Beasts of Seattle

Like it or not, crows are our neighbors. Whether you’ve been dive-bombed by one, heard them swarming in the trees at sunset, or watched them gather ominously on the power lines à la The Birds, everyone in Seattle has a corvid story— often in the form of a complaint. But crows are remarkable, highly intelligent creatures who have much to teach us about both the animal world and ourselves.

In this special and final live episode of the Beast of Seattle podcast series, recorded on November 17, 2021, Town Hall’s Podcast Artist-in-Residence Samantha Allen interviews University of Washington professor and world-renowned crow expert, Dr. John Marzluff, about our constantly cawing cohabitants. Why do so many live among us? And what can we learn from watching their behaviors?

This podcast is presented by Town Hall Seattle and it was produced as part of Town Hall Seattle’s Podcast Artist-in-Residence Program.

The music for this podcast was written and performed by John Gould. You can find more of John’s music at johngould.bandcamp.com.

The art for this podcast was made by Sadie Collins.

You can view the video shown during this program at the start of Dr. Marzluff's TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fiAoqwsc9g

Dr. Marzluff's books are available for sale here:
https://bookshop.org/contributors/john-m-marzluff

Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Harry. Whatever name you know him by, he is ubiquitous in the greater Seattle area, spotted everywhere from bumper stickers to roadside landmarks. In an otherwise skeptical city replete with “science is real” lawn signs, it seems that many of us believe— or at least want to believe— in Bigfoot. As part of the Beasts of Seattle podcast series, Town Hall’s Podcast Artist-in-Residence Samantha Allen interviews Finding Bigfoot co-host Ranae Holland, local journalist Knute Berger, and Bigfoot researcher Mel Skahan about why the ape-like hominid continues to captivate us today.

This podcast is presented by Town Hall Seattle and it was produced as part of Town Hall Seattle’s Podcast Artist-in-Residence Program

The music for this podcast was written and performed by John Gould. You can find more of John’s music at johngould.bandcamp.com.

The art for this podcast was made by Sadie Collins. 

Finding Bigfoot is streaming on Discovery+.

Sources:

https://www.seattlemag.com/news-and-features/its-too-soon-close-door-bigfoots-existence-hear-us-out

https://1889mag.com/explore/mel-shahan/

The orca is an apex predator, and yet, without Chinook salmon to feed on and silent waters to hunt in, Seattle’s most famous animal cannot survive. There are only 73 Southern Resident killer whales remaining, and the population will have a hard time growing unless we change our behavior to accommodate them. As part of the Beasts of Seattle podcast series, Town Hall’s Podcast Artist-in-Residence Samantha Allen talks with The Seattle Times environmental reporter and Orca: Shared Waters, Shared Home author Lynda V. Mapes about what we need to do for the orca to come home.

This podcast is presented by Town Hall Seattle and it was produced as part of Town Hall Seattle’s Podcast Artist-in-Residence Program.

The music for this podcast was written and performed by John Gould. You can find more of John’s music at johngould.bandcamp.com.

 The art for this podcast was made by Sadie Collins. 

“The Great Salish Sea” provided courtesy of Dana Lyons. You can hear more of Dana’s music at cowswithguns.com.

Orca: Shared Waters, Shared Home by Lynda V. Mapes and published by Braided River is available from local booksellers.

Orca: How We Came to Know and Love the Ocean’s Greatest Predator is available from Oxford University Press.

Sources:

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/the-orca-and-the-orca-catcher-how-a-generation-of-killer-whales-was-taken-from-puget-sound/
https://seaworld.com/san-diego/commitment/killer-whales/

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2010-03-07-os-seaworld-killer-whale-brains-20100302-story.html

https://www.npr.org/2018/07/31/634314741/after-calfs-death-orca-mother-carries-it-for-days-in-tragic-tour-of-grief

https://www.npr.org/2018/08/12/638047095/after-17-days-and-1-000-miles-a-mother-orcas-tour-of-grief-is-over

https://orcaconservancy.networkforgood.com/projects/129224-hydrophone-project

https://killerwhale.org/biggs-transient-killer-whales/

http://orcazine.com/granny-j2/

https://ptmsc.org/programs/investigate/citizen-science/completed-projects/orca-project/resident-and-transient-orcas

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/understanding-orca-culture-12494696/

https://e360.yale.edu/features/on-the-northwests-snake-river-the-case-for-dam-removal-grows

https://www.salmonrecovery.gov/home/lower-snake-river-dams-power-benefits

There are famously more dogs in Seattle than there are children—a function of the city’s high cost of living, perhaps, or a sign that our transient tech workforce craves furry friendship. But canines are so much more than modern-day apartment-dwelling companions; long ago, the Salish Wool Dog provided blankets for Coast Salish peoples and today, working dogs keep our ferries running, among other essential jobs. As part of the Beasts of Seattle podcast series, Town Hall’s Podcast Artist-in-Residence Samantha Allen interviews photographer Holly Cook, Museum of the American Indian technician Pat Jollie, and more about our best friends.

