Conservation Connection

This week we're sharing a catch-up interview with a good friend of the podcast, Vance Martin! We last spoke with him at EarthX in 2019, way back in episode 36, and he and his WILD Foundation have been working on some incredible projects over the past few years. Listen in to hear a discussion about the role of biomass and biodiversity in carbon sequestration, as well as to learn about their wor...

In this exciting episode from the Sun Valley Forum we sit down with Christi Cooper, producer & director of the documentary Youth v. Gov , and Vic Barrett, one of the plaintiffs in the legal battle featured in the film! Listen in to learn about their case, their incredible six-year journey detailed in the film, and the ways in which the fossil fuel industry has attempted to block their progress...

This week we have another awesome episode that came out of the Wild and Scenic Film Festival this year! Cameron Nielsen is the co-director of the film Washed Ashore which chronicles the plight of Pacific Gray Whales! His film seeks to understand why one out of four Gray Whales have washed ashore dead in the past few years. Listen in to learn more about Cameron's story and his view about the role o...

Sarinah Simons is a documentary filmmaker and a California State Parks employee who helped document the recent devastation and regrowth that occurred in Big Basin Redwoods State Park, following the CZU fire of 2020. Listen in for a discussion of the importance of fire to the forest ecosystem, how fires have changed in recent years, and how Sarinah was able to communicate the emotional impact of th...

This week we're sitting down with Malia Byrtus, a conservationist and story teller who's deeply involved with the fight to protect Florida's wild panther population! She's an experienced camera trapper, using motion-triggered cameras in the woods to study the secret habits of these elusive and beautiful animals. She and her collaborators have produced a feature-length film, Path of...

This week we're interviewing Nicole Ujita, the Education Director for the John Bunker Sands Wetland Center in Combine, Texas! The JBS Wetland Center is a 1800 acre manmade wetland that pulls from the Trinity River, removing sediment and excess nutrients from the water and creating clean drinking water for the booming population of Central Texas! Listen in to learn more about the value of wetla...

In this informative episode we sit down with Mattie Mead, the CEO and Founder of Hempitecture! Instead of using oil based fibers, Mattie's company uses plant fiber to create construction materials like home insulation or concrete! Listen in to hear the history behind industrial hemp, and how these incredible materials can reduce the environmental impact of new construction! Click here to learn...

This week we sit down with Frank Niepold, the Senior Climate Education Program Coordinator and Manager at NOAA's Climate Program Office! That's a long title to say that Frank collaborates with organizations and NOAA offices all across the country to get engaging and cutting edge climate education activities into the hands of educators. He believes that the grand task of our time is for hum...

As western wolf populations continue to grow, so too does the number of livestock being predated upon by those wolves. That's where Daniel Curry comes in! He spends his days on horseback in the wilds of northeast Washington, minimizing interactions between cattle and reintroduced grey wolves! When he's not out range-riding he's building relationships between ranchers and wolf conservat...

This week we sit down with Molly Kawahata, a former climate advisor to the White House, to discuss the ways in which we talk about the climate crisis. Focusing on the doom and gloom of it all has a paralyzing effect, making it harder for people to take action, but providing a message of hope is energizing and spurs people to push for critical systemic change! Listen in to hear the role that positi...

This week we sit down with legendary singer Carole King and influential forest ecologist Chad Hanson about the surprising role of the US Forestry Service in commercial logging on public lands. Listen in to learn about how public trees are being sold to private logging companies under the guise of so-called "forest restoration". If you'd like to learn more about the John Muir Project, click here:&n...

We sit down with Tim Shields, one of the OG's of desert tortoise field work, to learn about the outside-of-the-box tactics that Hardshell Labs is using to discourage ravens from predating upon endangered desert tortoises. Who knew that green lasers, 3D printed tortoise shells, and artificial grape flavoring could be such effective tools for conserving this incredible species?  If you'd like t...

