Don't Forget Your Boots

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Maggie Howell of the Wolf Conservation Center, where we talk about the need for wolves in America, the harsh benefits of looking at wolves through an economic lens, and their chances of survival.  By the way, let's pretend to not notice that Maggie has the absolute best last name for someone who works with wolves...  If you like this episode of the podc...

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Paul Wheaton, the Duke of Permaculture, owner of  Permies.com and RichSoil.com , and author of the recent book “Building A Better World In Your Backyard Instead of Being Angry at Bad Guys”, which teaches readers how to save money, conserve energy (and even create your own), and save the environment—all while living a more luxuriant life.  Paul and I hav...

In this episode of the podcast, I have Monte Montepare. Monte is the co-owner of Kennicott Wilderness Guides in Alaska, and he works as a wilderness guide during the summer and a standup comedian in LA during the winter. He first moved to Alaska when on a whim he was 19, and has been there for the last 15 years. We go deep, and talk about anxiety and second-guessing choices we make in our youth, h...

In this episode of the pod, I speak with Carl Safina about his expansive career, positives in conservation, and his new book, Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Family, Create Beauty and Achieve Peace. Carl is an ecologist and conservationist for over 40 years, he’s won the Pew and Guggenheim Fellowships, book awards from Lannan, Orion, and the National Academies, and the John Burroughs, Jam...

In the recent episode of the podcast, I speak with Brian Pope of Lubee Bat Conservancy. Brian has been working with animals his entire life, and but joined Lubee and started working with bats full time in 2007.  I learned a lot speaking with Brian, mainly that bats love playing with toys and taking things apart, that they can eat nearly 5,000-7,000 insects a night, that they are the only things th...

In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Sandra Shaw Homer, an environmentalist and author, with a recent book called Evelio’s Garden: Memoir of a Naturalist in Costa Rica. We spoke about writing, travel, conservation, and her life as an ex-pat for 29 years in Costa Rica. Sandra is incredibly inspirational and has an amazing story to tell, filled equally with beauty and sorrow. Below are links...

In this episode, I speak with John Platt (there is no relation between us, he just has the best last name ever) but he is a renowned environmental journalist covering endangered species, climate, and pollution-related issues. There was a bit of an audio issue at minute 23, and again at 29:00, as my recorder crapped out halfway through the podcast, however, John, the quintessential professional was...

In this podcast, I spoke with our tour guide, Jona, as my wife and I were on our honeymoon in Uganda.  A lot of people don’t know much about Uganda, myself included, so I made sure to take the opportunity to ask Jona just about all the questions I had amassed since the trip began. We talked about a lot- rhinos, Uganda being safe, Kimberly Endicott, Ebola, economic drivers, the depiction of Uganda...

In this podcast, I speak with Julie Vanassche of the Libassa Wildlife Sanctuary, the only wildlife sanctuary in Liberia. While we talk other animals, much of our conversation is about pangolins, the most trafficked animal in the world. Pangolins are desired locally for bushmeat (which is embedded in the culture) and internationally in many Asian countries, which tend to believe their scales have m...

In this episode, Will explains the difference between National Parks and National Forests, why environmental conservation shouldn't be a partisan issue, and some surprising conservation wins in the Trump administration. We also talk about the state of Red Wolves, one of the most endangered animals in the world, trail running, and his bestseller Untamed: The Wildest Woman in America and The Fight F...

This week I speak with Enrique Ortiz of the Andes Amazon Fund. Enrique talks about the forest fires, the current state of the Amazon and addresses some common misconceptions about the Amazon.   I met Enrique because the digital agency I work with,  Yoko Co , redid his website,  AndesAmazondfund.org . If you are or an association, non-profit, or any organization with a passion beyond pure profit, a...

In this episode, I speak with Nancy Fahey of the Wrightsville Beach Sea Turtle Project. We talk the life span, gestational period, and migratory patterns of Loggerhead sea turtles, why North Carolina and Virginia, in particular, are imperative for the preservation of sea turtles, and why we might be seeing some really good trends for the populations of these majestic creatures.   In our conversati...

