This week we dive into disturbance ecology, looking at whole-forest health by zeroing in on the ruffed grouse. Grouse populations in some areas have experienced stark declines in recent decades. Some scientists call ruffed grouse a bellwether species -- what's good for the grouse is generally good for the forest. We talk about the difference between preservation and conservation, the mosaic make-up of healthy forests, and the potential of forests to be carbon sinks.

2:00 The Ruffed Grouse Society on Facebook - @RuffedGrouseSociety, Twitter  - @rgs_aws, Instagram - @ruffedgrousesociety   3:00 Artemis Tennessee Deer Camp… stay tuned for the full story! 4:30 Ashley Peters, @grouse.lady 6:00 R3 conference in Minnesota + other programs for getting women into hunting 7:00 Merry Grouse-mas! 10:00 “Glunting”… like glamping, but for hunting… “Glamor is relative” 12:00 In windy grouse hunting conditions it helps to use sight over scent 15:00 Grouse mating display & their bass-y drumming sound (OR, what European settlers puzzled over as some strange ghostly heartbeat of the land) 19:00 Grouse as a bellwether for whole forest health 20:00 “Conservation Is Behavior” 21:00 Ruffed grouse listed as a species of greatest concern in 19 states & a decline in diverse healthy forests 24:00 Healthy forests: A variety of age classes and species, which help bolster a forest’s resilience against threats like pests, drought, fire, etc 28:00 In places with fragmented land ownership, conservation goals depend on collaboration 33:00 If all the public lands in the U.S. were lumped together, how would it compare (in size) to other countries of the world? ....[insert jeopardy music]... it'd be the TENTH (hypothetical) largest country in the world 35:00 Forest disturbances then and now; Disturbance-dependent species like grouse 40:00 Grouse stay in a relatively small proximity for most their lives compared to most birds 41:00 "Managing the landscape in a mosaic is the gold standard" 44:00 Healthy forests... "You can't just plant a bunch of trees and walk away" 48:00 Grouse are challenged by low-snow years... "We're not going to plant our way out of this problem" 50:00 Carbon programs to fund forest programs 54:00 The decline of grouse and woodcock has spurred RGS to change how it does conservation on the ground and added a sense of urgency to habitat improvement projects 57:00 Gene flow is limited for species who don't wander far from home 59:00 Woodcock - listed as a species of greatest conservation need 1:02 Recovering America's Wildlife Act  1:07 If you care about forests, do your research & learn as much as you can

1:10 Hunter and Angler's Guide to Climate Change

1:12 Join the Artemis community -- we have a Facebook group with great people and rich discussion, we have an awesome book club, and programs/events for female hunters (some online, some in person). If Artemis has meant something to you, please consider sharing it with a friend or making a donation

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In the third installment of our climate series, Artemis travels to Florida with Lindsay Cross. Water quality is at the nexus of healthy ecosystems in Florida, and in years where there's high run-off or water pollution you see sea grasses dying off, which leads to manatees dying off, and a whole suite of cascading effects. Plus, Lindsay tells us about her decision to run for a seat in the Florida House.

4:00 How many people are experiencing atypical weather for the season?

9:00 Choosing a university based on a function of program quality and ski-slope proximity

12:00 Salt barren - it's a place that's dry most of the time, apart from the occasional influx of tidal water; the plant/animals that thrive in salt terns are remarkably unique

13:00 Carbon Reducing Anaerobic Processes... or CRAP

15:00 Weedon Island Preserve paddling trails

16:00 Mangrove tunnels (plus, mangrove crabs)

20:00 Getting people fired up on a natural place by staging a 5K through it, and using the proceeds to fund field trips there

24:00 Water quality & pollution issues in a water-rich ecosystem; The consequences are seagrass die-off, which leads to manatee mortality and other consequences

29:00 Fertilizer ordinances in the rainy season to stymie the run-off that fuels algal blooms; It's easier to prevent pollution than to remediate it

32:00 Nobody wants to see a manatee die - but do these die-off events of beloved animals sometimes spur us into action?

