The Trail Less Traveled

Neva Hassanein is a Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of

Montana, where she has taught since 2000. Neva earned her Doctorate in

Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin and her Masters degree

from the University of Oregon.

Neva is author of the book, Changing the Way America Farms: Knowledge and

Community in the Sustainable Agriculture Movement. Her recent scholarship

develops the concept of “food democracy,” which is the idea that people can and

should meaningfully participate in shaping the food system, rather than remain

passive consumers on the sidelines. Her work has explored various issues, such as

farmland loss, regional food economies, pesticides, the US organic program, and

biotechnology.

An engaged scholar, Neva is active beyond the academy, attempting to put research

into practice at the local level. She and her students help strengthen Montana’s food

system through community-based research projects and active partnerships.

Neva served on the Missoula City-County Consolidated Planning Board for six years.

She has also co-founded and served on the boards of several organizations.

Neva is currently a business partner in Corner Farm Village LLC, which is doing a

farmland conservation development project on the edge of Missoula.

Neva enjoys gardening, sharing food with friends, hunting wild mushrooms, raising

urban chickens, and exploring the natural world.

https://missoulacurrent.com/um-sustainable-agriculture/ 

100% of financial support for this podcast and our educational outreach programs comes from Patreon donations. Please help keep the podcast ad free by visiting www.Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled & seeing which donation tier suits your budget. We make $227/month as of June 2023... please help us reach our goal and thanks for considering!

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This episode was recorded inside an old Land Rover Defender 110 (the portable recording studio) parked in front of the Roxy Theater during the International Wildlife Film Festival. We sit down with the crew behind the award winning wildlife documentary, Kangaroo Valley!

Journey to a secret valley in Australia, where a nervous baby kangaroo named Mala faces hungry dingoes and winter snows in this coming-of-age adventure. Kangaroo Valley is available to watch on Netflix!

Tab Murphy's theatrical debut, Gorillas in the Mist, was nominated for an Academy Award for his writing. In 1995, Murphy made his directorial debut with Last of the Dogmen and wrote the feature. Afterwards, Murphy has spent nearly ten years with The Walt Disney Company writing The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1996, Tarzan in 1999, Atlantis: The Lost Empire in 2001, and Brother Bear in 2003. During his time with Disney, he was hired by TriStar Pictures to write a treatment to a planned sequel to the 1998 film Godzilla.

Kylie Stott has a track record of internationally acclaimed, documentary programs including David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef and Stephen Hawking’s Brave New World. With over 15 years of experience in television, Kylie started her factual career in the UK and has worked on blue chip productions for the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery, ITV, ZDF and others. In 2013, she then returned home to Australia, to work on a combination science, history, archaeology and natural history programs. Then in 2015, she leapt feet first into virtual reality with the BAFTA winning VR team from Atlantic Productions on Atomic Ghost Fleet, for Sony Playstation. From December 2019, she relocated to Los Angeles where she works as a director and producer.

100% of financial support for this podcast and our educational outreach programs comes from Patreon donations. Please help keep the podcast ad free by visiting www.Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled & seeing which donation tier suits your budget. We make $227/month as of June 2023... please help us reach our goal and thanks for considering!

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Dawn Kish received her first camera, a Nikkormat, when she was 17 years old from her mentor Sue Bennett. For over 25 years she has been shooting adventure, commercial, and conservation photography. “If it is outside,” says Kish, “I’ve probably photographed it.”

She creates photos of her journeys, whether they are stories of Native Americans in her Arizona homeland or hanging off a cliff wall in Yosemite.  Dawn’s life is full of adventure activities: snowboarding, rock climbing, backpacking and white water boating. She has worked as a river guide in the Grand Canyon for the USGS. “The river is part of me. It is in my heart and soul.”

Dawn was inspired at a young age by the National Geographic Magazines her mother subscribed to and kept on a bookshelf in her bedroom. Then in 1999 she started shooting for them. “It was a dream come true.”

For Kish, photography is all about the people and their stories, their emotions, and the honor of the photographic moment. Direct and honest, this playful self-taught photographer has a way of bringing out the genuine and expressive ways of the people she works with. “My subjects give me so much, that I get charged up. That is why I keep traveling, learning, and telling stories.”

