Dreams of Paradise

Carmen Delzell lives with two donkeys and nine dogs outside San Miguel Allende, Mexico. She says she can’t imagine living anywhere else. Photo courtesy of Carmen Delzell.
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Introduction
In this hour we hear stories of people living out dreams of paradise... and sometimes waking up to a nightmare. Sam Hurst and Dean Olsher discover the pain of loving land that gives you nothing but trouble. Natalie Edwards faces a personal chamber of horrors at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. And a few sleepless Hawaiians plot the extinction of a noisy nocturnal nuisance: the Coqui Frog.
Photo Gallery: A collection of photos and archival images from these stories
To Kill a Coqui

A hunter(L) in the jungle pursues the cute, yet deafening Coqui frog(R). Photos courtesy of Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister.
Hawaii ~ Worldwide frog populations are dropping at an alarming rate—but not fast enough, say some sleepless Hawaiians. Produced by Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister.
Web Exclusive:
Photo Gallery: View images from this story
Web Links:
http://www.longhaulpro.org
On Beaver Pond
Massachusetts ~ Up in the Berkshires, there is an old house on a little plot of wetlands. Dean Olsher took one look at it and knew it was home. Unfortunately, so did the beavers. Produced by Dean Olsher.
Web Links:
http://www.deanolsher.com
Tired of Travel Porn
Vermont ~ Walking home after a storm, through the “hemlock woods on the edge of Otter Creek,” Bill McKibben finds paradise in his own landscape, close to home.
Web Links:
http://www.billmckibben.com
This Ain’t no Walk in the Park
New York, NY ~ Natalie Edwards likes cement. And hates grass, bugs, dirt, and trees. Listen in as Natalie attempts her own self-described “intervention” in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.
Buffalo Soldier
South Dakota ~ Sam Hurst wanted to bring the Buffalo back to the Great Plains. But, as it turned out, the Great Plains didn’t welcome Sam Hurst. Produced by Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister.
Web Links:
http://www.longhaulpro.org
As Close to Nature As I Can
Listen to this story:
Mexico ~ Carmen Delzell, a U.S. expatriate based in rural Mexico, reflects on what sent her “back to the land” and what keeps her there.
Photo Gallery
Production: Atlantic Public Media. Curated by Jay Allison and Emily Botein.
Funding: Supported by The Nature Conservancy and Visa.
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