36:00 Human habitation of Florida relies on properly functioning ecology, especially with hurricane resistance

37:00 Sea grasses as carbon sinks 

45:00 A voter-led effort to restore funding for the acquisition of lands for preservation

47:00 "People don't take action on things until they feel an emotional connection"

51:00 Running for state House office (!!) & the value of scientists in public office

54:00 Redefining/discussing some of the barriers to women in leadership roles... "One way I've been fortunate is that I've had some really phenomenal female bosses."

1:00 The more people who we get to experience wild places, the more we pave the way for transformational change

1:01 David Sobel: "You have to teach someone to love something before you can ask them to save it" 

1:02 Florida scrub jay, an endemic species 

1:05 Hunter and Angler's Guide to Climate Change

1:06 Join the Artemis community -- we have a Facebook group. If Artemis has meant something to you, please consider sharing it with a friend or making a donation.

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In the second episode of Artemis' climate series, we're talking about solar energy.  We need a portfolio of solutions to meet our ever-increasing energy demands. Ensuring that an increasing portion of those needs are met by clean energy is a vital part of a resilient grid and a resilient climate. We talk with Michelle Zimmerman, a community solar developer in Colorado. She tells us pretty much everything you want to know about solar energy development - how it works, how sites are chosen, the impact on neighboring wildlife, et cetera. Also: a challenging elk hunt and heated socks.

2:00 Michelle Zimmerman on a past episode about serving on your state's game commission: Game Commissions 101

4:00 Hunting by yourself for the first time

6:00 Stotting vs. pronking

8:00 Tracking a wounded elk all the way back to its herd

11:00 Sunrise should mean more warmth, right? Plus, heated vests

16:00 Sunshare - community solar "gardens"

19:00 Co-operative/community-owned solar projects

25:00 Energy consumption at a household level... do you need everything to be on, all the time?

26:00 NWF Eco-Schools program

30:00 The rise of clean energy isn't a death knell for fossil fuels

32:00 "Our reliance on energy is going up"

36:00 Energy development on private ag lands + wildlife considerations

42:00 Not every place is right for every project

49:00 Being neighbors with a solar field

53:00 Push/pull between energy developers, utilities, public services commissions, landowners - only a fraction of potential solar projects actually get developed

59:00 Build Back Better Act  & the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill both expand clean energy opportunities

1:08 "You can't build solar on really expensive land because the return's not there"

1:10 Where personal impacts add up: Energy, transportation, water, food, waste and fashion

1:14 Heated socks

1:22 Hunter and Angler's Guide to Climate Change

1:24 Join the Artemis community - we have a Facebook group, a killer book club, and programs/events for female hunters. If Artemis has meant something to you, please consider sharing it with a friend or making a donation

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Artemis is doing a deep-dive into climate science. In our opening episode we talk with Maddison Easley, a California biologist who straddles the divide between the conservation world and agency life. Much of Maddison's work is aimed at rangeland conservation. We talk about how birds, vegetation and soils are all indicators of ecosystem health - and what's changing with grasslands as the climate changes.

4:00 Point Blue Conservation Science

5:00 Growing up a rancher, becoming a biologist, returning to the ranch

7:00 Alaska caribou hunt & helping a nephew harvest his first turkey for Thanksgiving dinner

10:00 Caribou... the move FAST + a first-timer's take on a new species

14:00 #gohunterhippies

15:00 Rangeland Monitoring Network -  "The primary goal is to preserve the ecological value of rangelands" 

17:00 Birds, soil, vegetation... all indicators of ecosystem health

20:00 Soil carbon monitoring

22:00 About half of California is rangeland, and about half of those lands are privately owned

23:00 Grazing management tactics to put more carbon in the soil

25:00 Carbon sequestration 101

29:00 Not all soils are created equal for sequestration + ecological site descriptions

31:00 Drought affects carbon sequestration in soil

35:00 Co-operating with private landowners

36:00 EQIP program - Environmental Quality Incentive Program; California Department of Ag Healthy Soils program

41:00 Birds as an indicator species

43:00 White-breasted nuthatch

44:00 Changes in the last decade; wetland and grassland birds in decline

50:00 Tips to minimize the spread of invasive species... "Humans are the primary vector of invasive species"

56:00 Eradication isn't a reality for many invasive species... "but we can reduce the frequency and abundance in places, and increase diversity"

57:00 North American Grasslands Act - modeled after the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to conserve grasslands 

1:02 Citizen science through apps like iNaturalist and eBird contributes to the massive data sets increasingly useful to scientists 

1:08 Join the Artemis community -- we have a Facebook group, a killer book club, and programs/events for female hunters. If Artemis has meant something to you, please consider sharing it with a friend or making a donation.  

