to know the land

byron
  • 4.8 (13)
  • NATURE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY
to know the land

A show about relationships with the landbase, striving to evoke resilience, resistance, and reverence for the land. Interviews with authors, researchers, activists and students of the land.

  1. Ep. 258 : The Gift of the Tracks

    6 HRS AGO

    Ep. 258 : The Gift of the Tracks

    I spent the day out tracking, first with a class backtracking a Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) and examining the track patterns and interpreting their gaits, an afterwards, alone, following up a possible Fisher (Pekania pennanti) sighting, and instead finding a Coyote (Canis latrans) bed and trailing them through a rough hewn White Pine (Pinus strobus) plantation. I got to thinking about gifts that are the tracks which are left behind without consideration of how the tracker might feel or what we may want out of the experience. I was struck by awe and wonder when I came across the bed and was truly grateful for this gift left behind by the animal that was there so recently. In philosophy, a true gift is one that doesn’t involve reciprocity or exchange, and breaks away from the system of mutual accounting that’s created when something is given. A few philosophers have written about this true gift, including wolf tracker Baptiste Morizot. Considering the tracks and sign left behind by animals, it could be that these are examples of true gifts? But what about our responsibility as a culture and as a species to honour the land and our relationships with all beings we share the land with? When and how does reciprocity fit in the context of this gift? I am not a philosopher and likely butchered some of the ideas that I am working with for this episode, but I was also just inspired, sipping hot tea sitting cross-legged on my gloves in a hedgerow beside the Pine plantation watching the first snowy squalls blow in across the fields. I am grateful for the trail that led me there, and for those animals who teach me along the way. To learn more : On The Animal Trail by Baptiste Morizot. Polity Press, 2021. Ep. 178 : A discussion of On The Animal Trail by Baptiste Morizot with Julian Fisher

    33 min
  2. Ep. 257 : “Bye Bye Blue Triton!” with Arlene Slocombe

    NOV 18

    Ep. 257 : “Bye Bye Blue Triton!” with Arlene Slocombe

    In 2017 I interviewed Arlene Slocombe for the second time but the first time it was recorded. She was telling the story of a successful event, “Waterstock” where thousands of people came out to support Water Watchers and raise awareness of exploitive water drawing in Wellington county to be sold as bottled water. The harm to the watershed, the incredible amount of plastic garbage, another corporation not listening to their neighbours resounding “No!”, it was the continuation of a bad relationship between, at the time, Nestle, and the people of the county. Blue Triton was formed when two private equity firms bought Nestle Waters Canada with junk bonds and hugely leveraged debt. They continued Nestle’s legacy of bottling water across North American into polluting plastic bottles made from fossil fuels. This is totally unsustainable and as many markets are starting to come to understand growing more and more difficult to convince a public they are worthwhile. Blue Triton are now moving out, and may likely try and sell what’s left of the operation in hopes to recoup some of the costs. This was a huge victory for local water advocates, and I wanted to learn more so I invited Arlene back on the show to give me the scoop on what was happening and how Water Watchers ran such a successful campaign. Lots to learn here. To learn more : WaterWatchers.ca Water Watchers instagram

    37 min
  3. Ep. 256 : Apple Scat of Coyotes and Red Fox

    NOV 11

    Ep. 256 : Apple Scat of Coyotes and Red Fox

    In the later part of the Summer, I was walking with my friend and colleague Tamara when we came across some scat with Apples (Malus domestica) in it. I can’t remember what brought it up but she mentioned that she has seen more scats composed mostly of Apple left by Coyotes (Canis latrans) rather than by Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes). This got me wondering.. who eats more Apples, Coyotes or Red Foxes? This question began a weird hook in my mind, and everytime I noticed Apples, Apple based scat, Coyote scat or Red Fox scat, the question would come to mind. I decided I would go for a walk and try and measure a ton of scats, look for evidence one way or another and see if I could get any closer to an answer. Ended up making the show about this question. Correction: 3 ft is equal to 91.44 cm. A yard is longer than a meter. To learn more : Mammal Tracks and Sign by Mark Elbroch and Casey McFarland. Stackpole Books, 2nd ed., 2019. Tracking and the Art of Seeing by Paul Rezendes. Harper Perennial, 1999. American Wildlife and Plants : A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits by Alexander C. Martin, Herbert S. Zim, Arnold L. Nelson. Dover Publications, 1951. Behaviour of North American Mammals by Mark Elbroch and Kurt Rinehart. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011.

    43 min
  4. Ep. 255 : Saturday morning at McGregor Point

    OCT 29

    Ep. 255 : Saturday morning at McGregor Point

    Listening to the land, in a very tangible way, can lead to some pretty special moments. Whether it is Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapilus) scolding an Eastern Screech Owl (Megascaups asio), hearing the thunder heralding a powerful storm, or the waves washing up on the beach, the land speaks to us through sound in thousands of ways. We just have to stop and listen. To wake up early and walk only a few feet to track on the chilly morning beach is a gift. To spend time connecting with one of my brothers while connecting with the land, truly a gift. To listen to the waves, the Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) while wandering among the rocks and sand, again, a gift. I brought my recorder with me out to McGregor Point on Naadowewi-gichigami/Lake Huron incase any sounds moved me, and of course, such a big beautiful sea tugged at me in the foggy morning. I had to record. To learn more : Online Etymology Dictionary entry on “gossamer”

