Discovery with Babbitt Ranches

In 1959, the promise of room, board and riches kept young men working for free in the Northern Arizona high desert. Buried in the dirt for decades is the story of what history has judged to be a scheme to extract millions of dollars from investors without extracting uranium ore. The story played out on land now owned by Babbitt Ranches. Hear from one of the workers, Hugh McKeen, on the Discovery with Babbitt Ranches podcast.

Northern Arizona’s mountains and topography have a huge impact on the weather, making forecasts challenging. The winter of 2022 - '23 was no exception, and surprised locals and meteorologists alike with record precipitation and snow in many locations. “This spring we had a very deep snowpack, one for the books,” said National Weather Service Meteorologist in Charge Brian Klimowski, Ph.D. “This was the longest we’ve ever had 10 inches of snow on the ground in the Flagstaff area in history.” In addition, Babbitt Lake overflowed its banks, a lake that can be dry for years. On Discovery with Babbitt Ranches, hear from Klimowski about the complexity of the area and how weather forecasting has expanded to include predicting impacts on communities and highways in an effort to keep people safe.

Astronauts drive a moon rover prototype and practice geology on the rocky high desert of Babbitt Ranches in preparation for the moon and Mars. USGS geologist Jim Skinner discusses drills he and others create, along with a land-use ethic being forged by Babbitt Ranches, USGS and NASA to carry forth to other worlds.

The pronghorn antelope has long been a graceful symbol of the West, a beautiful representation of freedom and elegance as it sprints across the open grassland. Along with the Arizona Game & Fish Department and others, Babbitt Ranches has been studying, monitoring and taking action to maintain the pronghorn and their habitat.

Ian Torrence has been the National Restoration Specialist for the American Conservation Experience, a long time champion for recreation and a world-class ultra-marathon runner. Ian has played a key role in restoring stretches of the Little Colorado River on Babbitt Ranches and establishing the 100 mile Flagstaff to Grand Canyon Ultra Marathon across Babbitts CO Bar ranch along the Arizona Trail.

Discussions on the innovation of range, soils and vegetation management with Stephen Cassady of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

Victor Howell is a dedicated cowboy who exemplifies Cowboy Essence. Vic greets each day with gratitude and consistency, the desire to learn something new, to inspire and lead others, and to always be at his best!

Victor Howell is a dedicated cowboy who exemplifies Cowboy Essence. Vic greets each day with gratitude and consistency, the desire to learn something new, to inspire and lead others, and to always be at his best!

Renewable energy is a “huge” area of economic growth in the United States, says Karin Wadsack, program manager for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), specializing in grid-scale tribal energy. Wadsack predicts Arizona will be seeing a lot more interest from wind and solar farm developers in the near future. “Landowners can do background research and find out a lot more about the industry to put themselves in the driver’s seat,” she says, as renewable energy companies continue to look to northern Arizona for potential sites and engage in conversations with ranchers and other large landowners. Hear more on Discovery with Babbitt Ranches as Wadsack joins podcast host Billy Cordasco.

Shadow species like wolves, migrating animals such as the kudamundi, and non-native plants like tamarisk are playing big roll on the Colorado Plateau, says Larry Stevens, Ph D., curator of ecology and conservation at the Museum of Northern Arizona. Hear about Northern Arizona's changing landscape and animal community on Discovery with Babbitt Ranches as Dr. Stevens joins host Billy Cordasco.