Conservation Without Borders

Today I introduce you to my philosophy and practice of Conscious Conservation. If you are tired of the doom and gloom surrounding the current state of our planet, this episode is for you!

Today I continue answering listener questions about career decisions and breaking into the field of conservation.

Today I answer a listener question and interview Bryce Andrews about his new book, Down From The Mountain.

From Bryce Andrews comes the story of a grizzly bear named Millie: her life, her death, and her cubs.

DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN (on-sale from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on April 16, 2019) draws on one individual animal's life to reveal the changing character of the American West.

The grizzly is one of North America's few remaining large predators. Their range is diminished, but they're spreading across the West again. Descending into valleys where once they were king, bears find the landscape they'd known for eons utterly changed by the new most dominant animal: humans. As the grizzlies approach, the people of the region are wary, at best, of their return.

In searing detail, award-winning writer, Montana rancher, and conservationist Bryce Andrews tells us about one such grizzly. Millie is a typical mother: strong, cunning, fiercely protective of her cubs. But raising those cubs—a challenging task in the best of times—becomes ever harder as the mountains change, the climate warms and people crowd the valleys. There are obvious dangers, like poachers, and subtle ones as well, like the corn field that draws her out of the foothills and sets her on a path toward trouble and ruin.

That trouble is where Bryce's story intersects with Millie's. On its surface, the collision may seem to be between a single bear and a single farm, both seeking to protect their own. But at heart, DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN is a singular drama evoking a much larger one: an entangled, bloody collision between two species in the modern-day West, where shrinking wilds force man and bear into ever closer proximity.

"When we argue about our responsibilities and approach to living with grizzlies, we're really talking about whether humankind should inconvenience itself on behalf of other species… Should we require communities to forgo growth or prosperity to preserve habitat for dangerous beasts?" Andrews writes. But he has hope: "Across Montana and the West, more people are recognizing the cultural, economic, and biological value of species like wolves and grizzlies. We're beginning to get creative about coexisting with large predators. … Right now, we're maturing into a better understanding of grizzlies and a clearer sense of what they mean to us. The next essential task will be acting on that knowledge."

BRYCE ANDREWS is the author of Badluck Way, winner of the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award, the Reading the West Book Award for nonfiction, and a finalist for the Washington State Book Award. He works with the conservation group People and Carnivores and will appear across Montana and in Seattle on book tour.

Today I chat with Elizabeth Seely about her work in marine mammal conservation.

Today I chat with Mairi Poisson about her work as a dog handler and outreach educator for Conservation Canines.

Today I chat with handler Collette Yee of Conservation Canines about her work with killer whales. Listen and subscribe!

Today I chat with Jennifer Hartman about her work with Conservation Canines.

Today I bring you some unique gift ideas that allow you to make an impact as a conscious consumer this holiday season. I also talk about my unique path in veterinary medicine and conservation.

Today I chat with Julie Dimitrijevic about her research on microplastics in British Columbia.

Today I chat about my recent trip to Kenya!