
May The River Be With You
Jump on board the big muddy with your guide Mark "River" Peoples and feel the powerful, storied currents of the Mighty Mississippi River pull at your feet and open your imagination. "May The River Be With You" focuses on how the largest river in the U.S. influences and impacts our culture, from arts and education to ecology and commerce. In each episode, we discuss how the river affects us all in unexpected ways while also featuring music, poetry, tales and myths inspired by the river itself.
Episodes
10 episodes
The Beauty of the Community Canoe / Neal Moore 22 Rivers
Mark River and John Ruskey talk about monthly "Community Canoe Trips" and how inclusion, diversity and equity are best served by inviting all walks of life on these excursions. Mark discusses with Matt Sutton of Spring Initiative (a local after...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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41:49

Endangered Wetlands
Mark River and John Ruskey talk about how the wetlands surrounding the Mississippi River are in danger of disappearing due to agriculture, commerce and pollution. One potential solution discussed is a piece of legislation called the Mississippi...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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38:36

Flooding and Climate Change
In this episode, Mark River interviews John Ruskey about how climate change is affecting the flooding, ecology and commerce along the Mississippi River. Learn how it is changing everything from the hatching season of mayflies to the growth of i...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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39:52

Flooding and Infrastructure
In this episode, Mark River interviews John Ruskey about the worsening flood events along the Mississippi River and how human engineering - in a benevolent attempt to keep the river stable for development, agriculture, commerce - has unintentio...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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33:12

Species of the River
In our season finale, Mark River interviews Quapaw Canoe Company founder John Ruskey about the natural and invasive species of plants and animals found in and along the Mississippi River and how ecological events such as the changing climate an...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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37:46

River Music
The Mississippi River has inspired some of the most iconic music in the world and in this episode, we explore the importance and the reach of its musical influence. First, we meet and hear a performance by St. Louis native Lucious Spiller who i...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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37:56

Recreation
We talk to octogenarian paddler and hiker Dale Sanders about his Guinness record-breaking solo treks, how his active lifestyle has improved his health and his frightening "River Stories" encounter with a Minnesota lake monster. We also speak wi...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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39:57

Micro Plastics
In this episode, we talk to Maya Dizack, a University of Vermont student who is spending her summer traversing the entire length of the Mississippi River to collect water samples to study water quality and micro plastics within the ecosystem. W...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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39:53
