Threshold podcast

Threshold

Threshold is a Peabody Award-winning documentary podcast about our place in the natural world. Each season, we take listeners on a journey into the heart of a complex environmental story, asking how we got here and where we might be headed. In our latest season, Hark, we hand the mic over to our planet-mates and investigate what it means to truly listen to nonhuman voices—and the cost if we don't. With mounting social and ecological crises, what happens when we tune into the life all around us? Threshold is nonprofit, listener-supported, and independently produced.

Threshold is a Peabody Award-winning documentary podcast about our place in the natural world. Each season, we take listeners on a journey into the heart of a complex environmental story, asking how we got here and where we might be headed. In our latest season, Hark, we hand the mic over to our planet-mates and investigate what it means to truly listen to nonhuman voices—and the cost if we don't. With mounting social and ecological crises, what happens when we tune into the life all around us? Threshold is nonprofit, listener-supported, and independently produced.

 

#117

Hark | 6 | The Primrose Path

If a being doesn’t have ears, can it hear? And if it doesn’t have a mouth, can it talk? In this episode, we spend a golden afternoon conversing with the flowers, plants, and trees. Threshold is nonprofit, listener-supported, and independently produced. You can support Threshold by [ donating today] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/donate) . To stay connected, [ sign up for our newsletter] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/newsletter) . We want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the new season, the content or how it’s made, for an upcoming behind-the-scenes episode. You can submit your questions to [outreach@thresholdpodcast.org] (mailto:outreach@thresholdpodcast.org) ... Read more

22 hrs Ago

33 MINS

33:18

22 hrs Ago


#116

Where You Fit In

Listening to Threshold is free. Creating it is not. We’ve always been committed to making the best show we can—and making it available for free. This is only possible with your financial support. Our year-end fundraising campaign is happening now through December 31st, and each gift will be matched by our partners at Newsmatch. That means if you can give $25, we'll receive $50. It’s easy to make a tax-deductible donation at [thresholdpodcast.org.] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/) Just click donate and give what you can. Thank you for listening. Threshold is nonprofit, listener-supported, and independently produced. You can support Threshold by [ donating today] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/donate) . To stay connected, [ sign up for our newsletter] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/newsletter) . We want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the new season, the content or how it’s made, for an upcoming behind-the-scenes episode. You can submit your questions to [outreach@thresholdpodcast.org] (mailto:outreach@thresholdpodcast.org) ... Read more

20 Dec 2024

02 MINS

02:42

20 Dec 2024


#115

Hark | 5 | Common Sense

Insects invented song. They’ve developed a multitude of ways to listen. But insects couldn’t have evolved these complex skills without plants. In this episode, we explore the interconnected acoustic lives of insects and plants. Threshold is nonprofit, listener-supported, and independently produced. You can support Threshold by [ donating today] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/donate) . To stay connected, [ sign up for our newsletter] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/newsletter) . We want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the new season, the content or how it’s made, for an upcoming behind-the-scenes episode. You can submit your questions to [outreach@thresholdpodcast.org] (mailto:outreach@thresholdpodcast.org) ... Read more

17 Dec 2024

39 MINS

39:49

17 Dec 2024


#114

Hark | Interlude 2 | Hey Bear

Sometimes we have to be loud when we want to be quiet. Threshold is nonprofit, listener-supported, and independently produced. You can support Threshold by [ donating today] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/donate) . To stay connected, [ sign up for our newsletter] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/newsletter) . We want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the new season, the content or how it’s made, for an upcoming behind-the-scenes episode. You can submit your questions to [outreach@thresholdpodcast.org] (mailto:outreach@thresholdpodcast.org) ... Read more

13 Dec 2024

04 MINS

04:39

13 Dec 2024


#113

Hark | 4 | Do You Hear What I Hear?

