The Wilderness and Wellness Podcast

Discussion with Wendolyn Bird, former outdoor preschool/summer camp director and nature-infused parenting coach. We talk about techniques for mindfully dealing with the difficult but rewarding task of parenting and how to infuse nature into our parenting journey and create mindful, helpful, and nature-connected children.

Connect with Wendolyn:
- https://wendolynbird.com

Book Recommendations:
- How to Calm a Tantrum in 17 Seconds: From Chaos to Calm: Discovering Nature’s Path to Peaceful Parenting (eBook), by: Wendolyn Bird

- Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans, by: Michaeleen Doucleff

- Rest, Play, Grow: Making Sense of Preschoolers (Or Anyone Who Acts Like One), by: Dr. Deborah MacNamara

- Trails, Tails & Tidepools in Pails, by: Docents of Nurserty Nature Walks

- Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature, by: Jon Young, Ellen Haas, & Evan McGown

Join me and co-host Fil Tkaczyk for a “proper yarn” with Tyson Yunkaporta about:

·      The idea of what it means to live within and through multiple associations, ideals, and ways of thinking.

·      Tyson’s indigenous and cultural roots.

·      How everything that is real about who we are is not necessarily only within ourselves, but within the connections of our relations.

·      What a “proper yarn” is and means.

·      Developing a relationship with place and society’s ideas of who should have a voice based on perceived identities and social fragmentation.

·      The idea of emergence for cultural change and tracking patterns.

·      How everything in the world is surrounded by sex and death.

Connect with Tyson:

Deakin University Faculty Profile

Book Recommendations:

Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World,  by: Tyson Yunkaporta

Connect with Fil:

[email protected]

Animism: Listening to the Land Podcast on Apple

Animism: Listening to the Land Podcast Facebook Page

Animism: Listening to the Land Podcast Instagram Page

A short episode discussing the lyrics of the song "Alie Nation" written by the late John Trudell and performed by the musical group "The Halluci Nation" (formerly "A Tribe Called Red"). I offer a personal interpretation of the lyrics, discussing the two different mindsets one may adopt, that of an indigenous way of thinking which may lead to healing, connection, and sacredness, or that of a post-modern western societal way of thinking which embraces separateness, numb, trauma, and materialism.

Alie Nation Youtube Video

Halluci Nation Article

Halluci Nation Article

John Trudell Wikipedia Page

In this eighth episode of my tracking series I had the fortune to catch up with avid hunter, tracker, and CyberTracker evaluator Brian McConnell. In our discussion we cover a lot of ground (pun intended). Brian fills us in on his background as a young man being taught by his dad how to hunt in the Arkansas woods, then learning intuitively to trail deer, and finally, later in life, connecting with a class offering formal training in tracking techniques which helped him refine his craft to the point of earning a specialist level on his second ever trailing evaluation, then becoming an evaluator shortly after. Brian shares his knowledge on:

·      How a trailing evaluation unfolds and what the evaluator is scoring the tracker on

·      How he uses tracking to inform and support his hunting activities, especially for deer and elk

·      Tells us some hunting stories, showcasing how 90% of the elk he takes are done so by trailing right to the animal

·      Gives us some practical tips on how to begin learning the art of trailing, especially for hunting purposes

Connect with Brian

https://trackercertification.com/evaluators/

Book Recommendations

Dersu the Trapper, by: V.K. Arseniev

The Jim Corbett Omnibus, by: Jim Corbett (Includes “Man-eaters of Kumaon”, “The Temple Tiger and More Man-eaters of Kumaon”, and “The Man-eating Leopard of Rudraprayag”)

In response to a question from a listener, I tell the story of where the coyote howl recording from my intro came from. It is a very special story, near and dear to my heart, and discusses my experience with a pair of coyotes while searching for a quality sit spot area.  Stick around after the outro music to hear a 5 minute sample of all the coyote vocalizations from the story.

In this Wilderness and Wellness “Short”, I introduce the inaugural episode for a new format that I plan to start releasing and delve into a passage from Eckhart Tolle's "Oneness With All Life". Based on Eckhart's teachings in this passage I discuss the way that the thinking mind perceives organic natural spaces as chaos, whereas the quiet mind of "being" perceives a sacred order. I offer commentary on the importance of the "being mind" while in nature to develop a participatory relationship with other living beings and garner the personal and planetary health and wellness benefits that will ensue.

Join me for a discussion with Dr. Doug Tallamy about a simple yet revolutionary way that we can save nature while building a relationship with it and gaining the health benefits of such an activity at the same time. With his extensive research background on the interactions of the plant and insect world, Dr. Tallamy skillfully teaches us:

·      The ecology of native vs. non-native plants and why maintaining native plants matters to the insect population.

