Rewilding Earth Podcast

About Renee Renee Seacor is an interdisciplinary environmental advocate with a background in wildlife ecology and environmental law and policy who has dedicated her professional career to using science-based advocacy to guide and develop policy solutions to challenging conservation issues. She currently serves as the Carnivore Conservation Advocate for Project Coyote and The Rewilding Institute, where she advocates for the conservation of carnivores and wild nature through rewilding and science-driven advocacy. Renee grew up in the beautiful Hudson Valley region in New York, where she developed her deep appreciation for nature and wildlife. She followed her love for wild landscapes out west and spent over ten years exploring and living in the beautiful states of Montana and Oregon. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science from Rocky Mountain College in Montana and a J.D. with a concentration in environmental law from the University of Oregon School of Law. It was in learning and connecting to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem where she developed a deep passion and understanding of the necessity of carnivores in the landscape. She spent a season studying winter ecology dynamics in Yellowstone National Park, observing the Park’s wolf packs, and learning firsthand the ecological importance of carnivores in the landscape. She also conducted historical research on the extirpation of wolves from the landscape, documenting and analyzing predator bounty certificates from livestock commission records across the state of Montana. In addition, she worked on numerous wildlife research studies in the Yellowstone River ecosystem, specifically studying the health of Osprey nesting in the region. These research experiences were foundational in inspiring her advocacy for policy solutions protecting wild carnivores and fostering coexistence between humans and wildlife. [Read more about Renee…] Topics * To Infinity and Beyond I-40! How artificial boundaries are of no interest to carnivores who need to roam. * How one Mexican Wolf (Lobo) is moving north, the obstacles he faces, and what advocates like Renee are doing to help provide safe passage as Mexican Wolves seek mates and territory. * The historical range of wolves along the spine of the continent and what the future might hold for our beloved Lobos. Extra Credit * Check out this cool map where you can track general whereabouts of the Mexican Wolves who are wearing GPC collars. * Project Coyote Action Alert: Mexican Wolves Are Under Attack! * Visit Project Coyote and learn more about their great work on carnivore protection. * Meet the kids who named Infinity and 23 other wolf pups in 2020. Click here to support the Rewilding Institute’s efforts to protect carnivores in the Mogollon Rim region, including Infinity and his friends!   About Renee Renee Seacor is an interdisciplinary environmental advocate with a background in wildlife ecology and environmental law and policy who has dedicated her professional career to using science-based advocacy to guide and develop policy solutions to challenging conservation issues. She currently serves as the Carnivore Conservation Advocate for Project Coyote and The Rewilding Institute, where she advocates for the conservation of carnivores and wild nature through rewilding and ...

About Bethanie Walder joined the Society for Ecological Restoration as Executive Director in September 2015 and has more than 20 years’ experience in environmental conservation, restoration and education. Prior to joining the SER, Bethanie served as the Executive Director of Wildlands CPR, where she oversaw several highly successful conservation and restoration campaigns. Today she is responsible for helping guide SER’s overall work to achieve its mission of advancing the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration. Bethanie has an undergraduate degree in Political Science and International Studies from Duke University and a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana. She lives, works, and plays in Missoula, Montana. Topics * Really big restoration projects * Really small restoration projects * Tree planting or ecosystem restoration? * What you can do to help: Make a Difference Week! * Why it’s not just corporations on the hook. Our collective impact is immense and important. Extra Credit Reading * Check out the latest issue of Biohabitats’ free publication, Leaf Litter. Which of the plethora of tree-growing projects to support? * Learn more about Biohabitats’ Redhorse Bend Nature Preserve restoration project * Make A Difference Week 2021 results. (PDF) Visit * Register your project at Make a Difference Week! * Visit the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) * Visit the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration website Episode 90 Transcript (PDF)     About Bethanie Walder joined the Society for Ecological Restoration as Executive Director in September 2015 and has more than 20 years’ experience in environmental conservation, restoration and education. Prior to joining the SER, Bethanie served as the Executive Director of Wildlands CPR, where she oversaw several highly successful conservation and restoration campaigns. Today she is responsible for helping guide SER’s overall work to achieve its mission of advancing the science, practice and policy of ecological restoration. Bethanie has an undergraduate degree in Political Science and International Studies from Duke University and a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana. She lives, works, and plays in Missoula, Montana. Topics * Really big restoration projects * Really small restoration projects * Tree planting or ecosystem restoration? * What you can do to help: Make a Difference Week! * Why it’s not just corporations on the hook. Our collective impact is immense and important. Extra Credit Reading * Check out the latest issue of Biohabitats’ free publication, 

