Marfa Public Radio

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The mission of Marfa Public Radio is to unite the community of Far West Texas with a focus on art, education, quality-of-life and the local economy. The KRTS studios - the tallest in Texas - are located in rural highlands of the Chihuahuan Desert. We serve the residents in the ranchlands of the Big Bend and Davis Mountains. We can be heard beyond the Transpecos at www.marfapublicradio.org.

Series

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39 Pieces

Nature Notes explores the natural world of the Chihuahuan Desert.

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1 Piece

The West Texas landscape is vast and remote, and with that comes this sense of freedom, like there’s endless possibilities, adventure down every road. But what you might not realize, looking out on these sweeping vistas or up at the big sky is that this place also comes with some real limitations. In the Big Bend, the idea of reproductive choice was complicated long before Roe v. Wade was overturned. Out here, you can’t legally get an abortion, but as recently as last year, you also might not be able to have a baby in a delivery room. So Far From Care is a podcast about how people decide when, or if to become parents in rural West Texas, where, in spite of the limitations, people find ways of making it work.

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5 Pieces

Marfa Public Radio presents a radio documentary show about the strange things that happen in everyday life.


Latest Pieces

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The 21 oak species in our region assume many forms and are survivors of the last Ice Age. Who are these tenacious trees? And what animals depend on...

Bought by KENW


  • Added: Apr 19, 2011
  • Length: 04:30
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Harvester ants carry food several times their size., Credit: Cathryn Hoyt
You’ve seen their sprawling, barren mounds, like little moonscapes in your field or lawn. But what lies beneath harvester ants’ conspicuous mounds?

Bought by KENW


  • Added: Apr 07, 2011
  • Length: 04:30
  • Purchases: 1
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These tiny crustaceans come to life for just a short while during our rainy season, but their eggs can wait decades to hatch and ride the wind for ...

Bought by KENW


  • Added: Apr 07, 2011
  • Length: :59
  • Purchases: 1
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Summer storms send many desert frogs and toads into a raucous reproductive frenzy. What role do their choruses play in their hasty courtship?

Bought by KENW


  • Added: Apr 07, 2011
  • Length: 04:30
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Cenizo puts on a show during the desert's rainy season., Credit: Cathryn Hoyt
In the Chihuahuan Desert, we spend fall, winter, spring and summer talking about our fifth season—the rainy season. What does its arrival mean for ...

Bought by KENW


  • Added: Apr 07, 2011
  • Length: 04:30
  • Purchases: 1
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Animals and insects aren’t being altruistic when they pollinate a plant. So how do plants attract and reward them for their services?

Bought by KENW


  • Added: Apr 07, 2011
  • Length: 04:30
  • Purchases: 1
Caption: Testudinella patina, Credit: T. Schröder, R.L. Wallace, E. Walsh
Every pristine spring, mucky cattle tank, and rain-filled hueco in the Chihuahuan Desert is home to an exceptionally diverse array of microscopic a...

Bought by KENW


  • Added: Apr 07, 2011
  • Length: 04:30
  • Purchases: 1
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Aldo Leopold's legendary essay collection, A Sand County Almanac, has inspired countless conservationists and earned Aldo Leopold a place alongside...

Bought by WTIP and KENW


  • Added: Apr 07, 2011
  • Length: 04:30
  • Purchases: 2
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With its showy red crest and golden bill, the pyrrhuloxia shouldn't be confused with its more flamboyant cardinal relative. What makes this desert ...

Bought by KENW


  • Added: Apr 07, 2011
  • Length: 04:30
  • Purchases: 1
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They eat roadkill. They urinate on themselves. When frightened, they vomit. The turkey vultures have returned. Why does this harbinger of spring ha...

Bought by KENW


  • Added: Mar 22, 2011
  • Length: 04:30
  • Purchases: 1