Conservation Connection

This week we're continuing our Sitka, Alaska series with the Education Director of the Sitka Sound Science Center! Janet Clarke's job is to help connect the people and students of Sitka to the incredible research that's taking place in their backyards. She spearheads the SSSC's Scientists in the Schools unit, which brings a working scientist into every Sitka school classroom every single year and which has bolstered Sitka's science literacy rates way above the statewide average! Listen in as we discuss the programs that the Science Center is currently involved in, as well as the importance of programs like the Sitka WhaleFest celebration! Click here to learn more about our nonprofit: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com Click here to learn more about Sitka Whalefest: https://sitkawhalefest.org Click here to learn more about the Sitka Sound Science Center: https://www.sitkascience.org

Todd Tanner is the driver behind Conservation Hawks, a nonprofit group of hunters and anglers that are working to protect the environment. They're taking it upon themselves to identify and address the single biggest threat to our hunting & fishing activities: climate change. The more time a person spends outdoors the more they'll care for the health of our planet, and who spends more time outdoors than hunters and anglers? Listen in to hear about the waves that Todd Tanner and Conservation Hawks are making in the world of environmental protection! Click here to learn more about Conservation Hawks: https://www.conservationhawks.org Click here to learn more about our nonprofit: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com

To kick off Season 2 of Conservation Connection, we're starting with our first ever husband and wife team, Keisha Bahr and Danny Coffey! Keisha is a coral researcher who has been examining the causes and effects of the global phenomenon called coral bleaching, and Danny investigates the movement patterns of large pelagic fish and sharks with advanced wildlife tagging technology. We caught up with this duo at Sitka WhaleFest 2019 in Sitka, Alaska, where Keisha was presenting her research to ocean-loving members of the public. Listen in to hear about their journeys from high-schooler to researcher, their current work, and their favorite moments from the field! Click here to learn more about our nonprofit: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com Click here to learn more about Sitka Whalefest: https://sitkawhalefest.org Click here to learn more about the Sitka Sound Science Center: https://www.sitkascience.org

Glenn Prickett is the mastermind behind Rock Creek Strategies, a consulting firm that "helps companies, investors, and organizations incorporate the value of nature in economic development". So what does that mean? It means that Glenn crunches the numbers to find ways for businesses to help protect nature AND their bottom line at the same time! Need to remove carbon pollution that your factory is producing? Well you could pay to install carbon scrubbers on the top of your smoke stacks, or you could protect native forests that provide the same amount of carbon pollution removal! When you take into account all the economic value that nature provides, you realize that it makes financial sense to protect our planet.  Click here to learn more about Rock Creek Strategies, LLC: https://www.rockcreekstrat.com Click here to learn more about our nonprofit: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com

Sarah and Daniel sit down with us at SeaWorld's Park to Planet Weekend to describe the ways in which they are inspiring the next generation to care about aquatic systems and the environment. These two incredibly passionate educators go above and beyond for their students, exposing them to real world aquatic systems and the ways in which every day choices impact them. Listen in to discover why their aquatic science program has doubled in size in just four years!

Don Hartsell, the first commissioner of the World Air League and a member of The Explorer's Club, is promoting energy efficient cargo transportation by organizing a world first: an airship race around the globe! Harkening back to the days of new frontiers and untested technology, the World Air League is organizing an eighteen-leg circumnavigation race where the vessels competing are lighter-than-air crafts that float across the sky with minimal energy consumption. This is the first time in human history that an airship race has sought to circle the globe, and the organizers are hoping to use it to bring attention to possible solutions that greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with cargo transportation! With an incredible story to tell and the passion to tell it, Don Hartsell will have you wondering why airship cargo transport isn't commonplace today.  If you'd like to learn more about the World Sky Race, visit their website! http://www.worldskyrace.com

David Marquis is an activist, writer, political powerhouse, and all around renaissance man with a burning passion for creating lasting environmental change. We sat down with him at EarthX in Dallas to discuss his goals for the city over the next few decades, including the ways that Dallas needs to respond in order to conserve the largest urban forest in America and the Trinity Watershed that serves half the population of the Lone Star State.  His goal is to take the energy of activist movements and carry it "beyond the march" by implementing lasting changes to city ordinances and institutional policy that will protect the environment for years to come! He also stressed that each person has a role to play in this movement: no matter what you do you can do it green! If you'd like to learn more about the venture capital firm mentioned in this episode, click here to listen to episode 009! Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode: "We’ve got to ask how do we move people around, not how

