Nature Now

Imagine life in the very deep sea – eternal darkness, no plant photosynthesis to form the base of the food webs, water temperatures hovering around freezing, pressures 1000 times greater than at the surface. Yet complex and diverse ecosystems exist; weird and sometimes very large creatures float and swim; and around 80% of this world remains unexplored. Join Nan Evans and her guest, oceanographer Chris Kelley, as they consider life in deep ocean (part 3 of a three-part program). (KPTZ airdate: June 3, 2026)

Learn more:
NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program
NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration Benthic Deepwater Animal Identification Guide
Ocean Exploration Trust
University of Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory Archive
Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Schmidt Ocean Institute
Chris Kelley at Ocean Exploration Trust
Chris Kelley at Schmidt Ocean Institute
Chris Kelley's lecture: In Deeper Waters: Exploring Earth’s Largest, Yet Least Understood, Biome
The Mysterious Deep Sea
Animals of the Deep
Mysteries of the Deep
BBC Earth: The Strangest Creatures of the Ocean
News from NOAA Ocean Exploration
Inside the Quest to Mine the Bottom of the Sea

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can 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!

A BioBlitz? What is that? Nan Evans talks with Kelsey Lang, Fort Worden State Park's Interpretive Specialist and Naturalist. Think about the importance of biodiversity in our own local park. And, see how communities and scientists have joined efforts across the world to learn more about ecosystems near and far. The 2026 BioBlitz at Fort Worden State Park is June 6 and 7. Come learn and have fun with like minded folks exploring our natural world. (KPTZ airdate: May 27, 2026)

Learn more:
Fort Worden Spring BioBlitz 2026 on iNaturalist
Tracking Fort Worden's Biodiversity
Fort Worden BioBlitz
Music by Rick Bauer

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can 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!

Imagine life in the very deep sea – eternal darkness, no plant photosynthesis to form the base of the food webs, water temperatures hovering around freezing, pressures 1000 times greater than at the surface. Yet complex and diverse ecosystems exist; weird and sometimes very large creatures float and swim; and around 80% of this world remains unexplored. Join Nan Evans and her guest, oceanographer Chris Kelley, as they consider life in deep ocean (part 2 of a three-part program). (KPTZ airdate: May 20, 2026)

Learn more:
NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program
NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration Benthic Deepwater Animal Identification Guide
Ocean Exploration Trust
University of Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory Archive
Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Schmidt Ocean Institute
Chris Kelley at Ocean Exploration Trust
Chris Kelley at Schmidt Ocean Institute
Chris Kelley's lecture: In Deeper Waters: Exploring Earth’s Largest, Yet Least Understood, Biome
The Mysterious Deep Sea
Animals of the Deep
Mysteries of the Deep
BBC Earth: The Strangest Creatures of the Ocean
Mystery sound recording: NOAA National Ocean Service

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can 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 recently explored honey bees and became familiar with their remarkable social behavior and complex colonies. Today, she turns to Washington's native bees with photographer and bee advocate Kris Ethington. Kris will share insights into the diversity of native bees and the intricate relationships that sustain them. Join us as we explore the fascinating world of Washington's native bees and the important roles they play in our ecosystems. (KPTZ airdate: May 13, 2026)

Learn more:
Kris Ethington on iNaturalist
Kris Ethington's blogs for the Washington Native Bee Society
Washington Native Bee Society
Project Ground-Nesting Bee
Washington Bee Atlas
Meet Our Native Bees
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can 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!

Debaran Kelso continues her field exploration of our local Winona Wetland with wetland biologist Donna Frostholm, learning about digging soil pits and determining soil type, as well as learning about the other key features that define a wetland habitat type (part 2 of a two-part program). (KPTZ airdate: April 29, 2026)

Learn more:
Quimper Wildlife Corridor
What Is A Wetland?
Functions and values of wetlands
Classification and Types of Wetlands
Music by Rick Bauer

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can 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!

Imagine life in the very deep sea – eternal darkness, no plant photosynthesis to form the base of the food webs, water temperatures hovering around freezing, pressures 1000 times greater than at the surface. Yet complex and diverse ecosystems exist; weird and sometimes very large creatures float and swim; and around 80% of this world remains unexplored. Join Nan Evans and her guest, oceanographer Chris Kelley, as they consider life in deep ocean (part 1 of a three-part program). (KPTZ airdate: April 22, 2026)

Learn more:
NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program
NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration Benthic Deepwater Animal Identification Guide
Ocean Exploration Trust
University of Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory Archive
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
Schmidt Ocean Institute
Chris Kelley at Ocean Exploration Trust
Chris Kelley at Schmidt Ocean Institute
Chris Kelley's lecture: In Deeper Waters: Exploring Earth’s Largest, Yet Least Understood, Biome
The Mysterious Deep Sea
Animals of the Deep
Mysteries of the Deep
BBC Earth: The Strangest Creatures of the Ocean
Mystery sound recording: SciNews
Music by Rick Bauer

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can 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!

Imagine the deep ocean with Nan Evans and her guest, oceanographer and deep sea ecologist Dr. Christopher Kelley. What is life like in the deep ocean and how do scientists even explore those vast regions? (KPTZ airdate: November 4, 2020)

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can 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 Kurt Hoelting about his new book, Apprentice to the Wild. Kurt's work asks a timely question: what might the wild still have to teach us? Today we reflect on his life from early encounters with wildness to his embrace of Zen practice. At a moment when many of us feel increasingly disconnected from nature, from country, even from ourselves, wildness is a poignant topic. (KPTZ airdate: April 15, 2026)

Learn more:
Apprentice to the Wild by Kurt Hoelting
Kurt Hoelting
Virtual Conversation: Apprenticing to the Wild with Kurt Hoelting and Stephen Posner

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can 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!

Come with Nan Evans and Carolyn Woods, from the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, on an audio winter tide pooling trip at NIGHT. In the winter why are the really low tides at night and during the daytime in summer? Why can we see different animals at different tide levels? What might we see during a winter nighttime low tide that we wouldn't see during a summer low tide? Would an ultraviolet or black light be a cool thing to have? Get excited about tide pooling! (KPTZ airdate: April 1, 2026)

Learn more:
Puget Sound Tide Pooling Guide
Marine Shoreline Ecosystem
NOAA Tide Chart for Port Townsend
Field Guide Brochures to take with you
Between the Tides in Washington and Oregon: Exploring Beaches and Tidepools by Ryan P. Kelly, Terrie Klinger, and John J. Meyer
The New Beachcomber’s Guide to the Pacific Northwest by J. Duane Sept

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can 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!

Debaran Kelso speaks about the importance of wetlands with wetland biologist Donna Frostholm while they wander through the Winona Wetland just west of Port Townsend on a beautiful Spring afternoon (part 1 of a two-part program). (KPTZ airdate: March 25, 2026)

We dedicate this program to our dear friend Dixie Llewellin, a tireless advocate for wetlands, and prairies, and all things of beauty.  She died suddenly, and much too soon, in November 2025.

Learn more:
Quimper Wildlife Corridor
What Is A Wetland?
Washington Native Plant Society
Mystery sound recording: Dave Herr, ML130725, courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library
Music by Rick Bauer

Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can 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!