About Fran is an interdisciplinary researcher and nature advocate with over a decade’s experience in conservation and animal science, ethics and policy issues. He is the Big River Connectivity Science and Conservation Manager for Project Coyote and The Rewilding Institute, where he helps promote compassion and respect for wild carnivores and nature, their protection, and the rewilding of the Mississippi River Watershed. His work explores the application of nature ethics to our mixed-community of humans, animals and nature, with a focus on the promotion of worldviews rooted in an ethic of care and justice towards nonhumans, and a reverence for life. He is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico – Río Piedras (BA, Political Science and Economics), Duke University (Masters in Public Policy and Environmental Management), and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (PhD, Environment & Resources). He has worked on a variety of environmental and conservation issues, from state wildlife management to national and international impact assessments. Topics * Compassion and Coexistence * Mitigating harmful impacts on the land to promote connectivity throughout the watershed * What it’s like working on rewilding at “ground zero” in the lower 48 * How to do cores, corridors in radically developed landscapes Extra Credit Reading * Science and Ethics Agree: Coexistence Must Replace Killing Wolves Part 1 * Science and Ethics Agree: Coexistence Must Replace Killing Wolves Part 2 Big River Connectivity * Learn more about Big River Connectivity * BRC project on Project Coyote’s site Webinar – Science and Ethics Agree: Coexistence Must Replace Killing Wolves About Fran is an interdisciplinary researcher and nature advocate with over a decade’s experience in conservation and animal science, ethics and policy issues. He is the Big River Connectivity Science and Conservation Manager for Project Coyote and The Rewilding Institute, where he helps promote compassion and respect for wild carnivores and nature, their protection, and the rewilding of the Mississippi River Watershed. His work explores the application of nature ethics to our mixed-community of humans, animals and nature, with a focus on the promotion of worldviews rooted in an ethic of care and justice towards nonhumans, and a reverence for life. He is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico – Río Piedras (BA, Political Science and Economics), Duke University (Masters in Public Policy and Environmental Management), and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (PhD, Environment & Resources). He has worked on a variety of environmental and conservation issues, from state wildlife management to national and international impact assessments. Topics * Compassion and Coexistence * Mitigating harmful impacts on the land to promote connectivity throughout the watershed * What it’s like working on rewilding at “ground zero” in the lower 48 * How to do cores, corridors in radically developed landscapes Extra Credit Reading

Welcome to a special Earth Day episode of the Rewilding Earth Podcast! About Cara Nelson is a Professor of Restoration Ecology and the Chair of the Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences at the University of Montana’s W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation and a leader of the Restoration Thematic Group of the IUCN’s Commission on Ecosystem Management. Cara has helped develop the guiding principles for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and she contributed to the paper, “Guiding principles for rewilding,” which appeared in Conservation Biology. Topics * Are the terms ecosystem and ecological restoration the same? * The relationship between rewilding and restoration. * Concrete accomplishments so far on the UN Decade. * Key challenges for successful implementation of the UN Decade. * Why principles and standards of practice are needed. Extra Credit * Check out the latest issue of Biohabitats’ free publication, Leaf Litter. * Visit the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration website * Learn more about Biohabitats’ Beaver Creek Restoration project * Download “Principles for Ecosystem Restoration To Guide the United Nations Decade 2021-2030“ * Read “Guiding Principles for Rewilding” at Society for Conservation Biology Welcome to a special Earth Day episode of the Rewilding Earth Podcast! About Cara Nelson is a Professor of Restoration Ecology and the Chair of the Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences at the University of Montana’s W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation and a leader of the Restoration Thematic Group of the 

