Field Stories

In this episode of Field Stories we catch up with co-host Chris Ketola who has just returned from a very successful research expedition in Uganda. 

Chris shares his experience and stories about the trip, including one story in particular that involves volunteers up a tree and charging buffalo! 

Chris and Michela also discuss how the current political climate in the USA is impacting conservation across North America and the entire world, with examples from our backyard all the way the way to Uganda. 

This episode covers a lot of ground, so sit back and enjoy!

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Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)

Theme Music:

"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons:

By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/

licenses/by/4.0/

39. ‘Hear Them’ - Cheyenne Beach: Amplifying federal conservation workers voices 🗣️🙋‍♀️🦆

This episode is dedicated to all the federal conservation and outdoor recreation workers across the U.S. facing challenges today. 

Welcome to the first in a mini-series of Field Stories called "Hear Them," where we spotlight the wrongful terminations and hiring freezes plaguing the federal workforce. Through this series, we aim to shed light on the injustices our colleagues are enduring and offer a platform for their voices to be heard.

As of February 14, 2025, Cheyenne Beach became one of the many federal conservation and outdoor employees who were unjustly laid off. Today, we’ve given Cheyenne a platform to share her personal journey and the devastation she’s felt since that day. Her story is one that resonates deeply with thousands of federal workers who are living through the same struggles right now.

Cheyenne’s story is heartbreaking, but it’s also a call to action. Her loss mirrors the pain many others in our field are experiencing. We ask you to listen, empathize, and get angry with us. This is an injustice we cannot ignore. Stories like Cheyenne's show the very real human impact of these decisions, and they’re a reminder of why we must stand up and fight.

Cheyenne is a remarkable individual—kind, intelligent, and hardworking—who deserves so much more than this. Despite the hardships, she remains determined to push for justice in these difficult times.

Her courage to continue the fight is a message we all need to hear: We will not quit.

Follow Field Stories - 

Instagram - @field_stories_podcast

Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)

Theme Music:

"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons:

By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/

licenses/by/4.0/

And we’re back from another hiatus and are excited to introduce our guest, Jasmine Mancuso for episode 38 of Field Stories!

Have you ever wondered who monitors our freshwater ecosystems? What happens when a body of water becomes unsuitable and hazardous with Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) ??

Jasmine, an Aquatic Ecology Research Analyst, dives into her world of aquatic ecology. Her work focuses on understanding the cause and effects of harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes, some of the largest bodies of freshwater in the world! 🌎

Jasmine shares her journey as an Aquatic Ecologist, from rivers to lakes, where she met our cohost Michela in grad school! Today, we really highlight on the need for outreach, education, and connection between scientists and our local communities. When it comes to saving our freshwater ecosystems, not just for our animals but for our own health too, it’s important to have aquatic ecologists like Jasmine to listen and learn from! 🐟

Jasmine also shares her field story of running into problems with birds out on Lake Erie!

Don’t miss this new episode, and we are all excited to be back and rolling!

Follow Field Stories - 

Instagram - @field_stories_podcast

Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)

Theme Music:

"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons:

By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/

licenses/by/4.0/

This week we welcome the one and only Outdoor Anthony to the show! Describing Anthony Porter isn’t easy, he’s literally a jack of all trades! One part outdoor educator, one part wildlife survivalist, add in his trademark bow and arrows along with a dash of American Ninja Warrior and his new book and you get Outdoor Anthony! Anthony shared his journey towards his current status as one of the most engaging outdoor education content creators. He also shares his views on how wildlife education and communication have changed over the last decade and what his personal ethics are about what he will and won’t show on his channels. Anthony also shared his field story about a close encounter with a Mountain Lion and what that taught him about nature and our place in it. Don’t miss this awesome episode AND don’t forget to pick up your copy of his new book My Epic Nature Journal which is available now!Follow Anthony:  @OutdoorAnthony  Anthony's book: https://www.amazon.com/Epic-Nature-Journal-Anthony-Porter/dp/1962202577Follow Field Stories - Instagram - @field_stories_podcastHosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)Theme Music:"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons:By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Today we were joined by wildlife artist and lover of turtles, Matt Patterson, for episode 36 of Field Stories!

