Writer Leila Philip has written the definitive book about the beaver and its role in shaping the Hudson Valley and North America: "They've been taken for granted or considered a pest or a nuisance, and yet they are the only animal besides humans that construct their world," Philip writes. In this broadcast, the conversation focuses on the beaver's engineering skills and their important role in our future. Plus, Philip reads an excerpt from Beaverland: How One Weird Made America.

Host Justin Maiman, from Cairo, shares his latest inspirations on the "Ginger Radio Hour." The show features music, field recordings, performances, and interviews, primarily with people in and around the Catskill Mountains of New York live from WGXC's Acra studio.