Field Stories

In this episode of Field Stories we catch up with co-host Chris Ketola who has just returned from a very successful research expedition in Uganda.  Chris shares his experience and stories about the trip, including one story in particular that involves volunteers up a tree and charging buffalo!  Chris and Michela also discuss how the current political climate in the USA is impacting conservation ac...

39. ‘Hear Them’ - Cheyenne Beach: Amplifying federal conservation workers voices 🗣️🙋‍♀️🦆 This episode is dedicated to all the federal conservation and outdoor recreation workers across the U.S. facing challenges today.  Welcome to the first in a mini-series of Field Stories called "Hear Them," where we spotlight the wrongful terminations and hiring freezes plaguing the federal workforce. Through...

And we’re back from another hiatus and are excited to introduce our guest, Jasmine Mancuso for episode 38 of Field Stories! Have you ever wondered who monitors our freshwater ecosystems? What happens when a body of water becomes unsuitable and hazardous with Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) ?? Jasmine, an Aquatic Ecology Research Analyst, dives into her world of aquatic ecology. Her work focuses o...

This week we welcome the one and only Outdoor Anthony to the show! Describing Anthony Porter isn’t easy, he’s literally a jack of all trades! One part outdoor educator, one part wildlife survivalist, add in his trademark bow and arrows along with a dash of American Ninja Warrior and his new book and you get Outdoor Anthony! Anthony shared his journey towards his current status as one of the most e...

Today we were joined by wildlife artist and lover of turtles, Matt Patterson, for episode 36 of Field Stories! Have you ever wanted to get into wildlife art as a job but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you are already a wildlife artist and you just want to know how to get out into the field, and acquire some conservation experience! Matt Patterson’s work has spanned far and wide, from illustra...

This week on Field Stories, we’re joined by Mike Mills, a wildlife biologist at the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF). Mike’s journey began with a B.S. in wildlife biology, followed by fieldwork across the globe, from tracking king cobras in Thailand to sea turtle conservation in Costa Rica. In 2019, he joined SCCF as a nighttime sea turtle intern, eventually shifting his focus to Flo...

This week we welcome back Nick as a special guest/host to discuss his summer in Suriname and Uganda. We hear about the conservation differences from country to country as well as some of the main reasons Gorilla trekking is a viable option in Uganda 🇺🇬 Nick tells two field stories with a more in depth look at a disastrous adventure in the Amazon rainforest involving a dog… as well as playing footb...

This week we chat with bat biologist Carlos Restrepo! He shares insights into his fascinating research investigating how smooth surfaces, such as solar panels, can appear to be water surfaces to bats. This research is particularly relevant in Mexico where he currently works, as water is a finite resource in arid regions across the country. Finally Carlos shares his field story with us, which is on...

On this episode of Field stories, the three co-hosts are FINALLY all back together! This week sit down with Jamie Clark (@seaturtleager instagram), a Sea Turtle Biologist who is working towards her PhD at the Unviersity of North Carolina Willmington. Today we dive into Jamie’s PhD work, which investigates size-at-age relationships and population dynamics of various fish and sea turtle populations...

In this week’s special episode of the Field Stories podcast we dive deep into the forest fires across South America that continue to burn unabated, leaving people around the world feeling confused and hopeless. We speak to Peruvians Clemencia Pinasco and Juan Diego Shoobridge about their thoughts and opinions about the causes and potential solutions to stopping these fires. Our two guests, along w...

This week we speak to bat ecologist and researcher Jessica Dangerfield! Jessica spoke to us about bat conservation in England and why it’s arguably the most bat crazy country in the world! Her extensive work with bats includes monitoring and research projects in addition to bat rehabilitation. She also shared stories about some of her exciting international projects, including a doozy of a field s...

This week we speak to ornithologist, author and tour guide Phil Chaon. Phil’s career has taken him literally across the world, first for research and more recently as a tour guide. Phil also recently co-authored the amazing book Habitats of The World, and is hard at work on a follow up called Habitats of North America. Phil spoke about the differences between the life of a field biologist versus a...

