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The New Wild

"Tamarisk Forest" by Rachel Zurer, CC via Flickr
"Tamarisk Forest" by Rachel Zurer, CC via Flickr

  When journalist Fred Pearce set out to write a book about the role invasive species play in our environment, he imagined it would be about the havoc they cause. What he found surprised him though. He says the horror stories are overblown and that these resourceful plants and animals are often responding to the damage that humans have wrought. They push their way through concrete and thrive in pollution. Tuesday, Pearce joins Doug to explain why he says invasive species could be nature’s salvation.

Fred Pearce is an author and journalist based in London. Among his books are When the Rivers Run Dry [Indiebound|Amazon] and The Land Grabbers [Indiebound|Amazon]. His newest is called The New Wild: Why Invasive Species Will Be Nature's Salvation [Indiebound|Amazon].

VideoWest, Unruly Things 

In the spring when the rains come, mushrooms flourish in unexpected places. We went with Utah musician and educator Ardean Watts to one of his favorite hunting spots in the west part of the Salt Lake Valley. For Watts, mushrooms are the perfect symbol for his philosophy of life … a love of unruly things. Watch the film at VideoWest

Doug Fabrizio has been reporting for KUER News since 1987, and became News Director in 1993. In 2001, he became host and executive producer of KUER's RadioWest, a one hour conversation/call-in show on KUER 90.1 in Salt Lake City. He has gained a reputation for his thoughtful style. He has interviewed everyone from Isabel Allende to the Dalai Lama, and from Madeleine Albright to Desmond Tutu. His interview skills landed him a spot as a guest host of the national NPR program, "Talk of the Nation." He has won numerous awards for his reporting and for his work with RadioWest and KUED's Utah NOW from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Utah Broadcasters Association, the Public Radio News Directors Association and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.
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