Mountain lions, cougars, panthers, pumas - by any name, they’re the scariest animal out there, at least in our imaginations. On “30% Wild,” we look at the prospect of these big cats returning to the eastern part of the United States, where we know they live right now, and how they can show up virtually anywhere from time to time. How dangerous are these top predators? How do you stay safe during wildlife encounters?

We also talk about black panther sightings, and learn why you shouldn’t choose the legendary Native American Underwater Panther as a kayaking buddy.

Brian Roell, Wildlife Biologist and Large Carnivore Specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, tells us about the real animal behind the stories, evaluates your chances of seeing a black panther in the wild, and shares a hair-raising bear encounter from the north woods of the Upper Peninsula.

Listen to “Mountain Lions in the East, Part 1” and “Mountain Lions in the East, Part 2,” and subscribe to “30% Wild,” at www.thirtywildpod.com

• Are mountain lions dangerous to you?
• Will mountain lions return to the eastern US? Could they already be here?
• How to handle mountain lion encounters and stay safe
• Where cougars live, past and present, and where they could turn up next
• Why black panther sightings are dismissed by experts
• House cat or cougar? Cases of mistaken identity
• How cougars are weathering climate change
• Cougars and deer
• Includes the original story, “Copper Mine.”

Mountain lions, cougars, panthers, pumas - by any name, they’re the scariest animal out there, at least in our imaginations. On “30% Wild,” we look at the prospect of these big cats returning to the eastern part of the United States, where we know they live right now, and how they can show up virtually anywhere from time to time. How dangerous are these top predators? How do you stay safe during wildlife encounters?

We also talk about black panther sightings, and learn why you shouldn’t choose the legendary Native American Underwater Panther as a kayaking buddy.

Brian Roell, Wildlife Biologist and Large Carnivore Specialist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, tells us about the real animal behind the stories, evaluates your chances of seeing a black panther in the wild, and shares a hair-raising bear encounter from the north woods of the Upper Peninsula.

Listen to “Mountain Lions in the East, Part 1” and “Mountain Lions in the East, Part 2,” and subscribe to “30% Wild,” at www.thirtywildpod.com

• Are mountain lions dangerous to you?
• Will mountain lions return to the eastern US? Could they already be here?
• How to handle mountain lion encounters and stay safe
• Where cougars live, past and present, and where they could turn up next
• Why black panther sightings are dismissed by experts
• House cat or cougar? Cases of mistaken identity
• How cougars are weathering climate change
• Cougars and deer
• Includes the original story, “Copper Mine.”

Face your fear of sharks and dare to go back in the water - as long as you’re watching for the scary invasive species lurking in your neighborhood lakes and rivers. We discuss where you’re most at risk from shark attacks and where else the bull shark might turn up. What do people see when they report sharks far from the ocean, and is it dangerous? We also follow a lost bull shark through urban flooding, combined sewers, and other inland terrors of the not-so-deep.

Rochelle Sturtevant, PhD, the program manager for NOAA’s Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information System (GLANSIS), tells us about the scariest invasive fishes in your backyard, why you can relax about sharks but not alligators - and why the scariest creatures are probably already inside your house. We also hear about the regular reports she gets about space aliens in local waterways.

Listen to “Snakeheads and Sharks, Part 1” and “Snakeheads and Sharks, Part 2,” and subscribe to “30% Wild” at www.thirtywildpod.com

• Where you should be afraid of sharks, and where you shouldn’t
• Shark hoaxes and mistaken sightings
• The sharky lake sturgeon
• The most dangerous state for shark attacks
• Invasive species vs native species vs naturalized ones
• Three terrifying mystery invasives in your local lake
• Can we eat our way out of invasive fish troubles?
• Invasive species vs zombies
• Other scary threats to your waterways: combined sewers and urban flooding
• How to get your free copy of “Invisible Infrastructure” from the book Design by Deficit: Neglect and the Accidental City
• Sharks, alligators, and space aliens in the Great Lakes
• The secret sinister life of goldfish
• Includes the original sea shanty, “Lost Bull Shark, with special guest performances by Larry Womac (Part 1) and Ryan Gill (Part 2)

Face your fear of sharks and dare to go back in the water - as long as you’re watching for the scary invasive species lurking in your neighborhood lakes and rivers. We discuss where you’re most at risk from shark attacks and where else the bull shark might turn up. What do people see when they report sharks far from the ocean, and is it dangerous? We also follow a lost bull shark through urban flooding, combined sewers, and other inland terrors of the not-so-deep.

Rochelle Sturtevant, PhD, the program manager for NOAA’s Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information System (GLANSIS), tells us about the scariest invasive fishes in your backyard, why you can relax about sharks but not alligators - and why the scariest creatures are probably already inside your house. We also hear about the regular reports she gets about space aliens in local waterways.

