Conservation
Gate One Travel Uganda: Review
For a couple that doesn’t make a big deal out of most things, our honeymoon was something that we were very focused on making special. We had both grown up idolizing conservationists like Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, and had always wanted to experience what they did first hand. Furthermore, after speaking to Craig Sholley…
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Uganda: Mountain Gorillas, Chimpanzees, and Soon…Rhinos
When thinking of romantic getaways, Uganda generally isn’t the destination that comes to mind to most people. It was, however, for us. The decision wasn’t particularly easy, however. There was Kimberly Endicott, the American tourist that was taken in April by Congolese terrorists, there were confirmed cases of ebola that had grown slowly but steadily,…
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Interview with Stefanie Brendl of Shark Allies
We talked late into the night, the California sun had long set behind her. We were connecting via Skype and were starting to wrap up, but Stefanie Brendl was blowing my mind about her experiences diving with sharks, shark population trends, and of course, shark finning. I was enthralled. Stefanie has a story to tell.…
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Interview with Dr. Paul O’Donoghue of Scottish Wildcat Haven
You could hear the excitement in his voice, nearly quivering as he was describing them, “they are just beautiful”. Immediately you understand that Dr. Paul O’Donoghue will do whatever it takes to save the rarest cat in the world, the Scottish Wildcat. But years ago, Paul didn’t even know that such a creature existed. “To…
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Interview with Ben Stone of The Phoenix Conservancy
Often times, the efforts of conservationists and those who rely on the land for farming and ranching are inherently at odds. However, of all the organizations that I have researched and talked to, the objective of The Phoenix Conservancy has seemed to best bridge the needs between the two sides. Their mission clearly states their…
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Interview with Craig Sholley of African Wildlife Foundation
It’s not every day that you can interview a personal hero, but luckily for me, today is one of those days. Craig Sholley had the life that many wilderness lovers and environmentalists dream of, and throughout his illustrious career, he has had unprecedented exposure with mountain gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Congo, and has…
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My Secret Quest To Be An Oyster Farmer
Aquaculture and conservation don’t necessarily go hand in hand. Fish farming, for example, can be quite detrimental to the environment if done improperly. So, when sustainable food and environmentalism meet it’s a big deal, and luckily for us, it’s in the form of something truly delicious—the oyster. Recently, I had the opportunity to volunteer at…
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Wildlife Trafficking and Terrorism
With the recent uproar around trophy hunting of lions and elephants, the spotlight has once again been put on big African game and their chances of species survival. Although the backlash against president Trump’s proposed lift of the ban is arguably justified, one-off poaching is far from the biggest threat facing these creatures today. Ivory…
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Trump, Trophy Hunting, and That One Time The President Didn’t Disappoint Us (Yet)
With sharply plummeting rhino populations, a decrease of one-third of total elephants in less than a decade (and many of those numbers from protected areas) and less than 20,000 lions left in the wild, African wildlife has recently found itself in unprecedented peril. But luckily turning things around should be a piece of cake. We…
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Insights from Environmental Science Journalist Mike Gaworecki
Readers of Don’t Forget Your Boots will know that we often struggle with finding positive environmental stories. Recently, I reached out to the most positive-and friendly-man in conservation, Mike Gaworecki, the Staff Writer and Editor at Mongabay.com, with burning questions from “how to get into wildlife conservation writing” to “are we all doomed under Trump”.…
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