Nature Now

Debaran Kelso continues her field exploration of our local Winona Wetland with wetland biologist Donna Frostholm, learning about digging soil pits and determining soil type, as well as learning about the other key features that define a wetland habitat type (part 2 of a two-part program). (KPTZ airdate: April 29, 2026) Learn more:Quimper Wildlife CorridorWhat Is A Wetland?Washington Native Plant SocietyMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Imagine life in the very deep sea – eternal darkness, no plant photosynthesis to form the base of the food webs, water temperatures hovering around freezing, pressures 1000 times greater than at the surface. Yet complex and diverse ecosystems exist; weird and sometimes very large creatures float and swim; and around 80% of this world remains unexplored. Join Nan Evans and her guest, oceanographer Chris Kelley, as they consider life in deep ocean (part 1 of a three-part program). (KPTZ airdate: April 22, 2026) Learn more:NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology ProgramNOAA Office of Ocean Exploration Benthic Deepwater Animal Identification GuideOcean Exploration TrustUniversity of Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory ArchiveMonterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteSchmidt Ocean InstituteChris Kelley at Ocean Exploration TrustChris Kelley at Schmidt Ocean InstituteChris Kelley's lecture: In Deeper Waters: Exploring Earth’s Largest, Yet Least Understood, BiomeThe Mysterious Deep SeaAnimals of the DeepMysteries of the DeepBBC Earth: The Strangest Creatures of the OceanMystery sound recording: SciNewsMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Imagine the deep ocean with Nan Evans and her guest, oceanographer and deep sea ecologist Dr. Christopher Kelley. What is life like in the deep ocean and how do scientists even explore those vast regions? (KPTZ airdate: November 4, 2020) Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Jackie Canterbury talks with Kurt Hoelting about his new book, Apprentice to the Wild. Kurt's work asks a timely question: what might the wild still have to teach us? Today we reflect on his life from early encounters with wildness to his embrace of Zen practice. At a moment when many of us feel increasingly disconnected from nature, from country, even from ourselves, wildness is a poignant topic. (KPTZ airdate: April 15, 2026) Learn more:Apprentice to the Wild by Kurt HoeltingKurt HoeltingVirtual Conversation: Apprenticing to the Wild with Kurt Hoelting and Stephen Posner Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Jackie Canterbury recently explored honey bees and became familiar with their remarkable social behavior and complex colonies. Today, she turns to Washington's native bees with photographer and bee advocate Kris Ethington. Kris will share insights into the diversity of native bees and the intricate relationships that sustain them. Join us as we explore the fascinating world of Washington's native bees and the important roles they play in our ecosystems. (KPTZ airdate: May 13, 2026) Learn more:Kris Ethington on iNaturalistKris Ethington's blogs for the Washington Native Bee SocietyWashington Native Bee SocietyProject Ground-Nesting BeeWashington Bee AtlasMeet Our Native BeesThe Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Come with Nan Evans and Carolyn Woods, from the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, on an audio winter tide pooling trip at NIGHT. In the winter why are the really low tides at night and during the daytime in summer? Why can we see different animals at different tide levels? What might we see during a winter nighttime low tide that we wouldn't see during a summer low tide? Would an ultraviolet or black light be a cool thing to have? Get excited about tide pooling! (KPTZ airdate: April 1, 2026) Learn more:Puget Sound Tide Pooling GuideMarine Shoreline EcosystemNOAA Tide Chart for Port TownsendField Guide Brochures to take with youBetween the Tides in Washington and Oregon: Exploring Beaches and Tidepools by Ryan P. Kelly, Terrie Klinger, and John J. MeyerThe New Beachcomber’s Guide to the Pacific Northwest by J. Duane SeptNature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Debaran Kelso speaks about the importance of wetlands with wetland biologist Donna Frostholm while they wander through the Winona Wetland just west of Port Townsend on a beautiful Spring afternoon (part 1 of a two-part program). (KPTZ airdate: March 25, 2026) We dedicate this program to our dear friend Dixie Llewellin, a tireless advocate for wetlands, and prairies, and all things of beauty.  