Tributaries

November is Indigenous Heritage Month, and to celebrate the rich Indigenous heritage of the Mid-South, we're revisiting one of our favorite episodes of the show from 2020, a conversation with Louella Weaver, collections manager at the Museum of Science and History about Mississippian Ceramics.  She explains how ceramics can show the vibrant lives and cultures of these Indigenous peoples, from advanced craftsmanship to complex religious systems.  Episode first aired 9/16/2020

Happy Halloween, from the Museum of Science and History!  In honor of All Hallows Eve, we talked to Taylor Hopkins about the superstitions and customs surrounding death and dying in the Victorian Era.  These traditions, from stopping clocks to selfies with the dead, may seem strange, but they have shaped the way we think about funerals and mourning, and are the origins of phrases such as "saved by the bell."  Music by Purple Planet, Peter Zastoupil, and Sully Allen.

This spooky season, to get in the Halloween mood, we talk to Lisa McGeorge about hehr experience caring for some scary (and some not-so-scary) nocturnal animals!  Music thanks to Sully Allen, Boon, and Peter Zastoupil.  This image of a Binturong thanks to 4028mdk09.

Dr. Arch Johnston has spent decades fighting invasive plant species in Lichterman Nature Center, from privet to kudzu to wisteria.  With Dr. Johnston's help, we take a closer look at these species, from their purposeful introduction to the reasons they so thoroughly outcompete native species.  We also discuss how to remove and control these plants so that you can help defend your neighborhood against these alien invaders.  Hosted by Dr. Dawn Manning, Luke Ramsey, and Rachel Dickerson. Produced by Katie Quinlan.  Music by Purple Planet and Sully Allen.

One of the most iconic artifacts in the collection of the Museum of Science and History is a taxidermied polar bear donated by Dr. Howard Misner in 1975.  In this episode, we take a closer look into the biology and ecology of polar bears and talk to Dr. Misner himself about the epic hunt for the bear.  This story helps us learn about the history of hunting, how it has changed, and how threats to polar bears have changed over the past century.  This episode is hosted by Jestein Gibson and Luke Ramsey, produced by Luke Ramsey, edited by Nur Abdalla and Steve Masler, and features music from Sully Allen and Spence Bailey.

While squirrels are ubiquitous and even a pest in cities today, that wasn't always the case.  In many cities, like Memphis, squirrels were actually introduced in urban areas on purpose, often along the push to beautify cities with features such as parks near the end of the 1800's.  Court Square is a park that plays an important role in Memphis's history, as it was included in the original planning of the city and has been through many changes, from the creation of the fountain at its center to the introduction of animals like squirrels and even monkeys.  In this episode, we talk to former Shelby County historian Jimmy Ogle about the story of Court Square, as well as the story of the animals that have been (successfully and unsuccessfully) introduced to Memphis's urban center.  The image for this episode is taken from a Memphis newspaper in 1918 which was celebrating that "Every one who has ever been to Memphis remembers Court Square and its squirrels.  The little animal kingdom in the heart of the business district has made the city famous."

Produced by Katie Quinlan, music by Sully Allen and Purple Planet.

Purple Martins, along with many bird species, are now passing through Memphis on the Mississippi Flyway on the way to their spring and summer nesting sites.  Lichterman Nature Center hosts a large colony of these birds, and to celebrate their return the region, we revisit an episode from last fall that features a conversation with one of Lichterman's teacher naturalists, Mart Schmidt.

This March marks the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling on the fate of Overton Park, which the Tennessee Department of Transportation planned to pave for a section of I-40.  We talk to Charlie Newman, one of the lawyers who represented the Citizens to Preserve Overton Park in the Supreme Court about the case and the decades-long battle that followed.  Music by Boon, Drop Ceiling, and Sully Allen. Image courtesy of Thomas R Machnitzki.

Doris Bradshaw is a leader and pioneer in the Environmental Justice Movement in Memphis and America as a whole.  Her work educating the public about contamination from the Memphis Defense Depot began a decades-long career standing up for communities facing environmental racism and classism.  

Music by Drop Ceiling, Sully Allen, Lance Conrad, and Boon.  Photo thanks to the Women of Achievement Awards.

Mastodons like the one on display at the Museum of Science and History roamed our region for thousands of years. The story of their extinction and discovery takes us on an adventure from Thomas Jefferson to the last great ice age.

Written by Louella Weaver, edited by Caroline Carrico, produced by Katie Quinlan and Luke Ramsey, with music from Drop Ceiling, Lance Conrad, and Sully Allen.  This illustration of a mastodon is by Heinrich Harder.