Beprovided Conservation Radio

Today we continue our discussion with Ashleigh Lutz-Nelson, Assistant Curator of Carnivores for San Francisco Zoo. In Part two we talk about many things but the highlights include: the birth of the two snow leopard cubs at the zoo, the project with the Snow Leopard Conservancy, Ashleigh making the chuff sound!, the zoo's role in conservation, the importance of citizen science and what gives Ashleigh hope. Audio tags: 5:30 min Discussion of project with International Vet Outreach, San Francisco Zoological Society, and Snow Leopard Conservancy. 10:30 min: conservation fit 11:30 min: the preston project and Ashleigh demonstrates a chuff 19:00 min: Queen of all Tigers in India 21:30 min: Zoo Role in conservation 23:00 min: Outreach projects and information 26:00 min: Citizen science projects Special thank you to Patricia Dennis Photography and Josanne Virene with their help with these podcast episodes. 

Meet Ashleigh Lutz-Nelson, Assistant Curator of Carnivores at the San Francisco Zoo! In this podcast Ashleigh talks about how she fell in love with carnivores, specifically cats at a young age and knew she wanted to aways work with animals. She discusses her journey of wanting to be a veterinarian to changing g her mind and wanting to work more with wildlife conservation and animal behavior. She volunteered with the veterinary staff a Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park in Tampa, Florida. There she fell in love with the wildlife rehabilitation part of the work  and her path changed to become a keeper at Busch Gardens. She assisted with ambassador animals on Wildlife Docs and on shows such as the Today Show, to educate people about wildlife, their behavior and importance to our world.  Ashleigh fills us in on her role at the zoo as Assistant Curator of Carnivores and the zoo's role in wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and breeding. She has 13 carnivore species under care at the zoo and talks about their roles in field conse

A great conservation story! From zero swans to over 200 swans thirty years later! Thanks to one man and his passion, Harry Lumsden. Our guest today, Liz Benneian, is the spokesperson for the Trumpeter Swan Coalition in Ontario,Canada. She shares the dramatic and soap opera like lives swans live (never a dull moment it sounds!) and how they are continuing to be protected and thrive. She also talks to us about a project that potentially threatened the wintering grounds of approximately 200 trumpeters at LaSalle Park. When I asked her the outcome of this project, her answer included something like...lets just say City Hall doesn't always win! So listen in for the entire story. Please check out the show notes for beautiful photographs at www.beprovided.com Visit the Trumpeter Swan Coalition Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/trumpeterswancoalition/ Trumpeter Swan Coalition Website: http://www.trumpeterswancoalition.com       introduction and closing by Dale Willman and music by www.bensound.com

Bonus Material: Meera Sulaiman speaks about the threat facing Double Crested Cormorants in Canada

“I have a wonderful dream where everyone values the preservation of nature and we are inspired to protect it.” ~Meera Sulaiman-Photographer, Artist, Lover of Wildlife  I had such a great time speaking with this week’s guest, Meera Sulaiman. It was like speaking to a long time friend, we have so much in common. Our conversation went on for well over an hour where we talked about our passions, Meera’s many projects and life. Because I wanted this episode to focus on the conservation of Trumpeter Swans, I edited out a piece of the conversation to include as a bonus track.  Bonus track and interview audio can be found at www.beprovided.com/blog In this bonus track Meera talks about a current threat to Double-Crested Cormorants; they also need our help right now! This is worth listening to to learn more about these birds. If they are all killed off, the ecosystem of other water birds they form colonies with are negatively affected. Another reason why we should not mess with Mother Nature. Meera Sulaiman is a Sri-

Hello everyone welcome back to BeProvided Conservation Radio Our guest today is a good follow from our last podcast interview with Tai Moses of Santa Cruz Raptors are the Solution. We will discuss more humane and ethical solutions to wildlife control.  I will be speaking to Rebecca Dmytryk co-owner with her husband, Duane Titus, of the Humane Wildlife Control, which provides sound, ethical and lasting solutions to wildlife problems. Rebecca is also the founder and director of a nonprofit, National Association for Wildlife Emergency Services and is the author of the book, Wildlife Search and Rescue: A Guide for First Responders. Rebecca holding a Dusky-footed Wood Rat which is endangered.        *introduction and closing by Dale Wilman and music from bensound.com

  I feel so fortunate to speak with and interview so many people in this world doing good. My two guests this week are no exception! These two women are helping to create space for powerful visual storytelling by social impact companies at the third annual Reel Impact Film Festival (RIFF) in San Francisco on December 6th! Many of our regular listeners will recognize one of our guests, Angelina Mertens. I interviewed her last season as a sustainable bridge builder between private, public and social sectors of companies doing good in this world. We briefly touched on the Reel Impact Film festival on that show, so today our goal is to dedicate this show to it! Angie is the co-founder of the Reel Impact Film Festival along with Paula Saslow. Angie is also the Program Director of One World Training, a for-profit public benefit corporation based in Palo Alto CA that provides training and investment capital to social impact companies in the San Francisco Bay area.   Our second guest is Katie Carey Nivard of Mama

