Beprovided Conservation Radio

Igniting Change With Ash Lauth and Blake Kopcho On May 8, 2018, Marcia from BeProvided Conservation Radio will publish her recent interview with two campaigners from Ignite Change, a program of the Center for Biological Diversity. In this episode you will learn the importance of activism and grass root campaigning for the environment and wildlife. You will also learn how you can make a difference. There are links to valuable resources below.   Our guests for this podcast episode are:   Ash Lauth, California Field Campaigner,   Photo by USA Today    works with the Center's (Center for Biological Diversity) Ignite Change national organizing initiative. She comes to the Center by way of the North Dakota oil boom, where she organized with rural agricultural communities. In her 15 years of campaigning, she's worked to bring 13,000 people to the White House against the Keystone XL pipeline, driven a solar-powered truck the length of the eastern seaboard, passed six county-wide fracking bans, and was par

How many of us have followed a path in life because people said: “it is the right thing to do?” I know I did and so did our guest Kerri Wolter. Kerri says as a true animal lover, "this was not really the direction I wanted to take, but my horse needed to eat!" She was speaking about having to take a corporate job to pay bills.The paths we follow that least excite us can sometimes lead us to an unexpected "right" path. Kerri was eventually led to Professor Gerhard Verdoorn, the Head of Vulture Study, Raptor Conservation and Poison Working Groups of Endangered Wildlife Trust; where he appointed her to be the manager of the Vulture Study Group.This fortune allowed Kerri to leave the corporate world to pursue her passion of working with animals.   Kerri Wolter is now the Founder and Manager of VulPro. Her vulture rehabilitation center is just northwest of Pretoria in the Magaliesberg Mountain range in South Africa. The goal of VulPro is to release all flight able, fit and healthy birds back into the wild as

This is a story of what can happen if you have so many air miles accumulated that you can take you and your partner anywhere in the world. In 2000, a lawyer, Alan Feldstein, accumulated so many air miles that he could take his wife and himself anywhere they wanted. Alan and his wife, Diane decided to take their first adventure to Africa. So off they went. After stepping onto the African soil, Alan and Diane fell in love with Africa and were filled with joy. They soaked in the warmth of the people and their culture, the amazing wildlife and the abundance of natural beauty. I am pretty sure this is where Alan was feeling less like a lawyer and more like an adventurer!  It took a few years, but in 2008 Alan decided to take action on his passion and create Infinite Safari Adventures to lead and guide people in travel throughout Africa. He creates customized adventures all over Africa based on his clients interests.  But he didn’t just stop at leading people on travel; he also gives back to the communities and to

During last week's mist net and bird banding field trip with Point Blue Conservation Science at the Palomarin Field Station facility just north of San Francisco, Marcia had the pleasure to hear the stories from four interns in the conservation science field. Marcia thought these stories were great to hear. She is sharing them with you in today's episode, with the goal that these young passionate people will inspire you to know there is hope in future generations protecting our planet.  Enjoy today's show hearing how Chad, Krista, Christian and Francoise  became involved with conservation science and our passionate about inspiring others to share their love and knowledge of the natural world.      Music by bensound.com, Introducation and Closing by Dale Wilman

Spring is the busy season for the avian ecologists and interns of Point Blue Conservation Science working at the Palomarin Field Station just north of Sausilito, California. Point Blue Conservation Science has been at the forefront of protecting nature for over half a century. The Palomarin Field Station is one of the premier national locations for long-term studies on birds and their habitats and training of the next generation of conservation scientists. I was able to visit with staff members and interns of Point Blue at the station on a gorgeous April Saturday morning. The woods were filled with the singing of very active songbirds getting ready to migrate or nest.  As I got my equipment ready to record the visit for the podcast, a few smiling interns walked by empty handed and then disappeared into the brush. People who works outside like this always look so happy and carefree, it made me smile. A few minutes later the interns re-appeared holding a white cotton bag they said contained a Ruby Crowned King

