Colorado Public Radio announced a new short-form podcast pairing reflections on nature with soundscapes gathered in wild places. Terra Firma will feature the stories of CMarie Furhman, a Colorado-born, Indigenous poet and writer, with outdoor sounds collected on public lands by sound recordist Jacob Job.

“I can’t wait for listeners to hear this beautiful and unusual podcast,” said Brad Turner, executive producer of CPR’s podcasting and creative audio unit, the Audio Innovations Studio. “CMarie and Jacob are both incredible artists whose work helps people feel a deeper connection to the outdoors and the natural world. I think listeners will find the episodes moving and thought-provoking.”

The episodes of Terra Firma are each 5-10 minutes long and are intended to provide listeners a brief escape into nature and mindfulness. The show’s goal is to make the restorative power of nature accessible to podcast listeners.

Each episode features reflection on nature from Fuhrman, whose writing is rooted in the landscape of the West. Fuhrman directs the poetry program and teaches nature writing at Western Colorado University, and she is the 2021-2023 Idaho Writer in Residence. She has spent her life in the mountains and shares her personal stories about elk, snow, birdsong and other aspects of the natural world in the podcast.

Accompanying Fuhrman’s voice and words are sounds gathered in nature by Dr. Jacob Job. Job is a conservationist, scientist and field recordist working to enhance conservation efforts by engaging the public on issues related to biodiversity, sustainability and land conservation and preservation using natural sound recordings, education and stewardship.

He is a National Geographic Explorer, project lead of “Sounds of Your Park”, and producer of Scientific American’s “National Park Nature Walks”. Job currently works as associate director of the Bird Genoscape Project, but spent most of his professional career as a member of at the Sound and Light Ecology Team at Colorado State University.