Michael G. Starkey is a conservation biologist, ecological consultant and public speaker working to educate and involve the public in wildlife conservation issues. Michael has a diverse background in the field of wildlife conservation and he has worked as an ecological consultant for environmental consulting firms and government agencies such as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish & Wildlife. He has worked with a wide diversity of wildlife, including San Francisco garter snakes, giant garter snakes, California tiger salamanders, bats, ringtails, and Yucatán black howler monkeys.   Michael has developed and implemented community-based conservation initiatives, which focused on the protection of wildlife populations in Belize, Ghana, and India. Michael is a Co-Founder of Save The Snakes and serves as Executive Director. He uses his knowledge of snake ecology, positive attitude to inspire, and enthusiasm for snake conservation to engage the public with protecting

Contemporary Conservationist Dillon Jones is an aspiring conservationist involved heavily in ecological research, wildlife education and reconnecting with the natural world. Dillon focuses research on the ecology of reptiles and amphibians. Dillon has a great Instagram feed showing his work in the field. This is what inspired me to contact him for the show. Please check it out at https://www.instagram.com/contemporary_conservationist/ During this interview, we discuss how he became passionate about the natural world at the age of thirteen. We also talk about some of his research and what he is doing to educate younger generations. Please tune in on November 6, 2018 (after voting or while waiting in lines at the polls!).  Here are some photos of Dillon with his wildlife friends in the field: *Introduction and closing recorded by Dale Wilman and music from www.bensound.com (acoustic breeze)

Happy Halloween Everyone! Welcome to Season Two of BeProvided Conservation Radio! I am excited to begin the season on Halloween with our guest, Elizabeth Fournier, author of the Green Burial Guidebook. A great, less scary topic for this spooky season!     In this interview, Elizabeth offers information about how you can have an affordable and environmentally friendly burial and give back positively after death! She also shares that she rescues goats and sheep on her farm in Oregon!   I found her book enlightening and informative. It does take you step-by-step through the process so you can plan for a green burial. Her book is now available at Indiebound.org, Barnes&Noble and amazon.com. Also, visit www.thegreenreaper.org for more information about Elizabeth and her book.       **Introduction by Dale Wilman and music from www.bensound.com

I met Monika Egerer through Colby Anton (previous podcast interviewee about studying cougars in Yellowstone) , both are PhD candidates in the Environmental Studies at University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC). I am excited to share Monika's work with urban garden ecology because urban gardening can bring quality food and quality of life to neighborhoods where affordable fresh food is not readily available. This is so important in our world of conservation and the world's growing population.   Monika's research with Dr. Stacy Philpott's team at UCSC on urban ecology and biodiversity of urban gardens in the California central coast encompasses many fields of study including the human experience. This research is conducted in 25 gardens that vary in local management practices and landscape. The goal is to understand the ecological interactions and processes in urban gardens such as pest control, pollination and climate regulation.   Monika is also actively involved with the creation of a film along wit

*Dr. Rodney Jackson and his wife, Darla Hilard with snow leopard cub Jackson. Photo credit: Robbi Pengally. Today's episode is part 2 of 2 episodes with Dr. Rodney Jackson of the Snow Leopard Conservancy. If you have not yet listened to Part 1, I highly recommend it. In Part 1 Rodney talked about his background and how the Snow Leopard Conservancy came to be. You can find Part 1 here: http://beprovidedconservationradio.libsyn.com/beprovided-conservation-radio. In this episode I start off the conversation with the question, "what challenges are snow leopards facing today?" We continue the conversation with how the Snow Leopard Conservancy addresses these challenges. As always, we end the conversation with me asking, "What gives you hope?" So please listen in to hear Rodney's answer.  We are also happy to note that the Snow Leopard Conservancy was awarded the Darwin Initiative in May 2018. SLC was one of 52 projects who will be awarded financial support to enhance biodiversity and drive change to protect the pl

Celebrating Snow Leopard Conservancy on July 4th! *Photo Credit: Karen Czekalski. Rodney in front of a mountain vista taken in Hemis National Park in Ladakh, India in 2013. I have a treat for you today- a conversation about snow leopards with Dr. Rodney Jackson founder of the Snow Leopard Conservancy. For the past three decades, Dr. Rodney Jackson is the leading expert on these elusive and beautiful cats. This ended up being a longer than usual podcast episode when said and done and I didn’t want to leave any valuable information out, so I broke the episode up into two parts. Today you will hear Part 1 where Rodney talks about his history in finding his path to snow leopard conservation and snow leopard behavior.  In Part 2, next week, Rodney starts off describing the challenges these beautiful cats are facing and how the Snow Leopard Conservancy is addressing these challenges successfully. Rodney also shares with us, what gives him hope for the future of these cats and other wildlife.   Visit www.snowleopard

