Northwest Nature Matters

A conversation with Mark Penninger about the natural history and conservation of the bighorn sheep. Mark is the Forest Biologist for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, and a bighorn sheep and mountain goat specialist.

Called the "koepa" by the Northern Paiute people, the bighorn sheep is an icon of the mountain West; yet complex disease issues have stalled its complete recovery. Mark discusses the history of bighorn conservation, its life history, management, and how sheep conservationists are trying to solve pressing challenges to sheep recovery.

Links for listeners:

Sheep Conservation Strategy from WAFWA:

https://www.wafwa.org/Documents%20and%20Settings/37/Site%20Documents/Working%20Groups/Wild%20Sheep/Publications/Bighorn%20Sheep%20Conservation%20Challenges%20-%20Management%20Strategies%20-%2021st%20Century-Reduced.pdf

A fascinating conversation with Michael P. Nelson, an environmental scholar, writer, teacher, speaker, consultant, and Professor of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy. He holds the Ruth H. Spaniol Chair of Renewable Resources and serves as the Lead Principal Investigator for the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest Long-Term Ecological Research program at Oregon State University. He is the philosopher in residence of the Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Project, the longest continuous study of a predator-prey system in the world.

We discuss the history of environmental ethics, Aldo Leopold, ethics in wildlife management, case studies in the application of an ethical framework or argument, natural resource curriculum, and more.

Links for Listeners:

A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold audio book:

https://www.amazon.com/A-Sand-County-Almanac/dp/B073VXNRF1

Kathleen Dean Moore's website with links to lectures, essays, books and other events: https://www.riverwalking.com/

A seminal book relating to Environmental Ethics: Roderick Nash's Wilderness and the American Mind: https://www.amazon.com/Wilderness-American-Mind-Roderick-Frazier/dp/0300091222/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545536613&sr=1-2&keywords=wilderness+in+the+american+mind

The biography of Aldo Leopold by Curt Meine: https://www.amazon.com/Aldo-Leopold-His-Life-Work/dp/0299249042

Environmental philosophy text on Leopold's Land Ethic by J.B. Callicot, In Defense of the Land Ethic Essays in Environmental Philosophy:

https://www.amazon.com/Defense-Land-Ethic-Environmental-Philosophy/dp/0887069002

A conversation with Kim Nelson, a Research Wildlife Biologist in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Oregon State University. Kim is a leading researcher on pacific seabirds and particularly the marbled murrelet. The marbled murrelet is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and listed as endangered in California and Washington state.

Like the spotted owl, the murrelet requires old growth forest for nesting habitat, however the species has proved extraordinarily difficult to study. Kim unveils the secrets of this enigmatic species.

Links for listeners:

Look for this announcement for the summer of 2019. This is a fun citizen science event open to the public:

https://audubonportland.org/issues/species/murrelet/survey2

Books:

https://www.amazon.com/Seabird-Forest-Mystery-Marbled-Murrelet/dp/1590787153

https://www.amazon.com/Rare-Bird-Pursuing-Mystery-Murrelet/dp/1594860904

The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is considered an exemplary example of success but new challenges loom on the horizon.

In this episode, we will be talking to Davia Palmeri, the Conservation Policy Coordinator with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Davia is an expert on conservation policy. Davia will discuss the history of conservation, new challenges, and the exiting possibility of a game-changing piece of legislation that could revolutionize conservation in the U.S.

To support this podcast visit our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/northwestnaturematters

Links to more information for listeners:

http://wildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/North-American-model-of-Wildlife-Conservation.pdf

http://wildlife.org/policy/recovering-americas-wildlife-act/

https://www.nwf.org/~/media/Documents/PDFs/Wildlife-Conservation/State-Breakdown-Wildlife-Funding_10192017.ashx

A conversation with Jay Bowerman, a leading Oregon herpetologist and expert on the Oregon Spotted Frog. Jay received his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Oregon, and has been a researcher and conservation educator in Central Oregon over the last 40 years. Jay reveals the unique natural history and conservation of this imperiled species.

To support this podcast please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/northwestnaturematters

Links for more information:

https://www.facebook.com/wemayfly/videos/vb.117000456400/188512098764355/?type=2&theater

Video clip of Jay studying frogs

Oregon Spotted Frog local research

Postscript: This episode was recorded in early September, 2018. On February 5th, 2019 Tom passed away at the age of 91. We are saddened to hear the news of his passing. As a leader in the field of conservation biology, he leaves a global legacy and an model of conservation action to emulate.

The Peregrine Fund's page In Memorium: https://www.peregrinefund.org/people/cade-tom

A conversation with Dr. Tom Cade and Colonel Kent Carnie. Tom is the founder of the Peregrine Fund, and widely acknowledged as one of the leading conservation biologists of the modern era. Tom led the effort to recover populations of the Peregrine Falcon throughout North America from the late 1960's to 1999 when it was removed from the Endangered Species Act list.

A retired intelligence officer, Kent has been a leader in the North American falconry community for many decades. He is the former Curator of the Archives of North American Falconry and acknowledged as one of the world's leading historians on the sport of falconry.

To support this podcast visit our Patreon site: https://www.patreon.com/northwestnaturematters

Links for listeners:

Book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1583439.Return_of_the_Peregrine

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Rites-Autumn-Falconers-Journey-American/dp/1558214577