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Points North

Interlochen Public Radio

Points North is an award-winning podcast about the land, water, and inhabitants of the Great Lakes. Through narrative, sound-rich journalism that is deeply rooted in a sense of place, each episode entertains, informs, and surprises listeners everywhere.

Interlochen Public Radio

Points North is an award-winning podcast about the land, water, and inhabitants of the Great Lakes. Through narrative, sound-rich journalism that is deeply rooted in a sense of place, each episode entertains, informs, and surprises listeners everywhere.

Interlochen Public Radio
31hr 8min
Thumbnail for "My Little Slime".
August 1, 202518min 18sec8.82 MB
Thumbnail for "A Superior Gamble".
December 5, 202520min 13sec9.73 MB
Thumbnail for "The Sunrise Guy".
November 21, 202518min 8sec8.75 MB
Thumbnail for "The Other Side of the Storm".
November 7, 202526min 24sec38.08 MB
Thumbnail for "Gills Gone Wild".
October 24, 202514min 57sec7.22 MB
Thumbnail for "How ‘Bout Them Apples?".
October 10, 202515min 26sec7.43 MB
Thumbnail for "Presenting Up From Dust: Can We Save Millions of Migrating Birds?".
September 26, 202523min 48sec11.46 MB
Thumbnail for "Hopes and Fishes".
September 12, 202522min 5sec10.64 MB
Thumbnail for "Pushing the Boundary".
August 29, 202523min 28sec19.81 MB
Thumbnail for "The Pink Prairie Mascot".
August 15, 202519min 31sec9.41 MB
Thumbnail for "A Good, Not Great Lake".
July 18, 202522min10.61 MB
Thumbnail for "Once in a Blue Moon".
July 4, 202530min 4sec43.62 MB
Thumbnail for "Scratching the Right Itch".
June 20, 202521min 42sec10.48 MB
Thumbnail for "Presenting The Dirtbag Diaries: Winter Vacation".
June 6, 202533min 18sec16.04 MB
Thumbnail for "The Good Thief?".
May 23, 202518min 23sec8.86 MB
Thumbnail for "The Longest Paddle".
May 9, 202523min 47sec34.29 MB
Thumbnail for "My Lakes Are Better Than Your Lakes".
April 25, 202516min 20sec23.57 MB
Thumbnail for "Between Myth and Migration".
April 11, 202525min 12sec36.41 MB
Thumbnail for "Some Things Never Change".
March 28, 202527min 19sec39.38 MB
Thumbnail for "Bear Trouble".
March 14, 202518min 2sec26.02 MB
Thumbnail for "Presenting REAP/SOW: Buzzkill".
Americans stepped up to do something about dying bees. Beekeeping is all the…
February 28, 202528min 55sec41.67 MB
Thumbnail for "Back to the Boundary Waters".
February 14, 202523min 4sec33.24 MB
Thumbnail for "A Sticky Solution for Microplastics".
Microplastics are everywhere. But after accidentally combining materials in a…
January 31, 202519min 36sec28.27 MB
Thumbnail for "Big Abe’s Net".
One calm September day, Big Abe LeBlanc set his fishing net in Lake Superior.…
January 17, 202522min 17sec32.14 MB
Thumbnail for "The Squeaky Sand Phenomenon".
On April 8, 2024, Meghan Hetfield and her partner Roni Pillischer witnessed a…
January 3, 202513min 36sec19.63 MB
Thumbnail for "Complete With His Language".
Kenny Pheasant first became a teacher of Anishinaabemowin at 14 years-old,…
December 20, 202414min 21sec20.71 MB
Thumbnail for "The Iceman Giveth, The Iceman Taketh".
This is a tale of two cyclists, one legendary race, and an unlikely rivalry.
December 6, 202418min 46sec27.09 MB
Thumbnail for "Saving David".
One minute David Holtfreter was kayaking on Lake Michigan; the next he was in…
November 22, 202422min 22sec32.34 MB
Thumbnail for "Presenting Atlas Obscura: The Mysterious Sinkholes of Mount Baldy".
One family’s visit to a famous Indiana sand dune turns into a wild tale of a…
November 8, 202412min 28sec17.99 MB
Thumbnail for "The Biggest Buck That Maybe Never Was".
In 1998, a hunter named Mitch Rompola claimed he’d shot the biggest whitetail…
October 25, 202417min 44sec25.6 MB
Thumbnail for "A New Hope for Anishinaabemowin".
Last December, Theresa Eischen was watching the news when a story caught her…
October 11, 202415min 20sec22.11 MB
Thumbnail for "The Last to Leave".
A researcher in Ohio was surrounded by hundreds of dead ash trees. They had…
September 27, 202414min 36sec21.07 MB
