North America's smallest falcon species, the American Kestrel is a unique and fascinating animal. It is our most colorful raptor, and also one of the few raptors that is sexually dimorphic. Kestrel populations have been on the decline for the past several decades however, and researchers have been unable to determine what is causing these declines. Now, a new collaborative research project holds the potential to finally uncover this mystery!

Rachel Granberg is a recent masters graduate from Texas Tech University who’s research was focused on Texas horned lizard habitat loss and degradation in central Texas, where the species has experienced... Read more »

Vulture populations in East Africa are facing the threat of very serious declines. Can the African vulture crisis be averted through outreach and education programs? There is hope, and in... Read more »

As a part of her doctoral research, Corinne Kendall used GPS technology to investigate the dramatic declines seen in vulture populations in Eastern Africa. By trapping and attaching GPS units... Read more »

Over the last thirty years, vulture numbers in East Africa have been dropping rapidly largely due to poisoning. Pastoralists lace livestock carcasses with pesticides to kill lions and hyenas that have attacked domestic animals. One poisoned cow carcass can kill over 150 vultures. We are in the midst of a crisis for African vultures that will be difficult to reverse if poisoning continues.

In the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, Corinne Kendall works to learn more about some of East Africa's most threatened birds - the vultures. Vulture species are declining worldwide, with up to 99% declines in parts of central Asia. East Africa holds the world's most diverse guild of scavenging species. These African vultures play the crucially important role of removing dead animals and thus disease - acting as the "soap of the savannah".

New Roots is a unique summer camp program that connects refugee kids with conservation education in Boise, Idaho. Project co-founder Liz Urban explains what inspired her to initiate this unique program and we see first hand the benefits that these kids got out of the summer camp. We also hear about plans to expand the program moving forward to include an internship program that would provide refugee kids with real world job experiences in conservation.

Boise's GK-12 STEM education program is unique among math and science education programs. The program pairs graduate students from Boise State University with one of three local learning centers, all of which take a hands-on approach towards learning. Graduate students talk to thousands of children in the community each year both in the classroom and in outdoor settings. Both the graduate students and the kids that they are teaching benefit from the unique relationships that are developed through this program, and ultimately it is the community that receives the greatest benefit as these kids grow up with an increased understanding of the world around them.

The Greater Sage-Grouse is North America’s largest species of grouse and is well known for its bizarre breeding displays. The sage-grouse is also a species that has evoked controversy in the Great Basin region over how to best manage the population, which has been in steady decline over the past several decades. This short documentary tells the story of the Greater Sage-Grouse from the perspective of the USGS biologists who are studying this bird in the heart of its range in Northern Nevada.

Episode Summary: In this episode of the podcast we’re talking with the Executive Director of the Intermountain Bird Observatory, Greg Kaltenecker. The Intermountain Bird Observatory was our very first partner... Read more »