Since August of 2025 I have been very fortunate. I’ve been able to meet up with or at least converse with some very interesting people here in Iowa (and some who are Iowa adjacent). Some of them agreed to go on the record and you can find podcast version of these conversations. Sometimes they were also okay with the camera rolling. Through meeting with them I have been able put together the context for what’s really going on here in Iowa. I hope you enjoy their stories as much as I did.
Check back for updates as more are added to the list and as interviews become finalized and published…
Episode 1: Director’s Chat
Prairie + Iowa? How is that even a story? Where would that start or finish? Take a listen as Director, Charlie Morris, explains his point of entry into the topic of Iowa Prairie in this first installment of the Iowa Prairie Documentary Project.
Episode 2: Sue Delost
Hey ya’ll…wanna go to Fairfield, Iowa? Sue’s enthusiasm for the land she lives on and her commitment to helping the land restore and recover is inspiring. She helps me understand that there are different types of restoration that Iowans are working on. Spoiler Alert: There’s more than one approach! We also take a close look at her three different “prairie patches” as they have different results from the Spring burns.
Episode 3: Kenny Slocum
Paleozoic Plateau? Driftless? Algific Talus slopes? What’s the difference between an Oak Woodland and an Oak Savannah? Can you look at a patch of Iowa and tell by sight if it’s restored prairie, old growth prairie or neither? What does it all mean? Join host Charlie Morris and Clayton County Conservation Naturalist and Resource Manager Kenny Slocum to get some answers.
Episode 4: Ruth Rabinowitz
Ruth’s life story of gardening with her family as a youngster to restoring prairie and oxbows in Iowa as an adult is a story you don’t want to miss. We met up just before she was about to receive a Legacy Landowner Award from the Practical Farmer’s of Iowa. Find out why!
Episode 5: Scott Koepke
Scott Koepke doesn’t mess around, not when he’s planting peppers with incarcerated youths or when he’s talking about what you see root systems do when viewed through a 400X microscope. This guy has more good plant stories than most, especially when it comes to how badly we all need growth and gardening in our lives. Tune in and learn you something.
Episode 6: Glenn Pollock
This is a very unique interview with one of the founders of the Iowa Prairie Network. Glenn dive’s into pioneer history, pioneer cemeteries, prairie species that have gone extinct, farm life in early pioneer days, MOTUS bird tracking and how we can’t “let the bastards get us down”.
Episode 7: Kelly Yarbrough
This interview comes to you from Manhattan…but not the one in NYC…it’s the one in Kansas! Kelly Yarbrough is the founder of the Tallgrass Artist Residency which “seeks to create connection and conversation across the Great Plains through engagement with the prairie ecosystem.” Who knew that there was even such a thing as art residencies dedicated to the prairie? I didn’t! Listen up and tune in!
Episode 8: Zachary Oren Smith
The first interview of the “Cancer in Iowa” series, where I interview someone who knows more than the average bear about what’s going on with cancer here in our state. What does cancer have to do with prairie? Well it has more to do with what is here in place of the prairie. Spoiler alert: If we had more prairie we’d have less cancer in the state of Iowa.
This first episode features Zachary Oren Smith, a journalist and reporter with Iowa Starting Line.
Episode 9: Shawn Ellerbroek
The second interview of the “Cancer in Iowa” series. Shawn Ellerbroek is a cancer researcher based in the state of Iowa. What he shares in this interview should honestly rattle every single Iowan. This is the kind of interview that I have lost sleep over. You should also check Shawn out HERE and THERE.
Episode 10: Larry Weber
The third interview of the “Cancer in Iowa” series. Larry Weber spearheaded the creation of Iowa’s Water Quality Monitoring System, among other things. So…in a state with the worst water quality and ascending cancer rates, why is the funding being cut? I hate to sound like a broken record, but…what he shares in this interview should alarm anyone living here in Iowa.
Episode 11: David Cwiertny
The fourth interview of the “Cancer in Iowa” series is with David Cwiertny, he is the Director for Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination. From the revelation that recommended cancer studies were never funded, to blue baby syndrome, to the Des Moines water crisis…this is another interview Iowan’s will want to know about.
Episode 12: Thomas Rosburg
Dr. Tom Rosburg’s name was mentioned the most as a person that I absolutely had to interview. Here is why… I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that his observations and thoughts have informed an entire generation of prairie restorationists and many people consider him the grandfather of the modern prairie restoration movement. Find out why!
Episode 13: Nicolas Lirio
Nicolas runs Hoksey Native Seeds in Lynnville, IA. He and I didn’t just talk about the value of conservation and native seeds role in prairie restoration…we also talked about faith, family, how the “bigger is better” model of farming has harmed farming community bonds. Nicolas talks about how Hoksey got its roots through his father and so much more. Take a listen or watch the video!
Episode 14: Jennifer New
Jennifer talks about something I had never heard of before: “Environmental Witnessing.” From visiting her grandparent’s farm in Nevada, IA to meditating in front of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations…I think this episode is bound to offer some new perspectives on how we occupy the land. Take a listen or watch the video!
Episode 15: Chris Jones
Chris and I dive into the topics of Ethanol, Cancer, the CO2 pipeline and what it’s like to run for Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture spot. As a retired University of Iowa scientist who has studied water quality (among other things)…he has some compelling tales to tell. Take a listen or watch the video!
Episode 16: John Van Rybroek
I was lucky enough to be invited to film a prescribed prairie burn last year and here is the result. Hop in the “side by side” with John Van Rybroek and find out a bit about why people here in Iowa do prescribed prairie burns, prairie reconstruction and more! Take a listen or watch the video!
Episode 17: Diane Rosenberg
How is the chicken, pork and beef you eat grown? Most likely at a CAFO. Most of us don’t even know what a CAFO is. But Diane Rosenberg does and she’s been fighting against them for over 20 years in Iowa. Tune in to this detailed look at how CAFO’s operate and how they impact water quality, animal welfare and environmental health. Take a listen!
Episode 18: Charlie Morris (me!)
I was interviewed by KHOI Radio! Take a listen!