We just got home from recording a series of episodes out at the Wild and Scenic film festival in Nevada City, California! Wild and Scenic is a whirlwind of a festival that brings together some of the top scientific stories and film makers to share their work with the public. We were able to grab some absolutely incredible episodes this weekend, and we just can't wait to share them with you. This e...

At EarthX 2022 we sat down with Patricio Robles Gil, world-renowned artist, to learn the impact that art can have when it comes to changing people's behavior in the face of the climate crisis. He shares snapshots of how his sculptural and visual art came to be and how it reaches across borders to touch the lives of everyone who views it, himself included.  To view some of Patricio's work, inc...

This week we sit down with Katie Bilodeau, Staff Attorney (and wearer of many hats!) at Friends of the Clearwater. Her organization advocates for the protection of public lands in North central Idaho, a state with nearly 9 million acres of roadless land! In our interview we discuss the impact that logging and roads have on wilderness areas, including the degradation of the aquatic system and the d...

Our guest this week is a consummate outdoorsman and bird dog hunter with all the amazing stories to match. Durrell has a huge passion for learning about the outdoors, and an even bigger passion for sharing his knowledge with others! He is an excellent story teller and all-around fun guy, so listen in to hear his incredible journey! If you'd like to check out the Sporting Life Notebook, click here:...

In this episode, we sit with a true Titan of direct environmental defense, Paul Watson! Best known for founding the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Paul has spent the last several decades facilitating direct action against companies that engage in illegal and destructive operations in the ocean. We talk through Paul's journey of starting his own organization and building it into an internationa...

As the world population crosses 8 billion people, scientists and innovators around the globe are investigating the future of food. Lee Recht is the Vice President of Sustainability at Aleph Farms, an Israeli company that is developing cultured meat which does not require the slaughter of animals to produce their product! Join us for this fascinating interview that discusses the technical process b...

In this episode from EarthX 2022 we sit down with Julie Davitz, the brains behind Plus Media Solutions! Her company works to be the bridge between inspiration and impact, making it easy to transition from learning about a problem to taking action!  Click here to learn more about Plus Media Solutions: PlusMedia. Solutions Click here to learn more about our nonprofit:  www. LastChanceEndea...

If last week's discussion of the Turn It Around cards piqued your interest, you're going to love this week's episode! We sit down with Lizzie and Saiarchana, two students from ASU who were involved in developing the Turn It Around initiative and bringing it to the COP26 conference! If you missed it, the Turn It Around flashcards are a series of cards that feature visual works from youth artists an...

This week to kick off our fifth season we sit down with Iveta Silova, Professor and Associate Dean of Global Engagement at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University! We met with her at the Sun Valley Forum in Sun Valley, Idaho to learn about the ways in which she is fighting to change the ways in which we teach the public about the climate crisis.  If you'd like to read som...

Soil is an incredibly complex system of delicately balanced components, both living and non-living. Modern agricultural techniques are capable of producing large quantities of food but to do so they destroy soil structure, leading to decreasing yields over time and eventual agricultural collapse. Tim LeSalle, the father of regenerative agriculture, is working to radically change the ways in which...

The state of Alabama has more than 132,000 miles of rivers and streams to protect, and the state-wide organization that oversees their conservation is the Alabama Rivers Alliance! They coordinate the efforts of smaller local groups to turn small-scale action into large-scale conservation! In this episode, we're lucky enough to sit down with Cindy Lowry, the Executive Director of the organization,...

This week we hear from Chad Brown, the Founder and President of Soul River Inc! A disabled veteran, Chad struggled with his mental health until his doctor gave him a prescription to "fish more" as a way of grounding himself in nature. Amazed at how much fishing helped him, Chad made it his mission to bring time in the outdoors to inner city youth and to other disabled veterans! His organization, S...

In this exciting episode we hear the story of Dineo Dowd, an outdoor advocate and a board member for Hike It Baby! Active nationwide, Hike It Baby is a nonprofit organization that provides support and community to parents who are interested in getting their young children into the outdoors. On top of being on the board of a nationwide nonprofit Dineo is also a published children's book author, wri...