Underwater robots searching for deep sea coral, algae-loving bacteria that might solve wastewater problems, and an invasive seaweed that is shifting ecosystems and bringing bacterial hitchhikers; quite a broad range for undergraduate research! Lilia, Pressley, Ana, and Jordan are three undergraduates from across the country participating in the Fort Johnson REU program this summer, and they sit down with the Conservation Connection team to share their experiences and discoveries. Not only are these undergrads pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding in their topics, they're practicing valuable skills in science communication that they'll need for the rest of their careers as researchers! Communicating science to other researchers is one thing, but helping the public understand why their research matters is a different skill set entirely. Want to read more about their work this summer? Check out the Fort Johnson REU Blog: https://blogreu.wordpress.com

The Hansen name was made famous when Mark Victor Hansen co-created the best selling book series Chicken Soup For the Soul, and he and his family are using their success to make this planet a better place! We sit down for a mini episode with the team that's pushing to make water-purifying technology available across the globe. Powered by table salt and a tiny solar panel, this device can fit in a pocket and purify up to 10 gallons of water a day!  Listen in to hear all about its development and how it can save lives. Check out these links to learn more:  metamorphosisenergy.us https://ecoworldtechnologies.com Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode! "I wanted to be involved in something that was game-changing and positive for the world so I became a part of Metamorphosis Energy." -Preston Weekes "9000 people die a day from drinking contaminated water. 5000 of those are children." -Crystal Hansen "You can disinfect this water with no power, no resources. You can do it anywhere in the

Intersex snails with a story to tell, dead shrimp that are validating a mathematical model, and the hidden dangers of oceanic micro-plastics; quite a broad range for undergraduate research! Sam, Carolina, and Kelsey are three undergraduates from across the country participating in the Fort Johnson REU program this summer, and they sit down with the Conservation Connection team to share their experiences and discoveries. Not only are these undergrads pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding in their topics, they're practicing valuable skills in science communication that they'll need for the rest of their careers as researchers! Communicating science to other researchers is one thing, but helping the public understand why their research matters is a different skill set entirely. Want to read more about their work this summer? Check out the Fort Johnson REU Blog: https://blogreu.wordpress.com

Extremophile bacteria affecting clouds, disappearing crocodiles, and an epidemic affecting wild sea lions; quite a broad range for undergraduate research! Jackson, Jules, and Katherine are three undergraduates from across the country participating in the Fort Johnson REU program this summer, and they sit down with the Conservation Connection team to share their experiences and discoveries.   Not only are these undergrads pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding in their topics, they're practicing valuable skills in science communication that they'll need for the rest of their careers as researchers! Communicating science to other researchers is one thing, but helping the public understand why their research matters is a different skill set entirely.  Want to read more about their work this summer? Check out the Fort Johnson REU Blog: https://blogreu.wordpress.com

Charley and Aislinn are two of the founding members of Heirs to Our Oceans, a global youth organization that is working to inspire kids to learn about and protect oceans and waterways for future generations. Did we mention they are only 15 and 13? Yep, these teens aren't just sitting back and waiting, they're taking action today to protect their own futures! With chapters from Kentucky to Palau, this nonprofit is building up steam to be a major player in the fight to protect our planet! Listen in to hear how they got started, how you can help, and how YOU can join the movement.  To visit their website, click here: www.heirstoouroceans.com To see the latest news from Heirs to Our Oceans, visit their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/heirstoouroceans To see even more Heirs news, check out their instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heirstoouroceans/ Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode! “I’m focusing more on ocean legislation and policy which is a bit different from other kids' foc

We're kicking off our first mini-series by bringing Dr. Bob Podolsky back on the show! He's the director of both the Grice Marine Lab and the Fort Johnson REU Program, and he's sitting down with his colleague Dr. Heather Fullerton to describe the incredible opportunities they make available to undergraduate students every summer. These students get ten weeks to pursue original research, allowing them to experience the life of a professional researcher while honing skills they'll need in their future careers.  Every Sunday for the next three weeks we'll be posting an episode that highlights these students' research and their experience in Charleston during this field season, so be sure to tune in next weekend! If you'd like to learn more about the College of Charleston REU Program, click here: http://reu.cofc.edu If you'd like to check out their Instagram, click here: https://www.instagram.com/cofcbiology/?hl=en If you'd like to check out their Facebook, click here: https://www.facebook.com/cof

Heidi Whitehead is the Executive Director of the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, and has helped countless marine mammals in need over the course of her career. Listen in to hear about TMMSN's partnership with SeaWorld and how their "time capsule" of resources is advancing the field of marine mammal medicine and rehabilitation all over the world!  She also shares wild stories of rescuing animals in the wake of devastating hurricanes. To learn more about the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, click here: http://www.dolphinrescue.org To see the latest news from the TMMSN, visit their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/tmmsn.dolphin.rescue Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode! “We look at every animal that comes in as an opportunity to help future animals that strand.” “It’s not all just playing with dolphins in a pool; when you’re dealing with rescue and rehabilitation specifically you’re not dealing with healthy animals.” “Several years ago we formalized the partner