About Brad Meiklejohn is a member of the Rewilding Institute Leadership Council, and he is currently Senior Alaska Representative for The Conservation Fund, where he has worked since 1994. Brad has directed hundreds of conservation projects protecting over 500,000 acres of wild land in Alaska, and he recently completed a major dam removal project on Alaska’s Eklutna River. Brad was successful in removing cows from 200,000 acres in Nevada’s Great Basin National Park and he is working on constructing wildlife highway crossings in New Hampshire. Brad served as President of the Patagonia Land Trust, as President of the American Packrafting Association, as Associate Director of the Utah Avalanche Center, and as a board director of The Murie Center. Brad is a birder and wilderness explorer, and he recently published The Wild Trails, a book that is part memoir, part conservation polemic, and part Buddhist training manual. Rewilding Earth Podcast listeners keen to have their own copy of Brad’s book can email him at br************@ao*.com. Or you can get the book straight from us: Until our supply runs out, TRI will send donors of $100 or more a signed copy of The Wild Trails as a thank you for your generous donation. Topics * Ecological amnesia and how it hinders conservation efforts * Reverse wildlands network design * Deadbeat dams * Touching the third rail of conservation: Overpopulation * Reciprocity, restrain, respect * An incredibly important set of tips from Brad on taking care of yourself. Extra Credit Visit The Conservation Fund to learn more about Brad’s work there. Read Brad’s latest articles, including excerpts from his wonderful new book “The Wild Trails.” The emperor goose (Anser canagicus), also known as the beach goose or the painted goose, is a waterfowl species in the family Anatidae, which contains the ducks, geese, and swans. It is blue-gray in color as an adult and grows to 66–71 centimeters (26–28 in) in length. Adults have a black chin and throat, a pink bill, yellow-orange legs, and a white head, which often turns reddish-brown in summer. In the winter, the emperor goose lives in mudflats and coasts in Alaska and occasionally Canada and the contiguous United States. [More at Wikipedia] About Brad Meiklejohn is a member of the Rewilding Institute Leadership Council, and he is currently Senior Alaska Representative for The Conservation Fund, where he has worked since 1994. Brad has directed hundreds of conservation projects protecting over 500,000 acres of wild land in Alaska, and he recently completed a major dam removal project on Alaska’s Eklutna River. Brad was successful in removing cows from 200,000 acres in Nevada’s Great Basin National Park and he is working on constructing wildlife highway crossings in New Hampshire. Brad served as President of the Patagonia Land Trust,

Nicole Rosmarino, Ph.D. co-founded the Southern Plains Land Trust (SPLT) in 1998 and has served as its Executive Director since 2011. In her work for SPLT, she is striving to create large shortgrass prairie wildlife refuges that emulate the “American Serengeti” that once occurred in the Great Plains. Dr. Daniel Kinka is American Prairie Reserve’s Wildlife Restoration Manager. His primary responsibilities include restoring and monitoring wildlife on the Reserve and managing the wildlife-friendly ranching program “Wild Sky.” He also acts as a liaison to scientists conducting research at American Prairie, other non-governmental organizations, agencies, and other external entities. Topics * Hard vs soft rewilding * Wildlands philanthropy * Coexistence and tolerance as a key factor in the density of wildlife on the Great Plains * The big vision and how we can bring back the American Serengeti Extra Credit Visit and support these great organizations! * Southern Plains Land Trust * American Prairie * Listen to Nicole in Episode 15: Nicole Rosmarino on Rewilding The American Serengeti * Listen to Daniel in Episode 76: American Prairie Reserve – Big Rewilding On America’s Northern Great Plains American Prairie Current Land Map Nicole Rosmarino, Ph.D. co-founded the Southern Plains Land Trust (SPLT) in 1998 and has served as its Executive Director since 2011. In her work for SPLT, she is striving to create large shortgrass prairie wildlife refuges that emulate the “American Serengeti” that once occurred in the Great Plains. Dr. Daniel Kinka is American Prairie Reserve’s Wildlife Restoration Manager. His primary responsibilities include restoring and monitoring wildlife on the Reserve and managing the wildlife-friendly ranching program “Wild Sky.” He also acts as a liaison to scientists conducting research at American Prairie, other non-governmental organizations, agencies, and other external entities. Topics * Hard vs soft rewilding * Wildlands philanthropy * Coexistence and tolerance as a key factor in the density of wildlife on the Great Plains * The big vision and how we can bring back the American Serengeti Extra Credit Visit and support these great organizations! * Southern Plains Land Trust * American Prairie * Listen to Nicole in Episode 15: Nicole Rosmarino on Rewilding The American Serengeti * Listen to Daniel in Episode 76: American Prairie Reserve – Big Rewilding On America’s Northern Great Plains American Prairie Current Land Map

