(Airdate: March 11, 2026) Today we’re taking a fascinating dive into the tiny yet complex worlds of bees and birds. On the surface, these creatures couldn’t be more different – one flits through the air with delicate wings, the other buzzes industriously from flower to flower. But when it comes to brains and behavior, both are masters of their environments in surprising ways. Stay tuned as we uncover what makes these creatures’ brains tick and their behavior so remarkable.
(Reprise Airdate: March 4. 2026) Envision a bird – any bird. What do you first notice? The feathers, of course. But, what do you really know about those beautiful and amazingly variable structures? Join Nan Evans and Christie Lassen to explore feather forms and structures, colors and patterns, and the incredible usefulness and functions of feathers.
(Reprise airdate: February 25, 2026) Saving Ourselves and Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. Are we dimishing our lives of the senses? Nan Evans talks with special guest Richard Louv, author of many books examining the crucial connections between the natural world and human physical, mental, social and even cultural health. Richard Louv first developed the concept of a nature-deficit disorder in his 2005 book Last Child in the Woods. You will be inspired to get yourself and those you love outside to explore, play, watch and listen.
(Airdate: February 18, 2026) Join Jackie Canterbury as she talks with
Paul Koberstein, an award-winning environmental journalist and the
co-author of the book Canopy of Titans: The Life and Times of the
Great North American Temperate Rainforest. Join us today as we weave
together the relationship between salmon and our coastal temperate
rainforest. The Pacific Northwest was built on the relationship
between salmon and forests. The big takeaway: salmon don’t just swim
through our forest streams, salmon feed the forests, year after year,
century after century.
(Airdate: February 11, 2026) Debaran Kelso talks with Regina Johnson and Dan Dunphy about Monarch butterflies.
(Airdate: February 4. 2026) The bluffs of Fort Worden loom over any walks along North Beach. Lift your eyes away from the sea and up to the bluffs or across the waters. The geological stories of our area are laid out in front of you and on the horizon. Can you read or imagine those stories of deep past times and more recent glacial periods? Join Nan Evans as she talks with Tim Lawson, local Port Townsend geologist, to explore clues and knit the patterns together.
(Airdate: January 28, 2026) How can we act locally to protect special forest habitats while providing for sustainable forest harvests and supporting our local communities and economies? A tough prospect. Listen as Nan Evans explores specific efforts here in Jefferson County to do just this. Guests this week are County Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour and Malloree Weinheimer, owner of Chickadee Forestry.
(Airdate: January 21, 2026) Please join Nature Now this week as we review the remarkable life of pioneer/explorer James Swan, who lived and worked and recorded extensively in our area from 1859 to 1900. Host Debaran Kelso speaks with James Swan scholar Steve Ricketts at Swan’s burial site in the Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Townsend.
(Airdate: January 7, 2026) Happy New Year, listeners! The hosts of Nature Now, Jackie Canterbury, Nan Evans, and Debaran Kelso, start the year by sharing their favorite books about natural history. The conversation roams from bees to wolves, research to poetry, and beautiful photographs to whimsical illustrations. Laugh with them, listen to the awe and amazement they share, and find a new favorite book to read.
(Airdate: December 24, 2025 ) Jackie Canterbury talks with Dr. Steve Hampton with the local Rainshadow Bird Alliance, formerly Admiralty Audubon, about the oldest citizen science program of its kind, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count or CBC. The CBC began on Christmas Day 1900 as a way to count birds rather than shoot them as people began to become visibly concerned about declining bird populations. This year is the 126th year of the annual bird census. The Port Townsend CBC was recently held on December 20. The data is used to guide conservation efforts for birds, including the greatest challenges of all; habitat loss and climate change.