She died suddenly, and much too soon, in November 2025. Learn more:Quimper Wildlife CorridorWhat Is A Wetland?Washington Native Plant SocietyMystery sound recording: Dave Herr, ML130725, courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library Music by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Nan Evans talks with Emily Buckner from the Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group about research goals, collaboration, and challenges involved in studying Dungeness crab populations in the Salish Sea. (KPTZ airdate: March 18, 2026) Learn more:Pacific Northwest Crab Research GroupDungeness Crab 101Puget Sound Restoration FundMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

We're taking a fascinating dive into the tiny yet complex worlds of bees and birds. On the surface, these creatures couldn't be more different — one flits through the air with delicate wings, the other buzzes industriously from flower to flower. But when it comes to brains and behavior, both are masters of their environments in surprising ways. Jackie Canterbury and beekeeper Colleen Ebken uncover what makes these creatures' brains tick and their behavior so remarkable. (KPTZ airdate: March 11, 2026) Learn more:The Mind of a Bee: An Exploration of the Intelligence of Bees with Lars ChittkaWhy bees are essential to people and planetWashington Bee Atlas VolunteersBeginning Beekeeping CourseClosing sound: Frederick Dunn Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Jackie Canterbury talks with Paul Koberstein, award-winning environmental journalist and the co-author of the book "Canopy of Titans: The Life and Times of the Great North American Temperate Rainforest", to weave together the relationship between salmon and our coastal temperate rainforest. The Pacific Northwest was built on the relationship between salmon and forests. The big takeaway: salmon don't just swim through our forest streams, salmon feed the forests, year after year, century after century. (KPTZ airdate: February 18, 2026) Learn more:Canopy of Titans: The Life and Times of the Great North American Temperate Rainforest by Paul Koberstein and Jessica ApplegateAudiobook preview of Canopy of TitansThe Forest That Fish BuiltBioScience Talks: Canopy of Titans, with Paul KobersteinGreenwashing and the North American Temperate Rainforest with Paul KobersteinMystery sound recording: AUDEVARD Aurélien, XC1046353, accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/1046353. License CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Debaran Kelso speaks with Washington Butterfly Association members Regina Johnson and Dan Dunphy about our native butterflies (part 1 of a two-part program). (KPTZ airdate: February 11, 2026) Learn more:Washington Butterfly AssociationButterflies of the Pacific Northwest by Robert Michael Pyle and Caitlin C. LaBarPocket Guide to the Butterflies of Washington by Caitlin C. LaBarMystery sound recording: The Jungle Diaries Music by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

The bluffs of Fort Worden loom over any walks along North Beach. Lift your eyes away from the sea and up to the bluffs or across the waters. The geological stories of our area are laid out in front of you and on the horizon. Can you read or imagine those stories of deep past times and more recent glacial periods? Join Nan Evans as she talks with Tim Lawson, Port Townsend geologist, to explore clues and knit the patterns together. (KPTZ airdate: February 4, 2026) Learn more:Jefferson Land Trust Natural History Society outing to explore the bluffs of North Beach on Saturday, Feb 21, 2026Detailed Report on the Geology of the North Beach Bluffs (Quimper Geology Society)Geology of the OlympicsCruisin' the Fossil Coastline by Ray Troll and Kirk JohnsonMystery sound recording: The Port Townsend LeaderMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Nan Evans talks with local naturalist Steve Grace about recent efforts to protect a very special old forest on the Quimper Peninsula. (KPTZ airdate: November 27, 2019) Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Nan Evans talks with Steve Grace, a local author and marine science educator, about a "Lost Wilderness" he found on the Quimper Peninsula and efforts to protect this treasure. (KPTZ airdate: February 27, 2019) Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