·      how the health of the insect population is foundational for the health of the ecosystem, especially birds. 

·      Why it is important not just to protect places where people aren’t inhabiting, such as national parks and preserves, but to also maintain suitable habitat in the places people do inhabit. 

·      How we can cut our lawns in half to create a “Homegrown National Park” and shatter the almost universally accepted myth that humans and nature cannot coexist in the same areas. 

·      How to approach prohibitive homeowners’ associations to advocate for the planting of more native species.

·      The three historical missteps that modern western humans have made that have disconnected us from nature and helped to create the ecological crisis we now face.

·      Ideas for getting started creating your own “Homegrown National Park”.

Connect with Dr. Tallamy and “Homegrown National Park”:

Homegrown National Park Website

Dr. Tallamy’s Presentation to The National Wildlife Federation

Book Recommendations:

Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard, by: Douglas Tallamy

Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, Updated and Expanded, by: Douglas Tallamy

The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees , by: Douglas Tallamy (Available March 30, 2021)

Garden Revolution: How Our Landscapes Can Be a Source of Environmental Change, by: Larry Weaner & Thomas Christopher

Essential Native Trees and Shrubs for the Eastern United States: The Guide to Creating a Sustainable Landscape, by: Tony Dove & Ginger Woolridge

In this seventh episode of my tracking series I get out in the field with Bryon Lichtenhan of Sky Island Alliance to volunteer doing some work in gathering data for a border wall study that the conservation organization is conducting. In this journalistic style episode we learn from Bryon and the Executive Director of Sky Island Alliance, Louise Misztal, why wildlife migration corridors along the border are important, the threat that the looming border wall poses to these corridors, and how tracking supports SIA’s efforts in collecting data to bolster conservation work towards preserving the area and the migration corridors used by many species. You’ll also have an opportunity to learn tracking knowledge from Bryon and get a peek into the minds of trackers as Bryon and I attempt to decipher tracks and sign in real time. 

Connect with Sky Island Alliance

SIA Website

In this sixth episode of my tracking series I had the privilege to sit down and talk about bird language and animism with tracking author, instructor, and podcaster Filip Tkaczyk. Fil teaches us the intricacies of bird language, sharing foundational principles, stories, and examples of how we can tap into, and become a part of the communications of nature. The following topics, and more, are discussed:

-The art of bird language, what it is, how it works, and how we can learn the secrets of the landscape using it.

-The specifics of bird vocalizations and what they mean.

-How bird language fits into the art of tracking.

-A few stories from Fil and I about our experiences with bird language and interpreting the mechanics of what birds are saying with their vocalizations and behavior within those stories.

-Animism as it relates to communications in the natural world.

-The practice of interspecies honoring (species giving space to one another) and how we can practice honoring with other animals as a part of being in relationship with nature.

-The concept of reciprocity with the land as all species give and take and how this relates to humanity’s current state of relationship with the land.

-How to begin learning bird language and building reciprocity-based relationships with the natural world.

Connect with Fil:

[email protected]

Animism: Listening to the Land Podcast on Apple

Animism: Listening to the Land Podcast Facebook Page

Animism: Listening to the Land Podcast Instagram Page

Book Recommendations:

Track and Sign of Reptiles and Amphibians of North America by: Filip Tkaczyk

What the Robin Knows: How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World, by: Jon Young

Becoming Animal: An Earthly Cosmology, by: David Abrams

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, by: Robin Wall Kimmerer

Media Recommendations:

Merlin Bird ID App

In this fifth episode of my tracking series I had the privilege of discussing the topic of mantracking and its applications with European mantracking instructor Kyt Lyn Walken. Kyt and I delve into the many ways that mantracking can be utilized, from survival scenarios to anti-poaching operations and so much more. We talk about the differences and similarities between wildlife tracking and mantracking, some historical situations where mantracking has been employed, and some resources for people to begin learning the art of mantracking.

Connect with Kyt and “The Way of Tracking” Mantracking School:

The Way of Tracking Website

The Way of Tracking’s Facebook Page

The Way of Tracking’s Instagram Page

Kyt Lyn Walken’s YouTube Channel

Book Recommendations:

Tracking: A Blueprint for Learning How

Sign and the Art of Tracking: A Guide to Support Law Enforcement Tracking and Anti-Poaching Operations 

Booklist Link from Kyt’s Website (With many free downloads including the two books listed above)

Complete Guide to Tracking: Concealment, Night Movement, and All Forms of Pursuit Following Tracks, Trails and Signs, Using 22 SAS Techniques