#216 | Nature Happy Hour #4: Goodbye 2025, Sea Turtles, Wetlands & Ocean Protection

Join Brooke and Charles for their end-of-year Nature Coffee Hour as they reflect on 2025's biggest conservation moments! They swap their usual evening beers for morning caffeine and dive into the stories that shaped this year: green sea turtles downlisted from endangered to least concern, Florida's record-breaking leatherback nesting season, the troubling rollback of U.S. wetland protections, Ecuadorian fishing communities protecting mangroves from industrial shrimp farms, and the historic High Seas Treaty protecting two-thirds of our oceans. They also share personal updates—Rewildology's Project Patagonia series becoming a Jackson Wild finalist, Charles's health recovery and new PhD students, and some unexpected philosophical realizations about humanity and our shared planet. This conversation covers the conservation wins, losses, and everything in between as we close out 2025 and look ahead to what's next. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction 01:34 Morning Beverage Chat 06:49 Project Patagonia Success 20:05 Charles' Health and Lab Updates 30:43 Top Headlines of 2025 40:49 State Policies and Their Impact on Wildlife 41:40 Ecological Consequences of Removing Protections 43:21 Private Land and Wetland Conservation 43:54 The Importance of Wetlands and Potential Risks 44:33 State-Level Actions and Public Responsibility 46:57 Positive News: Green Sea Turtles' Recovery 47:48 Sea Turtle Conservation Success Stories 55:10 Community-Led Conservation in Ecuador 01:02:42 Global Conservation Efforts and Personal Reflections 01:12:55 High Seas Treaty and Ocean Conservation 01:21:31 Closing Thoughts and Future Plans LEARN MORE ABOUT PROJECT PATAGONIA https://rewildology.com/projectpatagonia/ REWILDOLOGY FIELD EXPEDITIONS Where The Wild Calls: Patagonia Puma Expedition & Torres Del Paine Adventure, March 31 - April 7, 2026: https://rewildology.com/patagoniaexpedition/ JOIN THE REWILDOLOGY BOOK CLUB. IT’S FREE! https://rewildology.com/rewildology-book-club/ SHOW NOTES & NEWSLETTER Show notes & subscribe to newsletter, https://rewildology.com/ SUPPORT REWILDOLOGY https://rewildology.com/support-the-show/ LISTEN TO THE REWILDOLOGY PODCAST Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3YXWSsF Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3oW6artLcvxX0QoW1TCcrq?si=ff3b5e2ec90542a2 FOLLOW REWILDOLOGY YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Rewildology Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rewildology/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rewildology/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rewildology X: https://x.com/rewildology CONTACTS Brooke Mitchell, [email protected] SPONSORSHIPS & BRAND PARTNERSHIPS Send your ideas to Brooke at [email protected]