This week sees the return of an OG guest, several field stories and an in person chat at Snake Patrol Suriname about all things snakes and Suriname live from the country 🇸🇷 Follow Field Stories - Instagram - @field_stories_podcastHosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)Theme Music:"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licens...

This week we spoke to Miriam Boucher, a Canadian Herpetologist who specializes in researching crocodilians. Miriam talked about her work with crocodilians across the Americas, and discussed her current PhD project focusing on bioaccumulation within alligator populations in the United States. She also explained her groundbreaking device used to prop open crocodilians mouths for research. Finally sh...

Michaela is born and raised in Beverly, MA and has been involved in whale conservation since 2016. Starting as an intern on a whale watch, she found all sorts of channels to get people excited about whales!! Currently she is working for a UK based whale and dolphin charity called ORCA where she lives aboard passenger ships to take data on whale and dolphin hot spots and critical habitats while hos...

Our guest this week is Alex Troutman! (@n8ture_al on IG). Alex is a Fish and Wildlife Biologist and Environmental Educator, and his work has taken him across the United States, with an amazing stop in Asia working with bats as well. Alex is a prominent voice for the black in STEM community, and he shared some of his experiences and perspectives on this extremely important topic. This episode touch...

This week we speak to Jody Allair! Jody is the Director of Community Engagement at Birds Canada. Through fieldwork and educational initiatives, Jody has been dedicated to bird conservation for the past 20 years. Jody and Chris spoke about the important role of environmental education and how it has evolved over the last decades. Jody also gave his insights into how young people with a passion for...

On this weeks episode we speak to the director of Osa Conservation, Andy Whitworth! Andy has worked across the Neotropics for more than 10 years and is currently focusing his work on conserving the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica while also supporting projects in Peru. Andy shared his thoughts on conservation in Costa Rica, why it’s such a biodiversity hotspot and how climate change in particular is s...

This week we speak to Liliana Tobar González. Lili is a Mexican biologist who specializes in ornithology, with a focus on two pretty distinct groups: grassland and pelagic birds! In addition to her fieldwork, Lili is also very active on social media through her @bioloversdelmundo IG account. We spoke to Lili about why she is so passionate about promoting environmental science education in Spanish...

In this episode of Field Stories, we're thrilled to welcome J. Spahr, a masters-educated professional scientific illustrator from New Hampshire. J. Spahr, creates stunning infographics and illustrations that highlight endangered habitats and animals from around the globe. Her passion for wildlife and conservation has taken her to diverse locations such as Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and a...

This week we speak to Zak Cole! Zak is a Marine biologist and wildlife filmmaker from Florida, with a background is in Sharks and Marine mammals. Straight out of college he plunged into the depths of commercial fish stock assessment as a fisheries observer in New England. After a back injury in the field, he transitioned to a protected species observer for wind farm projects. While repeated issues...

Philipp Kraemer is our guest this week! Philipp shared his story of completing his fieldwork in Antarctica, and while listening to him describe his experience you could really imagine what it would be like to visit the most remote continent on earth! Philipp also gave us a virtual seminar on seabirds, which isn’t surprising considering he will be studying them soon as a part of his upcoming PhD fi...

Welcome back to field stories - today we speak with Emma who is a self proclaimed Orangutanologist and wow was it an interesting episode! Following on from our chat about the famous Orangutans with Jonah in a previous episode we get the insights from another perspective as we slowly transition into an "Orang" only podcast... Thanks a lot too Emma for the great podcast and top notch work...

Welcome back to episode 15 and this week we learn about mixed species flocks in the Amazon rainforest and Australia. We also find out that Ettore has an obsession with Trumpeter's which he may explore with Chris. Oh and we also have one of the craziest stories yet told in the most casual way!

The Field Stories Podcast is back! After a brief hiatus, Chris and Michela are back in action, while Nick is off on an exciting adventure in France. On this week's episode, we have a special treat for you as we sit down with Ethan Tapper, a distinguished Forester, author, and educator hailing from Vermont, USA. Join us as Ethan delves into the rich history of the forests of New England. Ethan...