About Chad Hanson co-founded the John Muir Project in 1996. He first became involved in national forest protection after hiking the 2,700-mile length of the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada with his older brother in 1989. During this hike he witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by rampant commercial logging on our National Forests in California, Oregon and Washington. Chad finished his Bachelor of Science degree from UCLA after completing the Pacific Crest Trail and then attended law school at the University of Oregon, during which time he also began his career as an environmental advocate working for Native Forest Council and volunteering for the Sierra Club. Chad earned his law degree in 1995, and started the John Muir Project shortly thereafter. In 2003 Chad returned to school, and earned his Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of California at Davis in 2007, with a research focus on forest and fire ecology and the rare wildlife species that depend upon post-fire habitat in forests of the Sierra Nevada and elsewhere in the western U.S.. He has published an impressive list of scientific research papers on forest and fire ecology, wildlife use of burned forest and fire history and trend. Chad is the author of Smokescreen: Debunking Wildfire Myths to Save Our Forests and Our Climate Topics * Debunking the myths around forest health, fire ecology, and “restoration” projects used by the Forest Service to distract from commercial logging. * How over 50% of climate mitigation can be achieved by rewilding, protecting, and restoring forests and grasslands. * Getting the Forest Service out of the commercial logging business once and for all. * How you can help! Extra Credit * Support the John Muir Project * Read “Smokescreen: Debunking Wildfire Myths to Save Our Forests and Our Climate“ About Chad Hanson co-founded the John Muir Project in 1996. He first became involved in national forest protection after hiking the 2,700-mile length of the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada with his older brother in 1989. During this hike he witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by rampant commercial logging on our National Forests in California, Oregon and Washington. Chad finished his Bachelor of Science degree from UCLA after completing the Pacific Crest Trail and then attended law school at the University of Oregon, during which time he also began his career as an environmental advocate working for Native Forest Council and volunteering for the Sierra Club. Chad earned his law degree in 1995, and started the John Muir Project shortly thereafter. In 2003 Chad returned to school, and earned his Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of California at Davis in 2007, with a research focus on forest and fire ecology and the rare wildlife species that depend upon post-fire habitat in forests of the Sierra Nevada and elsewhere in the western U.S.. He has published an impressive list of scientific research papers on forest and fire ecology, wildlife use of burned forest and fire history and trend. Chad is the author of Smokescreen: Debunking Wildfire Myths to Save Our Forests and Our Climate Topics * Debunking the myths around forest health, fire ecology,

About John Davis is executive director of The Rewilding Institute and editor of Rewilding Earth. For Rewilding, he serves as a wildways scout, editor, interviewer, and writer. He rounds out his living with conservation field work, particularly within New York’s Adirondack Park, where he lives. John serves on boards of RESTORE: The North Woods, Eddy Foundation, Champlain Area Trails, Cougar Rewilding Foundation, and Algonquin to Adirondack Conservation Collaborative. You can read more about John’s epic journey “Trek West” in 2013, hiking, biking, and floating along the Spine of the Continent from Mexico to British Columbia to promote a Western Wildway. A big chunk of which we are talking about with John today. Topics * The proposed Mogollon Wildway boundaries * Protections already in place * The “Lobo Trail” initiative * Wildlife overpasses and underpasses * The Mogollon Wildway coalition Extra Credit * MOGOLLON WILDWAY Ramble FIELD NOTES from Autumn 2018 Scouting * The Mogollon Wildlife Corridor: A Big Step Toward Half Earth and Beyond -Kim Crumbo * The Mogollon Wildlife Corridor campaign page * What is Rewilding? About John Davis is executive director of The Rewilding Institute and editor of Rewilding Earth. For Rewilding, he serves as a wildways scout, editor, interviewer, and writer. He rounds out his living with conservation field work, particularly within New York’s Adirondack Park, where he lives. John serves on boards of RESTORE: The North Woods, Eddy Foundation, Champlain Area Trails, Cougar Rewilding Foundation, and Algonquin to Adirondack Conservation Collaborative. You can read more about John’s epic journey “Trek West” in 2013, hiking, biking, and floating along the Spine of the Continent from Mexico to British Columbia to promote a Western Wildway. A big chunk of which we are talking about with John today. Topics * The proposed Mogollon Wildway boundaries * Protections already in place * The “Lobo Trail” initiative * Wildlife overpasses and underpasses * The Mogollon Wildway coalition Extra Credit * MOGOLLON WILDWAY Ramble FIELD NOTES from Autumn 2018 Scouting * The Mogollon Wildlife Corridor: A Big Step Toward Half Earth and Beyond -Kim Crumbo * The Mogollon Wildlife Corridor campaign page * What is Rewilding?

