Outside/in

Pokémon Go is getting people outside and moving around, but is that enough? When it comes to developing a lasting appreciation for the natural world, will augmented reality make a dent? Sam hashes it out with a Poké-believer and a Poké-skeptic.

The “Save the Whales” movement of the 1970’s was instrumental in putting a stop to commercial whaling. But even as humpbacks and other whale populations have bounced back, one species is still up against the ropes. Literally. In this story, Sam tackles the problem of whale entanglement - and discovers that proposed solutions include crossbows, Australian lobsters, and Chinese finger traps. 

Two listeners, two very different questions for Sam. Can you 'taste' which state maple syrup comes from & why do dogs spend so much time deciding where to go #2?

Ari Ofsevit is a guy from Boston fueled by an intense, nerdy love for sports. The day after running this year’s Boston Marathon, his face was all over the cover of the Boston Globe and on all of the network news channels, but on the internet, people were accusing him of cheating. This is Ari’s story.

A mini-episode about the world's cutest predator.

We're gonna give it to you straight. This story is Sam's white whale. For years, the electrical grid has called to him like a siren, and lead him down a treacherous path of unintelligible tech jargon, mind-numbing energy reports, unfinished radio stories, and lots of mixed metaphors. But out of the ashes, the story of Boothbay, Maine rose like a Phoenix...or perhaps it was cobbled into existence, like Frankenstein. Either way, this is a story about the electrical grid, and it's darned interesting. Sam has slayed the beast. 

For alpinist Ben Clark, scaling the world's toughest montains was a source of pride and accomplishment, for his parents it was a source of constant worry. After learning to live with their son's adventurous streak, Ben decided to quit mountaineering altogether. Why? The answer may surprise you.

Tyler Armstrong is 12 years old. He likes to play laser tag. He’s learning to play guitar. And this spring he’s heading to China, where he will attempt to summit the world’s highest mountain. In this episode, an ethical debate: how young is too young to climb Everest?

In the early '90s Keene, New Hampshire created a pumpkin festival to bring the community together, but after 24 years the quaint festival tore the town apart.

This past summer, Scott Jurek set a new record for running the 2,181 miles of the Appalachian Trail. But on his triumphant day atop the last mountain in Northern Maine, his 21st century campaign for the trail's record ran afoul of a park founded on ideas about wilderness from a decidedly earlier time. Photo credit: "The Shared Experience" via Creative Commons BIT.LY/23A9KSV

Ginkgo Biloba is a beautiful tree with an incredible history that dates back millions of years – it’s also a popular street tree among urban foresters. So why are some cities clamoring to have them all cut down, while others are planting them in the thousands? The answer has to do with your dirty gym socks, 19th century London smog, and maybe, the curious appetites of stegosauruses. 

In 1998, Forest Quimby spent thousands of dollars building one of the most beautiful, most elaborate docks on Franklin Pierce Lake in New Hampshire. There was just one problem – it was illegal. In this story, we hear about Quimby’s seventeen-year battle with the NH Department of Environmental Services, and find out why small-scale environmental regulations are so hard to enforce.

In 2015 about 2,700 of the 50,000 people who applied will receive a moose hunting permit. If you're one of the lucky ones who has waited 20 years for this moment, you're going to want an expert on your team. You're going to want a moose whisperer.

....or, why you should always be careful when you're traipsing through the woods in the springtime. In this episode we check out the most short-lived and abundant sources of life that you've never heard of.

Or, how Sam learned to stop worrying and love the cold hardy kiwi. It's a fruit you've never heard of, but it could be the key to one man's dream, even though it's another man's invasive nightmare. 

Introducing our new podcast about the outside world and how we use it. Outside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public Radio