Ep. 873: Clovis First, Saving The Great Lakes, and the World’s Largest Wildlife Crossing

May 7, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In the middle of a rambling, good-natured episode of the MeatEater news show, the hosts land on a piece of news that could upend decades of thinking about how humans first entered the Americas. Archaeologist Todd Surovell from the University of Wyoming, a past guest, has published a paper in Science arguing that the famous Monte Verde site in southern Chile—long considered proof that people were in South America 14,500 years ago, well before the Clovis culture—is actually much younger and geologically jumbled. The paper dates the site to between 4,200 and 8,200 years old. If Surovell is right, the "Clovis First" hypothesis, long considered dead, might be back.

The Monte Verde Challenge and the Return of Clovis First

The Monte Verde site in Chilean Patagonia has been a cornerstone of the "pre-Clovis" argument for decades. Discovered in the 1970s, it yielded tent structures, leather cordage, hearths, and Pleistocene megafauna remains, all dated to roughly 14,500 years ago. Because it sits as far from the Bering Strait entry point as possible, its existence forced a radical rethinking: if people were that far south that early, they must have arrived before the ice-free corridor opened, likely by boating down a "kelp highway" along the coast.

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of The MeatEater Podcast

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 (02:10) **Episode Kickoff & Tarpon Fishing Tales** - The hosts open with a rundown of the week's topics and a lengthy, colorful story about a recent tarpon fishing trip to Key West.
2 (12:14) **The Chimp Civil War Joke Controversy** - The hosts dissect a tense behind-the-scenes drama where a Ken Burns-style spoof on a chimp war was nearly pulled after they discovered Stephen Colbert had done a similar bit.
3 (33:45) **Brody's Kid's First Turkey & Auction House of Oddities** - Brody shares a quick story about getting his son his first turkey, and the crew highlights upcoming auction items, including Steve's late father's old Ford F-150.
4 (36:28) **Washington's "Crooked" Game Commission** - Brian Lynn from the Sportsman's Alliance joins to detail a years-long, systematic effort by animal rights activists to take over Washington state's game commission through corruption and collusion.
5 (54:01) **Secret Service Canine Handler Blunder** - The crew analyzes a viral video of the would-be White House correspondent's dinner assassin, pointing out that a Secret Service dog was desperately alerting its handler to the suspect, but the handler failed to act.
6 (57:59) **Ted Turner's Legacy & Land Ownership** - The crew briefly discusses the passing of Ted Turner, the fourth-largest landowner in America, and speculates on the future of his vast, conservation-minded holdings.
7 (59:51) **Idaho's New Hunting Technology Bans** - Randall reports on Idaho's new, comprehensive law restricting drones, thermal imaging, night vision, and transmitting trail cameras for hunting and scouting big game and upland birds.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Steven Rinella, Brian Lynn of the Sportsmen’s Alliance, and the MeatEater crew discuss: Washington’s crooked Game Commission; Idaho hunting tech bans; the biggest and most hated wildlife crossing in the world; a plan to save Great Lakes whitefish; Clovis first; and more.

Connect with Steve and The MeatEater Podcast Network

Steve on Instagram and Twitter

MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.