What is sound? And what does it mean to listen? In this episode, we take a closer look at sound: what it is, how it works, and how what you hear may not be the same as your neighbor. Threshold is nonprofit, listener-supported, and independently produced. You can support Threshold by [ donating today] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/donate) . To stay connected, [ sign up for our newsletter] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/newsletter) . We want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the new season, the content or how it’s made, for an upcoming behind-the-scenes episode. You can submit your questions to [outreach@thresholdpodcast.org] (mailto:outreach@thresholdpodcast.org) Resources: Check out more from Evelyn Glennie on [YouTube] (https://www.youtube.com/user/DameEvelynGlennie) and on [ her website] (https://www.evelyn.co.uk/the-evelyn-glennie-collection/) . ... Read more

10 Dec 2024

50 MINS

50:16

10 Dec 2024


#112

Hark | 3 | Emergency Services

Coral reefs are some of our planet’s most beautiful and biodiverse habitats. They’re also rich with sound, a bustling marine metropolis whose future is severely threatened by climate change. In this episode, we discover the important role of listening in coral communities. Threshold is nonprofit, listener-supported, and independently produced. You can support Threshold by [ donating today] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/donate) . To stay connected, [ sign up for our newsletter] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/newsletter) . We want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the new season, the content or how it’s made, for an upcoming behind-the-scenes episode. You can submit your questions to [outreach@thresholdpodcast.org] (mailto:outreach@thresholdpodcast.org) ... Read more

03 Dec 2024

38 MINS

38:22

03 Dec 2024


#111

Hark | Interlude 1 | Isen Låter Så

The planet is filled with unexpected and magical sounds… all you have to do is listen. Threshold is nonprofit, listener-supported, and independently produced. You can support Threshold by [ donating today] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/donate) . To stay connected, [ sign up for our newsletter] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/newsletter) . We want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the new season, the content or how it’s made, for an upcoming behind-the-scenes episode. You can submit your questions to [outreach@thresholdpodcast.org] (mailto:outreach@thresholdpodcast.org) ... Read more