Have you ever wanted to get into wildlife art as a job but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you are already a wildlife artist and you just want to know how to get out into the field, and acquire some conservation experience!

Matt Patterson’s work has spanned far and wide, from illustrating a book about fish with his dad, to assisting in the field with turtle conservation in Madagascar and Belize!

Matt has recently illustrated and was a character of a non-fiction book called, “Of Time and Turtles”, by Sy Montgomery and is currently working on a new book about a very beloved snapping turtle named Fire chief! 🐢 His passion and love towards turtles truly is personified in his artistry and personality, which is such a beautiful thing to witness.

Thank you so much for joining us today Matt, we learned a lot from you and got to see inside the mind of an artist! We hope you enjoy this episode!

Streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube!

Like, subscribe, share and leave a comment down below with any questions from this episode 💜!

This week on Field Stories, we’re joined by Mike Mills, a wildlife biologist at the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF). Mike’s journey began with a B.S. in wildlife biology, followed by fieldwork across the globe, from tracking king cobras in Thailand to sea turtle conservation in Costa Rica. In 2019, he joined SCCF as a nighttime sea turtle intern, eventually shifting his focus to Florida box turtles while completing his Master’s in Conservation Biology.

Now, as a full-time biologist at SCCF, Mike oversees wildlife fieldwork in the Wildlife and Habitat Management Department. In this episode, we explore Florida’s island ecology and the impact hurricanes have on both wildlife and habitats. Mike shares insights on the critical role of volunteers in sustaining these sanctuaries amidst Florida’s rapid development—and wraps up with an unforgettable tale of his time tracking king cobras in Thailand!

**Please note 2 sections of this episode have been redacted to ensure the safety of local wildlife

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Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)

Theme Music:

"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons:

By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/

licenses/by/4.0/

This week we welcome back Nick as a special guest/host to discuss his summer in Suriname and Uganda. We hear about the conservation differences from country to country as well as some of the main reasons Gorilla trekking is a viable option in Uganda 🇺🇬 Nick tells two field stories with a more in depth look at a disastrous adventure in the Amazon rainforest involving a dog… as well as playing football with a rather large opposition player 👀 Guests to return for next week but we hope you enjoy this special episode where two hosts can discuss important matters...

This week we chat with bat biologist Carlos Restrepo! He shares insights into his fascinating research investigating how smooth surfaces, such as solar panels, can appear to be water surfaces to bats. This research is particularly relevant in Mexico where he currently works, as water is a finite resource in arid regions across the country. Finally Carlos shares his field story with us, which is one of the craziest stories we’ve heard yet!

Follow Field Stories - 

Instagram - @field_stories_podcast

Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)

Theme Music:

"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons:

By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/

licenses/by/4.0/

On this episode of Field stories, the three co-hosts are FINALLY all back together! This week sit down with Jamie Clark (@seaturtleager instagram), a Sea Turtle Biologist who is working towards her PhD at the Unviersity of North Carolina Willmington. Today we dive into Jamie’s PhD work, which investigates size-at-age relationships and population dynamics of various fish and sea turtle populations using skeletochronology - Fourier Transform Near InfraRed (FT-NIR) and DNA methylation methods. Being a sea turtle biologist is one of the toughest fields to get into, and Jamie discusses her career path and advice for future young scientists of how to get into the field, stressing on her passion for inclusion and equality in the field of stem. We wrap up this episode with a good laugh from Jamie’s field story and we hope you enjoy this episode just as much as we did!

Follow Field Stories - 

Instagram - @field_stories_podcast

Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)

Theme Music:

"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons:

By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/

licenses/by/4.0/

In this week’s special episode of the Field Stories podcast we dive deep into the forest fires across South America that continue to burn unabated, leaving people around the world feeling confused and hopeless.