Dr. Slattery is the Director of the Institute for Environmental Studies at Texas Christian University, and he and his students are making waves all over the field of ecology! Listen in to hear more about TCU's research station in the Cloud Forests of Costa Rica, where it's not precipitation but the clouds themselves that feed the hydrologic cycle. We also discuss the plight of the South African Rhino, possible solutions to the problem, and the incredibly complex issue of wildlife poaching.  To learn more about TCU's Environmental Studies program, click here:  https://environment.tcu.edu/  To learn more about rhinos in South Africa, click here:  https://planetrhino.tcu.edu/  Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode! "If you’re dealing with difficult environmental issues, you need a broad range of perspectives." "I think it’s not overstating the case to say that within a decade or two we’re looking at [rhinos] being gone unless we solve this problem." "When someone in t

Museums are illuminating places, and no one knows that better than Kirk Johnson, the Sant Director of the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institute. He believes that museums are the last bastions of the real thing: one of the only places left where you can come face-to-face with an authentic artifact and experience it first hand. Listen in as Chance and Sarah Kathryn talk with Kirk about his experience as the Director over the last few years; everything from innovative technology to the magical surprises that come with working at a world class museum of natural history.  Do you know what animal is the closest living relative to a bear? Or how many squirrel specimens can be found in the National Squirrel Collection? Kirk shares these tidbits and more!  If you're in the DC area, check out the new exhibit "Deep Time" opening this Saturday, June 8th 2019! It's more than a fossil room, it tells the story of life on our planet from the earliest organisms to modern day, and continue

The world's coral reefs are in crisis and dying off at an alarming rate, but conservationists are working day and night to protect them! Meet Guyon Brenna and Zoë Ward, two members of Reef Life Foundation ( https://www.reeflifefoundation.org/post/last-chance-endeavors) who are doing just that. Reef Life Foundation and its partners have developed a brand new material (Oceanite) that they're using to build artificial reefs, and are applying the cutting edge science of coral micro-fragmentation to grow corals up to 50 times faster than they would out in the wild! Click here to purchase a bracelet and plant a coral:  https://www.reeflifefoundation.org/shop  Click here to see Oceanite and a micro-fragmentation disk:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YITW3s63b1c  Click here to watch a video about their test sites in St. Maarten:  https://vimeo.com/325568580  Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode: "The rate at which we can get coral to grow... is unlike anything we'

If you thought that all conservationists are scientists and forest rangers, think again. Cassie Bowe and Bethany Gorham, two key members of Energy Impact Partners, sit down with us at EarthX 2019 to discuss how the world of venture capital and conservation go hand in hand. EIP is the link connecting energy utility investors to innovative green energy start-ups that are propelling the energy field to new heights!  Listen in to learn how EIP makes a difference for the planet through intentional investments! Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode: "This day and age, you don't have to choose between caring about climate and making a profit... that IS the way you make profit these days." -Cassie Bowe, Energy Impact Partners "Where are we investing? In any technology relevant to the convergence of the energy system towards a de-carbonized, electrified, and de-centralized future." -Bethany Gorham, Energy Impact Partners "In terms of the types of checks we write, it's usually 10-30 million do

National Audubon Society is known worldwide as a leader in bird conservation, and for good reason. Listen in to hear David Yarnold describe the steps that Audubon is taking to reach the next generation of conservation leaders through their brand new Campus Chapters program!  With as much diversity as birds bring to our planet it's no surprise that they're facing an equally diverse set of threats, but the biggest of them all is climate change. As the environment changes, species of birds that we hold dear to our hearts are being pushed out of their historic ranges. Check out THIS LINK to see what scientists predict will happen to your favorite species (try looking at the Common Loon!).   Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode:  "The biggest threat to birds is the biggest threat to the planet, which is climate change." -David Yarnold  "By 2080 nearly half of America's [bird] species could lose more than 50% of their range. Is extinction likey for some of those specie

Dr. Bob Podolsky is the director of the Grice Marine Laboratory at the College of Charleston, and has spent his career working to unlock the secrets of the early life stages of marine invertebrates. He's on the front lines of ocean acidification, fighting every day to understand the ways in which changing oceans are putting the foundation of important marine food webs in peril. The gametes and larvae of your favorite marine organisms (sea stars anyone?) live in an alien world where minor changes in water temperature and chemistry can have massive effects on their survival, and no one knows more about this than Dr. Podolsky himself!  Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode:   "When you have a situation of low genetic variability, you have a situation where it’s going to be hard for those populations to respond to future changes in pH." - Dr. Bob Podolsky  "Even though echinoderms seem inconsequential to human populations, their larval forms are parts of food webs that supp