I am re-publishing this podcast from last year for a couple reasons: One, I have lost my voice and have had the flu for the past couple weeks and have fallen behind in interviews! Two, the Spring Wildlife Conservation Expo is just around the corner on April 21, 2018. If you love wildlife and nature and meeting amazing like-minded people, you should attend the Expo!  Location: 4200 Farm Hill Blvd (Canada College Theater), Redwood City, CA Ticket and expo information can be found at www.wildnet.org But here is a highlight of the amazing speakers and conservationists you can expect to see at the Wildlife Conservation Network Spring Expo... Luwi Ngulukla - Wildlife Crime Prevention in Zambia Jane Horgan - Cheetah Conservation Botswana Rosamira Guillen and Hosanna Vega - Proyecto Titi in Columbia (conservation of the adorable cotton-top tamarins) Frank Pop and Dr. Lucy King (Introduced by Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton) - Save the Elephants (Kenya) There will also be various vendors and conservationists with tables o

  Angelina Mertens is referred to as a “Sustainable Bridge Builder!” She helps bridge the private, public and social sectors with the work she is doing. She also creates the bridge between California and Namibia for the Cheetah Conservation Fund.  I first met Angie through volunteering at the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in Namibia where I worked briefly with her sister Tess. As I got to know Angie over the past year, I found that she is not only spearheading the Northern California CCF Chapter and overseeing their donor relations, volunteers and events; Angie is the Program Director of ONE WORLD Training and Investments (ONE WORLD). ONE WORLD is a for-profit public benefit corporation that provides training and investment capital to social impact companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. She also is the co-founder of the Real Impact Film Festival (RIFF) with Paula Saslow. ONE WORLD and RIFF are both based in Palo Alto, CA. In this podcast Angie shares her experiences as how she became a bridge builder for

Meet Colby Anton, PhD candidate at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC). Marcia interviewed Colby Anton at the beautiful UCSC campus to talk to him about his work with cougars and wolves in Yellowstone National Park. (This is Colby in the photo by Justin Duffer:NPS with his four legged workmate. Not a bad work setting at all!) In this episode we learn about: It is important to ask questions about the world around you, to be more mindful of how things work and how they behave If you put your mind to it, you can work in any discipline to help in the field of conservation  The importance of team work  Cougars and wolves are more afraid of us then we know New and old technologies to study cougar and wolf behavior and physiology What keeps Colby going back for more! This was a fun interview, Colby is a great storyteller and is very passionate about the work he is doing. I learned a lot! Thank you for listening! Pictures of Colby's Workplace! (I am so jealous!): cougar at Yellowstone Picking up deceas

Meet the two men behind the Bird School Project located in Santa Cruz, California; Darrow Feldstein and Kevin Condon.  Darrow and Kevin founded the Bird School Project in 2014. Both found a lasting connection to the natural world after attending a backpacking course for new students enrolled at University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC). After graduating they combined their lessons in experiential education and environmental sciences to dedicate their time and efforts to educating school age children and their teachers about nature, beginning with observing birds. They make learning about natural science fun through experiential learning; getting people outside to observe nature, ask good questions and journal about their experiences.  Since inception, the Bird School Project has taught lessons in approximately 39 public and private schools, worked with over 5900 students and have trained over 25 interns and volunteers. You can learn more about the project at: www.birdschoolproject.org Other resources discus

This episode is about a personal story of human-wildlife conflict mitigation. Meritho Juma Katei grew up as a traditional Maasai in Tanzania. As a child he thought of lions and carnivores as his enemy because they would eat his family's livestock. As he grew up, his mother would teach him how to love life and nature; including people and animals!  During his secondary education he visited a national park and was able to see lions living peacefully and see that they too are only trying to survive and protect their families. He knew then, he wanted to continue his education to study wildlife behavior. He is now working with the Korongoro People's Lion Initiative in northern Tanzania educating his communities and other communities like his on how to live peacefully and coexist with lions.  Learn more about his story in this podcast!  Learn more about the initiative and Ngorongoro Conservation area he speaks about here: https://kopelion.org/ngorongoro-conservation-area/  

Join Marcia as she speaks with Ashley Stone of the Bonobo Project and the upcoming events for the Second Annual World Bonobo Day. With the 2nd Annual World Bonobo Day around the corner, please join us in celebrating bonobos on February 14. We have some awesome and creative events so that anyone and everyone can join the effort to build awareness for bonobos and make Feb 14, 2018 the largest worldwide celebration of bonobos to date! The Top 6 Easiest Ways You Can Celebrate Bonobos between now and Feb 14 …but if you only can only do one thing, please do #1 for maximum bonobo exposure!! Before February 14, please sign up on our Thunderclap to create a worldwide Boom for Bonobos! It’s simple and easy to do with one click! Click here: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/67079-world-bonobo-day to sign up on Facebook, Twitter and/or Tumblr. You can sign up on multiple accounts to multiply your impact! This will drive folks to join #2 below. Our goal is 500 – please sign up TODAY, share with your friends and ask the

