Nature Now

Nan Evans talks with paleontologist Liz Nesbitt and natural history writer David Williams about fossils of Washington State, especially the Olympic Peninsula and the Puget Sound area. Liz and David share stories and explore many of the tales of ancient critters, big and small, that are discussed in their new book, Spirit Whales and Sloth Tales. (Airdate: November 8, 2023)

Watch Liz Nesbitt's and David Williams' lecture: Fossils of Western Washington: A Marine Perspective.

Learn more about:
Burke Museum
David Williams website and newsletter
Port Townsend Marine Science Center
Ray Troll art and podcast

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Join host Debaran Kelso on a fall mushroom hunt with fellow fungiphiles Maxwell Fisher, Baylin Speidel, and Shawn Gisriel (part 1 of a two-part program). (Airdate: November 1, 2023)

Learn more about mushrooms with All That the Rain Promises and More and Mushrooms Demystified by David Arora.

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Jackie Canterbury talks with Dr. Steve Hampton about the plight of the Caspian Tern colony on Rat Island near Flagler campground on Marrowstone Island. Hampton discusses the events of 2022 and 2023 that led to an 80% loss of the breeding colony due to human disturbance and an avian flu outbreak. If we understand the historical perspective of the Caspian Tern dilemma, perhaps humans and the agencies responsible for the management of Rat Island can make 2024 less painful (part 2 of two programs on this topic). (Airdate: October 25, 2023)

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Jackie Canterbury talks with Dr. Katie Haman, Wildlife Veterinarian, and Dr. Scott Pearson, Senior Research Scientist – both with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife – who answer questions about the recent avian flu outbreak on Rat Island off Marrowstone Island and discuss the outlook for the future. The outbreak is the first H5N1 avian flu event in the marine environment in Washington state. We are estimating an 80% colony loss on Rat island which hosts breeding Caspian Terns, Olympic Gulls, and Harbor Seals (part 1 of two programs on this topic). (Airdate: September 13, 2023)

For additional information on avian influenza visit: WA Department of Fish & Wildlife and WA Department of Health.

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Ecologist, writer, and philosopher Dr. Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel, is interviewed by Nan Evans and they discuss various aspects of animal behavior. (Reprise airdate: October 18, 2023)

Learn more about Carl Safina.

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Nan Evans talks with University of Washington marine biologist and researcher Dr. Jason Hodin about the mysteries of the endangered sunflower sea star. If we can understand these intricacies, perhaps humans can help restore the endangered sunflower sea star population in the Salish Sea by learning how to raise and take care of baby sea stars. (Airdate: October 4, 2023)

Learn more about Dr. Jason Hodin. Review the entire project through a recent report by The Nature Conservancy. Learn more about the Inquiry to Student Environmental Action (I2SEA) project.

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Thousands of crab pots go untended yearly in the Salish Sea; their release causes crab loss and ship damage. Jeff Taylor from the Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee and Nathaniel Ashford from the Sea Dragons robotics team describe their work to salvage those lost pots (part 1 of a two-part program). (Airdate: September 27, 2023)

Learn more about the project to remove lost crab pots.

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Join host Debaran Kelso as we continue to explore the wonderful Dungeness River Nature Center outside of Sequim with its director Powell Jones (part 2 of a two-part program). (Airdate: September 6, 2023)

Learn more about the Dungeness River Nature Center.

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Join host Debaran Kelso as we meet at the remarkable Dungeness River Nature Center with our special guests and founding members Annette Hanson and Clare Manis Hatler, telling the story of how the dream of a world class nature center came to life (part 1 of a two-part program). (Airdate: August 30, 2023)

Learn more about the Dungeness River Nature Center and Seattle Audubon's Guide to the Birds of Washington State.

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Nan Evans continues her conversation with scientists and authors, David Montgomery and Anne Bikle, about their recent book What Your Food Ate. This book deepens and broadens that old adage that “we are what we eat” by exploring how the health of soil ecosystems form the roots of a complex dynamic that determines the health of crops, livestock, and ultimately human communities. This discussion delves deeper into the benefits of restorative agriculture (part 2 of a two-part program). (Airdate: July 19, 2023)

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!