This yr, the MTPR information group started surveys to help inform our reporting beats. For MTPR’s Ellis Julin, that is the atmosphere, which might cowl quite a bit. She reached out to listeners to seek out out what they needed to listen to extra about and sat down with host Austin Amestoy to share what she discovered.
Austin Amestoy Hey, Ellis. I keep in mind listening to you a couple of times possibly thrice on Morning Version asking people to fill out your survey so, remind us what this was all about.
Ellis Juhlin , I actually solely got here on only a handful of instances, so that you in all probability do not even hardly keep in mind, however this can be a type of listener outreach. In case you’ve tuned into MTPR anytime over the past week, that we’re a neighborhood service and we delight ourselves on reporting that issues to our neighborhood. So I made a decision to faucet our listeners and get their enter on what they’d prefer to see from our environmental reporting. I am one individual protecting an enormous space. And so I tapped into our community all throughout the western half of the state.
Austin Amestoy How did it go?
Ellis Juhlin It went nice. It went even higher than I may have anticipated. I received over 130 replies from 17 counties throughout our listening space. And I simply need to say thanks to all people who stuffed it out and to the individuals who instantly emailed me once they noticed that this survey was happening. It means a lot and I am unable to do that with out you. I received to attach with so a lot of our listeners and other people within the issues I cowl, which was actually cool. Like this query from considered one of our Missoula-based listeners, Alison Reintjes concerning the environmental and human well being harms of pesticide use.
Alison Reintjes It popped up and I used to be like, I am undoubtedly filling that out as a result of I usually take heed to public radio and I typically really feel like this can be a story that is lacking or not instructed in an excellent manner, as a result of there are occasions when pesticide use or parks comes up, but it surely typically misses the factors I feel ought to be included.
Ellis Juhlin She additionally instructed me about work being achieved proper now by town of Missoula to cease utilizing pesticides in parks. And actually from this survey, I received so many new concepts and was additionally reminded of sure subjects inside this actually broad topic that’s the atmosphere that folks wanna hear extra about.
Austin Amestoy Proper, so let’s discuss these slightly bit. What else would possibly we anticipate to listen to out of your reporting now due to the survey?
Ellis Juhlin So I received responses that have been broad and actually particular, however there have been undoubtedly some widespread themes that emerged on this. There’s a number of curiosity in water and what is going on on with water within the state. Additionally with wildlife and all the critters that folks care a lot about. After which local weather change. How is our local weather altering and the way are we adapting to that?
Austin Amestoy So now that you’ve these concepts, Ellis, you have linked with sources, a few of our listeners, what’s going to your work from right here appear like due to the survey?
Ellis Juhlin So I actually see this as type of a roadmap for serving to me prioritize what I am protecting. What do the vast majority of responses have in widespread and the way am I specializing in these topics in my tales? And I’ve already used it to tell a few of my latest reporting. There have been a number of questions within the survey about how federal insurance policies are taking part in out on the bottom right here in Montana. I just lately did a narrative on what executive orders could mean for our timber industry. And I additionally just lately adopted a invoice by means of the Legislature about funding wildlife crossings in response to a few of these questions.
Austin Amestoy Nicely, fabulous. And if listeners need to sustain with the reporting that you just’re doing due to this survey, what is going on to be one of the best ways for them to do this?
Ellis Juhlin All of the tales that I report on utilizing data or sources or topics from this survey are gonna have a particular tag on our web site. This can be a key phrase or phrase you will discover on the finish of our tales and click on on it to see all the things that got here out of that survey. The tag shall be MTPR Environmental Survey. And due to the success that this survey has had, different members of the information group are gonna be finishing up related efforts too. Our latest reporter, Victoria Traxler, who covers rural communities has hers up proper now. So take a second to fill that out too. and you may all the time contact any of our reporting group instantly by means of the web site.
Austin Amestoy I’m undoubtedly trying ahead to my activate the schooling beat, to be trustworthy, Ellis. Thanks for main the way in which on this, and we’ll look ahead to extra nice reporting from you.
Ellis Juhlin Thanks Austin, and due to our listeners. That is MTPR.