In this episode, I talk with David Stein of the Prairie Rivers of Iowa. While some of his work is specific to Iowa, there are a lot of national takeaways and we talk about overall watershed health and what plants farmers and local landowners can grow that will actually benefit the soil and pollinators. 

In our interview, Stefanie and I speak about her up-close experiences of diving with sharks, the unfair depiction of sharks in the media, and shark finning trends and potential solutions. You can follow Stefanie and SharkAllies on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, the links are below—    • https://www.facebook.com/SharkAllies/ • https://www.instagram.com/sharkallies/  • https://twitter.com/SharkAl...

In this podcast, I speak with Chris Duke of the Phoenix Conservancy Project, who is heading up the newly formed Madagascar Project.    We speak about Madagascar, a country that a lot of people, including conservation groups kinda write off as a lost cause. In particular, Chris is working to protect something called the Lost Forest of Ivohboro that wasn’t discovered until 2016.    Chris also explai...

In this podcast, I speak with Sara Marriott, a research assistant and Ph. D. student in Environmental Science and Policy at George Mason University. Sara blows my mind about the state worldwide fisheries, why most fish sold in America is imported (even if caught in US waters) and once and for all explains how to know if your seafood is fresh, safe, and sustainable. 

In this podcast, I chat with Amelia Mason, the founder of Skywatch Bird Rescue, about her organization, what to do when you think you see an injured bird, and how she saved thousands of birds from Hurricane Florence. Fair warning, this is a bit of a louder episode, with Mille and other birds chiming in periodically throughout the recording. With that in mind, I tried to edit as best as I could.

In this podcast, I sit down with Dr. Paul O'Donoghue, a wildlife biologist and the Chief Scientific Advisor of the Scottish Wildcat Haven. The Scottish Wildcat is the most endangered mammal in Britain and one of the rarest animals in the world. These Wildcats, which used to inhabit all of Great Britain, now can only be found in the Scottish Highlands, and are facing genetic extinction largely due...

In this podcast, I sit down with Mike Flynn, the Coastal Advocate for the northeast regional office of the North Carolina Coastal Federation. Mike is a wealth of knowledge about environmental policy and action, particularly in the North Carolina area. During the discussion, we chat about offshore drilling, advancing oyster restoration, and implementation of a new plan called "living shoreline". 

In this episode, I sit down with Neagha Leonard of the Cat Ba Langur Conservation Project, home to the second most endangered primate in the world, the Cat Ba Langur. We talk about how it is so difficult to analyze and protect the Cat Ba Langur, what makes an animal part of a species, and why eco-tourism might not be the answer for protecting all wildlife in all parts of the world. 

In this podcast, I chat with Ben Stone of The Phoenix Conservancy, who talks about how he connects with people disinterested in conservation, how he balances consideration of the amount of the ecosystem remaining, direct threats, and opportunities before engaging in any projects, and how the Trump administration has had a particularly interesting effect on his non-profit.

In this podcast episode, Craig and I speak about his storied career as a conservationist, his work with Dian Fossey, the successful trend of African mountain gorillas, the role of eco-tourism in the mountain gorillas population rise, and how the African Wildlife Foundation helps both African wildlife as well as the local inhabitants on a daily basis. 

Today I'm joined by Tim Holbrook of Masonboro Reserve Oyster Co, who, among other things, chats about why North Carolina—which could be the Napa Valley of oysters—is lagging behind Virginia in oyster production, how his farm was impacted by Hurricane Florence, and why you actually can eat oysters in months that don't have an "R".

In this episode, I talk with critically acclaimed author Sonia Faruqi, where we chat about ocean conservation, her writing process, and her newest book The Oyster Thief. 

I sit down with Sam Blount, of Front Line Freediving, one of the best dive shops in Wilmington, North Carolina. Sam is a freediving rockstar, and blows my mind on multiple occasions throughout the interview with his extensive knowledge, skills and experience.