© 2026 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Beaver Boom: How One Rodent Shaped a Continent

Season 2 Episode 3 | 5m 41s

Shane links up with journalist Ben Goldfarb and suits up with beaver expert Skip Lisle to uncover how beavers reshaped the American landscape — and what we lost when they vanished. From centuries of fur trade to modern-day beaver-saving inventions, this segment shows how one bucktoothed rodent could help restore wetlands, fight climate change, and save taxpayer dollars.

Extras
Celebrate the life and career of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver.
Preview: 250 Years of Americana
A Vermont couple finds new ways to better protect their land from drought and floods.
Soybeans may soon be part of the asphalt beneath you.
An Iowa farm thrives as one of the state’s few Black-owned farms.
A Georgia farm keeps the produce coming year-round by planting and harvesting in different locations
See how college students are turning soybeans into new products like baby wipes.
A California farmer shares easy-to-grow mushrooms with giftable box kits.
A Montana rancher honors his ancestors, and Mother Earth, by restoring native grasses to his land.
A Minnesota farm family plants a new kind of wheat that restores the soil and saves water.
Latest Episodes
All
  • All
  • Human Footprint Season 2
  • Human Footprint Season 1
Shane meets species on the brink of oblivion, and the people who won’t let them slip away.
A journey down the Colorado River reveals the ripple effects of humanity’s quest to conquer water.
Shane investigates the future of bees, from honey bees to wild native species, in a changing world.
From runway to throwaway, Shane suits up to discover the global impact of our fashion addiction.
We enlist allies from nature to fight in our battles. But is the enemy of an enemy always a friend?
Shane goes on a global journey to discover how supermarkets have reshaped our lives and our planet.
Shane explores the Human Footprint of cotton, from ancient rocks to 21st-century politics.
Shane explores three thriving urban species and envisions a wilder future for our cities.
Shane meets five species that made allies of humans.
Shane’s love of dogs turns to awe as he discovers their profound impacts on humans.