Show Notes
Brad Lancaster is a guerilla tree-planter and rainwater harvester in Tucson who has been instrumental in changing the way that the city he lives in treats rainwater and street trees. He has helped covince the city of Tucson to update its own infrastructure so as to absorb - rather than waste - rainwater by using things like curb-cuts, street-side infiltration basins and native plants. In this conversation, we learn how cities in hot, arid climates can update infrastructure and use native plants to reduce flooding, keep the landscape cooler and provide a better overall quality of life for the people that live in them. This conversation is full of hope. check out the abundance of resources and diagrams on Brad's website : www.harvestingrainwater.com and neighborhoodforesters.org
Ad-free episodes of the crime pays podcast are available on the patreon at : www.patreon.com/crimepaysbutbotanydoesnt
BRAD'S WEBSITES: HarvestingRainwater.com
CosechaDeAguaDeLluvia.com
NeighborhoodForesters.org
BRAD LANCASTER'S YouTube CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/c/HarvestingRainwater
BRAD'S BOOKS (available at deep discount direct from him): https://www.harvestingrainwater.com/shop/
RAIN GARDEN PLANTING ZONES - and how to figure out what to plant where https://www.harvestingrainwater.com/resources/rain-garden-planting-zones/
Urban Drool Harvesting in Los Angeles https://www.harvestingrainwater.com/2009/03/harvesting-urban-drool/
Self-guided water tours in Tucson (in-person or virtual) https://www.harvestingrainwater.com/tour/
Hydrologic redistribution of soil moisture by mesquites (there are better studies, but this is a start) https://eos.org/research-spotlights/how-mesquite-trees-gain-a-competitive-edge-in-arid-arizona
Guerilla planting https://www.harvestingrainwater.com/2022/09/guerrilla-planting-of-rain-and-native-food-forests-vibrant-acts-of-hope-collaboration-and-letting-go/
Before and after images of water-harvesting in our neighborhood streets: https://dunbarspringneighborhoodforesters.org/2022/09/before-and-after-photos-of-green-infrastructure-in-dunbar-spring-neighborhood/
Eddy basins: https://www.harvestingrainwater.com/resource/backwater-or-eddy-basins/
DIY curb cuts: https://www.harvestingrainwater.com/resource/do-it-yourself-curb-cut-guide/
More from Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't
2 hours of rants - recorded from a filthy motel room in Miami, Florida during an intermittend layover - about the route from Santa Cruz dela Sierra, Bolivia West into the dry Inter-Andean Valleys and up to the Altiplano, and the many plants encountered along the way : Onoseris acerifolia, Deuterocohnia meziana, Neoraimondia herzogiana, Schinus mollis, Puya glomerata, Schinopsis lorentzii, Cereus hankeanus, Harrisia tetracantha, Blossfeldia liliputana, Puya humilis, Trichocereus tunariensis, Trichocereus bridgesii, Zanthoxylum coco, Koeberlinia holacantha, and more.
Originally recorded June of 2026 in Los Angeles California.
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