Thumbnail for "Labor of Mixed Emotions".
For more than 20 years, Nic Theisen has spent his days on his hands and knees…
September 13, 202416min 51sec24.4 MB
Thumbnail for "A Natural Ending".
Peter Quakenbush’s dream is to create a conservation burial forest – a place…
August 30, 202417min 56sec25.88 MB
Thumbnail for "Frankenfish".
Lake trout are on life support in Lake Michigan. Every year, the U.S. Fish and…
August 16, 202422min 34sec32.53 MB
Thumbnail for "Shooting a Unicorn".
Two guys are hunting coyotes in Michigan. All of a sudden, they say they lure…
August 2, 202419min 49sec28.59 MB
Thumbnail for "Pedaling to the Beat of His Own Drum".
There’s this biker in the Upper Peninsula. Seems like everybody knows him or…
July 19, 202414min 27sec20.85 MB
Thumbnail for "Presenting Curious City: Lake Michigan’s Legendary ‘Shark Attack’".
We think of the Great Lakes as shark-free, but as legend has it, a young boy…
July 5, 20249min 22sec13.51 MB
Thumbnail for "Copper Country’s Conundrum".
Copper is a key metal for renewable energy, and experts say we’re going to need…
June 21, 202422min 27sec32.38 MB
Thumbnail for "To Catch An Arsonist".
It’s a dry spring – 1984 in Wisconsin – and all these suspicious fires are…
June 7, 202414min 21sec20.71 MB
Thumbnail for "A Struggle for Justice".
More than 120 years ago, a Native American village in northern Michigan was…
May 24, 202427min 3sec39.02 MB
Thumbnail for "Presenting Out There: Too Good To Be True?".
Donna Martino stuck a photograph from the newspaper of a handsome kayaker on…
May 10, 202424min 8sec34.78 MB
Thumbnail for "More Than a Filet of Fish".
Iceland has figured out how to use almost 100% of every fish caught – not just…
April 26, 202416min 6sec23.22 MB
Thumbnail for "The Quest for Kiyi".
Small, silvery fish called kiyi used to roam the deep, cold waters of nearly…
April 12, 202411min 20sec16.38 MB
Thumbnail for "Not Always the Apex Predator".
When hunter Ben Karasch sees something move out of the corner of his eye, he…
March 29, 202413min 41sec19.76 MB
Thumbnail for "Olympic Dream Takes a U.P. Village".
When U.P. snowboarder Nick Baumgartner lost in a qualifying round at the 2022…
March 15, 202419min 39sec28.42 MB
Thumbnail for "The Legend of Heike's Tombs".
In the mid-1900’s, a man moves to northern Michigan to escape the hustle and…
March 1, 202412min 22sec17.86 MB
Thumbnail for "Presenting Snap Judgment: No Ice Is Safe Ice".
Three guys went ice fishing on Lake Huron in February. Everything was great…
February 16, 202420min 19sec29.27 MB
Thumbnail for "Doe, A Deer, A (Sterilized) Female Deer".
Deer culling is common across the Midwest. Cities often hire sharpshooters or…
February 2, 202418min 48sec27.09 MB
Thumbnail for "Can AI Caribou Lead Us To Our Prehistoric Past?".
A team of archaeologists looks for signs of prehistoric life 100 feet…
January 19, 202418min 10sec26.22 MB
Thumbnail for "The Turtle Takeover".
Red-eared sliders are one of the most common pet turtle species in the world.…
January 5, 202412min 11sec17.57 MB
Thumbnail for "Presenting HumaNature: Tipping Point".
In 2011, Ann Raiho and Natalie Warren climbed into their canoe and pushed off…
December 22, 202322min 24sec32.28 MB
Thumbnail for "The Prince Fish".
In October 1960, Prince Akihito of Japan visited Chicago for 21 hours.…
December 8, 202312min 31sec18.03 MB
Thumbnail for "Ghost Towns Lost and Found".
David Exelby was scrolling through Reddit when he came across a mysterious…
November 24, 202317min24.5 MB
Thumbnail for "The Plant Musician".
Tom Wall is a West Michigan rock star who uses plants as bandmates. He uses a…
November 10, 202315min 24sec22.21 MB
Thumbnail for "Pier Pressure".
Lane Frame was visiting the Great Lakes for the first time. It was a windy day…
October 27, 202318min 7sec26.11 MB
Thumbnail for "Where Do Solar Panels Go To Die?".
The Great Lakes region — and the rest of the world — is seeing a huge push for…
October 13, 202311min 42sec16.88 MB
Thumbnail for "Presenting: Ride of Passage".
Matt Parker was just out of college. Unsure of what was next, he got this idea…
