Nerdy About Nature

Kelp has been getting a ton of publicity lately, from it's use in cosmetics and food, to it's role in mitigating the impacts of climate change. In short, kelp is pretty dang cool - but what the heck is it, and what makes it so unique? I sat down with Tom Campbell from West Coast Kelp to learn all about kelp - how it's evolved, how it reproduces, the 3D habitat it's structure create...

Dr. Rachel Holt is a renown forest ecologist who has been working for the past 30 years on protecting old growth forests in BC. After witnessing the first Old Growth Strategic Review in the 90s fall short on its promises, and then watching the recent one she contributed to follow a similar path, Rachel shares her frustrations and learnings from these experiences, along with thoughts on what more i...

Rande Cook is an Indigenous wood carver and artist, a hereditary chief of the Ma'amtagila Nation, a progressive / rebellious visionary, and one heck of an inspiring human. I sat down with him at his studio in Victoria BC to chat all about his art, his role as a chief, land back, and the work he does connecting folks to each other and the lands we all share to create a better future. Learn more...

Undercurrents is a podcast series from Nerdy About Nature where we discuss recent studies, reports and news from the world of environment, ecology and climate which all impact our understanding of the world and the way we relate to it.  In other words, it’s all the unseen things that happen without much notice that impact the direction or flow of our society and the world we all share. This episod...

Out on the west coast of Vancouver Island exists an awesome little non-profit that siphons sea water from the harbour into tanks on land, which briefly house some of the areas most gorgeous residents from under the waves. I'm talking about the Ucluelet Aquarium, a catch-and-release aquarium who gathers all of its exhibits seasonally from the surrounding waters, giving visitors a glimpse into a...

Forests are incredibly important ecosystems on our planet for many different reasons from carbon storage to biodiversity, and yet they face constant pressure to meet human demands in many forms. With a significant portion of deforestation and forest degradation attributed to demand for pulp, paper, packaging and even textile products, how can we work to meet these demands while also taking better...

Whale, we've shore got a fun chat lined up for y'all today! Sea what I did there? Silly puns aside, we're talking all about Orcas, or Killer Whales, with the infamous Orca Man! You may have seen The Orca Man, whose real name is Fred, online as he does a lot of social media education and news on things happening with Orcas all around the world, but especially those populations here in t...

There is a lot of talk these days about the melding of Indigenous knowledge with Western Science, and I couldn't think of anyone better to get into the weeds (pun intended) on the subject with than Leigh Joseph. Leigh is a member of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and a working ethnobotanist who does a lot of incredible work bridging the gaps in understanding between western and indige...

This is yet another special edition of Undercurrents - instead of sharing and discussing recent science news, articles or studies here, Julia & Ross discuss important recent events regarding funding and the state of science in the US after the first week of the new presidency. Undercurrents is a podcast series from Nerdy About Nature where we discuss recent studies, reports and news from the w...

We face a variety of critical issues these days that all seem to be culminating at one big crossroads, and the interconnection of them all can make it very difficult to find a way to move forward in a progressive, ethical and decolonial way to create a better future. So how the heck do we do just that? I was joined by Rande Cook and Mark Worthing, two members of Awi'nakola, at their annual Tree of...

This is a special edition of Undercurrents - instead of sharing and discussing recent news, articles or studies here, Julia & Ross delve into their thoughts and reflections given the results of the recent US Presidential election, and what that means moving forward. Undercurrents is a podcast series from Nerdy About Nature where we discuss recent studies, reports and news from the world of env...

In case you missed it, I took a brief hiatus from your regular programming to run for MLA of the Mid Island - Pacific Rim riding as the Green Party of BC Candidate and whewwww, what a time! After a long campaign period of lots of learnings, I unfortunately wasn't elected...but thats alright with me, I've got other things to focus on and I may revisit it again in the future. After a week and a half...

Over the past 40 years, Tla-O-Qui-Aht First Nation has been fighting relentlessly for their traditional unceded territory with the colonial government of BC / Canada so that they can implement a land vision and stewardship model that seeks to benefit society at large, while preserving options and opportunity for their grandchildren. I sat down with Saya Masso, the Lands & Resources Manager for...

For the past couple hundred years, buildings and homes in North America have been constructied using virgin timber from the vast forest resources that once stretched across the continent, and when those structures fall out of use, they are typically demolished, sending all of those old high quality timbers to the dump. Yet with that supply of quality oldgrowth timbers virtually non-existent these...

What is economic reconciliation, why is it important, and what does it have to do with protecting lands and empowering communities? I sat down with Michelle Laviolette, the director of Indigenous Banking Strategy at Vancity to break it all down and hear about all the ways that they are working to support and create opportunities for individuals and their communities.  They’ve been leading the char...

Forestry is a large part of the culture and economy of the PNW in both the US and Canada, but over a century of poor forest management has led to some of the largest issues we face today from a lack of biodiversity and carbon stores, to ecosystems that are less resilient to drought and forest fires. How can we create healthy communities living amongst healthy forest lands through a thriving forest...

Undercurrents is a podcast series from Nerdy About Nature where we discuss recent studies, reports and news from the world of environment, ecology and climate which all impact our understanding of the world and the way we relate to it.  In other words, it’s all the unseen things that happen without much notice that impact the direction or flow of our society and the world we all share. This episod...

Undercurrents is a podcast series from Nerdy About Nature where we discuss recent studies, reports and news from the world of environment, ecology and climate which all impact our understanding of the world and the way we relate to it.  In other words, it’s all the unseen things that happen without much notice that impact the direction or flow of our society and the world we all share. This episod...

Oo hot goss’ alert! A new leaked map shows that while the top scientists on the Oldgrowth Technical Advisory Committee panel were picking out the best remaining old growth forest to protect in BC, the Ministry of Forests was actively undoing all that work, changing the borders on the deferral areas to include more low productivity forest while making the best forest left in the bioregion available...

Undercurrents is a podcast series from Nerdy About Nature where we discuss recent studies, reports and news from the world of environment, ecology and climate which all impact our understanding of the world and the way we relate to it.  In other words, it’s all the unseen things that happen without much notice that impact the direction or flow of our society and the world we all share. This episod...

Undercurrents is a podcast series from Nerdy About Nature where we discuss recent studies, reports and news from the world of environment, ecology and climate which all impact our understanding of the world and the way we relate to it.  In other words, it’s all the unseen things that happen without much notice that impact the direction or flow of our society and the world we all share. This episod...

What the heck is a bioregion, what does that mean and why does it matter? Well, I’ll tell ya, because thinking bioregionally is a key component of recognizing the ground underneath your feet and the role it plays in the broader systems of earth to create a better future for us all. A bioregion is an area of land that is defined by physical properties or boundaries like coastline and mountain range...

Do you ever stop to think about the dirt under your feet, or in this case the rock, and wonder how it got there? Well the answer is...complicated, but basically billions of years of intense geological and mechanical processes from erosion to volcanism and everything in between. In this episode, I sit down with Pierre Freile, an award-winning geoscientist based in Squamish BC to chat all about how...

Undercurrents is a podcast series from Nerdy About Nature where we discuss recent studies, reports and news from the world of environment, ecology and climate which all impact our understanding of the world and the way we relate to it.  In other words, it’s all the unseen things that happen without much notice that impact the direction or flow of our society and the world we all share. This episod...

Undercurrents is a podcast series from Nerdy About Nature where we discuss recent studies, reports and news from the world of environment, ecology and climate which all impact our understanding of the world and the way we relate to it.  In other words, it’s all the unseen things that happen without much notice that impact the direction or flow of our society and the world we all share. This episod...