Dams, what’s their story? Are they scenic sites? Harmful structures? This week, Professor Heather Randell and Jonathan go on a journey through dam history, ecology, and sociology. Listen in to learn about why dams are built; who they serve; and how they can cause displacement, change river ecology, and contribute to climate change.

Heather Randell is an Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology and Demography at Penn State. She studies how dam construction affects local communities as well as the health and social impacts of climate change.

You can follow her on Twitter @HeatherFRandell, and at www.heatherrandell.com

Want to learn more about dams? Here are three short films worth checking out:

Guardians of the River

Belo Monte: After the Flood (2016)

A River Runs Through Us

And here’s a recent article from the New Yorker on the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.

Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.

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Jonathan is on Instagram and Twitter @JVN and @Jonathan.Vanness on Facebook.

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