September 29, 202318min 38sec26.85 MB
Thumbnail for "We Got Jellyfish!".
Freshwater jellyfish have been in inland lakes and rivers throughout the Great…
September 15, 202310min 47sec15.56 MB
Thumbnail for "Dirty Laundry, Invasive Species, and the Limitations of Knowledge".
Invasive species often spread by hitching a ride on anglers, especially anglers…
September 1, 202313min 34sec19.58 MB
Thumbnail for "Presenting Outside Podcast: The Sky Is Burning".
This week we’re featuring an episode from the Outside Podcast from Outside…
August 18, 202331min 14sec45 MB
Thumbnail for "Rock Rehab".
Rock hunting holds a special place in Joyce Fetrow’s heart. Years ago, she…
August 4, 202312min 23sec17.87 MB
Thumbnail for "The Stone Skipping Philosopher".
Kurt Steiner holds the world record for stone skipping. He throws rocks because…
July 21, 202313min 17sec19.15 MB
Thumbnail for "Rekindling Wilderness".
The idea that wilderness is untouched by man is written into law, but it’s not…
July 7, 202323min33.13 MB
Thumbnail for "Birds of Paradise".
Alison Vilag pays attention for a living. She counts migrating ducks at…
June 23, 202314min 7sec74.74 MB
Thumbnail for "Leave It To Beavers?".
States in the Great Lakes kill beavers and remove dams on select rivers and…
June 9, 202314min 45sec21.27 MB
Thumbnail for "Not Just Another Fish Story".
Two anglers keep winning fishing tournament after tournament, where the prizes…
May 26, 202319min27.38 MB
Thumbnail for "Glowing Squirrels and the Search For 'Why'".
Flying squirrels glow pink under a blacklight. How many other mammals do this?…
May 12, 202318min 20sec26.46 MB
Thumbnail for "Sky Dancer".
There’s this elusive bird found throughout the Great Lakes region. If you know…
April 28, 20238min 17sec11.95 MB
Thumbnail for "No Ice Is Safe Ice".
Three guys go ice fishing on Lake Huron in February. Everything is great until…
April 14, 202323min 41sec34.14 MB
Thumbnail for "The Mystery of the Underwater Crucifix".
About 20 feet down on the bottom of Lake Michigan, there’s a white marble…
March 31, 202314min 27sec20.82 MB
Thumbnail for "Ruff Racing".
Laura Neese says she was practically raised in a dog kennel. What began as a…
March 17, 202315min21.62 MB
Thumbnail for "The Phosphorus Paradox".
Harmful algal blooms are a growing concern in the Great Lakes. The toxins they…
March 3, 202313min 45sec19.82 MB
Thumbnail for "Complete With His Language: Kenny Pheasant and the Great Lakes' Original Tongue".
Kenny Pheasant first became a teacher of Anishinaabemowin at 14 years-old,…
February 17, 202313min 3sec18.81 MB
Thumbnail for "The Cougar Conclusion".
Cougars are making a comeback. The iconic wildcat hasn’t had a breeding…
February 3, 202322min 8sec31.88 MB
Thumbnail for "Taking the Shot to Save the Eagles".
America’s bird, the bald eagle, is facing a tremendous challenge. As…
January 20, 202313min 3sec18.81 MB
Thumbnail for "Pheasants of Detroit".
Because of its abundant open space, Detroit, Michigan has a thriving…
January 6, 202310min 53sec15.7 MB
Thumbnail for "What To Do With The 'Big Bad Wolf'".
In February, gray wolves went back on the endangered species list. But it…
December 23, 202222min 59sec33.11 MB
Thumbnail for "The Trail Less Traveled".
The North Country Trail runs through the heart of the Great Lakes region and…
December 9, 202216min 47sec24.19 MB
Thumbnail for "Eye for the Storm".
It takes a special breed to head to a Great Lakes beach during the windiest…
November 25, 20229min 18sec13.43 MB
Thumbnail for "Wind Resistance".
Wind turbines are being built in ocean waters off the east and west coasts. But…
November 11, 202215min 32sec22.41 MB
Thumbnail for "One More Pass".
Lake Superior can change in a heartbeat; one minute it’s calm ― the next it's…
October 28, 202217min 45sec25.59 MB
Thumbnail for "Trying to Solve Mussel Mayhem in the Great Lakes".
For the past three and a half decades, zebra and quagga mussels have…
October 14, 202215min 15sec21.97 MB
Thumbnail for "The Food That Grows On Water".
