Season One: The Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area
In 2018 the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey NCA was celebrating its 25th anniversary and the Wild Lens Collective was contracted by the Bureau of Land Management (the federal agency responsible for managing the NCA) and the Birds of Prey NCA Partnership (the non-profit “friends” group associated with the NCA) to assist in the production of an oral history series.
Radio Boise came on board as a partner early on, and discussions soon began about using the oral history interviews to produce a radio documentary series that would tell the full story of how the Snake River Canyon was protected. Wayne Birt, the programming director for Radio Boise, came on board as a producer and work began on the series by the end of 2018.
Season One of Common Land was produced alongside: Radio Boise, a non-profit community radio station serving Boise, Idaho and the Treasure Valley of Southwest Idaho.
Support for season one of the series was provided by the Bureau of Land Management, the Birds of Prey NCA Partnership, the Peregrine Fund’s Archives of Falconry, and a grant from Patagonia.
Music for season one was written and composed by The Great Turtle, Ragged Coyote, and Like a Rocket. The series was produced by Matthew Podolsky, Wayne Birt and Steve Alsup.
Episode 1: Morley’s Vision
One man is largely responsible for establishing the vision for protection of the Snake River Canyon - Morley Nelson. Our first episode tracks Morley’s deep passion for birds of prey, and examines how he set the stage for the establishment of protected status for this unique stretch of canyon. Click here to see full episode description and credit list.
Full episode will be available Jan. 30 at 4pm MST.
Secretary of the Interior Rogers CB Morton at the dedication ceremony for the Snake River Birds of Prey Natural Area in 1971.
Episode 2: Protecting the Canyon
In the late 1960s, a group of young raptor enthusiasts, inspired by Morley Nelson, began conducting the research that would prove the uniqueness of the Snake River Canyon for birds of prey. This set the stage for the establishment of the Snake River Birds of Prey Natural Area in 1971. Click here to see full episode description and credit list.
Full episode will be available Feb. 6 at 4pm MST.
Episode 3: Land of the Prairie Falcon
In the 1970s a truly unique partnership began to take shape in the Snake River Canyon that would connect scientific research to politics and public policy in a manner not seen before or since. Click here to see the full episode description and credit list.
This episode will be available Feb. 13 at 4pm MST.
Raptor biologist Mike Kochert showing off a prairie falcon with radio transmitter attached in 1975.
The Swan Falls Dam, constructed in the early 1900s, was the first dam built on the Snake River
Episode 4: The Swan Falls Agreement
A controversy over water rights in Idaho that had been brewing for decades took center stage in the 1980s, and played a crucial role in determining the future path for the protection of the Snake River Canyon. Click here to see full episode description and credit list.
This episode will be available Feb. 20 at 4pm MST.
1993 town meeting to discuss wilderness issues with Congressman Larry LaRocco.
The Snake River Birds of Prey Area needed a champion in congress if it was ever to receive permanent protection, and in 1990 that champion emerged with the election of Democrat Larry LaRocco to Idaho’s first congressional district. Click here to see full episode description and credit list.
This episode will be available Feb. 27 at 4pm MST.
Episode 6: Combat Training
The designation of the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area brought controversy, as the presence of a military training area within the newly created NCA became well publicized for the first time. Click here to see full episode description and credit list.
This episode will be available March 5 at 4pm MST.
Army National Guard troops in the Orchard Training Area circa late 1950s.
Petroglyphs in the Snake River Canyon
Episode 7: Ancient History
The Shoshone and Paiute people and their ancestors have lived in and around the Snake River Canyon region for at least 14,500 years, and in this episode of the series we take a look at their culture and life-ways before the arrival of European American settlers. Click here to see full episode description and credit list.
This episode will be available March 12 at 4pm MST.
Episode 8: Unceded Land
European American settlers first began to arrive in Southwest Idaho and the Snake River Canyon region in substantial numbers in the mid-1800s, setting off a conflict over land ownership that persists to this day. Click here to see full episode description and credit list.
This episode will be available March 19 at 4pm MST.
Sunday school class on the Duck Valley Reservation - date unknown.
A cheatgrass dominated landscape in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey NCA. Photo by Jim Shane.
Episode 9: The Cheatgrass Fire Cycle
The spread of cheatgrass, an invasive annual grass species, throughout the Snake River Plain, and much of the Intermountain West, has transformed the ecosystems of the entire region. Click here to see full episode description and credit list.
This episode will be available March 26 at 4pm MST.
Episode 10: The Climate Crisis and Our Uncertain Future
Now, at a time of urgent conservation need due to a multitude of threats stemming from our climate crisis, funding for basic research and monitoring of raptor populations is extremely hard to come by. Click here to see full episode description and credit list.
This episode will be available April 2 at 4pm MST.
Up close with an adult Prairie Falcon. Photo by Neil Paprocki.