How can we act locally to protect special forest habitats while providing for sustainable forest harvests and supporting our local communities and economies? A tough prospect. Nan Evans explores specific efforts here in Jefferson County, WA, to do just this. Guests are County Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour, and Malloree Weinheimer, owner of Chickadee Forestry. (KPTZ airdate: January 28, 2026) Learn more:Western Washington Forest Health Strategic PlanTrust Land Transfer ProgramContact your Washington State legislatorsChickadee ForestryMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

This week we review the remarkable life of pioneer/explorer James Swan, who lived and worked and recorded extensively in our area from 1859 to 1900. Debaran Kelso speaks with James Swan scholar Steve Ricketts at Swan's burial site in the Laurel Grove Cemetery in Port Townsend, WA (KPTZ airdate: January 21, 2026) Learn more:Winter Brothers: A Season at the Edge of America by Ivan DoigSwan, James G. (1818-1900)The Northwest Coast: Or, Three Years' Residence in Washington Territory by James G. SwanMusic by Steve RickettsNature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

The hosts of Nature Now - Jackie Canterbury, Nan Evans, and Debaran Kelso - start the year by sharing their favorite books about natural history. The conversation roams from bees to wolves, research to poetry, and beautiful photographs to whimsical illustrations. Laugh with them, listen to the awe and amazement they share, and find a new favorite book to read. Happy New Year, listeners! (KPTZ airdate: January 7, 2026) Books discussed:The Trees Are Speaking: Dispatches from the Salmon Forests by Lynda MapesApprentice To The Wild by Kurt HoeltingIs A River Alive? by Robert MacfarlaneI Was a Middle-Aged Wolfman: Chasing Wolves in Idaho's Backcountry by Jim HolyanSeabirds As Sentinels: Auklets, Puffins, Shearwaters, and the View from Destruction Island by Eric WagnerSeabirds: The New Identification Guide by Peter HarrisonThe Mind Of A Bee by Lars ChittkaAround The Salish Sea: Plants and Art by Alice DerryIn Praise of Mystery by Ada LimonDog Songs by Mary OliverExplore the Salish Sea: A Nature Guide for Kids by Joseph GaydosFrom BAM! to BURP! A Carbon Atom’s Never-Ending Journey through Space and Time and YOU by Melissa Stewart Find more to read in the Jefferson Land Trust Natural History Society Book Club reading list. Music by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Jackie Canterbury talks with Dr. Steve Hampton with the Rainshadow Bird Alliance, formerly Admiralty Audubon, about the oldest citizen science program of its kind, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count or CBC. The CBC began on Christmas Day 1900 as a way to count birds rather than shoot them as people began to become visibly concerned about declining bird populations. This year is the 126th year of the annual bird census. The Port Townsend CBC was recently held on December 20. The data is used to guide conservation efforts for birds, including the greatest challenges of all: habitat loss and climate change. (KPTZ airdate: December 24, 2025) Learn more:Rainshadow Bird AllianceAudubon Christmas Bird CountChristmas Bird Count BibliographyMystery sound recording: J. CanterburyMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Jackie Canterbury talks with Paul Koberstein, an award-winning environmental journalist and the co-author of the book "Canopy of Titans: The Life and Times of the Great North American Temperate Rainforest". Paul has explored many environmental issues through his career as a writer. Join us as we talk with Paul about the global importance of our own temperate rainforest ecosystem in the Pacific Northwest with emphasis on its role in storing carbon and the challenges we face. (KPTZ airdate: December 17, 2025) Learn more:Canopy of Titans: The Life and Times of the Great North American Temperate Rainforest by Paul Koberstein and Jessica ApplegateAudiobook preview of Canopy of TitansGreenwashing in the Evergreen State with Journalist Paul KobersteinMystery sound recording: Greg Irving, XC1045436, accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/1045436. License CC BY-NC-SA 4.0Music by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Debaran Kelso speaks with wolf biologist Jim Holyan. The adventures and heart-breaks of wolf reintroductions in Idaho are the subject of his recent book "I was a Middle-Aged Wolfman: Chasing Wolves in Idaho's Backcountry". (KPTZ airdate: December 10, 2025) Learn more:I was a Middle-Aged Wolfman: Chasing Wolves in Idaho's Backcountry by Jim HolyanSound recordings: BBC Nature Sound Effects Library and Maktub_ytv Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