According to an Anishinaabe prophecy, manoomin – wild rice – is what brought…
September 30, 202211min 40sec16.81 MB
Thumbnail for "Is Climate Change a Caribou Cop Out?".
Lake Superior’s northern shore has been home to woodland caribou for thousands…
September 16, 202216min 26sec11.85 MB
Thumbnail for "Nature vs. National Security".
Northern Michigan is the perfect place to be outdoors with its extensive…
September 2, 202214min20.18 MB
Thumbnail for "Thin As a Rail".
Rails are secretive marsh birds, and they’re on the decline. But a researcher…
August 19, 20229min 12sec13.28 MB
Thumbnail for "Untreated Lyme Disease Can Be Severe. Are Doctors in the Midwest Ready for a Growing Number of Infections?".
Lyme disease is increasing in the Upper Midwest. The illness is caused by a…
August 5, 202212min 44sec18.38 MB
Thumbnail for "Asian Carp or Copi? Pushing Back Invasive Fish With a Rebrand".
After years of rapid growth, experts are trying everything they can to push…
July 22, 202215min 9sec21.85 MB
Thumbnail for "Bat Gadgetry: High-Tech Solutions to a Deadly Problem".
A deadly fungal infection is pushing some bat species to the brink of…
July 8, 202214min 34sec21.02 MB
Thumbnail for "The Culvert King of Acme Township".
Dick Mallery is tired of quick fixes to his 50-year-flooding problem; he wants…
June 24, 202212min 52sec12.35 MB
Thumbnail for "Crude Oil Catastrophes Part 3: A Tale of Two Treaties".
The Constitution refers to treaties with other sovereign nations as “the…
June 10, 202214min 1sec20.18 MB
Thumbnail for "Crude Oil Catastrophes Part 2: 'A Perfect Storm'".
In 2013, a train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded in Lac-Mégantic,…
May 27, 202218min 56sec27.27 MB
Thumbnail for "Crude Oil Catastrophes Part 1: 'Our Darkest Day'".
There’s no safe way to move crude oil across an entire continent. So what risks…
May 13, 202219min 14sec27.77 MB
Thumbnail for "The Ethics and Economics of Trading Water Futures".
Most of the freshwater in the U.S. is in the Great Lakes. That’s why some in…
April 29, 202213min 44sec19.8 MB
Thumbnail for "The Price of a Permit".
On Lake Charlevoix, a landowner is seeking permits to build a controversial…
April 15, 202214min 12sec20.48 MB
Thumbnail for "Presenting Outside/In: Why Antlers Are Freaking Amazing".
This week we’re featuring an episode of Outside/In from New Hampshire Public…
April 1, 202235min 3sec50.49 MB
Thumbnail for "[Un]Natural Selection Ep. 7: Frankenfish".
Lake trout are on life support in Lake Michigan.Every year, the U.S. Fish and…
March 25, 202221min 45sec31.35 MB
Thumbnail for "[Un]Natural Selection Ep. 6: Damned If We Do, Damned If We Don’t".
Over time, people have caused extensive damage to rivers by scouring their…
March 18, 202216min 55sec24.41 MB
Thumbnail for "[Un]Natural Selection Ep. 5: Rekindling Wilderness".
Most people think of the wilderness as a place untouched by humans, but that’s…
March 11, 202222min 2sec31.76 MB
Thumbnail for "[Un]Natural Selection Ep. 4: 'Forest Of The Living Dead'".
North Manitou Island is like a petri dish. It shows what happens when the deer…
March 4, 202217min 50sec25.67 MB
Thumbnail for "[Un]Natural Selection Ep. 3: What To Do With The 'Big Bad Wolf'".
This month, gray wolves went back on the endangered species list. But it wasn’t…
February 25, 202222min 30sec32.42 MB
Thumbnail for "[Un]Natural Selection Ep. 2: Houses Built On Sand".
There’s a long-term impact to armoring shoreline on the Great Lakes. And as it…
February 18, 202216min 21sec23.57 MB
Thumbnail for "[Un]Natural Selection Ep. 1: A Necessary Weevil?".
In the 1960s, scientists released a foreign insect to control invasive…
February 11, 202217min 31sec25.23 MB

My Little Slime

Thumbnail for "My Little Slime".
August 1, 202518min 18sec

What would happen if our devices were alive? Would it change the way we treat them? One researcher in Chicago wanted to find out. So she made a smartwatch that has to be fed and watered to work.

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Transcript

Thumbnail for "My Little Slime".
My Little Slime
00:00
18:18