Kish started a portrait series on conservationist of the 22 Tribes of Arizona called Connected. A long term photogravure project influenced by the famous work of Edward Curtis. It documents the Arizona native conservationists and the land they protect. “We must promote advocacy and save our natural world.”

Her lovely clients are Arizona Highways, Audubon, Grand Canyon Trust, National Geographic, Patagonia, and Sports Illustrated. “I feel so honored. I love being a photographer,” says Kish. “It’s the best job ever and I get to work with awesome clients.”

Kish has many awards and is a featured photographer in the book, National Geographic Field Guide to Adventure Photography, plus, honored in the top 30 photographs in 30 years of National Geographic Traveler, and the top 50 photos ever in Arizona Highways Magazine. Kish also received the Red Bull Illume award for the photo Climbers Hand.

Kish loves to direct and tell stories and turns her photo projects into film.

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Lara Tomov is a filmmaker and communications consultant, who keeps her ear to the ground for messages that can improve the well-being of human communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Her work as a cinematographer has taken her around the world with productions for Travel Channel, Discovery, and independent documentaries. 

After growing up in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana, then living out of state for a decade, she is happily based back home in Montana. She founded her media brand, Stories for Action, in 2020, which holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create connections around a thriving planet for all. 

Stories for Action and other partners launched the Life in the Land project in 2022, which is a series of films and podcasts elevating the value of community-guided and holistic approaches within Montana's landscapes. The Life in the Land film episode from Blackfeet Nation, which is screening at IWFF, is Co-Produced by Lailani Upham of Iron Shield Creative. Lara earned a BA in Film from Emerson College and is a licensed drone pilot and underwater camera operator. 

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Joshua Lisbon is a tracker, tanner and teacher who works as the director of education at MPG ranch. He is the co-founder of the Montana Folk School. You can learn directly from Joshua and other amazing teachers by visiting MontanaFolkSchool.ORG

Joshua has designed and implemented wilderness and experiential-based education programs for various agencies since 2001. In his free time, Joshua enjoys exploring Montana’s wild places. As an avid outdoorsman, he enjoys any pursuit that keeps him connected to the natural world.

We look forward to seeing you at the International Wildlife Film Festival April 22-27! Joshua has all kinds of IWFF ties including being the subject of last year’s Audience Award winner, Tracking Notes: The Secret World of Mountain Lions.

STREAM the show LIVE every Sunday evening from 6-7 MST at Trail1033.com

Help keep the podcast ad free and support our international outreach programs by donating a few bucks via Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled

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Elizabeth Unger is a Missoula based Nat Geo explorer, Sundance supported film maker and activist, who finds herself drawn to challenging, immersive, and impact-driven projects that can break through the boundaries set in her own mind.

Elizabeth has worked and traveled across all seven continents.

Her award-winning feature directorial debut, TIGRE GENTE, world premiered at Tribeca in 2021, screened at more than 35 film festivals internationally, and will be broadcast by National Geographic this year.

Liz Unger is the director of BATSIES - a short film featured in the 2023 International Wildlife Film Festival selections. BATSIES examines two women’s tender relationship with an animal that’s quintessentially feared and loathed: the bat. Sara Weaver and Sarah Fritts are best friends and ecologists who are leading bat conservation efforts in Texas.

STREAM the show LIVE every Sunday evening from 6-7 MST at Trail1033.com

Listen to the premier locally (Missoula area) on the Trail 103.3 FM.

Show archive, pictures & information on our outreach programs can be found at TrailLessTraveled.net

Please support our educational outreach programs and help keep the podcast ad-free by donating a few dollars each month via Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled

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Serena Early is one of Missoula's first Yoga teachers. She has been a student of Yoga for 40 years. She has studied with Geeta and BKS Iyengar in India, George Purvis in Dallas TX, as well as Judith Lasater, Ramanand Patel, Angela Farmer, and Victor van Kooten. Serena has taught Yoga for over 35 years and has developed her own style of teaching. Her approach allows each to "be" where they are in pose, facilitating correct body mechanics. This lets each posture be a way for the individual to gain the most benefit in terms of health and rehabilitation.

