Friday February 18, 2022

Sarah Fields is an expert in uranium. From her base in Moab, she's researched all things radioactive in Utah since 2006. Her one-woman organization Uranium Watch fights for environmental protection and clean-up around the region. “These were things that were affecting my life, affecting my family, affecting my community. And I just found I started learning about one thing and then I learned about something else,” says Fields. “…And it's been a big center of my life for several years.” Today on the news, we tour La Sal-area uranium mines currently on stand-by with Fields for our latest audio portrait.

// And, the Weekly News Reel, where we check in with reporters on their latest stories of the Moab area. Doug McMurdo of The Times-Independent discusses a proposed luxury campground project sparking a larger conversation about short-term rentals, a pickleball demonstration attracting lots of locals, and the surprising outcome of a 2020 aggravated assault case. Alison Harford of the Moab Sun News discusses a high schooler’s creative extra credit project, a PTA for HMK, and gardening season related events.

// Show Notes //

Photo: Sarah Fields stands next to a radon vent in the La Sal mountains. The vent has a hole which she later reported to local agencies.

// Uranium Watch
https://uraniumwatch.org

// Music Featured in Today’s Audio Portrait
Afterglow by Podington Bear

// Weekly News Reel Mentions

// The Times-Independent: Hopeful eco-retreat sparks a flashpoint
https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/hopeful-eco-retreat-sparks-a-flashpoint/

// The Times-Independent: Pickleball demonstration draws scores of people
https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/pickleball-demonstration-draws-scores-of-people/

// The Times-Independent: Man accused of beating girlfriend gets probation
https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/man-accused-of-beating-girlfriend-gets-probation/

// The Times-Independent: Tea at the Top
https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/tea-at-the-top/

// Moab Sun News: The Essex in miniature
https://www.moabsunnews.com/get_out_and_go/article_6086b4a8-9033-11ec-86e5-0fa3277b9c69.html

// Moab Sun News: Local PTA helps meets school’s needs
https://www.moabsunnews.com/news/article_c231d466-9034-11ec-9226-27e478be3e16.html

// Moab Sun News: Garden season is sprouting
https://www.moabsunnews.com/get_out_and_go/article_9b092226-903a-11ec-8130-dfefba5a32e6.html