Nature Now

Debaran Kelso welcomes back guest Peter Harrison, this time joined by his wife Shirley Metz. Peter is a world-renowned seabird expert, artist, and conservationist, and Shirley is an avid adventurer and conservationist in her own right. This show highlights their remarkable joint conservation efforts (part 2 of a two-part program). (KPTZ airdate: April 23, 2025) Learn more: The Mouse-Free Marion Pr...

Whales of Alaska have been studied by NOAA scientists for many years. For a third of a century, Dave Rugh flew in small aircraft, stood on sea cliffs, rode various ships, and spent a lot of time on sea ice documenting the abundance of whales around Alaska. This included the enigmatic bowhead whale, belugas (which are white whales) in Cook Inlet near Anchorage, and gray whales which migrate from th...

Nan Evans and Christie Lassen are at it again in part two of "Birds and Their Feathers" as they explore such topics as: What is the impact of diet on feathers? How do feathers keep birds warm? And cool? How do feathers help birds fly? (part 2 of a two-part program). (Airdate: April 9, 2025) Learn more: Wild Birds Unlimited in Gardiner, WA Feathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle by Thor Hanson...

Please join host Debaran Kelso as we welcome our special guest Peter Harrison. Peter is a world-renowned seabird expert, artist, and conservationist, and this week we will be speaking about writing and illustrating his beautiful new book Seabirds: The New Identification Guide. We end with exploring the world of the albatrosses, in anticipation of his upcoming public lecture sponsored by the Port T...

Envision a bird – any bird. What do you first notice? The feathers, of course. But, what do you really know about those beautiful and amazingly variable structures? Join Nan Evans and Christie Lassen to explore feather forms and structures, colors and patterns, and the incredible usefulness and functions of feathers (part 1 of a two-part program). (Airdate: March 19, 2025) Learn more: Wild Birds U...

Hosts Jackie Canterbury, Nan Evans, and Debaran Kelso get together to share their best reads and top "wish list" books to read in the coming year. As naturalists, the choices include some great natural history picks. But their eclectic tastes range across poetry, philosophy, history, personal reflections of authors, and art. Tune in to hear their conversation and to share in the fun they all had d...

Jackie Canterbury talks with Brittaney Drake about science visualization which is 'art in service of science' and how bird illustration is used to teach art and nature in her democratic classroom. Brittaney uses a variety of bird illustration tools including black ink, gouache watercolor, colored pencil, and digital illustration to teach bird illustration (part 2 of a two-part program). (Airdate:...

Are we diminishing our lives of the senses? Nan Evans talks with special guest Richard Louv, author of many books examining the crucial connections between the natural world and human physical, mental, social and even cultural health. Richard Louv first developed the concept of a nature-deficit disorder in his 2005 book, Last Child in the Woods. You will be inspired to get yourself and those you l...

Jackie Canterbury talks with Brittaney Drake about her work at The Pearl Remote Democratic High School in Seattle, Washington where she teaches about nature using a visual arts curriculum. Her teaching style follows the fundamentals of Dr. Art Pearl who developed the Democratic classroom in Eugene, Oregon. He inspired the words Democracy and Education. "His message was about the primacy of democra...

Buzzz... Think of a bee. Do you see a honey bee gathering pollen and making honey in its hive? Is it native to the Western Hemisphere? No! Think of another bee. Do you see a bumble bee? Peraps a picture or a drawing? Think of another bee. Having problems? Do you know that there are over 600 native bee species in Washington? Nan Evans talks with Dr. Karen Wright from the Washington Department of Ag...

Join Debaran Kelso and guest wildlife biologist Betsy Howell of the US Forest Service, as they review recent wildlife research projects being conducted in the Olympic National Forest. (Airdate: January 15, 2025) Learn more: Betsy Howell Wild Forest Home: Stories of Conservation in the Pacific Northwest by Betsy L. Howell Three Cool Ways USGS is Studying Bats in National Parks 2022 Marmot Monitorin...

Host Debaran Kelso speaks with author Betsy Howell about her recently published book of essays, Wild Forest Home: Stories of Conservation in the Pacific Northwest. Betsy is a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Forest Service and has been on our program several times over the years speaking about her work on the Olympic National Forest, but this interview focuses on her personal experiences as a writ...

