As of March 1st 2020, 85% of Arizona and 82% of New Mexico were in extreme to exceptional drought--the most severe drought categories used by the U.S. Drought Monitor--and other states in the Southwest were fairing similarly. Rangelands and other arid ecosystems that are able to withstand exceptionally high temperatures may not seem as vulnerable to drought as other types of ecosystems, but they may be even closer to thresholds and more vulnerable. In this episode, we spoke with two USGS scientists about their drought-related research in Southwest dryland ecosystems and how it informs natural resource management in the region. Listen in to hear some entertaining fieldwork stories, and learn about programs and projects, like the Restoration Assessment & Monitoring Program for the Southwest (RAMPS), that are designed to help managers develop better strategies for recovering ecosystems, and to foster knowledge exchange between land managers and researchers.

Co-presented by the Southwest Drought Learning Network. Email Emile Elias for more information about the network.

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Affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/ 

Is climate change already impacting viticulture (the cultivation of grapevines)? How might a changing climate affect wine production? Is today a better time to drink red wine in Germany? Does weather affect alcohol content? You might be surprised by the answers to some of these! In this second half of our two-episode feature on viticulture, we delve into the effects of climate, weather, and our changing future on viticulture. If you haven’t already, be sure to listen to Part 1 where our guests, Dr. Kerri Steenwerth with USDA-ARS in California,  Dr. Andy Walker, from UC Davis, California, and Dr. Jeremy Weiss, from University of Arizona, introduce themselves and their role in supporting the industry. Image credit: USDA.

If you’re enjoying this podcast please consider rating us and/or leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, or Podchaser https://www.podchaser.com/ComeRainOrShine Thanks!

Have comments or episode suggestions for us? We welcome your feedback! Please share your thoughts and suggestions here: https://forms.gle/3oVDfWbjNZs6CJVT7
Follow us on Twitter @RainShinePod
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Affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/ 

Do you drink wine? Do you know how many varieties of wine there are in the world? What’s enology? What makes a vintage unique? Join us as we sit down with three scientists who specialize in viticulture and the cultivation of wine-grapes to hear about all of this and more. Dr. Kerri Steenwerth, with USDA-ARS in California, Dr. Andy Walker, from UC Davis, California, and Dr. Jeremy Weiss, from University of Arizona, tell us why the study of viticulture is important to them, how they got into the field, and what they do in their professional calling. Be sure to listen to Part 2 as well, where we delve into how our changing climate might affect wine production in the future. Image by Photo Mix from Pixabay.

If you’re enjoying this podcast please consider rating us and/or leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts, Podcast Addict, or Podchaser https://www.podchaser.com/ComeRainOrShine Thanks!

Have comments or episode suggestions for us? We welcome your feedback! Please share your thoughts and suggestions here: https://forms.gle/3oVDfWbjNZs6CJVT7
Follow us on Twitter @RainShinePod
Never miss an episode! Sign up to get an email alert whenever a new episode publishes

Affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/ 

We interview Ann Marie Chischilly, a member of the Navajo Nation and Executive Director of the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP), and Amber Pairis, Director of the Climate Science Alliance and partnership liaison for the Southwest CASC, to hear what they have to say about climate hope, and what gives them hope for the future. Episode image credit: USDA.

All episodes: https://rainorshine.buzzsprout.com/

We welcome your feedback! Please share your thoughts and suggestions here: https://forms.gle/3oVDfWbjNZs6CJVT7
Follow us on Twitter @RainShinePod
Never miss an episode! Sign up to get an email alert whenever a new episode publishes

Listening on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser or Podcast Addict? Please consider leaving us a review. Thanks! 

Affiliate Links
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/ 

Dr. Andres Cibils reflects on the first year of the Sustainable Southwest Beef Project - what's been accomplished, what's in the works, and what's changing. Want to learn about the beef and what's being researched? Check out this podcast, and visit https://southwestbeef.org/.  

The Sustainable Southwest Beef Project is funded by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SAS) program. Grant #2019-69012-29853

Follow us on Twitter @RainShinePod
Never miss an episode! Sign up to get an email alert whenever a new episode publishes
We welcome your feedback! Please share your thoughts and suggestions here: https://forms.gle/3oVDfWbjNZs6CJVT7

Listening on Podchaser, Podcast Addict, or Apple Podcasts? Please consider leaving us a review. Thanks! 

DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project: https://southwestbeef.org/

Drs. Dave Dubois, New Mexico State Climatologist, and Nick Webb,  research scientist  at the Jornada Experimental Range, discuss the nitty gritty of dust (pun intended). While it may seem dry (haha, okay we'll stop now), it's important to know about moving forward.  What weather conditions produce dust? What kind of modeling and monitoring projects are being implemented currently? They go over this and some speculations for the future. Photo courtesy of USDA ARS

Follow us on Twitter @RainShinePod
Never miss an episode! Sign up to get an email alert whenever a new episode publishes
We welcome your feedback! Please share your thoughts and suggestions here: https://forms.gle/3oVDfWbjNZs6CJVT7

Listening on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser or Podcast Addict? Please consider leaving us a review. Thanks! 

Affiliate links
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/ 

Urban expansion and mismanagement of the Santa Cruz River in southern Arizona had led to a dry river bed for much of the year. Using effluent (treated wastewater), the City of Tucson Water Department brought perennial flow back to a portion of the river, just South of downtown Tucson. The returned water recharges groundwater to the local aquifer, while restoring vegetation and wildlife to this stretch of the river. James McAdam from Tucson Water, and Michael Bogan and Drew Eppehimer from the University of Arizona, describe the Santa Cruz River Project (https://tucsonaz.gov/water/Heritage), including its benefits to the ecosystem and local community, as well as challenges they experienced along the way. Episode photo by Michael Bogan.

For more info on the project:
https://sonoraninstitute.org/resource/living-river-report-2019/
https://peerj.com/articles/9856/

Related webinar series by our partners at the Desert Laboratory at Tumamoc Hill: https://tumamoc.arizona.edu/past-present-and-future-santa-cruz-river-heritage-reach. 

Follow us on Twitter @RainShinePod
Never miss an episode! Sign up to get an email alert whenever a new episode publishes
We welcome your feedback! Please share your thoughts and suggestions here: https://forms.gle/3oVDfWbjNZs6CJVT7

Listening on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser or Podcast Addict? Please consider leaving us a review. Thanks! 

Affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/ 

How would you sum up the 2020 fire season in just one word? Tim Brown, Royce Fontenot, and Megan Friggens share their impressions of the current fire season and discuss their work with pre-fire preparedness, active fire management, and post-fire recovery. They close with sharing some additional thoughts on fire management and response. It might surprise you how much science goes into firefighting!


Online resources mentioned during the interview:
After Fire Toolkit https://postfiresw.info/
FireCLIME Vulnerability Assessment Tool https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest/topic/fireclime-vulnerability-assessment-tool 

Follow us on Twitter @RainShinePod
Never miss an episode! Sign up to get an email alert whenever a new episode publishes
We welcome your feedback! Please share your thoughts and suggestions here: https://forms.gle/3oVDfWbjNZs6CJVT7

Listening on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser or Podcast Addict? Please consider leaving us a review. Thanks! 

Affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/ 

There are times when community resilience needs to be financially supported for a vision of sustainability and resilience to become reality. This month we interviewed Fred Petok from USDA Rural Development about the business of financially supporting climate adaptation for communities, and how the programs he administers can support rural communities in a changing climate.

All episodes: https://rainorshine.buzzsprout.com/

Follow us on Twitter @RainShinePod
Never miss an episode! Sign up to get an email alert whenever a new episode publishes
We welcome your feedback! Please share your thoughts and suggestions here: https://forms.gle/3oVDfWbjNZs6CJVT7

Listening on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser or Podcast Addict? Please consider leaving us a review. Thanks! 

Affiliate links:
DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project (NIFA Grant #2019-69012-29853): https://southwestbeef.org/ 

From smartphones to remote-controlled home appliances, the “internet of things” is everywhere. In this episode, Dr. Tony Waterhouse, professor emeritus at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) discusses virtual fencing, animal location/movement sensors, and other cutting edge precision ranching technologies either in the making or currently being introduced and tested for sheep and cattle ranching operations.

The Sustainable Southwest Beef Project is funded by USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems (SAS) program. Grant #2019-69012-29853

All Come Rain or Shine episodes: https://rainorshine.buzzsprout.com/

Follow us on Twitter @RainShinePod
Never miss an episode! Sign up to get an email alert whenever a new episode publishes
We welcome your feedback! Please share your thoughts and suggestions here: https://forms.gle/3oVDfWbjNZs6CJVT7

Listening on Apple Podcasts, Podchaser or Podcast Addict? Please consider leaving us a review. Thanks! 

DOI Southwest CASC: https://www.swcasc.arizona.edu/
USDA Southwest Climate Hub: https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/southwest
Sustainable Southwest Beef Project: https://southwestbeef.org/