Out Standing in a Field Out Standing in a Field

Wild horses stir the imagination and have become an iconic symbol of the West. But the animals aren't exactly from here, they were introduced by people. They're also clashing with a native bird species, the greater sage-grouse, that's under threat and rapidly losing habitat to development and invasive species. Podcasters Benjamin Zack and Leia Larsen visited the Onaqui wild horse herd in Utah's West Desert with one of the state's top sage-grouse experts to learn more.

Bats are one of the most prolific types of mammals in the world, but you might not know it since they spend most of their time quietly hunting insects in the dark. Podcasters Benjamin Zack and Leia Larsen met with biologists with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources as they set up nets to trap and measure bats living in North Fork Park. They helped debunk some of the myths and stigmas about the winged wonders while shining light on the animals' unique and secretive lives.

One hundred years ago, some industrious power pioneers connected the Bear River with Bear Lake. They essentially turned the lake into a battery for hydropower and a reservoir for farming. It helped build the booming Intermountain region, but joining lake and river also had major environmental consequences. The ripple effects are still being felt today. Journalists Benjamin Zack and Leia Larsen met with PacifiCorp to learn more about the Bear River Project then chatted with one of Bear Lake's biggest advocates about her concerns for the future.

Outro song: "Blue Springs Forever" by Waylon Thornton

Utah is known as the "Beehive State," but we're willing to bet most residents know little about the bees buzzing around in their own backyards. Podcasters Benjamin Zack and Leia Larsen poke around the Ogden Botanical Gardens with bee expert Joe Wilson and learn more about these amazing bugs.