Listen to “Snakeheads and Sharks, Part 1” and “Snakeheads and Sharks, Part 2,” and subscribe to “30% Wild” at www.thirtywildpod.com

• Where you should be afraid of sharks, and where you shouldn’t
• Shark hoaxes and mistaken sightings
• The sharky lake sturgeon
• The most dangerous state for shark attacks
• Invasive species vs native species vs naturalized ones
• Three terrifying mystery invasives in your local lake
• Can we eat our way out of invasive fish troubles?
• Invasive species vs zombies
• Other scary threats to your waterways: combined sewers and urban flooding
• How to get your free copy of “Invisible Infrastructure” from the book Design by Deficit: Neglect and the Accidental City
• Sharks, alligators, and space aliens in the Great Lakes
• The secret sinister life of goldfish
• Includes the original sea shanty, “Lost Bull Shark, with special guest performances by Larry Womac (Part 1) and Ryan Gill (Part 2)

What’s that huge shadow sweeping overhead? We explore the “death from above” that is raptors, and learn how ravens are on the move from legend and myth to your backyard courtesy of rewilding. We talk about the conservation victory of the return of eagles, ospreys, and their kin and what this shifted baseline tells us in the struggle against climate change.

We also watch as the semi-supernatural thunderbirds of legend soar across the continent and beyond.

Ryan MacLean, the Senior Education & Public Programs Coordinator for the Greenwich Audubon Center, tells us about the triumph of raptors and ravens over the pesticide DDT, and fills us in on current perils facing our birds, as well as what you can do right now at home to save your feathered friends.

Listen to “Raptors and Ravens,” and subscribe to “30% Wild” at www.thirtywildpod.com

• The near-death experience of bald eagles due to the pesticide DDT, and their resurgence after the DDT ban
• The resurrection of ospreys, aka fish hawks, due to banning DDT.
• The spread of Common Ravens into the rewilding East
• The shifted baseline of growing up with or without the thunderbirds
• The success of 1970s’ conservation measures are inspiration for fighting climate change and habitat loss today
• Biggest threats to birds today, including songbirds
• How climate change is threatening birds
• What you can do personally to protect birds
• Includes the original story, “Shadows over America.”

Track the Big Bad Wolf from fairy tales and metaphors to the real animal, and learn that everything you think you know about this elusive predator is probably wrong. Where do wolves show up, where do we know they live, and are they coming back to your neighborhood? How dangerous is the real animal?

We also eavesdrop on an interview at the coffeehouse between a certain young professional dressed in red and her problematic furry companion.

Dani Freund, a graduate student researcher at the Voyageurs Wolf Project in northern Minnesota, gives us a firsthand account of life and work in wolf country, and reveals why you shouldn’t watch too many scary movies before venturing into the woods alone.

Listen to “Big Bad (Imaginary?) Wolves,” and subscribe to “30% Wild” at www.thirtywildpod.com

• Wolves in metaphor and story
• How to tell if wolves have moved into your neighborhood - or can you?
• How wolves improve the health of entire ecosystems
• Wolf country, pre-settlement, today, and tomorrow
• Where’s the one place in the Lower 48 that wolves never left?
• Will wolves move back into the eastern US? Are they already here?
• Wolves and rewilding, here and in Europe
• Includes the original story, “Big Bad Coffee.”

Introducing “30% Wild,” the podcast that explores the adventure of life in a rewilding world. We start with “Scary Animals in the Backyard,” asking what’s behind reports of predators close to where you live. Stay safe, and know who’s watching you in the woods - or just outside your door.

Full notes on today’s show, including articles on these topics, links to any resources mentioned, and the free printable fill-in-the-blank mad lib version of today’s story, “Night of the INSERT CREATURE HERE.” You can also share your thoughts on the show or just say hello! 
https://deftspacelab.com/climate-doom-rewilding-madlibstory/

What’s the scariest thing in the woods?

Howls and cries echoing through the night.

Half-seen shadows flitting through the trees.

30% Wild delves into these encounters – and the science behind them.

Learn how to stay safe out there, feel at home in the outdoors, and hear stories that revolutionize how you see your surroundings. Feed your thirst for the wild world outside your door, and join the community of others building a life closer to nature. The wild is closer than you think, and getting there is easier than you might imagine.

Season One confronts the outdoors’ fear that haunts us the most: dangerous animals. Mountain lions in the East, wolves anywhere, bears everywhere. We’ll track these stories in the scariest place of all: close to home, maybe even in your backyard. What’s lurking out there, where will wildlife show up next, and what do we do when we see that mountain lion?

If you want to know more about what’s outside your door, if you’re new to outdoor pursuits, or if you love outdoors stories with a bite, come along as we uncover what’s going on behind the world we see outside.