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For the love of dung beetles

Jessica Cornelison
/
KCUR 89.3

It’s easy to advocate for saving pandas and elephants, but bugs are a harder sell. Look closer, though, and you’ll find tiny superheroes propping up entire ecosystems as pollinators, decomposers, predators and prey. We’ll wander the prairie with bison ranchers, in search of the dung beetles that work quiet miracles in huge piles of poop. And we’ll meet people overcoming their insect fears to help scientists catch and release bees, before they disappear.

Up From Dust is hosted and reported by Celia Llopis-Jepsen and David Condos. This episode was reported and written by Celia Llopis-Jepsen and produced by Mackenzie Martin with editing by Scott Canon. Mix by Celia Llopis-Jepsen and Byron Love.

Mike Jungen takes a good look at a bee he caught in Wichita to help scientists record species sightings.
Celia Llopis-Jepsen
/
Kansas News Service
Mike Jungen takes a good look at a bee he caught in Wichita to help scientists record species sightings.

Up From Dust Season 1
I'm the creator of the environmental podcast Up From Dust. I write about how the world is transforming around us, from topsoil loss and invasive species to climate change. My goal is to explain why these stories matter to Kansas, and to report on the farmers, ranchers, scientists and other engaged people working to make Kansas more resilient. Email me at celia@kcur.org.
David Condos is the host of the KCUR Studios podcast Up From Dust, and covers the environment for KUER in Utah.

David was formerly the Kansas News Service reporter in western Kansas. Email him at dcondos@kuer.org.
As senior podcast producer for KCUR Studios and a host of A People’s History of Kansas City, I interview everyday people and dig through old newspaper articles to unearth stories of the visionaries and renegades who created this region. I focus on bringing the past to life, so we can all better understand the city we live in today. Email me at mackenzie@kcur.org.
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