  Suzi Eszterhas, our next podcast guest, told me she is no longer a workaholic, but as our conversation progressed, I had to wonder if she was telling me the truth! Suzi has created an internationally recognized name for herself in wildlife conservation photography, particularly baby animals and their families. She leads three group photo tour adventures per year, started a non-profit for young women photographers called Girls Who Click and is an author of several children’s books. In addition to all of that, she co-authors books with conservationists, she speaks at fundraising engagements and writes several magazine articles per year.   Suzi is a passion “doer”; she is doing not working. It is rare, but should not be, to turn a passion into a livelihood and still be in love with it. Suzi is a model of what we can become through hard work, dedication and stay true to our passions.   I enjoyed our conversation in this podcast. We talked about childhood love of animals and her first adventure to Kenya

Healing Power: The Human-Animal Bond This week our guest on the show, Susan Janin, is an advocate for all animals from domestic cats to snow leopards in the Himalayas. My interview with Susan, especially our conversation about Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) gave me a reason to reflect on how my own pets have helped me heal during traumatic times. My two cats, China and Kitty, got me through the sicknesses and deaths of both of my parents who suffered from cancer. My cats Amelie and Matisse got me through my sister's cancer journey and passing. To me, that unconditional love from a pet when you are down is incredibly healing. I honestly believe those troubled times would have been much more difficult without those kitties in my life.   Now my mother-in-law is moving into a senior living home. My first question was, "can Sunny move in with you?" Sunny is her yellow tabby who gives Judy, my mother-in-law, unconditional love. It is with great relief to know that Sunny will be her roommate be

I am excited to introduce our guest today, Kathryn Arnold the co-founder, Story Curator and Editor in Chief of Wild Hope Magazine. Wild Hope is a beautiful publication sharing stories from scientists, nature writers, artists photographers, poets, naturalists and citizen scientists all dedicating their lives to help protect our planet. I just received three new issues in the mail yesterday and am excited to sit with some tea and enjoy! Kathryn created this publication as a true labor of love. Kathryn is not new to the publishing business. Prior to founding Wild Hope, she was Editor in Chief of Yoga Journal and Delicious! Living. She turned her attention to writing about wildlife and nature after being a volunteer for the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA. You can find out more about Wild Hope at www.wildhope.org. Where to find out more about Wild Hope: www.wildhope.org https://www.facebook.com/wildhopemagazine/ http://www.earthisland.org *Introduction and Closing by Dale Wilman and music provided b

It was a sunny April afternoon as I approached a tree-lined apartment complex located in San Mateo. I avoided any extra caffeine that morning because my mind was already racing. I was to meet and interview an artist and naturalist I admire, John Muir Laws. In my head were so many questions that I knew I could not fit them all in during the time we had and I didn't want to screw it up!   I got out of the car, grabbed my gear and began to walk toward his apartment. Before I reached his door, I saw John Muir Laws (Jack) focused intently on searching through his car. "Hello! Jack!" I said. "Did you lose something?"   He proceeded to tell me that he lost his phone. I used my phone to call his number. Before I could even hear the first ring, Jack is diving into the front seat head first with his feet hanging outside the passenger door. In seconds, he was back on his feet with a big smile holding his phone! At that moment the ice was broken. We both laughed and just started talking about the day, the scope he

  Marian Brickner: Wildlife Photographer, Artist and Author   At age 55, Marian Brickner realized she had to do something to stop people from killing each other and anything that looks different. She set out to show the world through photography that, even though we all look different, we are living beings and should be respectful to each other. This goes for humans and all living things, big or small.   Marian creates visual stories by capturing the lives and behaviors of insects and animals. Her intention for these photographs and stories are to help people form a better relationship with nature so there will be less killing and more loving. It is no coincidence that she has allen in love with the "make love not war" great ape: the bonobo. (Her favorite subject, Lucy is shown in the next two photographs.)     Almost three decades after beginning her quest, Marian has published over three dozen photographic and coloring books (her Amazon link is below). Her photographs have graced the covers on int

Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom television show during the 1970s inspired so many people I have interviewed, including myself, to fall in love with wildlife. If you aren’t familiar with this show, (maybe you are too young!) it was a show bringing adventure, exotic animals, and different cultures into our American living rooms every week. Marlin Perkins, a zoologist, and his partner, Jim Fowler, also a zoologist, would travel the world to educate us about an exotic animal in a faraway land. (Often, I believe, Jim was usually the one to risk life and limb to get close to some dangerous animal). This show was my gateway “drug” show to reading Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen, watch Born Free over and over and learning to sketch leopards and elephants in great detail.   Our podcast guest May 15th, Dr. Andrew Stein, an Assistant Professor at Landmark College, was also influenced by Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom and other wildlife documentaries growing up in central Massachusetts. He didn’t believe he would ever