1:09 The Hunter and Angler's Guide to Climate Change

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Some of our favorite guests from podcasts past join us to talk about what they're wishing for this year. Hannah Marcom and Sharenda Birts have tips and tricks galore -- like giving the gift of not having to learn from someone you're related to, or how exactly you can enjoy a latte in the field, frothed milk and all -- OR, could your HSA pay for those electronic Bluetooth earplugs you've always wanted? Get the scoop in our second annual holiday gifts episode. 'Tis the season to be merry, Artemis!

2:00 Our gift gurus: You might remember Hannah from earlier this year on the program, and long-time guest Sharenda, from WildHERness.org is back on the mic, too!

4:00 Outdoor apparel in the fitting room versus the field

6:00 On being an underbuyer of gear

8:00 WildHERness "Go Wild" event, where one participant left for snacks, returned with a roadkill squirrel and asked if they could field dress it #yeswecan!

11:00 Sound Gear Phantom ear buds - you hear the stuff you want (animals, audiobooks) and minimize what you don't want (firearms, crickets)

13:50 Also... you miiiight be able to get those ear plugs covered on your HSA plan #winning

14:00 On to base layers... confessions of a recovering merino wool purist

15:00 FORLOH for good-quality, synthetic base layers. Base layer tops and Base Layer Bottoms. Want more options? Check out Badlands tops and bottoms, too

17:00 Lightweight foldable shooting stick in the $30 range

20:00 Different sticks for different chicks. Think about what’s right for you.

23:00 Range-finding binos -- many different products, the Bushnell Fusion is one of the more affordable out there; the Vortex Fury is also a great set

28:00 Orvis Women's Ultralight Wading Boot with studs - a big step up from the Chacos/neoprene socks combo

30:00 A nice knife saves a lot of time on sharpening; Try a Havalon Talon Hunt set with blades you can swap out (plus, getting those blades out!)

37:00 Invest in yourself & your competence; take the bow course, buy a membership at the range -- those things add up

39:00 There's something to be said for learning from people you're not related to

44:00 "If I'm questioning if I can make that, I'm just not going to do it." Taking a good shot is more important than taking a shot

45:00 Wild rags for EVERYTHING

46:00 Flashback to the Kula Cloth: 3Ps with Anastasia Allison of Kula Cloth

48:00 The Ember, a battery-powered coffee cup that keeps your joe WARM

50:00 In the field, the CamelBak Mag Insulated Bottle will keep coffee hot for about six hours; And you've got to have a Stanley thermos (or 10)... "the original Yeti;" Lastly, the sexy thermos, Mossy Oak Camo Thermo.

52:00 Serious coffee in the field - try the Mukka; or the Jet Boil has a French press attachment

58:00 #coolertalk... wheels, bear locks, bottle opener, etc (the Otterbox cooler is Sharenda's fav)

If this show has meant something to you, please consider giving to Artemis. You can donate here -- all money goes to support programs that get women on the water and in the field. #thankyou

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"I thought you said this was food?" Shannon Waters found herself asking that question after someone made her an MRE in the backcountry. Shannon had been to culinary school and worked in fine dining for much of her adult life.  As a hunter herself, she felt active people needed better in the field, and she was the right person to do it. Gastro Gnome was born. The Bozeman-based business has a storefront, a warm community of outdoorspeople, and many (MANY) gnomes. 

2:00 Odd Fellows Bakery in Salmon, ID #gemsofthewest 

3:00 "If you're not picking up rocks when you're hunting, I don't really know what you're doing."

8:00 Life story: economics + culinary school + brewery management + higher ed somehow all led to Gastro Gnome, upscale MREs for anywhere in the outdoors

13:00 Gourmet food in the wilderness is a creature comfort worth exploring - that value led to Gastro Gnome

14:00 Eating an MRE someone packed for you and feeling let down... "I thought you said this was food."

