Grouse is an eight part
podcast hosted by Ashley Ahearn and produced by
BirdNote and
Boise State Public Radio. In each episode Ahearn spends about twenty minutes discussing the
greater sage-grouse and various threats to the bird's population.
Background
After reporting on the
Standing Rock protests for
NPR and seeing that the
Dakota Access Pipeline was built despite the protests, Ahearn decided to quit her job and move to rural Winthrop Valley, Washington.[1][2] The move marked a change in Ahearn's lifestyle, from a life in the city to living in a farmhouse and riding horses.[3] Ahearn also experienced a change in the political demographic from liberal to conservative.[4] Ahearn's experiences drove the story of the podcast, which she notes as a big change from her work at NPR.[5] The podcast focuses on the
greater sage-grouse and how the species is being threatened by a variety of changes.[6][7] Ahearn addresses the fact that
climate change is leading to an increase in wildfires that have destroyed sage grouse habitats.[8]