The stunning mountains of Western Washington draw many people who dream of reaching their summits. The views from these peaks can be breathtaking, but climbing them comes with significant challenges. Few know this better than Dave Rugh, who has spent decades climbing mountains. Join Jackie Canterbury as she talks with Dave about his experiences climbing in Washington State. (KPTZ airdate: December 3, 2025) Learn more:A story of climbing Whitehorse MountainA photo of Cadaver Gap in Mount Rainier National ParkA trip report from climbing The BrothersThe Mountaineers CommunityAmerican Alpine Institute in WashingtonClimbing in the Olympic WildernessMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Nurse logs, a common site in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, blur the distinction between life and death as they support not only the next generation of trees, but also a host of other plant and animal species. Learn more about nurse logs and what the Jefferson Land Trust is doing to give a hand to these incredibly significant ecological systems. Nan Evans talks to Carrie Clendaniel, Preserve Manager for the Land Trust, about nurse logs and facilitating the facilitators. (KPTZ airdate: November 26, 2025) Learn more:Nurse Logs: Healers of the ForestNurse LogsKeeping Dead Wood and Creating Wildlife Habitat Piles: Some Guidance for Forest OwnersListen Up CollaborativeListen Up Collaborative and Jefferson Land Trust Featured in the New York TimesThe Trees are Speaking: Dispatches from the Salmon Forests by Lynda MapesCascadia Revealed: A Guide to the Plants, Animals, and Geology of the Pacific Northwest Mountains by Daniel MathewsMystery sound recording: Andrew Spencer, courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay LibraryMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Debaran Kelso takes a deep dive into the world of whale sound with humpback whale expert Dr. Fred Sharpe, whose recent research has focused on aerial whale signals - the "blows", "wheezes", and "thrums" of everyday life. (KPTZ airdate: November 12, 2025) Learn more:HappywhaleMystery sound recording: Fred SharpeMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

It's getting cold and rainy outside. We've gotten out our winter clothes and rain boots, checked that our home's furnace is working well, stocked up on comfort foods, and perhaps, planned a winter vacation to a warmer and sunnier place. As the seasons change, some birds migrate to warmer places. But, how do the birds that stay the winter survive? Listen as Nan Evans talks with Christie Lassen of Wild Birds Unlimited in Gardiner, WA, about the behavioral, physical, and physiological strategies used by our regional birds. (KPTZ airdate: November 5, 2025) Learn more:Wild Birds Unlimited in Gardiner, WAHow Do Birds Survive the Winter?What It's Like to Be a Bird by David Allen SibleyMystery sound recording: Barry Langdon-Lassagne, ML190078591, courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay LibraryMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

What was that "pffit, pffit" sound? That small, triangular fin? A dolphin? But it doesn’t want to play in our boat's bow wake. Ah, it is a Harbor Porpoise, the smallest cetacean found in the Salish Sea. What do we know about them? Not very much it seems. Scientists are just learning more through direct, non-invasive observations of individuals. Join Nan Evans as she talks with Dr. Cindy Elliser of Pacific Mammal Research (PacMam) and explore what they have been recently discovering and just how much more there is to learn about these secretive mammals. (KPTZ airdate: October 15, 2025) Learn more:Pacific Mammal ResearchHarbor porpoise in the Salish SeaMystery sound recording courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) FisheriesMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Nature Now explores the world of science books for kids! Debaran Kelso speaks with celebrated author Melissa Stewart about her book From Bam! to Burp! A Carbon Atom's Never-Ending Journey Through Space and Time and YOU. (KPTZ airdate: October 1, 2025) Learn more:Melissa StewartFrom BAM! to BURP! A Carbon Atom's Never-Ending Journey through Space and Time and YOU Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

