PODCAST · society
Iowa Prairie Documentary Project
by Charlie Morris
From the last glacial era that covered Iowa to the year 2025, what can we learn about ourselves and how we choose to interact with the land...and how has it led to the nation's 2nd highest cancer rates and water we cannot swim in safely? This series covers updates and interviews as Iowa based filmmaker Charlie Morris works on a new film on the topic.
Episodes
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S1:E28 RARE BEES, eDNA, TURTLES & MORE! feat. Elizabeth VanCamp
In this episode with Elizabeth VanCamp we chat about so many different topics that are specific to Iowa and the natural world. Some highlights include: eDNA, all kinds of bees, prairie plants, prairie restoration, pollinators, Blanding's Turtles, Nahant Marsh and just...it's a really packed…
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S1:E27 IS GLYPHOSATE SAFE? feat. CAREY GILLAM
Carey Gillam is an accomplished writer who has been covering the pesticide industry since 1998: 7 years at Reuters, Author of "WhiteWash", Author of "The Monsanto Papers", Writer for The Guardian, Editor in Chief at The New Lede. I am very lucky that she took some time out of her busy schedule to...
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S1:E25 THE BIG PICTURE WITH STEVE GRUHN
Part 1 of "THE BIG PICTURE WITH STEVE GRUHN" series. Big Spirit Lake resident. Conventional farmer turned Biochar researcher. Soil science thinker. Bergman Prairie explorer. Sustainable solutions guy. Former greenhouse owner. Nitrogen cycle minded. Former CAFO employee. Steve Gruhn has a lot of...
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S1:E23 OMAHA WISDOM W/RENEÉ SAN SOUCI
There is nothing like sitting down to talk to a descendant of the original keepers of the prairie. Speaking with Reneé was completely unexpected. We literally ran into one another at the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar and within 15 minutes were doing a sit down interview in the setting sun there in...
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S1:E22 DECORAH, CAVES AND KARST W/CHERYL JOHNSON
Cheryl Johnson is a long time local of Decorah, IA. And when I say long time, I mean that a cabin on the property of the local Norwegian history focussed Vesterheim museum is one that used to belong to relatives of hers. In case you are curious it’s called the Egge Cabin. So yeah…she’s been…
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S1:E21 OVERSPRAY AND CHEMICAL DRIFT W/SHAD SWANSON
Featuring southwest Iowa organic vegetable farmer Shad Swanson, this video dives into overspray and chemical drift here in the state of Iowa. What is it? How does it happen? How severely can it impact an organic farming operation? What can we do when it happens? Shad shares his personal…
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S1:E20 WILD RHYTHMS WITH DEB MATLOCK
I first found out about Deb Matlock via Facebook. Her work, which is under the banner of Wild Rhythms, popped up on my feed and I was like…hmmm…not enough people talk seriously about reconnecting with nature. I think I'll give this a follow. Her website has a featured one liner on it that states:...
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S1:E19 THINKING ABOUT HOPE (AND PRAIRIES) WITH CONNIE MUTEL
Originally recorded April 17, 2026, this interview features Connie Mutel. She's a prolific author on ecosystems and prairie who lives here in Iowa. I would consider this a must listen or must watch episode! Decades of ecosystems understanding are on full display here folks! Connie's message of…
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S1:E18 THE ONE WHERE I GET INTERVIEWED
This episode is different than all the others. This is the one episode where someone is interviewing me. Beth Waage of KHOI radio's morning "Local Talk" asks me all sorts of interesting questions. I think you might like it. KHOI Mary Swander The intro and outro music are original compositions…
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S1:E17 THE C.A.F.O. TRUTH WITH DIANE ROSENBERG
I first saw Diane Rosenberg speak at an event in late 2025. She was talking about the dangers of CAFO’s. At the time I still hadn’t seen a CAFO in Iowa. Well, I mean…I had seen the buildings but didn’t know what they were. During her talk I quickly was made to understand that CAFO’s in Iowa were…
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S1:E16 PRESCRIBED PRAIRIE BURN (+music) feat. JOHN VAN RYBROEK
I was lucky enough to be invited to film a fire last year and here is the result. Hop in the "side by side" with John Van Rybroek and find out a bit about why people here in Iowa do prescribed prairie burns, prairie reconstruction and more! I also get to chat with Grace, the safety drone operator...
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S1:E15 WHAT'S AT STAKE WITH ETHANOL? feat. CHRIS JONES
Sit right down and take you a listen. Chris Jones dishes up the deets on all things Ethanol. Some of the things we cover in this episode: What is Ethanol? How is Ethanol made? Who uses Ethanol? (Spoiler Alert=Most Likely You and Me Both) What’s the connection between Ethanol production and Cancer...
