Follow Baratunde Thurston, bestselling author and podcaster, as he explores the country’s diverse landscapes to see how they shape the way we work, play and interact with the outdoors. From coal miners turned beekeepers in Appalachia to Black surfers catching waves in L.A., uncover a deeper understanding of our passionate and complex relationship with the natural world.
No overview available.
12 episodes
Baratunde Thurston meets Cliff Kapono, a Native Hawaiian who is using both science and surfing - or rather, his surfer’s understanding of the ocean - to protect coral reefs around the world. Cliff also discusses how surfing, coral reef restoration, and science are all intertwined and woven into his identity as a Native Hawaiian.
Runtime: N/A minBaratunde Thurston meets Jacqueline Molina, a member of a new group of hunters embracing the sport. Her weapon of choice is a bow & arrow, and while some of the reasons why she hunts are rooted in tradition, others are related to conservation. Deer overpopulation is a big problem in Long Island, NY, and hunting is the primary - but also the most controversial - method of managing deer populations.
Runtime: N/A minBaratunde Thurston meets Jonathan Valentine who dives, digs, and searches for fossils all over Florida. Some of his discoveries include Megalodon Shark teeth, American Mastodon molars, and even an extinct Rhino tooth. But fossil hunting in Florida is more than just a hobby. It’s also a way citizens can uncover the state’s prehistoric past and contribute to the field of paleontology.
Runtime: N/A minBaratunde Thurston meets Stephen Camp, an all-around plant lover, who became a plant parent during the Pandemic. Houseplants have brought him much joy and allowed him to remain connected to nature even within the confines of his home. It’s also exposed him to the illegal plant trade. With more people becoming plant parents, Stephen hopes to educate and raise awareness about this issue.
Runtime: N/A minBaratunde Thurston meets Favia Dubyk, an avid rock climber who has been bouldering for over a decade. However, as a black woman, climbing hasn’t been easy. Favia discusses the problematic route names and other aspects of the sport that have created unwelcoming environments for people like her, as well as, how the climbing community is working to make the sport more inclusive for all.
Runtime: N/A minBaratunde meets Hesper Lana Fang, a falconer who lives with an American Kestrel named Goji, but the relationship between Hesper and her bird is not one of owner-and-pet. Hesper explains how falconry is a form of conservation that offers people an intimate connection with wildlife.
Runtime: N/A minExplore one town’s mission to become a Dark Sky Community, while researchers discover how darkness is not just important to experience the wonders of the cosmos - it’s vital to maintain healthy ecosystems and save the migrations of America’s birds.
Runtime: 13 minFrom skyscrapers to cell phones, the modern world is built on sand, and we are running out. Baratunde Thurston learns why solving the sand crisis matters to the future of the planet—and the outdoor environments we cherish.
Runtime: 14 minForests are in trouble from climate change and being harvested faster than we can replenish them. But an indigenous community in Wisconsin is setting an example for a better way and traditional knowledge could be the answer to saving our trees.
Runtime: 12 minA hundred years ago the Klamath River was dammed and diverted, changing the landscape and the salmon population. Now, those same dams are being torn down. What will letting the river run wild mean for the water, the fish and the people who live there?
Runtime: 12 minWith over a million deaths attributed to them each year, mosquitoes are the deadliest animals on earth. In the hunt to stop the spread of disease, scientists think bacteria could be the key, instead of chemicals.
Runtime: 12 minIn Vermont, summer is supposed to be about picnics, wild blueberries and maple creamies. And that’s how it was in 2023, until the floods came. In the hottest July since we started keeping records, the rain didn’t stop for two days, dropping more than nine inches of rain on some cities. And Montpelier, the state capitol, was fighting for its life.
Runtime: 13 minNo overview available.
6 episodes
Baratunde explores the hottest place on Earth and finds it is remarkably full of life. Meet an ultra-marathoner who runs in the brutal heat of summer, the mayor of a town of one, and an elder of the Timbisha Shoshone tribe.
Runtime: N/A minBaratunde ventures into the wilds of Idaho to explore its evolving outdoor culture. He finds ranchers and backcountry pilots sharing the wilderness with newly resettled refugees and sees how climate change is impacting an age-old salmon fishery.
Runtime: N/A minBaratunde explores his adopted hometown of Los Angeles to learn how Angelinos connect with the outdoors in their sprawling city. Meet kayakers saving a polluted river and Black surfers claiming their place on the waves.
Runtime: N/A minBaratunde meets the people of Appalachia who are driving a revolution in how we see and interact with nature. Meet a record-breaking hiker, former coal miners raising bees, and activists working to make the outdoors accessible to everyone.
Runtime: N/A minBaratunde treks along the coast of North Carolina and discovers surprising ways in which history has shaped these environments. He explores a daunting swamp, soars above the dunes on a Wright Brothers glider and tracks wild horses on the beach.
Runtime: N/A minBaratunde ventures to Minnesota’s Arrowhead Region, one of the last places where you can hike or paddle into the remote wilderness. He meets with passionate birders and harvesters of wild rice and hears from them why wilderness means so much.
Runtime: N/A minSeason two highlights even more regions and environments, finding unique expressions of our outdoor culture in Utah, Maine, Arkansas, New Mexico, Oregon and the Suwanee River in Georgia and Florida. New this season, episodes dig into the growing evidence that links people's overall health and wellness with being outside and also explores new ways of making the outdoors accessible to everyone.
6 episodes
The Suwannee is one of the last wild rivers in America. From jet skiers to herpetologists, manatees to snapping turtles, Baratunde learns how this unique environment inspires a whole range of passions.
Runtime: N/A minIn Arkansas just about everyone you meet is into the outdoors, yet to the rest of the country, the state barely registers as an outdoor destination. Now, Arkansas is on a mission to earn recognition as a wild mecca.
Runtime: N/A minThe Ancient Puebloans were the first inhabitants of what's now New Mexico, and their ruins can still be found there. From turkey hunting to rafting on the Rio Grande, Baratunde explores how New Mexico's history shapes its outdoor culture.
Runtime: N/A minOregon is known for its wild coastline and misty forests, but it's a place where a few hours in your car can take you from the coast to the high desert or the Cascade mountains. Embracing this incredible variety, Baratunde embraces forest bathing, goes spearfishing to discover underwater kelp forests, rides along with cowboys on the cutting edge of sustainable ranching and rollerblades through Portland.
Runtime: N/A minFrom the nomadic Diné tribes who have been here since time immemorial to the Mormons who made their religious pilgrimage in 1847, the expansive beauty of Utah has been a magnet for centuries. So what draws modern pilgrims? Baratunde journeys west to find out what they’re seeking, and how are they shaping the outdoor culture today.
Runtime: N/A minWith its magnificent coastline and densely wooded interior, Maine is a place where outdoor adventure has a long history, and a love of wilderness starts in childhood. Baratunde meets a Mainer reviving the timeless craft of harvesting ice, straps on snowshoes to understand how being outside can help folks recovering from addiction, and takes an icy plunge in the winter ocean to embrace the cold.
Runtime: N/A minAmerica Outdoors (PBS) Extended Trailer