We are all familiar with bees. Did you know that honey bee colonies are highly organized, complex, with a rigid caste system, and whose individuals depend on their societal organization to survive? Join Jackie Canterbury as she talks with Colleen Ebken, a beekeeper on Marrowstone Island (WA), about her bee colonies and the wonderful world of bees in general (part 1 of a two-part program). (KPTZ airdate: September 24, 2025) Learn more:East Jefferson Bee ClubCornell Cooperative Extension Pollinator SupportWhy bees are essential to people and planetMeet Our Native BeesWashington Bee AtlasWashington Native Bee SocietyWashington Native Bee Society JournalMystery sound recording: Frederick DunnMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Nan Evans talks with Port Townsend mushroom enthusiasts, Helen Kolff and Jessica Latourelle. They explore attitudes, myths, truths, and edibility of mushrooms. Did you know what we see are only the fruiting bodies of extensive mycelial networks? Or, that they are not plants and they perform critical ecosystem functions. And, why are some people fascinated with fungi? (KPTZ airdate: September 17, 2025) Mushroom resources:Fruits of the Forest: A Field Guide to Pacific Northwest Edible Mushrooms by Daniel WinklerMushrooms of Cascadia: A Comprehensive Guide to Fungi of the Pacific Northwest by Noah Siegel and Christian SchwarzChanterelle Dreams, Amanita Nightmares: The Love, Lore, and Mystique of Mushooms by Greg MarleyAll That the Rain Promises and More by David AroraMushrooms Demystified by David AroraOutside/In Podcast: Taxonomy’s 200-Year MistakeDaniel Winkler's MushRoaming Jefferson Land Trust Natural History Society Book Club Music by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Nan Evans talks with Lynda Mapes, longtime environmental reporter for The Seattle Times, about how culture, economics, and science have fundamentally changed how we use timber resources and perceive our relationship with forests. Much of the conversation is driven by Mapes’ most recent book, The Trees are Speaking: Dispaches from the Salmon Forest (part 2 of a two-part program). (KPTZ airdate: September 10, 2025) Learn more:Lynda MapesThe Trees are Speaking: Dispaches from the Salmon ForestNorthern Spotted Owl vs. Barred Owl: The Ethical Conundrum of Compassionate ConservationGrim Dilemma: Should We Kill One Owl Species to Save Another?Chimacum Ridge Community ForestChimacum Ridge Community Forest Grand Opening Celebration Bird sound recording: Thomas G. Sander, ML125364, courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay LibraryMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Nan Evans talks with Lynda Mapes, longtime environmental reporter for The Seattle Times, about how culture, economics, and science have fundamentally changed how we use timber resources and perceive our relationship with forests. Much of the conversation is driven by Mapes’ most recent book, The Trees are Speaking: Dispaches from the Salmon Forest (part 1 of a two-part program). (KPTZ airdate: September 3, 2025) Learn more:Lynda MapesThe Trees are Speaking: Dispaches from the Salmon ForestCedar Flats Research Natural AreaChimacum Ridge Community ForestChimacum Ridge Community Forest Grand Opening Celebration Books mentioned:Orca: Shared Waters, Shared Home by Lynda MapesThe Olympic Rainforest: A Ecological Web by Ruth Kirk and Jerry FranklinEcological Forest Management by Jerry Franklin, Norman Johnson, and Debora JohnsonThe Hidden Life of Trees by Peter WohllebenFinding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard Bird sound recording: Thomas G. Sander, ML125369, courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay LibraryMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Jackie Canterbury talks with Karin Ertl about the Salish Sea Guillemot Network and the Pigeon Guillemots that uniquely nest beneath the Hood Canal bridge. Pigeon Guillemot surveys began in 2004 on Whidbey Island, WA. As of 2024, surveys are taking place in 8 different regions with about 250 volunteers. (KPTZ airdate: August 13, 2025) Learn more:Salish Sea Guillemot NetworkPigeon Guillemot Surveys Validate Community ScienceBird sound recordings: Karin Ertl; Thomas G. Graves, XC663793, accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/663793. License CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Debaran Kelso and field recorder Meg Amos continue the conversation with owl expert Jamie Acker in his backyard wildlife sanctuary, about his work studying owls near his home on Bainbridge Island, WA, for the past 25 years (part 2 of a two-part program). (KPTZ airdate: August 6, 2025) Bird sound recording courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay LibraryMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Debaran Kelso and field recorder Meg Amos meet with guest Jamie Acker in his own backyard wildlife sanctuary, to speak about his work studying owls near his home on Bainbridge Island, WA, for the past 25 years (part 1 of a two-part program). (KPTZ airdate: July 16, 2025) Bird sound recording: Bob