29 Nov 2024

06 MINS

06:38

29 Nov 2024


#110

Hark | 2 | Unk Boop Kwa

Beneath the water lies a whole world of sound: snorts, boops, croaks, grunts. Fish, it turns out, have a lot to say, and they’ve been communicating for a long time. In this episode, we take a dive with some of the planet’s oldest vertebrates Threshold is nonprofit, listener-supported, and independently produced. You can support Threshold by [ donating today] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/donate) . To stay connected, [ sign up for our newsletter] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/newsletter) . We want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the new season, the content or how it’s made, for an upcoming behind-the-scenes episode. You can submit your questions to [outreach@thresholdpodcast.org] (mailto:outreach@thresholdpodcast.org) Special thanks to Lauren Hawkins, Miles Parsons, and Tim Lamont for many of the fish recordings. Clara Amorim and Raquel Vasconcelos recorded the Lusitanian toadfish, Herbert Tiepelt recorded the pikeperch percussionist, and Marta Bolgan provided the “unknown kwa.” Additional recordings came from more than a dozen other scientists, many of whom have contributed sounds to the website [Fishsounds.] (https://fishsounds.net/) Here are the fish sounds we used in the episode: [160000_Parsons_Blackspotted croaker chorus] (https://fishsounds.net/sound.js?id=f9f367b8-49cc-4767-9e35-64b48b5b3826) [130000_Picciulin_Brown meager_Chorus] (https://fishsounds.net/sound.js?id=dbadeb8c-d5af-483b-af51-4d25ec0f68ca) [180000_Pine_Unknown_Chorus] (https://fishsounds.net/sound.js?id=8d07ba99-0d48-4676-ac77-9734476f5175) [170000_Parsons_Unknown_Chorus] (https://fishsounds.net/sound.js?id=c8026b0f-a355-4956-bba3-3e1241f6d847) [180000_Dilorio_Unknown_Kwa Chorus] (https://fishsounds.net/sound.js?id=a8a3da4d-6f23-496d-a0f2-38d8dfc1d61c) [190000_Bolgan_Unknown_Kwa] (https://fishsounds.net/sound.js?id=3d447d38-5b47-4db1-a172-1d04acf3268b) [050000_Tiepelt_Pike-perch_Scrape] (https://fishsounds.net/sound.js?id=469c079f-648d-47f6-9b1a-f48a69032220) [070000_Stolkin_Striped Cusk-eel_Jackhammer chorus] (https://fishsounds.net/sound.js?id=26f78a50-cb84-451b-a04f-b302ed22f2a6) [180000_Staaterman_Toadfish_Boop-Grunt-Swoop] (https://fishsounds.net/sound.js?id=2aea4fbf-c1de-41ca-9ce2-d3480849946f) [150000_Casaretto_Haddock_hum] (https://fishsounds.net/sound.js?id=72ca08af-75cf-4e1b-96cd-7b8184d7a863) [080000_Amorim_Lusitania Toadfish_Boatwhistle_edited] (https://fishsounds.net/sound.js?id=b59c1a1d-02f0-4b76-9f0d-79ed54301a9a) [1970_MP Fish_Seahorse_Click] (https://fishsounds.net/sound.js?id=302476b3-e7ab-4b1a-afd0-d9bf3a28150f) [170000_RountreeR_Aplodinotus-grunniens_Drum-Call-Chorus] (https://fishsounds.net/sound.js?id=214a544d-bad5-4161-b154-408d6f6600c3) [180000_Rowell_Epinephelus striatus_agonistic] (https://fishsounds.net/sound.js?id=49441a65-e05c-4051-8f69-3831dcbd0a68) [050000_AmorimC_Eutrigla-gurnardus_Growl-Grunt-Knock] (https://fishsounds.net/sound.js?id=115e3deb-ba6a-49f3-b57f-b2d2aa34e6db) [180000_AmorimC_Pomatoschistus-pictus_Drum] (https://fishsounds.net/sound.js?id=ea307098-c3b2-4100-aaf8-5765bbe9eb7d) ... Read more

26 Nov 2024

39 MINS

39:29

26 Nov 2024


#109

Hark | 1 | The Slime of Life

For most of our planet’s existence, the Earth was quiet. The boisterous sounds of life we know today are a recent development, one that the growing field of bioacoustics is helping us understand and interpret. In this episode, we travel to Australia to listen to dolphins and meet the microbes that helped usher in life on the planet. Threshold is nonprofit, listener-supported, and independently produced. You can support Threshold by [ donating today] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/donate) . To stay connected, [ sign up for our newsletter] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/newsletter) . We want to hear from you! Send us your questions about the new season, the content or how it’s made, for an upcoming behind-the-scenes episode. You can submit your questions to [outreach@thresholdpodcast.org] (mailto:outreach@thresholdpodcast.org) ... Read more

19 Nov 2024

44 MINS

44:33

19 Nov 2024


#108

Hark | Preview

Humans are born into a wondrous planetary chorus. But today, many of us rarely hear anything other than ourselves. In this season of Threshold, we explore a world teeming with sound and ask what happens when we tune into the life all around us. Season 5 of Threshold, Hark, is coming Tuesday, November 19th. Threshold is nonprofit, listener-supported, and independently produced. You can support Threshold by [ donating today] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/donate) . To stay connected, [ sign up for our newsletter] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/newsletter) . ... Read more