19:00 Going to Thailand to KNOW the curry-making process (pssst... it involves toasting)

20:00 Dehydrated Meals 101

21:00 Every ingredient has its own water content, which means they freeze dry differently

22:00 Gastro Gnome's Freeze-Dry 101

26:00 On the storefront in Bozeman... "People bring us a lot of gnomes" + the people-to-people vibes

33:00 Pack twice as much food as you need in the backcountry

36:00 The chemicals behind the scientifically long shelf life

40:00 @gastrognomemeals

45:00 Hunting in a team & collaborative decision-making

50:00 When you ask a friend, "Should I take this shot?" and they nod and go, "Don't worry, if it's down we'll get it out." #friendgoals

52:00 "Country Matters" by Michael Korda

55:00 "I shouldn't be doing anything else except exactly what I'm doing."

59:00 Hunting a new place with new people #winning

1:01 Tips for using bear fat in sausage

1:02 The Artemis Book Club is back! The seasonal read right now is "Flight Behavior" by Barbara Kingsolver

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Missouri opened its first bear season this year in what turned out to be a tightly regulated hunt and a very competitive draw. Kelsie Wikoff was one of the hunters who drew a tag. This week we talk about how you hunt an area you've never been to for a prey you've seldom ever even seen. For Kelsie, it involved frequent scouting trips, trail cams, and talking to lots and lots of people. The verdict? She harvested one of Missouri's first black bears early in the season.

4:00 Growing up in a small town... like, 350 villagers kind of small

6:00 Missouri's first ever bear season

11:00 From drawing a tag to creating a hunt plan

13:00 How do you hunt a new-to-you area for a prey you've seldom ever seen? Talk to people; set up trail cams

14:00 Differentiating individual bears in trail cam photos

17:00 Waiting in a tree stand for three days before seeing THE bear

20:00 After the shot... bears aren't a bloody harvest due to their fat content

22:00 Bear fat soaps for your bridesmaids, anyone? Lip balms? 

24:00 A scary bear run-in in Alaska

28:00 Finding your bear after the shot and safely approaching it

31:00 Bear fleeing bear... right into your tree stand

32:00 Being surrounded by ducks before shooting light... #magicinthefield

35:00 Geese executing a barrel roll

36:00 Watching your kids harvest their first deer 

37:00 Mentoring a new hunter

41:00 Dog-on-vacation blunders, followed by hunting-pheasants-without-a-dog blunders

Artemis Missouri Facebook Group

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Kathleen Zapletal was a new(ish) hunter when she noticed a lack of women-specific apparel in the sporting world. "Pink it and shrink it" seemed to be the motto of gear-makers. Zapletal founded Isle Royale Outfitters, which makes gear for women. She tells us about the place behind the name -- Isle Royale National Park in Michigan's Upper Peninsula -- and about how you make tactical gear... from odor reduction, to noiselessness in the materials. Want to win gear from Isle Royale Outfitters? Head on over to our @artemis_sportswomen for our Giveaway Contest!

2:00 Intro to Upland & Waterfowl Hunting in Minnesota

3:00 Michigander Self vs. Montana Self... it's an internal battle royale some days

4:00 Smoked trout dip recipe

5:00 Isle Royale Outfitters: women-specific hunting apparel

7:00 From hunting "snack manager" to harvester of the snacks

9:00 Isle Royale National Park on Michigan's Upper Peninsula... it's remote and wild: wolves, aurora, flies, no road access, etc

12:00 Isle roy-UL, or Isle roy-AL? 

16:00 Family backpacking trip from hell

20:00. #findyourfield... cross-functional gear for all women

21:00 Tactical considerations in making gear: Odor suppressant, how loud is the material, mobility if you're back-casting or drawing a bow

24:00 "Camo is having a moment in the fashion world." 

29:00 Scout in the clothes you plan to wear hunting

32:00 "Shrink it and pink it" - the old-school way of making hunting apparel for women

36:00 Grandmas = indispensable during hunting season

40:00 Two birds with one shot

45:00 New jobs, new sense of purpose (which may align with fishing time)

Want to win gear from Isle Royale Outfitters? Head on over to our @artemis_sportswomen for our Giveaway Contest!