About Kelly Borgmann grew up on a historic farm in rural east-central Indiana. Spending her days playing in the woods and taking care of the land gave her a deep appreciation of nature, while participating in 4-H and FFA taught her how to be a productive member of rural and agricultural communities. Following her passion for wild nature, Kelly earned an undergraduate degree in Wildlife Biology from Ball State University. She then spent the next several years travelling and has spent time working as a field guide in South Africa, a human-manatee interactions researcher for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Florida, a National Park Service cowgirl in Montana, and a conservation educator in Ohio. And now she is part of the Rewilding Institute and Project Coyote team working on our new rewilding and carnivore coexistence program in the Mississippi River Watershed. Topics * Rewilding challenges in states like Iowa * How farmers view carnivore coexistence * A 9 million acre rewilding opportunity without disturbing prime farmland operations Extra Credit Learn more about Big River Connectivity BRC project on Project Coyote’s site About Kelly Borgmann grew up on a historic farm in rural east-central Indiana. Spending her days playing in the woods and taking care of the land gave her a deep appreciation of nature, while participating in 4-H and FFA taught her how to be a productive member of rural and agricultural communities. Following her passion for wild nature, Kelly earned an undergraduate degree in Wildlife Biology from Ball State University. She then spent the next several years travelling and has spent time working as a field guide in South Africa, a human-manatee interactions researcher for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Florida, a National Park Service cowgirl in Montana, and a conservation educator in Ohio. And now she is part of the Rewilding Institute and Project Coyote team working on our new rewilding and carnivore coexistence program in the Mississippi River Watershed. Topics * Rewilding challenges in states like Iowa * How farmers view carnivore coexistence * A 9 million acre rewilding opportunity without disturbing prime farmland operations Extra Credit Learn more about Big River Connectivity BRC project on Project Coyote’s site

About Zach Zach is a Wildlife Science MS student at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. After reading a book as a teenager featuring species profiles and illustrations of recent, human-caused extinctions (including Stellar’s sea cow, moa, great auk, and more), he developed a passion to restore nature and prevent any further species loss. Since then, Zach has become involved in various land trusts in his home state of Indiana by volunteering to remove invasive species, help out with prescribed burns, and collect prairie seeds for future prairie restorations. Additionally, he de-trashes rivers in his canoe or on foot at various local trails. He also incorporated his passion for ecological restoration in his graduate studies by assessing habitat suitability for potential species reintroductions. Topics * The science behind rewilding a landscape: restoring critical species. * The reintroduction potential of lesser-known but critical species to an Indiana tallgrass prairie. * Data collection and presentation, maps, and making the case for species reintroduction. * Greater Prairie Chicken and Franklin’s Ground Squirrel. * How to get started in Wildlife Sciences. Extra Credit Read about: * Greater Prairie Chicken * Franklin’s Ground Squirrel Visit The Prairie Preserves of Indiana: * Gibson Woods Nature Preserve – Lake County * Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve – Lake County * Post Oak-Cedar Nature Preserve – Harrison County * Sandhill Nature Preserve – Pulaski County * Spinn Prairie Nature Preserve – White County About Zach Zach is a Wildlife Science MS student at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. After reading a book as a teenager featuring species profiles and illustrations of recent, human-caused extinctions (including Stellar’s sea cow, moa, great auk, and more), he developed a passion to restore nature and prevent any further species loss. Since then, Zach has become involved in various land trusts in his home state of Indiana by volunteering to remove invasive species, help out with prescribed burns, and collect prairie seeds for future prairie restorations. Additionally, he de-trashes rivers in his canoe or on foot at various local trails. He also incorporated his passion for ecological restoration in his graduate studies by assessing habitat suitability for potential species reintroductions. Topics * The science behind rewilding a landscape: restoring critical species. * The reintroduction potential of lesser-known but critical species to an Indiana tallgrass prairie. * Data collection and presentation, maps, and making the case for species reintroduction. * Greater Prairie Chicken and Franklin’s Ground Squirrel. * How to get started in Wildlife Sciences. Extra Credit Read about: * Greater Prairie Chicken * Franklin’s Ground Squirrel Visit The Prairie Preserves of Indiana: *