McGuire, ML187078, courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Marine mammals, especially the cetaceans, are a popular focus for wildlife viewing throughout the world. So, which species live here in the Salish Sea, and how are they doing? Jackie Canterbury speaks with wildlife biologist Dave Rugh. Local cetaceans include harbor porpoises, Dall's porpoises, Pacific white-sided dolphins, minke whales, gray whales, humpbacks, and killer whales. Other local marine mammals include Steller sea lions, California sea lions, northern elephant seals, harbor seals, and sea otters. (KPTZ airdate: June 18, 2025) Learn more:The Decline of Dall’s porpoise in the Salish SeaMeet the Matriline: T49AsMystery sound recording courtesy of Orca Behavior InstituteMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Debaran Kelso speaks with founder Linda Landkammer and naturalist Dr. Fred Sharpe out in the garden, celebrating the lovely Kul Kah Han Native Plant Garden in Chimacum, WA, on a gorgeous summer afternoon! (KPTZ airdate: June 11, 2025) Learn more:Kul Kah Han Native Plant GardenBird sound recording courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay LibraryMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Nan Evans talks with Thor Hanson, biologist and author, to explore the wonders of biodiversity. Biodiversity is the variety of life on earth from genes and species to ecosystems. Biodiversity encompasses the interactions between all living things, animals (including humans), plants, fungi, microorganisms and the environments they inhabit and communities they create. Biodiversity has been attributed with holding the world together. (KPTZ airdate: June 4, 2025) Learn more:Thor HansonOrganizations providing information on biodiversity:EPA EnviroAtlasWorld Wildlife Fund: What is biodiversity?E.O. Wilson Biodiversity FoundationUnited NationsMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Nan Evans talks with Port Townsend photographer Kerry Tremain about the beauty of his bird photography and the emotional connections we all have to birds once we open ourselves to honor that we humans co-evolved with birds. (KPTZ airdate: May 7, 2025) Learn more:Kerry Tremain PhotographyKerry Tremain's newsletter Wild ThingsBird sound recording: Jay McGowan, ML66621141, courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay LibraryMusic by Rick Bauer Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Debaran Kelso welcomes back guest Peter Harrison, this time joined by his wife Shirley Metz. Peter is a world-renowned seabird expert, artist, and conservationist, and Shirley is an avid adventurer and conservationist in her own right. This show highlights their remarkable joint conservation efforts (part 2 of a two-part program). (KPTZ airdate: April 23, 2025) Learn more:The Mouse-Free Marion ProjectSEABIRDS: The New Identification Guide autographed by Peter HarrisonPeter HarrisonBird sound recording by Penguins International Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Whales of Alaska have been studied by NOAA scientists for many years. For a third of a century, Dave Rugh flew in small aircraft, stood on sea cliffs, rode various ships, and spent a lot of time on sea ice documenting the abundance of whales around Alaska. This included the enigmatic bowhead whale, belugas (which are white whales) in Cook Inlet near Anchorage, and gray whales which migrate from the Arctic to Mexico's warm lagoons. (KPTZ airdate: April 16, 2025) Learn more:NOAA in Alaska Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Nan Evans and Christie Lassen are at it again in part two of "Birds and Their Feathers" as they explore such topics as: What is the impact of diet on feathers? How do feathers keep birds warm? And cool? How do feathers help birds fly? (part 2 of a two-part program). (Airdate: April 9, 2025) Learn more:Wild Birds Unlimited in Gardiner, WAFeathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle by Thor HansonWhat It’s Like to Be a Bird by David Allen SibleyBird sound recording: Gerrit Vyn, ML128932, courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay LibraryNature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Please join host Debaran Kelso as we welcome our special guest Peter Harrison. Peter is a world-renowned seabird expert, artist, and conservationist, and this week we will be speaking about writing and illustrating his beautiful new book Seabirds: The New Identification Guide. We end with exploring the world of the albatrosses, in anticipation of his upcoming public lecture sponsored by the Port Townsend Marine Science Center on March 30, 2025 (part 1 of