I think you could probably go back and track the stages of grief, probably that is what I went through. But I think if you do it right, you end up at acceptance. And that's where I ended up. And that's not to say that I've fully accepted the idea that the golden toad is extinct. Personally, I do still hold out hope that it could still be out there in those forests." - Trevor Ritland This conversation is with Trevor Ritland, who—along with his twin brother Kyle—authored The Golden Toad . The book chronicles their remarkable journey into Costa Rica’s cloud forest, once home to hundreds of brilliant golden toads that would emerge for just a few weeks each year—until, one day, they vanished without a trace. What began as a search for a lost species soon became something much more profound: a confrontation with ecological grief, a meditation on hope, and a powerful call to protect the natural world while we still can. Links: SpeciesUnite.com Kyle and Trevor: https://kyleandtrevor.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adventureterm/ Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222249677-the-golden-toad Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Toad-Ecological-Mystery-Species/dp/163576996…
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Wonks at Work
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Inhalt bereitgestellt von Wonks at Work. Alle Podcast-Inhalte, einschließlich Episoden, Grafiken und Podcast-Beschreibungen, werden direkt von Wonks at Work oder seinem Podcast-Plattformpartner hochgeladen und bereitgestellt. Wenn Sie glauben, dass jemand Ihr urheberrechtlich geschütztes Werk ohne Ihre Erlaubnis nutzt, können Sie dem hier beschriebenen Verfahren folgen https://de.player.fm/legal.
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×Cycling enthusiasm in Northwest Arkansas is not limited to mountain bike trails and long gravel rides through the Ozarks. Regional leaders envision 1,800 miles of shared-use and bicycle paths connecting communities across the region, allowing residents to make active transportation (e.g., walking, biking) part of their daily lives. Building that kind of infrastructure requires more than bike lanes and new trails, though. It also takes training, community outreach, pedestrian safety, and much more. Ryan Hale of Laneshift, a firm based in Rogers that specializes in bicycle and pedestrian planning and design, joins us on this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast.…
Arkansas is aging. By 2030, about 1 in 5 Arkansans will be 65 or older. Twenty years ago, that age group made up 14% of the state’s population. An aging populace requires an infrastructure that can accommodate increased demands on our healthcare system and a robust workforce that can provide the necessary long-term care and support. For an in-depth discussion on this topic, Rachel Bunch joins us on the Wonks at Work podcast. She's executive director of the Arkansas Health Care Association, which represents more than 90% of the licensed long-term care facilities in the state and recently announced plans to launch a new nursing school.…
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver and can be caused by a range of factors, such as viral infections, toxins, or some medical conditions. In 2018, Arkansas experienced a hepatitis A outbreak in which public health officials saw cases jump from just a handful to dozens each month. That outbreak subsided by the end of 2021, but hepatitis A isn’t the only form of hepatitis affecting Arkansans. To learn more, we’re joined on this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast by Dr. Matt Deneke, assistant professor in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.…
Health care, public health, and the support systems we have in place to make Arkansans healthier were key areas of focus for state lawmakers during the 2025 regular session of the 95th Arkansas General Assembly. With the session now at an end, it’s time to look back from a healthcare perspective to understand what happened and what has become, or will soon become, the new law of the land. In this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast, we’re joined once again by Michelle Kitchens, director of governmental affairs and community outreach here at the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement.…
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Wonks at Work

Although essential to overall health and well-being, not every Arkansan has access to fresh, healthy food. A working group appointed by former Gov. Asa Hutchinson found food deserts in 62 of Arkansas’s 75 counties in 2022. Filling some of those gaps, farmers markets and other community-focused solutions have evolved to serve areas that don’t have a supermarket, and, in some cases, simply can’t support one. In this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast, we learn more about efforts to re-introduce local food to Arkansas communities, schools, and families from Dan Spatz, the proprietor of a 400-acre farm in Conway named Healthy Flavors Arkansas.…
In Arkansas and around the country, private equity groups have a growing financial interest in health care. While private equity investment can revive struggling hospitals or reinvigorate stagnant ones, critics accuse some of loading hospitals with debt, stripping their assets, and leaving communities to deal with the aftermath. That’s what happened in Hope, Arkansas, last year when the owner of Wadley Regional Medical Center, Dallas-based Steward Healthcare Group, declared bankruptcy. The hospital was immediately at risk of closing, but fortunately there were leaders in the community who would not let that happen. In this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast, we learn more about this cautionary tale from Clay Hobbs, chief operating officer of Pafford Medical Services, which partnered with the community to save their local hospital.…