About Rick Steiner is a conservation biologist in Anchorage, Alaska, and founder of Oasis Earth. He has been involved in the global conservation movement for over 40 years. From 1980-2010 he was a marine conservation professor with the University of Alaska, stationed in the Arctic, Prince William Sound, and Anchorage, specializing in marine conservation, and worked on environmental effects of offshore oil, climate change, fisheries, marine mammals, shipping safety, habitat conservation, and conservation policy. After the university and the U.S. government pressured him to restrain from raising concerns about the risks and impacts of offshore oil development in Alaska, he resigned his tenured professorship in protest. He has authored over one hundred publications; written commentaries for many national and international media outlets including USA Today, LA Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, The Hill, Montreal Gazette, Vancouver Sun, and Huffington Post; and worked around the world with governments, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and many Indigenous People’s and non-governmental organizations in diverse regions including Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Pakistan, China, the Middle East, the South Pacific, Australia, the Arctic, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, and El Salvador. He has received several conservation awards, and The Guardian called him “one of the world’s leading marine conservation scientists,” and “one of the most respected and outspoken academics on the oil industry’s environmental record.” He serves on the Board of Directors of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, and the Board of Advisors of The Ocean Foundation. He has delivered Oasis Earth: Planet in Peril as a public presentation for over 30 years, in many venues around the world, and authored the book Oasis Earth: Planet in Peril, released in 2020. Topics * Wildlife governance reform * Finally, a solution to the mismanagement of wildlife, especially predators, on public lands in the United States. * A proposed rule to force Interior to make states prove that they are managing wildlife responsibly or lose their funding. * Which states would most likely become ineligible for federal grant money if the proposed rule is adopted? * How consumptive interests (trappers, trophy hunters, guides) have taken over every wildlife board in the United States. Extra Credit * Download: Rulemaking Petition * Press release: End Federal Subsidies for States’ War on Wolves * Visit: Oasis Earth * Read: Oasis Earth: Planet in Peril * Contact Interior Secretary Haaland in support of our rulemaking petition About Rick Steiner is a conservation biologist in Anchorage, Alaska, and founder of Oasis Earth. He has been involved in the global conservation movement for over 40 years. From 1980-2010 he was a marine conservation professor with the University of Alaska, stationed in the Arctic, Prince William Sound, and Anchorage, specializing in marine conservation, and worked on environmental effects of offshore oil, climate change, fisheries, marine mammals, shipping safety, habitat conservation, and conservation policy. After the university and the U.S. government pressured him to restrain from raising concerns abou...

