Chico State

Conservation scientist and author Lauren E. Oakes set out to chronicle how plants and people could cope with their rapidly changing world. From California, she traveled to the southeast coast of Alaska to discover that groves of yellow-cedar were on the decline.

Looking for a doctoral thesis topic, the fast-disappearing yellow-cedar became the focus. What followed was an extraordinary years-long research project and the deeply heartening, In Search of the Canary Tree: The Story of a Scientist, a Cypress, and a Changing World.

Nancy's Bookshelf revisits a conversation with retired professors Roger Lederer and Carol Burr who wrote and illustrated The Birds of Bidwell Park. Now they have collaborated on a guide to the trees of Bidwell Park.  

Bryan Stevenson writes a powerful true story about the Equal Justice Initiative, the people we represent, and the importance of fighting injustice. His latest, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption is a New York Times bestseller and this year’s Book In Common.

Also, Author TJ Richardson captures the essence of pursuing your goals amongst hardships in Where I Wanna Be. Richardson speaks about his journey as a nontraditional student. 

Despite recent disasters, the North State’s economy is plugging along at a steady pace, and according to Robert Eyler, a professor of economics at Sonoma State University, it will likely continue to do so.

Eyler delivered his annual economic forecast in Redding last week, part of a daylong conference held by Chico State’s Center for Economic Development. Low interest rates and tame inflation should fuel lending and business activity without risk of overexpansion. However, risks do remain. 

It seems like every summer it happens, once it’s warm enough to swim, authorities are warning people to stay out of the water. Why? An abundance of one of the simplest living things on earth: algae. Actually a specific type of algae called cyanobacteria, tiny microorganisms that can cause serious illness.  

Keith Bouma-Gregson is an environmental scientist with the California State Water Resources Control Board. He also co-leads the Fresh Water Harmful Algae Bloom Program, and has been tracking blooms in California.  

Dave meets with a kindred soul as Archaeologist and California State University Chico Anthropology Department Professor Lisa Westwood joins him in Studio C to talk about the archaeology of the space age.

She's the lead author of the book The Final Mission: Preserving NASA's Apollo Sites with co-authors Beth O'Leary and Milford Wayne Donaldson.

American Indian storyteller Liz Lara-O’Rourke headlined an evening of cultural connection and understanding at the Chico State campus Friday. North State Public Radio’s Marc Albert caught up with her as the evening began.