Illustration by Ard Su

NPR Next Generation Radio logo

University of Nevada, Reno | May 2022

About this project:

We are finding, coaching and training public media’s next generation. This #NPRNextGenRadio project is created in partnership with the University of Nevada, Reno, with five talented reporters participating in a week-long state-of-the-art training program.

In this project, we are highlighting the experiences of people whose lives are being affected by climate change.

Photo credit: Bureau of and Management via Flickr

illustration of boy looking down from the sky and holding what appears to be a boat filled with miniature people.

Lake Tahoe restaurateur confronts climate change for his business and his family

Lake Tahoe restaurateur confronts climate change for his business and his family

An illustrated headshot of Owen Christopher. He is looking toward the camera and smiling.

by OWEN CHRISTOPHER

Last summer, for the first time, Alex Cox had to evacuate with his family due to the wildfires in South Lake Tahoe. He owns two restaurants in the area and had to shut down his businesses with no idea when he would be able to open again. The wildfires have gotten progressively worse every year. Besides the threat to his livelihood, what worried him the most was protecting his older father and newborn child.

 

An animated illustration with a man's back facing forward. Within the outline of his shirt, there is a greenhouse with several crops growing and a butterfly flying. Outside of the shirt, in the rest of the composition, there are fields with produce in a desert-like terrain.

Passionate farmer aims to make organic produce available despite struggles with climate change

Passionate farmer aims to make organic produce available despite struggles with climate change

An illustrated headshot of Christopher Darché. He is looking toward the camera and smiling.

by CHRISTOPHER DARCHE

About 12 miles north of Reno along the Nevada-California border, Zach Cannady owns and runs Prema Farm. He started this small-scale, sustainable farm seven years ago after returning from backpacking around the world. His worldly experiences greatly influenced him and encouraged him to cultivate produce for Northern Nevadans; however, it’s been a challenge due to the effects of climate change.

An animation of a bird in a cage. There are smoke clouds filling the background, and the cage’s door is open so the bird can escape.

Reno pet shop manager fears the effect of wildfires and extreme weather patterns on birds

Reno pet shop manager fears the effect of wildfires and extreme weather patterns on birds

An illustrated headshot of Colton Jimenez. He is looking toward the camera and smiling.

by COLTON JIMENEZ

Imagine sitting on a park bench with some bread and no birds to feed. Marcia Sherman is a lifelong animal lover and former bird breeder, and she says she’s concerned about the threat to birds and other animals due to climate change.

illustration of boy looking down from the sky and holding what appears to be a boat filled with miniature people.

Climate change affects skier and guide on a very personal level

Climate change affects skier and guide on a very personal level

An illustrated headshot of Kingkini Sengupta. She is looking toward the camera and smiling.

by KINGKINI SENGUPTA

Skiing evokes joy for Brennan Lagasse since childhood. He points to a rack of skis at the front patio of his V-shaped house on the western shores of Lake Tahoe. “If you look a little bit left under that red sign, there’s one red ski. That’s one of my first skis, the other one unfortunately, my dad threw away,” he said.

 

illustration of boy looking down from the sky and holding what appears to be a boat filled with miniature people.

Rising heat in the dry desert: How a farmer and gardener makes the best of climate change

Rising heat in the dry desert: How a farmer and gardener makes the best of climate change

An illustrated headshot of Nancy Vazquez. They are looking toward the camera and smiling.

by NANCY VAZQUEZ

When Claire Holden arrived in Reno from Las Vegas a few years ago, they were new to gardening and farming. Now, Holden is the assistant farming manager for the Desert Farming Initiative at the University of Nevada, Reno, and they are a proud owner of their personal garden at home.

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

The Next Generation Radio Project is a week-long digital journalism training project designed to give competitively selected participants, who are interested in radio and journalism, the skills and opportunity to report and produce their own multimedia story. Those chosen for the project are paired with a professional journalist who serves as their mentor.

This #NPRNextGenRadio project was funded by The Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Our staff:

  • Managing Editor – Traci Tong, Freelance Editor, Boston, MA
  • Digital Editors – Amara Aguilar, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, Laura Gonzalez, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; and Crystal Willis, KUNR Public Radio, Reno, NV
  • Audio Tech/Engineers – Selena Seay-Reynolds, Next Gen Radio Lead Audio Engineer, Los Angeles, CA; and Yuki Liang, Los Angeles, CA
  • Illustrators – Eejoon Choi, Northridge, CA; Lauren Ibanez, Houston, TX; and Ard Su, New York, NY
  • Visuals – Michelle Baker, Freelance Visual Journalist, Reno, NV
  • Web Developer – Robert Boos, Web Developer/Editor, Minneapolis, MN

 

Our journalist/mentors for this project were:

  • Anh Gray, Audio Coach, The GroundTruth Project, home to Report for America, Reno, NV
  • Tim Lenard, Visual Journalist, The Nevada Independent, Reno, NV
  • Jazmin Orozco-Rodriguez, Reporter, Kaiser Health News, Elko, NV
  • Regina Revazova, Founder, Open Conversation, Phoenix, AZ
  • Natalie Van Hoozer, Bilingual Reporter, KUNR Public Radio, Reno, NV

 

The Next Generation Radio program is directed by its founder, Doug Mitchell, NPR, Washington DC.

 

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