Beaver State Podcast

When animal rights activist and practicing vegan Carla Brauer decided to look more deeply into animal agriculture to be more informed about it, it led down a rabbit hole and eventually to a chicken egg, which was the start of her journey towards hunting, taxidermy and small-scale farming. Brauer is now the Regional Director for Back Country Hunters and Anglers, a hunter education instructor for Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the owner of Dermestidarium Skull Cleaning, a service that utilizes beetles to strip the meat off of bones. We talk LGBTQ representation in hunting, the many pathways people may travel to hunting and the simplicities of doing what you love and helping others find their way there in this episode.

Rated lightly nerdy

The job of wildlife veterinarian at state fish and wildlife agencies is only a couple of decades old, but it relies on skills picked up over years of working with many types of animals. From monitoring a nasty pneumonia in bighorn sheep to tracking a hemorrhagic disease in rabbits, Dr. Julia Burco is part disease detective, part infectious disease expert and part field/lab veterinarian. In this episode we explore her pathway to this job and talk about ongoing wildlife disease issues in the state and even finding love in in the midst of a busy career.

Rated lightly nerdy

The moose that was the impetus behind the formation of Oregon's own Nosler Inc. still hangs on the wall overlooking the production floor some 73 years after its famously tough hide led to a renaissance in hunting ammunition and the formation of Nosler. We talk to Nosler's Zach Waterman about the company's history, ammunition jargon and what new hunters need to understand about ballistics in this episode.

Rated lightly nerdy

The Dungeness crab reigns supreme in Oregon, often the most desired fare for holiday meals. But there are many types of crabs in bays, estuaries and along Oregon's 300-mile coastline. We talk to ODFW shellfish project leader Mitch Vance about crab biology, habitat and just why they're so fun to go catch in this week's Beaver State Podcast.

Sooty grouse are popular gamebirds in Oregon, but they're cryptic and tough to keep track of unless it's mating season and the male grouse are hooting. Starting in spring, biologists from all over western Oregon head up into the mountains driving forest service roads or logging roads to listen for hooting grouse. A recent partnership between Oregon State University and ODFW seeks to improve how we collect data about sooty grouse by utilizing acoustic audio recorders to better track when grouse are and are not hooting.

Rated moderately nerdy

Klamath Lake redband trout are unlike any other trout. They are climate change masters that have survived glaciers and thrived in conditions that other trout could not survive in. They are unique in the world of trout and one of the most fascinating species in Oregon. We talked to ODFW Assistant District Fish Biologist Bill Tinniswood, PhD student Jordan Ortega and his adviser Jonny Armstrong about these amazing fish and the research their doing to help us learn more about what makes them so good at adapting changing conditions.

Rated Moderately Nerdy

After a devastating 2020 fire season that saw the destruction of more than one million acres of land in Western Oregon alone, We explore the impacts of wildfire on fish and streams with Jason Dunham, an aquatic ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in this episode of the Beaver State Podcast.

Rated Slightly Nerdy

Antlers tell stories. They tell us about the animal whose heads they adorn. They tell us about the habitat the animal lives in. They tell stories about genetics. And of course, they are also the base of legend and myth. In this episode of the Beaver State Podcast, it's all antler talk with ODFW Wildlife Chief Doug Cottom and acting Game Program Manager Brian Wolfer.

Rated Slightly Nerdy

Laura Green's path to assistant district fish biologist for Oregon's South Coast doesn't look the same as that of other fish biologists, but she likes it that way. There are many types of jobs out there for fish biologists. Laura's just happens to involve all the fish in a particular area, and that area is Oregon's Wild Rivers Coast. It's an amazing place with some of the most picturesque rivers in the state and some incredible fishing opportunities.

Rated Slightly Nerdy

Thomas Tyner is one of the few to play elite football at Oregon's two most high-profile college programs, spending three years with the Oregon Ducks before medically retiring and then coming back for a final season with the Oregon State Beavers. A powerful running back, he was highly recruited out of Aloha high school but found college football to be a busy, noisy world, so he would often retreat to the nearby lakes and hiking trails to clear his head. After football, hunting, fishing and wildlife photography became his enduring passions, and now he's hoping to bring more people of color into the outdoor world he loves.

Rated Not Nerdy (unless you nerd out at sports)