a two-part program). (Airdate: March 26, 2025) Learn more:Peter Harrison's lecture: Ocean Nomads: The AlbatrossesSEABIRDS: The New Identification Guide autographed by Peter HarrisonPeter HarrisonOldest known wild bird, Wisdom, has a new chick!Bird sound recording by American Bird Conservancy Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Hosts Jackie Canterbury, Nan Evans, and Debaran Kelso get together to share their best reads and top "wish list" books to read in the coming year. As naturalists, the choices include some great natural history picks. But their eclectic tastes range across poetry, philosophy, history, personal reflections of authors, and art. Tune in to hear their conversation and to share in the fun they all had doing this program. (Airdate: March 5, 2025) Books discussed (in alphabetical order):The Outermost House by Henry BestonThe Good Rain by Timothy EganA Naturalist's Year in the Pacific Northwest by Geoffrey HammersonHurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid by Thor HansonApprentice to the Wild by Kurt HoeltingWild Forest Home by Betsy L. HowellThe Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling by John Muir LawsThe Parrot and the Igloo by David LipskyWhat It's Like to Be a Bird by David Allen SibleyBirdwatching with American Women, edited by Deborah StromThe Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan Find more to read in the Jefferson Land Trust Natural History Society Book Club reading list. Bird sound recording: Matthew D. Medler, ML43973911, courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay LibraryNature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and can support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Envision a bird – any bird. What do you first notice? The feathers, of course. But, what do you really know about those beautiful and amazingly variable structures? Join Nan Evans and Christie Lassen to explore feather forms and structures, colors and patterns, and the incredible usefulness and functions of feathers (part 1 of a two-part program). (Airdate: March 19, 2025) Learn more:Wild Birds Unlimited in Gardiner, WAFeathers: The Evolution of a Natural Miracle by Thor HansonWhat It’s Like to Be a Bird by David Allen SibleyBird sound recording: Andrew Spencer, ML32411761, courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay LibraryNature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Jackie Canterbury talks with Brittaney Drake about science visualization which is 'art in service of science' and how bird illustration is used to teach art and nature in her democratic classroom. Brittaney uses a variety of bird illustration tools including black ink, gouache watercolor, colored pencil, and digital illustration to teach bird illustration (part 2 of a two-part program). (Airdate: February 26, 2025) Learn more:The Pearl Remote Democratic High SchoolBrittaney Drake's artwork on instagramDavid Sibley: My painting process – gouacheGouache as a witness to historyArt Pearl, Democracy and Education: Remembering a LegendBird sound recording: Thomas G. Graves, XC663793, accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/663793. License CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Are we diminishing our lives of the senses? Nan Evans talks with special guest Richard Louv, author of many books examining the crucial connections between the natural world and human physical, mental, social and even cultural health. Richard Louv first developed the concept of a nature-deficit disorder in his 2005 book, Last Child in the Woods. You will be inspired to get yourself and those you love outside to explore, play, watch and listen. (Airdate: February 19, 2025) Learn more:Richard LouvRegister for Jefferson Land Trust's 2025 Conservation Breakfast (free and virtual)Child and Nature NetworkMusic from the library of Laura Martin Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Buzzz... Think of a bee. Do you see a honey bee gathering pollen and making honey in its hive? Is it native to the Western Hemisphere? No! Think of another bee. Do you see a bumble bee? Peraps a picture or a drawing? Think of another bee. Having problems? Do you know that there are over 600 native bee species in Washington? Nan Evans talks with Dr. Karen Wright from the Washington Department of Agriculture to learn more about our native bees and the Washington Bee Atlas. (Airdate: January 29, 2025) Learn more:Washington Bee AtlasWashington Native Bee SocietyBuzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees by Thor HansonJefferson County Master Gardener Foundation's Yard and Garden