Natural Causes

In the first of a two part series, James travels to Lochiel, Arizona, to interview land defenders occupying a historic cottonwood known as grandmother tree in order to prevent the tree being destroyed as part of a two layer border wall being built through the region. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For Indigenous People's Day James intorduces an episode of the Nomadcast interviewing Mato Wayuhi. NomadCast is hosted by Caleb “Moose” (White Mountain Apache Descendant) and Cheyanne (White Mountain Apache Enrolled) Endfield from the White Mountain Apache Reservation where the couple went to school, met, had children and now work and create. NomadCast is a show interested in exploring the best of Indian Country. Caleb Suggested listeners who enjoyed this episode might also enjoy: Lilly Gladstone One of Indian countries brightest stars. Proof we can sit comfortably at any table. Doctor’s Orders Solo episode Why not believe in myself a bit? Tiio Horn Episode In person event at Indigenous Pop Culture Expo in Oklahoma. Very fun episode where I made the deer lady laugh. Alice Qannik Glenn Third Wheel Blues Episode Fun conversation that flows between topics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James looks into the DOJ investigation into egg price fixing and what it can tell us about the way our food system treats animals and people. Sources: https://www.justice.gov/atr/media/1450281/dl?inline https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-unscrambling-the-egg-ma/204490574/ https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cacd.978076/gov.uscourts.cacd.978076.77.0.pdf https://climate.law.columbia.edu/content/trump-administration-cancels-contract-bird-flu-vaccine-development https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2025/02/26/usda-invests-1-billion-combat-avian-flu-and-reduce-egg-prices https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/APU0000708111 https://www.nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps/Poultry/chickegg.php https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20231204 https://www.dol.gov/index.php/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20240502 https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/6248715/1/united-states-v-ramirez/ https://www.versova.com/trillium-farms/…

In Part Two of our series on The Wall and the Wilderness, James talks about the cultural and ecological damage done by the border wall and continues his interview with Dr. Christina Aiello about the Peninsular Bighorn ram that was killed by razor wire in the Jacumba mountains. Sources: https://www.usaspending.gov/search?hash=29de9d51905bd175a701b04c24176b46 https://www-jstor-org.sdmesa.idm.oclc.org/stable/3636811?seq=5 https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_employer=Atkore https://tucson.com/news/local/border/article_a11265b0-17c3-5bed-b50a-72e5d17e1369.html https://www.blm.gov/visit/jacumba-wilderness https://www.usaspending.gov/search?hash=29de9d51905bd175a701b04c24176b46 https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/08/2025-05992/determination-pursuant-to-section-102-of-the-illegal-immigration-reform-and-immigrant-responsibility https://www.enr.com/articles/54215-us-settles-border-wall-suit-against-contractor-fisher-sand-gravel https://www.atkore.com/about-us…

James talks about the ecological disaster that is the border wall and interviews Dr. Christina Aiello about the Peninsular Bighorn ram that was killed by razor wire in the Jacumba mountains. Sources: https://www.usaspending.gov/search?hash=29de9d51905bd175a701b04c24176b46 https://www-jstor-org.sdmesa.idm.oclc.org/stable/3636811?seq=5 https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_employer=Atkore https://tucson.com/news/local/border/article_a11265b0-17c3-5bed-b50a-72e5d17e1369.html https://www.blm.gov/visit/jacumba-wilderness https://www.usaspending.gov/search?hash=29de9d51905bd175a701b04c24176b46 https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/08/2025-05992/determination-pursuant-to-section-102-of-the-illegal-immigration-reform-and-immigrant-responsibility https://www.enr.com/articles/54215-us-settles-border-wall-suit-against-contractor-fisher-sand-gravel https://www.atkore.com/about-us https://desertreport.org/a-border-wall-in-the-jacumba-wilderness-area/…