Ignacio Jiménez (1969, Spain) has extensive international experience in conservation. He has coordinated research and management projects with manatees in Costa Rica and Nicaragua and with golden-crowned sifakas in Madagascar, worked on wetlands and protected areas in El Salvador, and coordinated and published a national assessment of the Spanish experience in endangered species recovery. He has a degree in Animal Biology from the Universidad de Valencia in Spain, and a Masters in Wildlife Management and Conservation from the Universidad Nacional in Costa Rica. He worked for CLT/Tompkins Conservation in Argentina between 2005 and 2018, where he coordinated the largest reintroduction program in the Americas. This initiative included restoring populations of giant anteater, pampas deer, tapir, peccary, green-winged macaw, maned wolf and jaguar. He spent 2016 in South Africa in order to learn about how public and private organizations in Africa manage and integrate nature reserves, rewilding and ecotourism. In 2018 Ignacio started collaborating with Brazilian organizations to establish two large conservation landscapes in the Atlantic Forest and Pantanal. He returned to Spain in that year and he is presently coordinating a project aimed to establish new or expanded protected areas in that country. He works for Fundación Global Nature, is member board of Rewilding Spain and the IUCN Conservation Translocation Group, and is also a National Geographic Explorer. His main theme of interest is institutional ecology: learning how to design institutions and organizations to improve social and biodiversity outcomes. His research and conservation efforts have been featured in scientific journals, books and other publications. Ignacio is the main author of a practical manual for the management of conservation programs published in Spanish and Portuguese and soon to be published in English by Island Press. He has coordinated dozens of training courses in six countries, acted as key speaker in international meetings and has written and directed more than 10 videos about conservation. Presently, Ignacio lives with his family near a nature park in the Spanish coast. Topics * Making ecological, political, and social space for biodiversity * Rewilding in Spain * Finding common ground even with our “enemies” * Communication and it’s role in making progress in rewilding and biodiversity protection Extra Credit The Three Kingdoms vs Empty Spain * See also: Three Kingdoms of Spain (Original with English Subtitles) Hiking The Three Kingdoms Argentina * Rewilding Ibera Documentary (English version)

About Laura Wildman Laura Wildmand is Practice Area Lead at Biohabitats. She is a practicing fisheries and water resource specializing in ecological restoration consulting for aquatic systems.  Her expertise and passion, centers on the restoration of rivers through the reestablishment of natural functions and aquatic connectivity. She is considered one of the foremost nation U.S. experts on barrier removal and alternative fish passage techniques, regularly lecturing, instructing, and publishing on these topics; including assisting with the instruction of courses for the University of Wisconsin and Yale University.  She recently co-wrote the Dam Removal chapter in the book Sea to Source 2.0, discussed the history and human dimensions of barrier removal projects in a special edition of the Journal of Engineering Geology, and described sediment management issues associated with dam removal in an interview for the Adaptive Management of Barriers on European Rivers’ Let It Flow Magazine. Topics * Learn about aquatic connectivity issues. * Why no one really knows how many dams there are in the United States. * The Twenty-First Century Dams Act: A big step in ramping up outdated and ecologically destructive dam removal. * How to do the kind of work Laura does:  The education needed and the passion to speak for the rivers. Extra Credit Read the latest issue of Biohabitats’ Leaf Litter on Dam Removal * Learn more about Laura Wildman * Check out the work happening at Biohabitats Laura’s work has recently been highlighted in the following documentaries:  * Undamming the Hudson River * Dam Busters * Veins of Nature, Lule River, Sweden More Dam Podcasts * Episode 67: The Case For Removing 4 Dams On The Lower Snake River * Episode 14: A Rewilding Success Story on the Elwha River * Episode 21: Ed Friedman Migratory Fish Restoration in Merrymeeting Bay * Episode 43: Gary Wockner – Life As A River Warrior About Laura Wildman Laura Wildmand is Practice Area Lead at Biohabitats. She is a practicing fisheries and water resource specializing in ecological restoration consulting for aquatic systems.  Her expertise and passion, centers on the restoration of rivers through the reestablishment of natural functions and aquatic connectivity. She is considered one of the foremost nation U.S. experts on barrier removal and alternative fish passage techniques, regularly lecturing, instructing, and publishing on these topics; including assisting with the instruction of courses for the University of Wisconsin and Yale University.  She recently co-wrote the Dam Removal chapter in the book Sea to Source 2.0, discussed the history and human dimensions of barrier removal projects in a special edition of the Jo...

