Dr. Safina is one of those guys who is way nicer than he needs to be. As an ecologist and conservationist for over 40 years, the man has credentials. He’s won the Pew and Guggenheim Fellowships, book awards from Lannan, Orion, and the National Academies, and the John Burroughs, James Beard, and George Rabb medals.…

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In the recent episode of the podcast, I speak with Brian Pope of Lubee Bat Conservancy. Brian has been working with animals his entire life, and but joined Lubee and started working with bats full time in 2007.  I learned a lot speaking with Brian, mainly that bats love playing with toys and taking things…

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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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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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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 captivating me about her experiences diving with sharks, shark population trends, and of course, shark finning. I was enthralled. Stefanie has a story to tell. She…

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Dr Paul O'Donoghue

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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Palouse prairie under clouds

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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Craig Sholley of African Wildlife Foundation sitting with a baby elephant

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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Delaware Bay (Debbie) Oysters

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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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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