Credits:
This podcast is presented by Town Hall Seattle and it was produced as part of Town Hall Seattle’s Podcast Artist-in-Residence Program.
The music for this podcast was written and performed by John Gould. You can find more of John’s music at johngould.bandcamp.com.
The art for this podcast was made by Sadie Collins.
Shey Ruud's art account is @twocats_art on Instagram.
Send Me: Working Dogs of the Pacific Northwest is available on hollyccook.com.

Sources:
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/kids-making-a-comeback-more-than-100000-under-18-in-seattle-for-the-first-time-in-50-years/
https://www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/a-woolly-tale
https://www.rover.com/blog/insiders-guide-seattle-dog-owners/
https://seattle.curbed.com/maps/best-off-leash-dog-parks-seattle

Only the occasional sea otter swims in Puget Sound, yet the adorable marine mammal is a local mascot. Cuddly cartoon otters appear on posters lining our waterfront and appear on their fair share of “Greetings from Seattle” postcards. Meanwhile, on Washington’s outer coast, a recently reintroduced population of sea otters is on the rise. As part of the Beasts of Seattle podcast series, Town Hall’s Podcast Artist-in-Residence Samantha Allen interviews Return of the Sea Otter author Todd McLeish, Dr. Shawn Larson of the Seattle Aquarium, and other experts about what the sea otter means to Seattle.

Credits:
This podcast is presented by Town Hall Seattle and it was produced as part of Town Hall Seattle’s Podcast Artist-in-Residence Program.
The music for this podcast was written and performed by John Gould. You can find more of John’s music at johngould.bandcamp.com.
The art for this podcast was made by Sadie Collins.
Return of the Sea Otter is available from Penguin Random House.

Sources:
https://wdfw.wa.gov/publications/00314
https://www.seattleaquarium.org/
https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2001/06-07/0013_sea_otter_found_way_off_track.html
https://www.vox.com/2014/4/24/5640890/otters-rape-baby-seals-monsters-bad
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210914-how-sea-otters-help-fight-climate-change
https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/blogs/comments/chloe_the_sea_otter_demonstrates_otter_pockets
https://www.seattleaquarium.org/blog/how-low-can-you-go-puget-sound-edition
https://usa.fishermap.org/depth-map/puget-sound-wa/
https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/wilderness-coast.htm
https://www.nwnewsnetwork.org/environment-and-planning/2021-01-06/sea-otter-reintroduction-to-more-of-the-pacific-coast-gets-a-nudge-from-congress
https://www.ktoo.org/2018/12/24/alaska-made-sea-otter-pelts-are-highly-prized-tightly-regulated/
http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=637

From Pike Place Market to the Ballard Locks, Salmon are stalwart icons of Seattle. But as they face warming waters and stormwater runoff, their future is threatened and uncertain. As part of the Beasts of Seattle Series, Town Hall’s Podcast Artist-in-Residence Samantha Allen interviews artist and American Indian Studies instructor Joe Seymour, Pike Place Fish Market co-owner Jaison Scott, Chef Shota Nakajima of Taku, and salmon stewards Jeff and Alison Lilly.

Credits:
This podcast is presented by Town Hall Seattle and it was produced as part of Town Hall Seattle’s Podcast Artist-in-Residence Program.
The music for this podcast was written and performed by John Gould. You can find more of John’s music at johngould.bandcamp.com.
The art for this podcast was made by Sadie Collins.

Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2012/08/28/160129982/parks-vie-for-space-in-miamis-forest-of-condos
https://www.tpl.org/city/seattle-washington
https://www.theolympian.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article249610718.html
https://www.carkeekwatershed.org/annual-salmon-spawning-survey-kicks-off-at-carkeek-park/
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/the-elwha-dams-are-gone-and-chinook-are-surging-back-but-why-are-so-few-reaching-the-upper-river/
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/chum-salmon
https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article253404075.html
https://www.seattleaquarium.org/blog/seattle-aquarium-salutes-pike-place-fish
https://www.pikeplacefish.com/about
https://seattle.eater.com/2021/7/2/22560835/shota-nakajima-season-finale-of-top-chef-recap
https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-do-salmon-know-where-their-home-when-they-return-ocean-1?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products

The Pacific Northwest is proud of its wildlife. Here in Seattle, certain creatures have become local mascots, like the salmon swimming up Pipers Creek, the ever adorable sea otters at the aquarium, and the endangered Southern Resident Orca struggling to survive in our waters. But what can our relationship to these animals tell us about our regional identity? What do they have to say about our past, our present, and our uncertain future?

Beasts of Seattle examines the intertwined human-animal history of our area through the lens of six wondrous, wild things. From the extinct Salish Wool Dog to the Sasquatch who may still be wandering our woods, Beasts of Seattle takes the listener on a journey through time and across species, interviewing artists, ecologists, chefs, historians, and more. If these animals can teach us who Seattleites are, they also hold the keys to who we could become.

In this trailer, we'll hear snippets from forthcoming interviews with Shey Ruud, Esteban Camacho Steffensen, Lynda Mapes, and more. The first episode — all about the salmon — will release Wednesday, October 13th at 1 PM Pacific time.

This podcast is presented by Town Hall Seattle and it was produced as part of Town Hall Seattle’s Podcast Artist-in-Residence Program. The music for this podcast was written and performed by John Gould. You can find more of John’s music at johngould.bandcamp.com. The art for this podcast was made by Sadie Collins.