Lecture SeriesBird sound recording courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay LibraryMusic from the library of Laura Martin Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Jackie Canterbury talks with Brittaney Drake about her work at The Pearl Remote Democratic High School in Seattle, Washington where she teaches about nature using a visual arts curriculum. Her teaching style follows the fundamentals of Dr. Art Pearl who developed the Democratic classroom in Eugene, Oregon. He inspired the words Democracy and Education. "His message was about the primacy of democracy, the fragility of it, the assaults against it, how far we are from a nation that truly cherishes it and practices it — and the essential role of public education in any chance for a healthy democracy in the future." The founder and director of the Seattle Democratic school is Dr. Robin Harwick who has served as a mentor to Brittaney. In this program we talk about the importance of using the democratic process as a backdrop to teaching about art and nature. Globally and as a nation, we are now realizing the fragility of democracy. In this program Brittaney discusses how she uses a visual arts curriculum, particularly bird illustration, as a way to teach about nature and science (part 1 of a two-part program). (Airdate: February 5, 2025) Learn more:The Pearl Remote Democratic High SchoolBrittaney Drake's artwork on instagramThe Democratic Classroom: Theory to Inform Practice (Understanding Education and Policy)Art Pearl, Democracy and Education: Remembering a LegendBird sound recordings: Donald R. Gunn, ML57586, and John Patterson, ML93401111, courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Join Debaran Kelso and guest wildlife biologist Betsy Howell of the US Forest Service, as they review recent wildlife research projects being conducted in the Olympic National Forest. (Airdate: January 15, 2025) Learn more:Betsy HowellWild Forest Home: Stories of Conservation in the Pacific Northwest by Betsy L. HowellThree Cool Ways USGS is Studying Bats in National Parks2022 Marmot Monitoring ResultsMarmot MonitoringBird sound recordings: Geoffrey A. Keller courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay LibraryNature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Host Debaran Kelso speaks with author Betsy Howell about her recently published book of essays, Wild Forest Home: Stories of Conservation in the Pacific Northwest. Betsy is a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Forest Service and has been on our program several times over the years speaking about her work on the Olympic National Forest, but this interview focuses on her personal experiences as a writer working in the forests she's come to love. (Airdate: December 11, 2024) Learn more:Betsy HowellWild Forest Home: Stories of Conservation in the Pacific Northwest by Betsy L. HowellBird sound recordings: Nora Petrich; Gregory Budney, ML74563211, courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay LibraryNature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!

Jackie Canterbury talks with Dr. Steve Hampton from the local Rainshadow Bird Alliance, formerly Admiralty Audubon, about the oldest citizen science program of its kind, the Audubon Christmas Bird Count or CBC. The CBC began on Christmas Day 1900 as a way to count birds rather than shoot them as people began to become visibly concerned about declining bird populations. The Port Townsend CBC occurs on December 14, relying on volunteer birders and encompassing much of the Quimper Peninsula. The Rainshadow Alliance administers our local CBC and submits data to National Audubon where Audubon and other organizations use the data to guide conservation efforts for birds, including the greatest challenge of all, climate change. "There is nothing else like the CBC in terms of geographic coverage and time," says Geoff LaBaron of National Audubon. And none of it would happen without dedicated volunteers. (Airdate: November 27, 2024) Learn more:Rainshadow Bird AllianceRainshadow Bird Alliance's 2024 Port Townsend Christmas Bird CountAudubon Christmas Bird CountChristmas Bird Count bibliography of studies2024 Seattle Christmas Bird CountBird sound recording: Thomas Magarian, XC524805, accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/524805. License CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Nature Now is created by a dedicated team of volunteers. If you enjoy this episode and want to support the work that goes into making Nature Now, we invite you to go to kptz.org/donate to make a contribution. Thank you for your support!