(Airdate: February 14, 2024) Please join Nature Now host Debaran Kelso as we dive once again into the fascinating world of humpback whales with Dr. Fred Sharpe! This week we will focus on the phenomenon of “bubble ring” formation, and what they might mean as a form of communication.
(Airdate: February 7, 2024) Mary Robson and Gary Bullock share experiences while observing nature, basing their thoughts on Rachel Carson’s essay A Sense of Wonder.
(Reprise airdate: January 25, 2024) Get the latest on efforts to restore the endangered Pinto Abalone populations in the Salish Sea with Nan Evans and Josh Bouma of the Puget Sound Restoration Fund. Plus, think about how conservation scientists design species recovery plans.
(Airdate: January 17, 2024) Please join Nature Now host Debaran Kelso as we explore the mysteries of the Universe with Dr. Fred Sharpe! Fred has been studying humpback whale social behavior for many years, and for the past decade has joined with SETI to think about intelligent life in the cosmos, and how understanding animal behavior in general, and whale vocalizations in particular, might serve as a model to understand messages from extrasolar planets far, far away…
(Airdate: January 10, 2024) Host Nan Evans talk with local “thalassophile” Nam Siu about his love for the ocean, his
work and adventures protecting marine life and ecosystems, and his artistic pursuits. Nam is a wizard of the traditional Japanese art of making fish impressions and at creating beautiful pressings of marine algae. His science inspires his art and, in turn, his art provides meaning for his science.
(Airdate: January 3, 2024) Nature Now hosts Debaran Kelso, Nan Evans, and Jackie Canterbury have a good time sharing their favorite recent natural history books. Join the fun and start your 2024 “to read” list. And, if listeners want to add their favorites, drop the team an email at [email protected].
(Airdate: December 27, 2023) Jackie Canterbury talks with Dr. Steve Hampton 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. Today the CBC occurs each year from December 14 through January 5 relying on volunteer birders. Audubon and other organizations use the 122 years of data to guide conservation efforts, including the greatest challenge of all, climate change. “There is nothing else like the CBC in terms of geographic coverage and time,” says Geoff LeBaron, Christmas Bird Count Director for the National Audubon Society. And none of it would happen without dedicated volunteers.
(Airdate: December 20, 2023) Thousands of crab pots go untended yearly in the Salish Sea; their release causes crab loss and ship damage. Nan Evans talks with Nathaniel Ashford about efforts of Port Townsend’s STEM Club (science, technology,engineering) to salvage those lost pots using robotics. This is part 2 of a two part show that first aired on September 27, 2023).
(Airdate: December 13, 2023) Please join Nature Now host Debaran Kelso as we explore the fascinating world of screech owls! Renowned ecologist Dr. Carl Safina is our guest, speaking about his most recent book Alfie & Me – What Owls Know, What Humans Believe, which describes his family’s raising of an orphaned Eastern Screech Owl and how this changed their lives.
(Airdate: December 6, 2023) Nan Evans talks with Jim Bodkin about what scientists have learned about otter ecology and conservation since they were nearly forced into extinction by fur hunters – specifically how important sea otters are to healthy, diverse and resilient ocean ecosystems. How do we know if and when the sea otters have been restored to pre-hunting conditions? Is there a relationship between climate change and healthy sea otter populations?
