the film also engages with the families of the paddlers to hear their perceptions of their kid’s work and pursuits. And finally, the film’s producer, Jessie Sears, is a member of the Karuk Tribe from the Klamath River basin, and by creating this film, she is exploring her own connections with this river and these families.  The Film:  “First Descent: Kayaking the Klamath" Jessie Sears professional website Instagram Jessie Sears at Oregon Public Broadcasting Karuk Tribe Oregon Public Broadcasting Paddle Tribal Waters & Rios to Rivers New York Times about Paddle Tribal Waters Underscore Native News Instagram Swiftwater Films Instagram  River Roots Instagram     THE RIVER RADIUS Website Runoff signup (episode newsletter) Instagram Facebook Apple Podcast Spotify Link Tree

In the spring of 1980, nine-year-old Bridget Crocker, while playing next to her home river, fell from a downed tree into the cold swollen Snake River — a scary swim that initiated a deep, lifelong relationship with rivers and river people. This year in 2025 her memoir “The River’s Daughter” traces a thalweg of traumas, challenges and joys that played out in both her river life and her family life. Today Bridget hosts retreats and workshops on rivers, guides on special occasions, and is creating her dream life with her family.  GUEST Bridget Crocker Instagram Book Audio Book   RELATED EPISODES FROM THE RIVER RADIUS Sexual Harassment in River Guide Culture Queer River Guiding; 1 Professional's Experience Tools for the River Guide River Guide Unions Endless Summer 1: The Guide Life Endless Summer 2: A Guide's Sunset Endless Summer 3: Guiding with a Healing Intention   ORGANIZATIONS FROM EPISODE A Dash America Outdoors River Management Society Responder Alliance Whale Foundation Redside Foundation     SPONSORS THE RIVER RADIUS Website Runoff signup (episode newsletter) Instagram Facebook Apple Podcast Spotify Link Tree

Across the United States, 640 million acres of public land belong to all of us — rivers that still run wild, deep canyons, mountain ranges, plains, and deserts. Places where the wild things live. Places we can still visit, explore, and trust that it will be there for generations or an eon. But this year, the push to sell or transfer those lands has surfaced — sometimes openly, sometimes in quieter, less obvious ways. Why is this happening? Who’s behind it? And how do we, as citizens, stand up in simple, effective ways to keep public lands public? Our guest is Land Tawney, from American Hunters & Anglers — a man who comes from a long line of land conservationists. He brings both a historical lens and a practical action plan for keeping these 640 million acres wild, free, and truly ours.   GUEST American Hunters and Anglers @americanhuntersanglers Land Tawney Minority Outdoor Alliance @minorityoutdooralliance   RESOURCES 202-224-3121 Switchboard US Capital (call, tell them your zip code, and that you want to speak with your Rep and/or Sen…you might have to call 3 times to get your Rep and both of your Senators)   Ambler Road Roadless Rule, USFS Attempts to sell public lands PREVIOUS RIVER RADIUS EPISODES Are Public Lands 4 $ale? The Gila: River, Place, Family (Sen Martin Heinrich) ELECTED OFFICIALS & PUBLIC LANDS US Senator Martin Heinrich, New Mexico @senatormartinheinrich US Representative Gabe Vasquez, New Mexico @repgabevasquez US Representative Betty McCollum, Minnesota @repbettymccollum US Representative Ryan Zinke, Montana @repryanzinke US Senator Steve Daines, Montana US Senator Ron Wyden, Oregon @ronwyden US Senator Jeff Merkley, Oregon @senjeffmerkley US Senator John Hickenlooper, Colorado @senatorhick US Senator Susan Collins, Maine @sensusancollins US Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, Pennsylvania @repbrianfitz US Senator John Thune, South Dakota   SPONSORS Denver Area Nissan Dealers @nissanusa Buddy Boy Adventure Waste Kit @buddyboyusa THE RIVER RADIUS Website Runoff signup (episode newsletter) Instagram Facebook Apple Podcast Spotify Link Tree

Dr. Adriana Martinez grew up in Eagle Pass, Texas, swimming and playing in the Rio Grande as a part of daily life. 10 years after getting her Ph.D and teaching university classes in fluvial geomorphology, her Texas hometown and home river became the iconic center of the modern immigration debate and the setting for the controversial river buoy border fence.  In this episode she tells us about the research she is conducting to learn how the buoy fence in the Rio Grande is impacting this river, and about growing up riverside to an international border.  GUEST Dr Adriana "Didi" Martinez Professional Website @thinkingriverthoughts   RESOURCES Media on buoy fence w/Dr Martinez   SPONSORS Denver Area Nissan Dealers @nissanusa Over It Raft Covers @overitraftcovers Facebook THE RIVER RADIUS Website Runoff signup (episode newsletter) Instagram Facebook Apple Podcast Spotify Link Tree