Jackie Canterbury talks with Dr. Steve Hampton from the local Rainshadow Bird Alliance, formerly Admiralty Audubon, about the oldest citizen science program of its kind, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count or CBC. The CBC began on Christmas Day 1900 as a way to count birds rather than shoot them as people began to become visibly concerned about declining bird populations. The Port Townsend CBC occurs...

The bad news – losses of bird and wildlife populations, extinction of species, and destruction of habitats. The good news – find hope and empowerment in your own home through the Backyard Wildlife Certification Program. Join host Nan Evans and Christie Lassen, co-owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Gardiner, as they explore both the good and the bad news. (Airdate: November 20, 2024) Learn more: Nati...

Join us as we explore new perspectives on the critical topic of climate change! Host Debaran Kelso speaks with celebrated author David Lipsky on the subject of his latest book, The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial. (Airdate: November 13, 2024) Learn more: The Parrot and The Igloo by David Lipsky Bird sound recording: Robert Dobbs, ML200282711 , courtesy of Cornell Lab of Orn...

Jackie Canterbury talks with Malloree Weinheimer, founder of Chickadee Forestry, a female owned and operated small business she started in 2018. Malloree works to find solutions in forest management to support the land and its people in a new and different way. Join Jackie as she talks with Malloree about Chickadee Forestry which serves Jefferson County and the greater Pacific Northwest. Malloree...

Community forestry? What is that? Find out as Nan Evans meets up with Jefferson Land Trust staff and advisors on Chimacum Ridge to explore what is happening there now that the Land Trust owns the property. (part 2 of a two-part program). (Airdate: October 23, 2024) Learn more: Chimacum Ridge Forest Community Forests: A path to prosperity and connection Community forests in the Pacific Northwest Na...

Community forestry? What is that? Find out as Nan Evans meets up with Jefferson Land Trust staff and advisors on Chimacum Ridge to explore what is happening there now that the Land Trust owns the property. (part 1 of a two-part program). (Airdate: October 9, 2024) Learn more: Chimacum Ridge Forest Community Forests: A path to prosperity and connection Community forests in the Pacific Northwest Nat...

Join Nan Evans as she heads into a local forest with another Nature Now host, Jackie Canterbury. Jackie will help Nan and listeners learn to better identify birds by ear and understand some of their special behavior (part 1 of a two-part program). (Airdate: September 25, 2024) Learn more: Red Crossbill Winter Wren Valley View Forest What The Robin Knows Backyard Bird Chronicles Nature Now is creat...

Host Debaran Kelso speaks with Scott Brinton, co-founder and executive director of the CedarRoot School, about tracking and its importance to wildlife conservation (part 1 of a two-part program). (Airdate: September 18, 2024) Learn more: CedarRoot School Port Townsend’s Red-footed Booby Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work...

Dungeness crabs are hugely important in the Pacific Northwest – commercially, recreationally, ecologically, and traditionally. Yet scientists and resource managers don't know how big the population is, how and why it varies over time, or how significant natural and human caused factors impact these populations. Join Nan Evans to explore how new and cooperative efforts (and some very simple techniq...

Join us as we continue on our field trip to explore the world of wild edible and medicinal plants! Debaran Kelso is invited to the wild gardens of herbalist Nancy Slick to speak about some of her favorite medicinal plants (part 2 of a two-part program). (Airdate: July 24, 2024) Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes...

Join us on a field trip to explore the world of wild edible and medicinal plants! Debaran Kelso is invited to the wild gardens of herbalist Nancy Slick to speak about some of her favorite medicinal plants (part 1 of a two-part program). (Airdate: July 10, 2024) Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Natu...

Nourish your curiosity about the natural world around us. Join Nan Evans as she talks with Kelly Brenner, Seattle author, artist and urban naturalist, about projects and experiments you can do around your home to explore the hidden worlds of life that share our spaces. (Airdate: June 26, 2024) Learn more: Kelly Brenner Kelly's suggestions for a naturalist's field kit The Naturalist at Home: Projec...

We're all familiar with Washington's state flower, the native Pacific Rhododendron. Did you know there is a classification for that ecosystem – it's called the Rhododendron forest. Remnants of the Rhododendron forest are on the Toandos Peninsula in Puget Sound and are technically part of a "globally imperiled plant association". This forest type has been confirmed by botanists with the Department...