About Mark is a leader in BeWildReWild and its Big River Connectivity project. He was raised a self-described military brat, a nomad bouncing back and forth across the oceans searching for a home. After college, his Thoreau experiment of living in a shack with no running water by the river continued for 17 years. He retired after 30 years leading restoration efforts within the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and is still pursuing being naturalized while maintaining his river residency for 60 years. Topics * Rewilding issues in Iowa * How to rewild a greatly altered landscape with few public protected areas * Where to find connectivity in mostly flat private ag lands * Hands and knees conservation * What is BeWild ReWild? Extra Credit * Heartland Rewilding: The Big River Connectivity Project * BeWildRewild.org * The Wildest Place in the World * Article: What is the most bio diverse place on the planet Earth? We are almost ready to launch a new page on Big River Connectivity, funded by BeWild ReWild, which focuses mapping and storytelling work on Loess Hills, The Driftless, and Ozark Plateau regions of the Mississippi River Watershed. Watch this space and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to be updated when the page is live! *The pawpaw is a patch-forming (clonal) understory tree found in well-drained, deep, fertile bottomland and hilly upland habitat, with large, simple leaves. The fruit taste a bit like mango. Correction from podcast recording: Jack mentions no farming above 9 degrees. The goal is no farming on slopes greater than 9%. About Mark is a leader in BeWildReWild and its Big River Connectivity project. He was raised a self-described military brat, a nomad bouncing back and forth across the oceans searching for a home. After college, his Thoreau experiment of living in a shack with no running water by the river continued for 17 years. He retired after 30 years leading restoration efforts within the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and is still pursuing being naturalized while maintaining his river residency for 60 years. Topics * Rewilding issues in Iowa * How to rewild a greatly altered landscape with few public protected areas * Where to find connectivity in mostly flat private ag lands * Hands and knees conservation * What is BeWild ReWild? Extra Credit * Heartland Rewilding: The Big River Connectivity Project * BeWildRewild.org * The Wildest Place in the World * Article: What is the most bio diverse place on the planet Earth? We are almost ready to launch a new page on Big River Connectivity, funded by BeWild ReWild, which focuses mapping and storytelling work on Loess Hills, The Driftless, and Ozark Plateau regions of the Mississippi River Watershed. Watch this space and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to be updated when the page is live! *The pawpaw is a patch-forming (clonal) understory tree found in well-drained, deep, fertile bottomland and hilly upland habitat, with large, simple leaves. The fruit taste a bit like mango. Correction from podcast recording: Jack mentions no farming above 9 degrees. The goal is no farming on slopes greater than 9%.

About Dennis A nationally recognized expert in science education, Dennis directed the production of educational media at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for 20 years before joining the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation in 2019 as Vice President of Education. He works with scientists, educators, graphic designers, animators, filmmakers, and students to design experiences to have lasting impact on learners. The Half-Earth Project Educator Ambassador Program aims to build a high impact community of educators devoted to infusing biodiversity and conservation thinking across the curriculum. Dennis has a particular passion for meeting audiences where they are to pull them into science thinking and has been an advisor on numerous museum exhibits and community science programs. He studied zoology at the University of Wisconsin, earned a Ph.D. from University of Oregon, and was faculty at the University of Washington. Topics * Challenges and opportunities in enriching conservation education in America and beyond * Working with teachers to provide conservation education in an “industrial education” system * Rewilding the Heartland: engaging and captivating the minds of the next generation in farming towns throughout the upper Mississippi watershed * What does Half-Earth mean in places like Iowa from a farming community kid’s perspective? Extra Credit Check out the Half-Earth Map to see the three critical types of information we need to start making the most effective conservation decisions. The map is for policy makers, conservation managers, educators, students, and anyone who’s curious about our world. Besides giving us a view of the state of biodiversity at home and across the world, mapping digital data is a critical new skill for students. This article from Psychology Today frames the importance of Biodiversity and Conservation themes in education This partial list of Half-Earth Project educational resources shows examples of some of the material that teachers are discussing and using with their students as part of the Half-Earth Educator Ambassador community. We offer in-depth lesson sequences such as the Half-Earth Map Design Challenge, but also NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) This major new multi-lesson unit guides students in their own biodiversity inquiries using some of the best digital resources available and focuses on hummingbirds because they are familiar, beautiful, and diverse. This recent blogpost shows how we organize our educational materials by themes that can be refreshed and updated continuously. Here, we emphasize videos that introduce teachers and students to the amazing biodiversity in Alabama, the environmentally challenged home state of E.O. Wilson. Everyone is welcome, but we particularly hope for educators to sign up to be a Half-Earth Project Ambassador. You can become as involved as works best for you. At the very least, keep up with us by getting our mostly bi-monthly newsletter. Half-Earth Facebook group Consider taking the Half-Earth Pledge Visit the Foundation website to learn more about biodiversity and the ideas of E.O. Wilson. About Dennis