Thank you so much for submitting your questions in celebration of exceeding 500 episodes! Mandela answer's a question submitting by Jesse Weber at the end of this episode. Jesse's question relates to Mandela's near death experiences...

Please help keep the podcast ad-free and support our community outreach programs by donating a few dollars per month on Patreon. Learn more at www.Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled

#travel #adventure #adventuretravel #travelpodcast #adventurepodcast #yoga #iyengaryoga #yogainspiration #traillesstraveled #thetraillesstraveled

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Michael Kroon was born and raised as a farmer in the Karoo. In the language of the Bushmen, "Karoo" means "Dry Place" and the main threat to farmers and their livestock is drought. During this episode, Michael talks about the importance of conserving the "Veld" plantlife on the landscape and how he helps people ethically hunt kudu, springbok and blesbok. 

Michael's son loved planting trees in the community, and after he lost his life, Michael and his wife continue to plant and water 1,000 trees around the town of Willowmore. This episode was recorded after Mandela made her first springbok harvest and completed the blood ceremony in order to respect the culture of the Bushmen and the animal. The meat was shared by friends and family.

Stream the show LIVE Sundays from 6-7pm MST at Trail1033.com OR Listen locally (Missoula) on the Trail 103.3 FM

Please help keep the podcast ad-free & our outreach programs available to rural schools by donating a few dollars per month at Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled

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This week we sit down with a raptor ecologist who is informing the nation through his in depth research regarding the demographic implications of lead poisoning for eagles. Over the past year, his paper has been featured in National Geographic, The New York Times, Popular Science, The Wall Street Journal, and many more. 

Mandela recently collaborated with him on a lead-free ammunition shooting demo in Livingston and they recorded this interview afterwards!

"Demographic implications of lead poisoning for eagles across North America" 



This paper published in Science, which was lead by Dr. Vince Slabe, is the first to show continent-wide demographic consequences of chronic lead poisoning on Bald and Golden Eagles. It was found that nearly half of studied eagles exhibited chronic lead poisoning, and that lead poisoning is a barrier to the growth of eagle populations across North America.

Vince is originally from central Illinois and graduated with a B.Sc. and M.Sc. from the University of Illinois. Shortly after, he travelled west and quickly developed a strong interest in bird research. Vince worked on multiple avian research and monitoring projects in California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Wyoming before completing a Ph.D. at West Virginia University in Forest Resources Science. Vince’s dissertation focused on lead poisoning of bald and golden eagles on a nationwide scale.

At CSG, Vince is focused on running non-lead ammunition programs and studying if the increased use of non-lead ammunition results in reductions of bald and golden eagle mortality. Additionally, he is working on a project studying movements of golden eagles in Alaska. Vince is a member of the Raptor Research Foundation, the Eastern Golden Eagle Working Group, and serves as an associate editor for the Journal of Raptor Research.

Vince and his family live in Montana. When not working, Vince enjoys spending time with his family, floating the river, birding, cross-country skiing, fishing, hunting, biking and listening to Chicago Cubs baseball. 

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This show was recorded on the veranda of a 130+ year old Victorian home near the salt marshes on the southern coast of Georgia. Featuring, Tim Keyes, an ornithologist and wildlife biologist for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Tim's focus is coastal non-game birds. 

Tim will elaborate deeply on how dinosaurs evolved into birds, physiological aspects of birds in terms of why they are able to fly & sometimes swim underwater. Tim talks about eggs & their various shapes and colors in terms of how they differ from species to species and why. In addition, Tim talks about bird's eye sight, feather makeup & we take an in depth look at massive migration and how birds are able to fly across oceans without stopping to destinations they have never been to before.

Did you know that birds use celestial navigation? The knowledge embedded in this show will blow your mind. 

*In order to keep the podcast ad free and in order to work towards financial independence, Mandela is asking folks to donate a few dollars each month via Patreon.com/TrailLessTraveled

Every donation helps. Thank you so much for helping to keep this podcast and our educational outreach programs available to everyone. 

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