01 Nov 2024

03 MINS

03:00

01 Nov 2024


#107

Time to 1.5 | Extra 1 | A Conversation with Rebecca Solnit

In June 2024, the planet hit a terrifying milestone: [12 straight months] (https://climate.copernicus.eu/copernicus-june-2024-marks-12th-month-global-temperature-reaching-15degc-above-pre-industrial) of global temperatures at or above 1.5 degrees over pre-industrial levels. But even as the impact of climate change becomes more visible and far-reaching, the opportunity to change the trajectory of this global crisis remains possible. Hope is possible. Today, we’re sharing a conversation with writer and activist Rebecca Solnit, a leading voice on the climate crisis and a dogged champion of possibility and promise. Subscribe to the Threshold newsletter for sneak peeks behind the scenes and news about our upcoming new season. [Subscribe here.] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/newsletter) Listening to Threshold is free, but creating it is not. Support independent journalism by making a donation to support Threshold. [Donate here] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/donate-threshold) . ... Read more

31 Jul 2024

36 MINS

36:14

31 Jul 2024


#106

Bison Dispatch #3: The Bison Range

In Season 1 of Threshold, we reported on the decades-long fight to get the federal government to transfer the National Bison Range, and the bison, back to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. In 2020, it finally happened. Stewardship of the herd was returned to the people who had helped to save these animals from extinction more than a century before. It’s one of just a few cases where the U.S. government has actually returned a piece of land to the Native American people it was taken from. Earlier this year, we came back to the Bison Range to find out how things are going for the herd and what the restoration of this land has meant to the Tribes. [Transcript] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/s1-bison-dispatch-3-transcript) A special offer for our year-end donors! On March 13, 2024, host Amy Martin and managing editor Erika Janik will take you behind the mic for a special virtual event—Stories in the Wild: Seven Years of Making Threshold—sharing the triumphs and tribulations we experience when creating a season of our show. Year-end donors—at any giving level—will receive a code for a complimentary ticket when reservations open. Can't make the event? Ticket holders will gain access to a free recording. [Donate today] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/donate) to support our work. ... Read more

21 Dec 2023

09 MINS

09:34

21 Dec 2023


#105

Bison Dispatch #2

A few weeks ago, Yellowstone National Park released a draft plan for managing bison in the park. In this dispatch, we answer your questions about the plan and what it means for the future of the herd. Read the NPS plan [here] (https://parkplanning.nps.gov/documentsList.cfm?projectID=94496) Submit a comment [here] (https://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?documentID=130873) or mail your comment to this address: Superintendent, Attn: Bison Management Plan, PO Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190 Listen to our first dispatch on the plan [here] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/season-one-extra-one) Learn more about how many bison Yellowstone can support: [The Yellowstone Bison Program’s 2020 Conservation Update] (https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/management/upload/BISON-Conservation-Update-2020.pdf) (especially “Making Sense of Numbers” on Page 12) A paper by other scientists with a different perspective: “ [Bison limit ecosystem recovery in northern Yellowstone] (https://trophiccascades.forestry.oregonstate.edu/sites/trophic/files/Beschta2020_FoodWebs_0.pdf) ” Subscribe to our [newsletter] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/newsletter) [Episode transcript] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/s1-bison-dispatch-2-transcript) Support Threshold by making [a donation today] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/donate) ... Read more

14 Sep 2023

13 MINS

13:21

14 Sep 2023


#104

Bison Dispatch #1

Yellowstone National Park recently released a new plan for managing the bison herd. It’s in draft form, and maps out three alternatives for how to manage the herd in the future. Before it gets finalized, the public has a chance to read it and weigh in on which path is best. We talked with Morgan Warthin, chief of public affairs at Yellowstone National Park, to learn what this could mean for the future of the bison. What questions do you have about bison, bison science, bison history, and bison management? Send your questions to us at [outreach@thresholdpodcast.org] (mailto:outreach@thresholdpodcast.org) and we’ll try to answer as many as we can in an upcoming dispatch. Read the plan [here] (https://parkplanning.nps.gov/document.cfm?parkID=111&projectID=94496&documentID=130873) Learn more about the plans at one of the [virtual public meetings] (https://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectId=94496) : August 28, 2023 10:30 AM -12:00 PM MT and August 29, 2023 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM MT What's brucellosis? It's a bacterial disease, primarily occurring in bison, elk, cattle, and pigs. Learn more about brucellosis [here] (https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/brucellosis.htm) . Sign up for the Threshold newsletter [here] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/newsletter) . It's the best place to stay up to date on this issue and everything else going on at Threshold. [Episode transcript] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/s1-extra-1-transcript) Support independent nonprofit journalism by making a donation to support Threshold today. Donate [here] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/donate-threshold) ... Read more

