September 30, 2020

Bill Michalek

art, birds, conservation, conservation careers, environmental careers, Environmental Studies, field guides, natural history, nature, Roger Tory Peterson

Ep. 47 - Field Trip!: Exploring the Roger Tory Peterson Institute (Part 2)

September 30, 2020

Bill Michalek

art, birds, conservation, conservation careers, environmental careers, Environmental Studies, field guides, natural history, nature, Roger Tory Peterson

Ep. 47 - Field Trip!: Exploring the Roger Tory Peterson Institute (Part 2)

Welcome to part 2 of our field trip to the Roger Tory Peterson Institute. In this segment, Bill and Steve take a hike with Twan Leenders, Senior Director of Science & Conservation at the Institute. Twan has had a career in conservation that deserves to be made into a movie. From researching wildlife in the treetops of Central American rainforests to corralling ornery spiny softshell turtles in post-industrial rivers, Twan’s stories, as well as his personal philosophy on science communication, make for a fascinating listen. Enjoy!

February 19, 2019

Bill Michalek

Ecology, Environmental Studies, natural history, nature, winter ecology, climate change

Ep. 35 - The Receding Hare Line (and More Snow-related Science)

February 19, 2019

Bill Michalek

Ecology, Environmental Studies, natural history, nature, winter ecology, climate change

Ep. 35 - The Receding Hare Line (and More Snow-related Science)

It’s Snow-and-Tell time! We’re deep into winter right now, and spring seems snow far away. So, we decided to embrace the season and look into recent research around a topic that would be sure to provide plenty of puns for this write-up: SNOW! We delve into recent studies about how much snow actually falls on North America, if the indigenous peoples of the north really have 100 words for snow, how climate change is affecting snowfall levels, and how those changes impact Snowshoe Hare populations (Lepus americanus) . Plus, in honor of Darwin Day, Steve insults the father of natural selection. All this, plus, we follow up on last episode’s cliffhanger, filling you in on the results of Bill’s Lyme disease test. Enjoy!

July 25, 2018

Bill Michalek

Botany, natural history, nature

Bonus 07 - Wild Ideas...The Podcast (Feat. Gordon Maupin)

July 25, 2018

Bill Michalek

Botany, natural history, nature

Bonus 07 - Wild Ideas...The Podcast (Feat. Gordon Maupin)

During this bonus episode, Bill interviews Gordon Maupin, former director of the Wilderness Center in northeastern Ohio and, along with Joann Ballbach and Gary Popotnik, the former host of "Wild Ideas...The Podcast".

"Wild Ideas" was (and is) an excellent resource for information on natural history and it was a strong influence on our decision to start our own podcast after it ended in November 2014- less than a year before we released the first episode of The Field Guides.

Enjoy the episode and "...as always, all you moms and dads, make sure your children get outside. Always great to let them go out there and roll over a log, turn over a rock. Make sure they get wet, muddy, and dirty, Just make sure they get outside and play."