Best WCAI Podcasts (2024)

1
Debate: Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket State Representative candidates 49:31

4h ago49:31

49:31

Arielle Faria and Thomas Moakley discuss their goals as potential state reps.By Mindy Todd

1
A fig tree grows in Wellfleet 4:04

1d ago4:04

4:04

To plant a fig tree in our climate is an act of faith. Most figs are native to the tropics—and in the heat and sweat of this world they do amazing things. They’ve co-evolved with a wasp that crawls into the fruit and pollinates it from the inside out.By Elspeth Hay

1
Understanding and treating obsessive compulsive disorder 48:57

3h ago48:57

48:57

What is OCD, and how it is treated?By Mindy Todd

1
The wildlife of Nickerson State Park 4:35

5h ago4:35

4:35

In all my years of camping and doing field work around the US I never knew that flying squirrels could be camp scavengers.By Mark Faherty

1
Gardens in August 49:36

2h ago49:36

49:36

Late summer gardening with horticulturist Roberta Clark.By Mindy Todd

1
Healthy school lunch 48:59

1h ago48:59

48:59

Farm to school programs across our regionBy Mindy Todd

1
How abundant shellfish help create healthy waters 5:10

2h ago5:10

5:10

As a fisheries and aquaculture specialist at the Barnstable County Cooperative Extension, Abigail Archer spends a lot of time trying to help the public connect the dots between shellfish, nitrogen, and healthy estuaries. This relationship starts when nitrogen travels through freshwater streams and runoff into our marine environment.…

1
The Jazzmen 49:30

1h ago49:30

49:30

An interview with Larry Tye about his latest book The JazzmenBy Mindy Todd

1
The birding action moves to the beaches of Cape Cod 3:26

2h ago3:26

3:26

The birds, being well-versed in Shakespeare, know that all the world’s a stage. Maybe not, but what they do know is that some of the world’s a staging area, and one of the most important staging areas is right here on the Cape and Islands.By Mark Faherty

1
Bird News for August 2024 47:40

7d ago47:40

47:40

The latest news in the world of birding with Ornithologist Mark Faherty.

1
News Roundup: 'Seasonal Communities' designation may bring housing support; blade failure points to bigger debris issue 49:16

4d ago49:16

49:16

This week: The state has designated Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and much of Cape Cod as seasonal communities — we'll tell you what that means. Two scientific experts weigh in on the turbine blade debris from Vineyard Wind. And New Bedford is taking steps to be ready for the next hurricane.

1
Three years into Covid: what happens now? 49:33

5d ago49:33

49:33

An interview with virologist Dr. Paul Offit.By Mindy Todd

1
You're not done yet! 49:33

5d ago49:33

49:33

Relationships between parents and their young adult children.By Mindy Todd

1
Support plants to help a fruit tree 4:38

19d ago4:38

4:38

In 2015, Jess Tsoukalas was living in Wellfleet at a rental property that the tenant before her had planted with an abundance of fruit trees.By Elspeth Hay

1
The long-haul travelers of the shoreline 3:42

6d ago3:42

3:42

In case you haven’t heard, the Globetrotters are in town. Not the basketball ones, in case you thought of them first for some reason - I’m talking about the actual globe trotters, the Arctic-nesting shorebirds.By Mark Faherty

1
Sugar less 47:04

7d ago47:04

47:04

Sugar is everywhere! and it's addictiveBy Mindy Todd

1
News Roundup: Turbine debris hits MV; women take new role at Madeiran Feast 49:33

24d ago49:33

49:33

This week: Turbine blade debris washes ashore on Martha's Vineyard, as the offshore wind breakdown continues. Massachusetts firefighters alarmed about PFAS in their gear see some relief. And a cultural festival in New Bedford welcomes women after more than 100 years.By Steve Junker

1
Transcending our differences as a nation 49:32

26d ago49:32

49:32

An interview with Diana McLain SmithBy Mindy Todd

1
One farmer’s love affair with garlic 3:41

26d ago3:41

3:41

Carrie Richter of Peach Tree Circle Farm in Falmouth is a self-proclaimed garlic fanatic."It makes every dish better. There's nothing about garlic that I don't like."By Elspeth Hay

1
Books on Nature 48:44

26d ago48:44

48:44

The Point's monthly book show topic is books on nature.By Dan Tritle

1
Cultivating a love of butterflies 4:14

22d ago4:14

4:14

Let’s face it, insects suffer from a likeability deficit akin to that of most politicians, what with the biting and the disease transmission and the landing on your food right when you’re about to eat it and all. But I think we can all get behind butterflies, those harmless, even beneficial, and undeniably beautiful ambassadors for the insect world…

1
Loneliness 49:27

28d ago49:27

49:27

Human connection is essential for emotional and physical well being.By Mindy Todd

