Conservation Unfiltered

In this week's episode, Jason talks with Paula Piatt. Paula is the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association, a position she has held since 2018. She is also a freelance writer with over 40 years of journalism experience and an avid outdoors enthusiast  who enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, and conservation. During the discussion, Paula shares how she got into Journal...

In today's episode, Jason talks with Greg Traynor, owner of Accessible Hunter on Facebook and Instagram. Greg is a 55 year old lifelong PA resident and hunter who had a diving accident in 1999. This accident left Greg paralyzed as a c4/c5 quadriplegic. During the conversation, Greg details his life before his accident, how the accident happened, and how it changed his life. He also fills us in on...

On this week's episode, Jason is joined by Gary Maerz. Gary grew up in a scouting family and has been fishing since he was 3 years old with his dad. After a respite from the outdoor lifestyle to play high school footfall, attend college, and start a career, he restarted his outdoor lifestyle 6 years ago. During this time, fishing, hunting, and conservation have become a staple of his life. During...

In this week's episode, Jason talks with Bowen Blair about the legacy of Nancy Russell. Bowen is an attorney who has made a career helping various conservation movements. He is also the former Director of the Friends of the Columbia Gorge, former 21 year Senior VP of a public land trust (which ran a National Land Acquisition conservation program, and a friend of Nancy Russell. During the conversat...

In this week's episode, Jason is joined by Richard Joyce to talk fireflies. Richard grew up in the mountains of Costa Rica, went to college in Maine, and then worked for various conservation agencies and organizations before landing at his current position at the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. He has inventoried species of native bees in the dry forests of Nicaragua, collected data...

In today's episode, Jason is joined by Leland Brown and Chris Parish, co-founders of the North American Non-Lead Partnership. Leland is a lifelong outdoorsman and the Non-led hunting education program manager for the Oregon Zoo. Chris is a lifelong hunter, conservation biologist, and President of the Peregrine Fund. During the episode, Leland and Chris tell us about the mission and goals of the No...

In this week's episode, Jason talks with Dr. Doug Tallamy. Doug is an Entomologist, Professor at the University of Delaware, and author. His works can be found in 'Brining Nature Home,' 'Nature's Best Hope,' and 'The Nature of Oaks' as well as multiple courses taught over his 41 year academic career. During the conversation, Doug fills us in on the grassroots movement of Homegrown National Park, w...

In this week's episode, Jason talks with John Jurko II. John is a filmmaker, podcaster, and lover of books, nature, and adventure. John grew up in rural northeast Ohio in the village of Yankee Lake, and from a young age was immersed in nature. After studying film at university he spent 2 years living in Los Angeles working in the camera department on indie films, he produced and directed corporate...

In this week's episode, Jason talks with Seth Mesoras. Seth is a Game Warden and the Information and Education Supervisor in the Southwest region for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. A big portion of his job revolves around the Hunter-Trapper Education courses offered by the PGC. During the episode, Seth fills us in on how the HTE courses work, why and how hunters need to pass the certification c...

In the last installment of our special Elk Expo 2022 podcasts, Jason talks with a variety of people that participated in Elk Expo festivities. Listen in to hear from KECA Volunteers and the Elk County Fair Court. We also hear from 2 of this year's winners: Elk Calling Champion, Jacob and Patch Photo Contest winner, Jodie. A big thank you goes out to the Keystone Elk Country Alliance for putting on...

In this special Elk Expo Episode, Jason talks with Rawley Cogan. Rawley is the President and CEO of the Keystone Elk Country Alliance and can be easily identified by his signature cowboy hat. During the episode, Rawley lets us in on the mission of KECA, how the organization is working with the communities of Elk Country, and some of the work being done to help conserve elk in PA. He also give...

In this special episode, Jason talks with Jeremy Banfield at Elk Expo 2022. Jeremy is the Elk Biologist for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, where he has held that position since 2013. During the conversation, Jeremy fills us in on the current state of elk in PA, how tag allocations work, and where you can find elk in the PA Wilds. He also fills us in on how to be Elk Smart when interacting with...