As disturbing as the reported opioid overdose death toll has been over the past decade, a 2018 study suggested that many states were likely underreporting those deaths. The reason was that coroners and medical examiners were not specifying the drug contributing to the cause of death on death certificates. To better understand drug overdose deaths in Arkansas, state lawmakers passed a law in 2023 addressing this challenge. In this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast, we speak with Dr. Ted Brown, director of the Arkansas State Crime Lab and the state’s chief medical examiner, to discuss the impacts of the law and his work to answer questions about how Arkansans have died.…
A little over half of Arkansans have dental coverage, and even among those with coverage, only 30% of adults and 50% of children used any services, according to an ACHI analysis. Forgoing oral health care can lead to infections, chronic pain, tooth loss, and exacerbation of other health issues such as diabetes and heart disease. Patients who do not have access to or cannot afford regular dental care are often left to seek emergency care in the hospital or access low- or no-cost services in charitable settings. In this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast, we speak with Dr. Terry Fiddler, executive director of Arkansas Mission of Mercy, which organizes volunteers to host free, pop-up dental clinics. Arkansas Mission of Mercy’s next free dental clinic is April 11-12 at the Conway Expo Center.…
Even if you may not look forward to going to the dentist, you could be taking your experience for granted. For individuals whose brains function differently, such as people with diagnoses like autism, going to the dentist can be an anxiety-inducing event. In this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast we speak with Lyon College School of Dental Medicine’s new associate dean for clinical affairs, Dr. Ashley McMillan, about oral health access and accommodations for neurodivergent patients to get needed dental care.…
Non-medical vaccine exemptions for Arkansas kindergarten students continue to rise, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccine hesitancy, or a lack of confidence in vaccines, is a key factor contributing to this trend, but it is not a new phenomenon. On this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Sam Taggart, author of The Public’s Health: A Narrative History of Health and Disease in Arkansas, to discuss the history of vaccine hesitancy in the Natural State.…
Rapid economic and population growth like what’s taking place in Northwest Arkansas can be exciting, but it can also stress existing housing, education, transportation, and healthcare infrastructure. The Health Care Transformation Division of the Northwest Arkansas Council, an organization established to help shape the region’s development, and Heartland Whole Health Institute have released a new report that assesses the healthcare transformation currently underway and outlines future goals. Key objectives include building a sufficient healthcare workforce to respond to the demands of a growing population and ensuring that healthcare dollars stay in the Northwest Arkansas economy. To learn more about the report, we’re joined on this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast by Dr. Paul Umbach, founder of the healthcare and higher education consulting firm Tripp Umbach, which led the report’s development.…
Now more than ever, schools are seeking to provide students with a broad scope of wellness, prevention, and treatment so they can thrive inside and outside the classroom. Dozens of schools across Arkansas have adopted a model known as the school-based health center. These are staffed clinics on school grounds that provide medical and mental health care, and in some cases oral health and vision services. Students and staff don’t have to leave school for appointments, and studies have shown the centers have the potential to improve educational outcomes. To learn more about these centers, we’re joined on this episode by Tamara Baker, executive director of the School-Based Health Alliance of Arkansas.…
Arkansas recently joined a growing number of states that support cell phone restrictions in schools, launching a $7 million pilot program to create “phone-free” schools as part of a broader effort to improve student mental health and curb screen addiction. While research on cell phone bans is mixed, some studies show associated improvements in student mental health and academic performance, as well as decreases in bullying. For a firsthand perspective on the impact of such bans on students and the school environment, we’re joined on this episode by Dr. Debbie Jones, superintendent of Bentonville Schools.…
Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death in Arkansas, claiming more lives each year than HIV, illicit drug use, alcohol, motor vehicle injuries, and firearm-related incidents combined. Tobacco use in the state has dropped significantly over the past decade, but Arkansas’s smoking rate still ranks among the highest in the U.S. Plus, the use of e-cigarettes has drastically increased, with roughly 1 in 10 Arkansans vaping regularly. To explore these challenges, as well as some hopeful new treatments for lung cancer, we’re joined on this episode by Dr. Matthew Steliga, a thoracic surgeon at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and a member of the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Advisory Committee for Arkansas.…
Firearms are the leading cause of death for children in the U.S., and the number of gun-related fatalities has continued to climb for the past decade. Following the September school shooting in Winder, Ga., that left two students and two teachers dead, the question of how to stem the tide has risen again. In this episode of the Wonks at Work podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Whit Hall, a neonatologist with Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Recently, he shared how gun violence has impacted him and his family in a testimony before state lawmakers, who are considering an update to Arkansas’s gun laws.…
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