During this episode of the Conservation Cast, Maya spoke with Nick Gladstone, an evolutionary biologist and doctoral student at Auburn University who works in freshwater snail conservation. Nick shared his current studies and research, as well as his story of how he got into the field of freshwater life, particularly freshwater snails. Nick also shared his myriad of experiences in cave biology, detailing the way in which biospeleologists study organisms that live in caves. The two answered viewer-sent questions such as why freshwater snails are important within their ecosystem, what their main conservation threats are, and how giant african land snails became one of the most invasive species in the world.

Maya’s community raised $1554.10 for Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society. FMCS is a non-profit organization aiming to inform the public of the incredible life history of freshwater mollusks, as well as raise awareness of the issues that have caused the decline.