In this special episode, Jason is LIVE from the Elk Expo 2022. Listen in to hear from select vendors about what the Elk Expo has to offer. From live entertainment to food and from artistically made products to educational seminars, there is something for everyone in your family to enjoy. Elk Expo runs: Saturday, August 20th from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm & Sunday, August 21st from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm...

In this week's episode, Jason talks with Josiah Jones, Russell Wheeler, and Brandi Hanes of the Keystone Elk Country Alliance. During the episode, they fill us in on what the Elk Expo is, how it helps elk and KECA, and what is going to be going on at the Elk Expo. Talking points during the conversation include vendors, seminars, and the immersive experience for the entire family. Plan your trip to...

In this week's episode, Jason talks with Don Rank of the PA chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. Don has been a board member of the PA chapter of BHA for 5 years and became the Chairman in January 2022. During the episode, Don lets us in on the mission of BHA, national level issues of concern, and state level issues of concern. If you've heard of BHA, you know much of the conversation will...

In this week's episode, Emily Burns returns to give us an update on the Border Wall. Emily is the Program Director for the Sky Island Alliance and has over 15 years experience helping wildlife. During Jason's conversation with Emily, she fills us in on the current state of construction on the border wall, the impact to wildlife they have documented, and a new wall being started in Texas. Emily als...

In this week's episode, Jason talks with Dr. Krysten Schuler about the impact of lead toxicity in eagles and other scavenging birds. Dr. Schuler is the Co-Director of the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab and former Pennsylvania native. During the conversation, we will learn how scavenging birds are exposed to lead, side effects of lead poisoning, and if lead toxicity is causing a population wide impact...

In this week's episode, Jason talks with Tommy Serafinski about managing human/wildlife interactions. This discussion is based on the differences between the process in the United States with the process in Ireland. Tommy is outdoorsman, podcaster, blogger and YouTube creator. During the talk, Tommy helps us to understand our current relationship with nature, the process of managing wildlife in Ir...

In this week's episode, Jason talks with Mark Haslam about managing habitat for whitetails in the Southeast. Mark is the host of the Southeast Whitetails podcast, QDMA's (now NDA) 2019 Deer Managers of the Year award winner, and new writer for MeatEater. During the conversation, Mark fills us in on his hunting upbringing, why conservation work is so important, and what he hopes to accomplish with...

In this week's episode, Jason talks with Tamar Haspel about her new experiences in trying to live eco-friendly. Tamar is a columnist for the Washington Post and author of a new book, To Boldly Grow: Finding Joy, Adventure, and Dinner in Your Own Backyard . During the conversation, she will detail her experiences in trying to live and eat a more eco-friendly lifestyle. This includes trying to grow...

In this week's episode, Jason talks with Phil Shellhammer about cultivating businesses in the outdoor industry. Phil is currently the Director of Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (GORP). Previously, he was a mechanical engineer with an MBA and had a  20 year corporate career that focused mainly in Merchandising and Strategy roles within retail. During the conversation, Phil tells us what...

In this week's episode, Jason talks with Dennis Patton in an Arbor Day special! Dennis is a horticulturist with Kansas State University's Research and Extension program. He has a degree in horticulture and masters in education and focuses his extension work on home horticulture. Part of his current extension outreach includes writing for the Kansas City Star . During the conversation, Dennis share...

In this week's episode, Jason talks with Jesse Bjorkman and Dylan Hooper about a unique classroom experience for their students. Jesse and Dylan are Teachers in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District in Alaska. They are both Hunter Information and Training (HIT) Program volunteer instructors and have found a creative way to combine their careers and volunteer opportunities. Started in 2013, a...

In this week's episode, Jason talks with Margaret Young about the ancient practice of Falconry. Margaret was born and raised southeastern PA and currently lives in Berks County. She has been a licensed falconer for 7 years and has experience working with birds of prey since 2013-formerly a volunteer at her local Audubon chapter. She has owned her team of ambassador raptors since 2019 and presents...

In this week's episode, Susan Edwards returns for the conversation with Jason. Susan is a member of United Blood Trackers, an organization dedicated to helping hunters find their lost game with the use of dogs and originally appear on Ep 59: The Benefits of Blood Tracking Dogs . In that episode, they talked about Susan's 2 accomplished beagles that she uses to help hunters in Pennsylvania find dee...