In this engaging episode of “90 Miles from Needles: The Desert Protection Podcast,” host Chris Clarke invites Caroline Tracey, author of “Salt Lakes: An Unnatural History,” to discuss her newest work and its publication on March 17th. The conversation navigates from Caroline’s initial inspiration at the Salton Sea in 2014 to the array of topics covered in her book, including the ecology of salt lakes, their historical significance, and the weaving in of queer theory as a lens for understanding these unique ecosystems.

The episode dives deep into Caroline’s exploration of salt lakes around the world, illustrating unexpected commonalities in their ecological functions and human impacts. By employing queer theory, she highlights non-normative reproductive structures and challenges traditional perceptions of barren desert landscapes. Chris and Caroline further discuss the personal evolution that paralleled the book’s creation, providing listeners with an enriched understanding of the world’s salt lakes’ environmental and cultural intricacies. This episode serves as a compelling invitation to rethink the narratives around desert ecosystems, encouraging proactive preservation through enriched storytelling.

Key Takeaways:

• Caroline Tracey began her journey to writing “Salt Lakes: An Unnatural History” after visiting the Salton Sea in 2014, inspired by the interplay of natural history, policy, and personal narrative.

• The book highlights the global patterns of ecological degradation in salt lakes due to factors like water diversion for agriculture, drawing parallels between lakes in North America, Central Asia, and Mexico.

• Caroline incorporates queer theory to explore ecological dynamics, introducing a fresh perspective on the biodiversity and resilience of salt lakes.

• Deserts and their salt lakes are misunderstood landscapes, often labeled as wastelands, yet they are biologically and culturally rich.

• The interview sheds light on various ecosystems, advocating for conservation efforts by demonstrating how altered perceptions can foster environmental appreciation and advocacy.

Notable Quotes:

• “I think for some people just the idea of what a salt lake is, it helps to ground them in terms of not just the utility but the beauty.”

• “Queer theory played a role in that because I really wanted to think about those conceptual issues of ‘how do you feel at home in a place that’s changing very fast?'”

• “Salt lakes are…like a canary in a coal mine…because they are at the end of the water system.”

• “If I can convince other people that these landscapes are beautiful and fertile and worth protecting, that has a ripple effect upwards.”

Resources:

• Caroline Tracey’s book tour for Salt Lakes

• Buy “Salt Lakes: An Unnatural History”

• The Border Chronicle

• read Sunaura Taylor’s “Disabled Ecologies: Lessons from a Wounded Desert”

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