Today’s episode is interesting and inspiring; it is about a new online tv series created by our guest Jonathan Barron. He created, narrated and wrote the music for Johnny Ocean and Me, the collective title of three TV series: Johnny Ocean in the English language, Juanito Oceano in the Spanish Language and Johnny Da Hai in Mandarin Chinese. Jonathan was not only able to discover his passion but took action on making his dreams come true. We can do anything if we set our minds to it and work hard.  Jonathan’s online TV series, Johnny Ocean and Me, seeks to teach children about the ocean and marine life using the three languages mentioned. English, Chinese and Spanish are the three most prominent languages in the US and the world.  Johnny Ocean and Me is now available to watch online! Here are the links! English Pilot Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOoD13mF4EY Spanish Pilot Video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3kVRYwj-ezA&feature=youtu.be Chinese Pilot Video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=60aYXFHXqK4&

Jillian Estrada, the Preserve Manager and Conservation Coordinator for the Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee (DTPC) explains why we should all care about the desert tortoise and her love for nature and Africa adventures in our upcoming podcast on Tuesday, December 26th. You can find out more about the DTPC’s work, events and how you can help at www.tortoise-tracks.org. If you are in the area in the springtime or summertime, plan a visit to the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area (DTRNA) and take advantage of the interpretive center and self-guided trails. More events are also regularly updated on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DTPC.Inc/   What is a desert tortoise you ask? A desert tortoise is a land dwelling turtle that weighs 10-17 pounds on average as an adult with a domed shell size of 20-36 centimeters wide. Their hind legs look like little elephant legs and their front legs are shovel-like and are used for digging. They can live up to 50-80 years in the wild and some in captivity ha

Veronica Yovovich is a wildlife biologist whose research focuses on understanding and preventing conflict between livestock and carnivores. She recently completed her Ph.D. in the Environmental Studies Department at U.C. Santa Cruz, and is currently the Wildlife Conflict Specialist and Science Program Director at the Mountain Lion Foundation.  She has spent the last decade studying different carnivore species in a variety of land use settings across the American West. Her experiences have repeatedly illustrated the importance of keeping livestock safe so that both ranchers and predators can remain a viable part of the West’s working landscapes. Marcia and Grey interviewed Veronica for the podcast at the beautiful Swanton Pacific Ranch located just north of Santa Cruz, CA.   It was a great opportunity to hear about Veronica's passion for the natural world and carnivores.  A quote from the show giving us hope and inspiration: "There's definitely a cultural shift toward recognizing that different groups need to

  Doug Smith grew up on a farm outside Cleveland, Ohio, which his father purchased, not to farm but to educate youth about nature and outdoors. Like many midwest parents I know that had children during the same time as Doug's youth, they gave him freedom to roam and explore the natural world. His first love were birds but he enjoyed every aspect of the woods from trees to salamanders. Around the age of thirteen, he became interested in wolves and wanted to get more involved with research. At the age of fifteen, he decided to just write a number of wildlife biologists to see if they would let him work with them. Unfortunately, likely due to his young age, he was turned down with many rejection letters. But he persevered and didn't give up. More letters were written and sent again at the age of eighteen. He thought all it would take is just one response that said "yes" to get his foot in the door. Then, it happened, he did get that one response and found himself working with researchers studying a group

Morris Animal Foundation: Helping animals have healthier lives This week our podcast is with Dr. Kelly Diehl, DVM (Doctor of Veterinarian Medicine) of the Morris Animal Foundation. They are the foundation providing scientific research to help save our domestic animals, such as cats, dogs and horses, to wildlife around the world. Kelly’s passion and love for animals really shows in this interview making her a great spokesperson for the foundation and I enjoyed our conversation a great deal. I believe it is important to know the major leader in protecting our animals health, especially since most of us animal lovers have cats, dogs, horses, or any other domesticated friend.   In this interview you will learn: what drove Kelly to become a veterinarian and how she got involved with the MAF about the founding of MAF and what their mission was formed about how Dr. Mark L. Morris Jr, the founder's son was the first to educate people on the importance of nutrition for dogs, cats and other animals that their support