Tim Palmer has spent much of his life floating down, writing about, and photographing America’s rivers. With 34 books and scores of awards to his name (including the first-ever lifetime achievement award presented by American Rivers), he’s one of river conservation's most seasoned voices. In this episode, guest host Clark Tate joins Tim to talk about a recent run down the newly dam-free Klamath, his lifelong bond with Pennsylvania’s Youghiogheny River, the origins of America's flood management system, the benefits of giving rivers the room they need to run when the waters inevitably rise, and how increasingly severe floods both reveal our vulnerabilities and offer opportunities.   GUEST Tim Palmer Seek Higher Ground: The Natural Solution to Our Urgent Flooding Crisis Youghiogheny: Appalachian River (updated edition) Watching the River Run (photo book)   HOST Clark Tate @lclarktate       THE RIVER RADIUS Website Runoff signup (episode newsletter) Instagram Facebook Apple Podcast Spotify Link Tree

This September brings the one year anniversary of Hurricane Helene and the powerful flooding that pounded Southern Appalachia. Incredible work has been to remove the bridges and cars and houses and trees that filled up the rivers. And more work continues today and for the next 18 months to clean up the remaining smaller trash. In this episode we learn about these details and how some communities did not flood because dams were removed prior to Helene, and how more dams are being removed post Helene.  Our guests are Hartwell Carson and Andy Hill from Mountain True in North Carolina.  GUESTS Hartwell Carson Andy Hill Mountain True @mtntrue facebook PREVIOUS EPISODES ON HURRICANE HELENE Part 1, Hurricane Helene in Appalachia, The Science Part 2, Hurricane Helene in Appalachia, River Rescue EPISODE ON RIVERS OF SOUTHERN APPALACHIA  10 Rivers For 2025 SPONSORS American Rivers American Rivers: Hurricane Helene American Rivers: Rivers of the United States Denver Area Nissan Dealers @nissanusa   THE RIVER RADIUS Website Runoff signup (episode newsletter) Instagram Facebook Apple Podcast Spotify Link Tree

After incredible collaboration and momentum at the Snake River amongst several tribes and two states to create a legitimate pathway for the 4 Lower Snake River Dams to be breached and therefore allow the anadromous Salmon, Steelhead and Lamprey of the basin to avoid extinction, the collaboration has been cancelled by the current presidential administration.  Why?  What comes next?  Our guests are full of passion and wisdom for this story: Kayeloni Scott from the Columbia Snake River Campaign and Libby Tobey from the Grand Salmon Project.  GUESTS Kayeloni Scott Columbia Snake River Campaign Libby Tobey Grand Salmon Project   FILMS ABOUT SNAKE RIVER "Covenant of the Salmon People" "The Grand Salmon" Watch for live events, request a screening in your town   RESOURCES Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative  "Trump Administration Abandons Deal With Northwest Tribes to Restore Salmon"  Pro Publica "Remove the dams. Replace their services. Restore the Salmon."  Idaho Outfitters & Guides Association "Snake River Fact Sheet"  Idaho Rivers United   PREVIOUS RIVER RADIUS EPISODES ON SNAKE RIVER Salmon 1: Mountain Origins Salmon 2: Big Dam Problems & Solutions Salmon 3: Fighting Extinction Real Time Dam Removal: Updates & Trends   SPONSORS Denver Area Nissan Dealers @nissanusa Buddy Boy Adventure Waste Kit @buddyboyusa THE RIVER RADIUS Website Runoff signup (episode newsletter) Instagram Facebook Apple Podcast Spotify Link Tree

For 40 years, American Rivers has published its annual Most Endangered Rivers list — a powerful statement sparking awareness and action to restore waterways across the country. In this 40th anniversary episode, we talk with Chantel Dominguez from American Rivers to explore this year’s list, river by river, moving through the challenges they face and the tangible solutions for each. We also revisit three rivers from last year’s list to learn about their increasing health and vitality. Thumbnail pic credit:  Sinjin Eberle, American Rivers EPISODE SPONSORS Denver Area Nissan Dealers @nissanusa Over It Raft Covers @overitraftcovers FB  Over It. Raft Covers.   EPISODE GUEST Chantel Dominguez American Rivers American Rivers Most Endangered Rivers List American Rivers Membership Link to Supportive Action for Each River: Mississippi River  Tijuana River Rivers of Southern Appalachia Passaic River Lower Rio Grande River Rappahannock River   Clearwater River Basin Susitna River Calcasieu River Gauley River RELATED EPISODES Part 1, Tijuana River, Binational Flow Part 2, Tijuana River, Source of the Pollution Part 3, Tijuana River, Solutions Previous American Rivers Most Endangered Rivers List Episodes 10 Rivers for 2024 10 Rivers for 2023 10 Rivers for 2022 THE RIVER RADIUS Website Runoff signup (episode newsletter) Instagram Facebook Apple Podcast Spotify Link Tree