24 Aug 2023

17 MINS

17:18

24 Aug 2023


#103

Best of: This Most Excellent Canopy

A lyrical ode to our atmosphere: the invisible, underappreciated substance that makes all life on Earth possible. There are quite a few things working against us when it comes to acting on climate change—not least of them, the simple fact that we literally can’t see the atmosphere, or how we’re changing it. In this episode, we take a guided tour of the Earth’s atmosphere to understand the science, beauty, and wonder of our “magical safety blanket.” Our tour is led by a trio of scientists: astrophysicists Dr. Anjali Tripathi and Dr. Hannah Wakeford, and hydroclimatologist Dr. Francina Dominguez. Join us in giving the atmosphere its due. This episode originally aired on February 8, 2022. Find the transcript for this episode [here] (https://bit.ly/3MWRSPX) . Please [ share Threshold] (https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bit.ly/41nIQ2H&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1681937775185431&usg=AOvVaw2aFSeNFESvEDzKR5b0LapT) with friends, family, and community. Sign up for [ our newsletter] (https://docs.google.com/document/d/11a3OXrMwQ6mhd21yoNUqQT_umCCTJ8_kSigLDzK7id0/edit#:~:text=1%3A38%E2%80%AFPM%20Today-,https%3A//bit.ly/3mPSyvV,-Done) , a monthly invitation to explore our relationships with the changing planet. Stay in touch with us on [ Instagram] (https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bit.ly/3GSxSKj&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1681937775186042&usg=AOvVaw1hrOCRN9IQMuh5eHcuUGzn) , [ Twitter,] (https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bit.ly/41DJw3Q&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1681937775186337&usg=AOvVaw38unDbEKQe7zjJOwxEzu14) and [ Facebook] (https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bit.ly/41ERzgF&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1681937775186643&usg=AOvVaw1wqvUgHJj3tKwq-v_W7ZDb) or at [listeners@thresholdpodcast.org] (mailto:listeners@thresholdpodcast.org) ... Read more

22 Apr 2023

43 MINS

43:38

22 Apr 2023


#102

Stay Connected to Threshold

A few weeks ago, the Biden administration approved the Willow project. It’s a plan to extract 600 million barrels of oil from northern Alaska. There’s a lot of history and politics behind this story, things that tie to issues we’ve reported on in past seasons of Threshold.  Amy Martin wrestles with this project and what it means for our netzero future in this month’s issue of our newsletter. Are you a subscriber? Stay connected to Threshold between seasons and find out what we're reading, watching, and listening to by subscribing to [our newsletter] (http://bit.ly/3nfzWVS) <a href= "https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/newsletter">.</a>  [Subscribe to the newsletter] (http://bit.ly/3nfzWVS) ... Read more

27 Mar 2023

01 MINS

01:15

27 Mar 2023


#101

1.5 Still Matters

Representatives from nearly every country in the world are in Egypt right now for COP27, the annual climate conference hosted by the United Nations. The overall goal of each COP is to make progress on climate; to get all countries moving in the same direction, toward a decarbonized world, in an equitable way, based on the best scientific information available. But some are now saying that we should abandon hope of holding global average temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial temperatures. But we don't think that. And here's why. Threshold's year-end fundraiser is underway right now. [Donate today] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/donate) to keep Threshold going strong. Our listeners make this work possible. Sign-up for [our newsletter] (https://www.thresholdpodcast.org/donate#newsletter) ... Read more

12 Nov 2022

07 MINS

07:36

12 Nov 2022