James and journalist Jason Dove Mark explain the roadless rule, national forests, and the Trump administration's attempts to strip protections from tens of thousands of acres of public land. https://www.regulations.gov/document/FS-2025-0001-223869 https://www.onxmaps.com/onx-access-initiatives/roadless-rule https://morethanjustparks.com/threatened-public-lands-map/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James is joined by Molly to discuss how the Bureau of Land Management is quietly changing its approach to public land management and what it means for approximately 900 bison in Central Montana. (originally run on It Could Happen Here in May 2026) Sources: https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/810541893_202412_990_2025073023621659.pdf https://gov.mt.gov/_docs/governor/AmericanPrairieProposedDecisionJanuary162026.pdf https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-17537.pdf https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2026-01-21/blm-cancels-bison-grazing-permits-for-montana-nature-reserve https://news.mt.gov/Governors-Office/Governor_Gianforte_Appeals_Judges_APR_Bison_Grazing_Decision#:~:text=Following%20the%20judge's%20order%2C%20DNRC,appeal%20may%20be%20found%20here. https://t.co/HUAyMUnOVi https://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/news/local/2015/06/18/business-leaders-provide-green-behind-conservation-effort/28960843/ https://www.blm.gov/press-release/blm-revokes-american-prairie-bison-grazing-permit…

James follows up on last week's episode and talked to Miles Gray about what it is like to lose your home in a fire and how people can continue to help fire survivors. Sources: https://lacounty.gov/2026/08/04/county-of-los-angeles-fire-department-releases-the-investigative-reports-on-the-cause-of-the-eaton-fire/ https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-03-19/sce-decomissioned-power-line-eaton-fire-risk https://apnews.com/general-news-ffcad08a8ef14fa88df8bacdd9e73883 https://calmatters.org/politics/2026/08/newsom-wildfire-utility-liability-package/ https://x.com/WildfireVics1st/status/2078175502523585021 https://clickstrategies.us/ Donation Links: Spokane Immigrants Rights Coalition: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/sirc-community-fund Spectrum running the Rainbow Relief Fund: https://spectrumcenterspokane.app.neoncrm.com/forms/donate Colville Fund: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/cedar-fund-wildfire-recovery-campaign See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weeks after more than 600 houses in Spokane burned, James talks to community members about how people prepared, cared for each other, and worried about migration enforcement during the fire evacuations. Sources: Aldo Leopold- A Sand County Almanac https://www.instagram.com/p/DcBqjR6RdzJ/ Donation Links: Spokane Immigrants Rights Coalition: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/sirc-community-fund Spectrum running the Rainbow Relief Fund: https://spectrumcenterspokane.app.neoncrm.com/forms/donate Colville Fund: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/cedar-fund-wildfire-recovery-campaign See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

James looks into the recent Cyclospora outbreak and what it can tell us about solidarity, food safety, and where our food comes from. Sources: https://newsroom.haas.berkeley.edu/magazine/spring-2026/taylor-farms/ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/23/billion-dollar-california-salad-company-exploits-undocumented-migrants-say-workers-and-teamsters https://gizmodo.com/elon-musk-economist-interview-2000790016 https://www.thefp.com/p/cyclosporiasis-outbreak-lettuce-media?utm_source=publication-search https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fda-report-e-coli-outbreak-onions-taylor-farms/ https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/imo/media/doc/2026-07-27garciatotaylorfarmsrecyclosporacontaminatedlettuce.pdf https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Bruce+Taylor&contributor_employer=Taylor+Farms+ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/08/07/2025-14967/requirements-for-additional-traceability-records-for-certain-foods-compliance-date-extension…

James talks with Molly Conger about the javelina and their installable appetite for golf courses. Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65x0RvhJNa8 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/nov/05/conservation.sciencenews https://zoologicalbulletin.de/BzB_Volumes/Volume_56_1_2/049_054_BzB56_1_2_Moraves_Jiri_and_B%C3%B6hme_Wolfgang.pdf https://www.azgfd.com/wildlife-conservation/living-with-wildlife/living-with-javelina/ https://content.civicplus.com/api/assets/8e8abbf4-6775-4575-9a10-fedacb7cb2c1 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Natural Causes is a podcast about the politics and practicalities of going outside in a world on fire, hosted by Dr James Stout. It approaches the outdoors, conservation, agriculture, food sovereignty, fire management and Indigenous land rights as interconnected issues. We want to combine unflinching journalism with unabashed advocacy for the land we all share, and welcome everyone into the outdoors and the fight for our public lands. Our shared wild spaces are under threat like never before, The Trump administration is stripping protections, extractive capitalism and data centers are pillaging out common resources, and climate change is accelerating every day. Now, more than ever, we need serious journalism and serious solidarity that engages people with the struggle to protect these spaces for generations to come. New episodes every week. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.