Every year, we ask one big question: What is a River? This year, the currents brought us to Dr. Robert Macfarlane—writer & professor—and his newly released book, Is A River Alive?, Dr Macfarlane joined us to explore that very question. From the chalk streams from his home in England to rivers across three continents, Macfarlane pursues his answers. In this episode, we move through his global journey, his new water literacy, and why he calls himself a teacher first.   GUESTS Dr Robert Macfarlane, University of Cambridge Dr Robert Macfarlane, Wikipedia @robgmacfarlane Book:  IS A RIVER ALIVE? Audio Book:  IS A RIVER ALIVE? Film:  MOUNTAIN narrated by Willem Dafoe The poem Inversaid by Gerard Manley Hopkins Rights of Nature Universal Declaration of River Rights River Seine in Paris and a Declaration of River Rights Britain's Premier Nature Writer Cries Us a River   SPONSORS Natural Systems Design IG @naturalsystemsdesign in @natural_systems_design American Whitewater IG @americanwhitewater FB @American Whitewater Membership Journal River Info         THE RIVER RADIUS Website Runoff signup (episode newsletter) Instagram Facebook Apple Podcast Spotify Link Tree

In this episode, we dive into About Damn Time, Dana Romanoff’s powerful film that follows Cindell “Dellie” Dale and a crew of boatwomen as they navigate handcrafted wooden dories down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. They spent 17 days and 277 miles running the river and filming the story. Their journey becomes a vivid exploration of women reshaping a river culture long dominated by men. We ask: How did they work together to tell this story? What wisdom flows from these women to the next generation of dory guides? And why is the dory the most poetic boat ever built to run through the Grand Canyon? GUESTS Dana Romanoff Cindell "Dellie" Dale OARS Grand Canyon Dories   SPONSORS Down River Equipment American Rivers American Rivers: Take Action American Rivers: Colorado River in the Grand Canyon American Rivers: Rivers of the United States RESOURCES Grand Canyon National Park Colorado River Dory   THE RIVER RADIUS Website Runoff signup (episode newsletter) Instagram Facebook Apple Podcast Spotify Link Tree

Every July, more than 500 paddlers push off from Kansas City down 340 miles of massive Missouri River current, paddling day and night across the state in one of the world’s longest nonstop river races. This is the MR 340, an event of endurance, suffering and transformation. From solo racers chasing records to 10-person canoes grinding it out over four brutal days, every paddler faces the same river. In this episode, we sit down with Kate Mansker, a racer from the very first MR 340 in 2006 who still holds course records, and Steve Schnarr, the race director who steers the chaos behind the scenes. Together, they chart the evolution of the race, the legends it’s created, and what it takes to avoid the Reaper.    GUESTS Kate Mansker Steve Schnarr SPONSORS Denver Area NIssan Dealers @nissanusa   River City Outdoors @outdoorsstl Facebook Big Muddy Adventures @paddlestl Facebook Terrain Magazine @terrain_magazine Facebook   MR 340 RACE INFO www.mr340.org Race tracking Facebook Article 1:  They Were Magnificent Humans: An Oral History of the First MR340 Article 2:  Missouri River Relief to host 20th annual MR340 race on Missouri River THE RIVER RADIUS Website Runoff signup (episode newsletter) Instagram Facebook Apple Podcast Spotify Link Tree

Live from the River Management Society’s Annual Symposium in Ashland, Oregon, we bring you a live conversation with Paddle Tribal Waters. This powerful project is paddling the entire length of the Klamath River from its headwaters to the Pacific Ocean during the summer of 2025. We dive into the vision and logistics behind this month-long river journey. Hear how Paddle Tribal Waters is weaving together stories of ecology, culture and river life.  SPONSORS Northwest River Supplies @nrsweb Facebook American Whitewater @americanwhitewater Facebook   HOST River Management Society RMS Symposium @rivermgtsociety   GUESTS Rios to Rivers Paddle Tribal Waters @riostorivers   Danielle Rey Frank Amada Lang @moddss Ruby Rain Williams  @rubyrainwilliams Keeya Wik  @keeya.wiki Julian Tohnikyaw Rogers  @tohnikyaw   THE RIVER RADIUS Website Runoff signup (episode newsletter) Instagram Facebook Apple Podcast Spotify Link Tree