Jackie Canterbury talks with Dr. Steve Hampton about the oldest citizen science program of its kind, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count or CBC. The CBC began on Christmas Day 1900 as a way to count birds rather than shoot them as people began to become visibly concerned about declining bird populations. Today the CBC occurs each year from December 14 through January 5 relying on volunteer birders. Audubon and other organizations use the 122 years of data to guide conservation efforts, including the greatest challenge of all, climate change. "There is nothing else like the CBC in terms of geographic coverage and time," says Geoff LeBaron, Christmas Bird Count Director for the National Audubon Society. And none of it would happen without dedicated volunteers. (Airdate: December 27, 2023)

Learn more:
History of the Christmas Bird Count
The 122nd Christmas Bird Count Summary
From Steve Hampton's blog: Heading south for winter, more birds are choosing the PNW

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. Nan Evans talks with Nathaniel Ashford about the efforts of Port Townsend’s STEM Club (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to salvage those lost pots using robotics. Olivia Reinhart joins the conversation to share her experience working with the Sea Dragons team (part 2 of a two-part program). (Airdate: December 20, 2023)

Learn more:
The project to remove lost crab pots
The Port Townsend STEM Club
The Sea Dragon derelict crab pot recovery project has won the ESRI 2023 student Storytellers of the Year award

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 explore the fascinating world of screech owls! Renowned ecologist Dr. Carl Safina is our guest, speaking about his most recent book Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe, which describes his family’s raising of an orphaned Eastern Screech Owl and how this changed their lives. (Airdate: December 13, 2023)

Learn more:
Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe by Carl Safina
Carl Safina's website
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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 Jim Bodkin about what scientists have learned about sea otter ecology and conservation since otters were nearly forced into extinction by fur hunters – specifically how important sea otters are to healthy, diverse and resilient ocean ecosystems. How do we know if and when the sea otters have been restored to pre-hunting conditions? Is there a relationship between climate change and healthy sea otter populations? (Airdate: December 6, 2023)

Watch Jim Bodkin's lecture: Sea Otter Stories – History, Ecology & Conservation.

Learn more:
Elakha Alliance – Bringing Back Oregon’s Sea Otters
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Seattle Aquarium
Sea Otter Foundation & Trust
Why the return of sea otters to Canada’s west coast is making waves

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 Debaran Kelso on a fall mushroom hunt with fellow fungiphiles Maxwell Fisher, Baylin Speidel, and Shawn Gisriel (part 2 of a two-part program). (Airdate: November 22, 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!

Nan Evans and Jim Bodkin, Scientist Emeritus of the U.S. Geological Survey, finish their discussion of sea otters off the outer Washington coast (part 2 of a two-part program). (Airdate: January 2017)

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 about sea otters with Jim Bodkin, Scientist Emeritus with the U.S. Geological Survey, in a wide-ranging discussion of the animals off the Washington coast (part 1 of a two-part program). (Airdate: December 2016)

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 delves further into the background and lives of sea otters in a discussion with wildlife biologist Jim Bodkin (part 2 of a two-part program). (Airdate: May 2016)

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 interviews wildlife biologist Jim Bodkin in a discussion about sea otters (part 1 of a two-part program). (Airdate: May 2016)

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 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!