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This week we get the scoop on hunting in South Dakota with hunters Emily Kiel, Marketing and Outreach Director for the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks, and Taniya Bethke, Director of Operations for the Council to Advance the Hunting and Shooting Sports. South Dakota is most famous for its pheasant hunting (meet the ditch parrot, everyone!) -- but there's an abundance of sporting opportunities. Plus, we talk about some of the initiatives from the state's Game, Fish, and Parks department that aim to roll out the orange carpet for new and visiting hunters, like HuntTheGreatestSD.com.

3:00 An upbringing in the outdoors/sporting world can nudge you toward a career that values/protects those things

9:00 Starting a family and realizing you'd like to make hunting a part of your family's culture, even though it wasn't part of your own childhood

11:00 Finding your community of people in the sporting world

12:00 Sometimes "mentoring" can be as simple as inviting someone over for a wild-game dinner, or inviting them to process an elk quarter

13:00 South Dakota Second Century Habitat Fund, a non-profit works with private landowners and other stakeholders to support pheasant habitat (and other wildlife habitat, too)

14:00 "Habitat is the foundation of wildlife management."

16:00 Pheasant country

20:00 South Dakota lion hunting with a distressed rabbit call

27:00 The Artemis Podcast Facebook group... come hang with us for extras! 

28:00 South Dakota's Learn to Hunt events

29:00 Pheasant 101 class: where we try EVERYTHING... breasts, thighs, feathers for fly-tying, gizzards, organs... it's an adventure :) 

30:00 South Dakota's "apprentice tag" - it's a $5 OTC tag for beginners

36:00 Hunting out the back door with kids; plus, MOJO decoys

39:00 Bringing up the next generation of hunters

42:00 South Dakota as a destination hunt for pheasants; South Dakota Public Hunting Atlas ... over a million acres to explore!

45:00 Harvesting and preparing gizzards

52:00 "Be where my hands are"... or, to be present in the moment

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Long-time Artemis guest (and co-founder) Jess Johnson returns to the podcast this week after a trip to the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation’s annual meeting in Budapest, Hungary. On her way back to Wyoming, Jess got the chance to stop in Scotland for several days to hunt red deer and roe deer. She shares that experience with us, plus what it's like to bump heads with hunters and conservationists from across the world.

3:00 International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation - aka "the CIC," which aims to preserve wild game and hunting across the world

6:00 Wolf perceptions worldwide

11:00 The rural-urban divide over predators

12:00 World Hunting Expo - an event that only happens every 50 years 

17:00 Hungary's red stags in rut... it was a moving show for the world's sporting and wildlife advocates

21:00 Learning wildlife management models from neighbors abroad

28:00 The CIC has its own version of Artemis... and it's also called Artemis #twinningandwinning

29:00 And CIC's forthcoming cookbook featuring game recipes from around the world

33:00 The relationships/dialogue that comes from events like CIC are the real bounty

34:00 Modern Huntsman magazine & Into the Wilderness with Byron Pace podcast episode with Linzi Seivwright

35:00 Hunting Scotland's red deer and the rural-urban divide issue there; plus, values of the land-owners versus the public at large

42:00 Hunting with someone who's mastered being a predator on their own landscape

43:00 Hunting in tweed

45:00 Red stags "roar," they don't bugle

47:00 "We don't take long shots here... let's wait and get him in as close as we can."

49:00 You can buy red stag meat in Scotland's grocery stores, which means hunters can sell their bounty to butchers if they choose to

50:00 Sika deer - they sound like an elk bugle on helium

53:00 If someone wipes stag blood on your face, don't freak... it's a Scottish tradition called blooding

55:00 Scotland's roe deer

57:00 A landscape where humans are the only predator, and the ongoing discussion of whether you re-introduce eradicated predators

1:04 Converting other hunters to the cult of Those Who Eat Heart Meat

1:12 In lieu of agency-issued tags, hunting deer in Scotland is regulated by landowners, usually a partnership between the landowner and whomever leases the property for hunting

1:17 The U.K. (as yet) has no cases of CWD

1:22 NWF Outdoor Division's new climate report: A Hunter’s and Angler’s Guide to Climate Change

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