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S1:E14 ENVIRONMENTAL WITNESSING WITH JENNIFER NEW
Jennifer talks about something I had never heard of before: "Environmental Witnessing." From visiting her grandparent's farm in Nevada, IA to meditating in front of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations...I think this episode is bound to offer some new perspectives on how we occupy the land.…
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S1:E13 NICOLAS FROM HOKSEY NATIVE SEEDS
We didn’t just talk about the value of conservation and native seeds role in prairie restoration…we also talked about faith, family, how the bigger is better model has harmed farming community bonds. Nicolas talks about how Hoksey got its roots through his father and so much more…this one is…
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S1:E12 TALKING PRAIRIE WITH DR. THOMAS ROSBURG
This is episode 12 and was recorded on October 4th, 2025 on the Drake University Campus in Des Moines Iowa and features an interview with Dr. Thomas Rossburg. When I made my first post about this project on the Iowa Prairie Network’s Facebook group, it was Tom’s name that was mentioned the most…
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S1:E11 "CANCER IN IOWA" feat. DAVID CWIERTNY
This is episode 11 and was recorded on November 11, 2025 in Iowa City and features an interview with David Cwiertny…it’s part 4 of my Cancer in Iowa series. In case you are a first time listener…I want to ever so briefly answer your question…What does cancer have to do with prairie? Well it has...
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S1:E10 "CANCER IN IOWA" feat. LARRY WEBER
Part 3 of the "Cancer in Iowa" series. Iowa has some of the USA’s worst water quality AND some of the highest cancer rates in the nation. Larry Weber, who is this episode's featured speaker has spearheaded the effort to create one of the United State’s most advanced watershed nitrate monitoring...
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S1:E9 "CANCER IN IOWA" feat. SHAWN ELLERBROEK
Shawn Ellerbroek is a cancer researcher based in the state of Iowa. I wanted a snapshot of where are we at, right now in the year 2025? I wanted to know how what we put onto corn and soybean fields in Iowa translates to cancer in our bodies? What is the actual mechanism that can turn our drinking...
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S1:E8 "CANCER IN IOWA" feat. ZACHARY OREN SMITH
Episode 8 is the first interview of the "Cancer in Iowa" series, where I interview someone who knows more than the average bear about what's going on with cancer here in our state. This first episodes features Zachary Oren Smith, a journalist and reporter with Iowa Starting Line. Shownotes links:...
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S1:E7 PRAIRIE ARTS WITH KELLY FROM KANSAS
S1:E7 Prairie Arts with Kelly from Kansas Description: This interview is available as both a podcast and a video and comes to you from Manhattan…but not the one in NYC…it’s the one in Kansas! Yes you heard that right. Kelly Yarbrough is the founder of the Tallgrass Artist Residency which "seeks…
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S1:E6 GETTING REAL WITH GLENN POLLOCK
S1:E6 Getting Real with Glenn Pollock We dive into pioneer history, pioneer cemeteries, prairie species that have gone extinct, farm life in early pioneer days, MOTUS bird tracking and how we can’t let the bastards get us down. Link to MOTUS: https://motus.org The intro and outro music are…
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S1:E5 SO MUCH GOOD WITH SCOTT KOEPKE
Scott's Website: https://gardenbridgeoutreach.org The intro and outro music are original compositions made for this podcast, created and played by Anthony Arnone of Iowa City. The music tracks were sound engineered by Jay Siebold of Sieboldsound.com. This work is a microbudget project that is...
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S1:E4 RESTORATION WITH RUTH RABINOWITZ
Thanks for tuning in to Episode 4, of the Iowa Prairie Documentary Project where you can sit back and enjoy a really fantastic interview with Ruth Rabinowitz of Oxbow Farms. This episode is being released as a podcast and in video format. If you’d like to go straight to the video version of this...
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S1-E3 KENNY AT THE MOTOR MILL
Thanks for tuning in to Episode 3, of the Iowa Prairie Documentary Project. This episode is being released as a podcast and in video format. There are slight variations in the two so you might want to check out both. The video version is at: https://youtu.be/AIg57u6mdMw?si=44rrRR8Nv9GkZu_m I’d…
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S1:E2 AN INTERVIEW WITH SUE
Hey ya'll...wanna go to Fairfield, Iowa? I love a lot about this episode. Sue's enthusiasm for the land she lives on and her commitment to helping the land restore and recover is inspiring. She helps me understand that there are different types of restoration that Iowans are working on. Spoiler...
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Iowa Prairie Primer
Prairie + Iowa? How is that even a story? Where would that start or finish? Take a listen as I explain my point of entry into the topic of Iowa Prairie in this first installment of the Iowa Prairie Documentary Project. I chat about what inspired me to get involved and some of my past projects and...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
From the last glacial era that covered Iowa to the year 2025, what can we learn about ourselves and how we choose to interact with the land...and how has it led to the nation's 2nd highest cancer rates and water we cannot swim in safely? This series covers updates and interviews as Iowa based filmmaker Charlie Morris works on a new film on the topic.
HOSTED BY
Charlie Morris
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Iowa Prairie Documentary Project have?
Iowa Prairie Documentary Project currently has 26 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Iowa Prairie Documentary Project about?
From the last glacial era that covered Iowa to the year 2025, what can we learn about ourselves and how we choose to interact with the land...and how has it led to the nation's 2nd highest cancer rates and water we cannot swim in safely? This series covers updates and interviews as Iowa based...
How often does Iowa Prairie Documentary Project release new episodes?
Iowa Prairie Documentary Project has 26 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Iowa Prairie Documentary Project?
You can listen to Iowa Prairie Documentary Project on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Iowa Prairie Documentary Project?
Iowa Prairie Documentary Project is created and hosted by Charlie Morris.
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