1
News Roundup: Turbine blade failure could be manufacturing defect; from VPTOWN to presidential candidate 49:14

25d ago49:14

49:14

This week: That failed Vineyard Wind turbine blade? Looks a manufacturing defect could be to blame. Meanwhile, the Army National Guard is seeking construction bids for its controversial Cape Cod machine gun range. And the VP comes to Ptown – 12 hours before she (surprise!) starts running for president.…

1
Elder abuse prevention 48:42

27d ago48:42

48:42

Elder abuse: how to recognize and prevent it.By Mindy Todd

1
Bibbs, Bostons, and Caesers: Local farmers talk about growing great lettuce 3:54

1M ago3:54

3:54

This time of year at the farmers markets, lettuce is the variety queen. It comes in heads and leaves, reds and greens, crisp hearts and soft butter leaves. Over the past few weeks, I’ve spoken to farmers about growing lettuce, and what varieties they like.By Elspeth Hay

1
Transient and Strange: Notes on the Science Life 49:32

1M ago49:32

49:32

An interview with NPR Science reporter Nell Greenfieldboyce about her book Transient and Strange: Notes on the Science LifeBy Mindy Todd

1
Great birds in an odd place 4:11

1M ago4:11

4:11

About 20 years ago I was doing bird surveys for my graduate research all through the Cape Cod National Seashore – I had over 300 survey points from Fort Hill in Eastham to Wood End in Provincetown, and I knew the park, including deep, off-trail areas, as well as anyone.By Mark Faherty

1
A common wild berry brings a range of delicious flavors 3:40

26d ago3:40

3:40

It’s high season for a common wild berry with a whole lot of names.By Elspeth Hay

1
The flamingo is back. A beautiful stranger returns to Cape Cod 4:04

1M ago4:04

4:04

By Mark Faherty

1
Saltwater fish return to Wellfleet’s Herring River floodplain 5:02

1M ago5:02

5:02

I’ve been hearing about the Herring River Restoration Project since I moved to Wellfleet in 2004. Restoring tidal flow to the 1100-acre saltwater estuary, which was diked in 1908, is an effort that’s been decades in the making — and hands-on work finally began in early 2023.By Elspeth Hay

1
A special grassland habitat right here on Cape Cod 4:36

2M ago4:36

4:36

On Monday, though it’s full-on tourist season and many of my local friends had been putting out “shelter in place” warnings on social media, I bravely ventured from the Lower Cape to deep in the heart of the Upper Cape.By Mark Faherty

1
A coastal sparrow that is trying to beat the odds 4:16

2M ago4:16

4:16

Recently, Mass Audubon has turned its conservational gaze upon an inconspicuous and imperiled coastal resident. This saltmarsh sprite lives life on the edge, only nesting in the daily-flooded coastal marshes from southern Maine to Chesapeake Bay, where they struggle to complete their nesting cycle between the monthly high tides.…

1
WIC program is helping more Martha's Vineyard families thanks to grant 4:57

2M ago4:57

4:57

Have you ever been in a grocery store and seen items marked “WIC approved”? It stands for “women infants and children.” It’s a federally funded state run supplemental nutrition assistance program.By Viki Merrick, Jake Applegate

1
A fly-by-night flycatcher and more kite sights 3:57

2M ago3:57

3:57

While kite-o-rama continues on the Cape, with both kite species still turning up from Mashpee to Harwich, the Vineyard scored this week with an even less likely bird with a long, bifurcated tail.By Mark Faherty

1
Tuning into plant flowers to manage fruit and vegetable productivity 5:11

2M ago5:11

5:11

Over the past few years, I’ve started noticing how much I can control certain plants’ productivity by managing their flowers and seeds.By Elspeth Hay

1
Swallow-tailed kites are getting comfortable on Cape Cod 4:01

2M ago4:01

4:01

Mid-June is kind of like the slack tide in the Cape ornithological calendar. Songbird and shorebird migration are over, with most birds now busy breeding across the Northern Hemisphere.By Mark Faherty

1
The magic of weeds 4:32

2M ago4:32

4:32

A New Jersey forager visits Falmouth to give a talk on the magic of weeds.By Elspeth Hay

1
The tough survivors of nesting season 4:10

3M ago4:10

4:10

We have a backlog of old business to attend to here at Bird Report central, namely, what’s going on with breeding birds right now? The answer is, they are battling for their lives and the lives of their children in this war zone we call the suburbs.By Mark Faherty

1
Exciting new vegetables for your summer garden 5:09

3M ago5:09

5:09

It’s that time of year where many of us are getting summer seedlings in the ground. And I don’t know about you, but my excitement is usually bigger than my garden — I can’t fit everything I want to plant.By Elspeth Hay

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