    42 min
  5. Ep. 254 : Eavesdropping on Animals with George Bumann

    OCT 14

    Ep. 254 : Eavesdropping on Animals with George Bumann

    Aside of our human cultural space there is the broad other-than human animal place. A world we exist along with, and yet are still achingly removed from. This wilder edge is always calling out, audibly and silently, with gesture, scent, behaviour and sound. George Bumann has been practicing paying attention to this world in ways that I long to. In his new book, Eavesdropping On Animals : What we can learn from wildlife conversations, George shares stories and studies which reveal and inspire would be listeners to hear what that imminently natural world is always already singing out. He looks at animal communication strategies and draws out lessons and tools which he shares in approachable and digestible ways. In the interview we explored various communication strategies, from audible calls to subtle body language including unique alarm and welcome calls. We spoke about our presence in nature and discuss ways to minimize disturbance while recognizing our place in the ecosystem. George and I go deep into the diverse forms of communication throughout the other-than human language-scape. He also shared some insights into how engaging all our senses, especially sound, we can better attend to that wonder full zoolexicon at that wilder edge. This is one of the good ones. To learn more : George Bumann’s website Eavesdropping on Animals page Eavesdropping on Animals Online Course with George

    1h 4m
  6. Ep. 253 : Mushroom Color Atlas with Julie Beeler

    SEPT 30

    Ep. 253 : Mushroom Color Atlas with Julie Beeler

    As Julie Beeler writes, it wasn’t until 1969 that fungi were taxonomically separated from plants and recognized as inhabiting their own kingdom. There is so much that we do not understand about their taxonomy, their natural history, their functions in their ecosystem, or their medicinal values. With all that we do not know, Julie Beeler’s amazing work, set on paper as the Mushroom Color Atlas draws a clear path towards understanding the possible tones and timbres of colour and shade which we can pull from some of members of this vast kingdom. The Mushroom Color Atlas showcases the variety of colours derived from the fungi themselves, as well as some of their identification features and where we might find them. The book also highlights the dye preparation process, which fabrics and mordants to use, and the some of the chemistry which makes all the magic happen. We spoke about Julie’s history as a designer, artist, and educator, her own deepening relationship with fungi, poisonous mushrooms, and the future of fungi in fashion and beyond. From the colour to the fungi themselves to our human connections with the broader ecology to the movement for a more conscious and considerate fashion, working with fungi creates deep mycelial intimacies with the world we inhabit, and Julie helps guide us through. To learn more : Mushroom Color Atlas.com Mushroom Color Atlas on instagram

    55 min
  7. Ep. 252 : Mussel Midden Mystery

    SEPT 25

    Ep. 252 : Mussel Midden Mystery

    While teaching up at the Lodge at Pine Cove this past weekend we came across lots of tracks and sign. Tons of Sawfly (wasplike insects) cocoons, some leaf miners, galls a plenty, Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) holes and feeding sign, Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) and Moose (Alces alces) scat and lots more. But there was one bit of sign that was really annoying me… something I wasn’t sure about. There were mussel shells laying about all along the rivers edge. Along the beach, the rocky cove, and all across the depths of the French River. They had all been opened, most split at the hinge, some cracked, many fragile and crumbling apart when put a bit of pressure on them. Someone had been feeding on these mussels for quite a few years it seemed, and I wanted to, maybe even needed to, figure this mussel mystery out. What kind of mussel whose remains I was finding? Who are the animals who live in this place that consume them? Who was leaving these middens about? Did they leave any other clues behind? Why couldn’t I find anything? I really get into puzzles sometimes and this one made for a great distraction from the anxious excitement of teaching in a new place. This episode was recorded just after sunrise, along a wet winding trail in the mist of a gentle rain. It was awesome. Corrections : While I said something along the lines of Clams and Mussels are the same, I think this is incorrect. There seems to be differences based on structure of their shells and how they attach or burrow into substrates. To learn more :Bird Tracks and Sign by Mark Elbroch and Eleanor Marks. Stackpole Books, 2001.The Best of the Raven vol. 1 by Dan Strickland and Russ Rutter. The Friends of Algonquin Park, 1993.Animal Tracks of the Midwest by Jonathan Poppele. Adventure Publications, second ed, 2022.Peterson Field Guides: Mammals by William H. Burt and Richard P. Grossenheider.

    42 min
  8. Ep. 251 : Celebrating Pawpaws with the Urban Orchardist, Matt Soltys

    SEPT 9

    Ep. 251 : Celebrating Pawpaws with the Urban Orchardist, Matt Soltys

    For the last couple of years, I have been going to Pawpaw Fest which my friend and neighbour Matt Soltys organizes. Matt Soltys, for those listeners who don’t know yet, is The Urban Orchardist. He teaches me about fruit and nut trees and I help him try and sort out which insects are leaving their sign on the trees. But back to the point… Pawpaws. Asimina triloba. A fruit with a comeback story. Have you tried one yet? I bet most folks listening have. They are growing more and more, both literally on the land and metaphorically in all the surrounding hype. Is it worth the hype? Matt Soltys seems to think so. He is growing hundreds of them (I had to fact check this statement, and yes, it is true). We sat down to discuss Pawpaws, a bit about their ecology and about the assisted migration that likely allowed the Pawpaw to arrive in Southern Ontario. I really don’t know much about the species but want to get as much info as I can as they are likely going to be seen on the landscape more frequently as people get excited about this peculiar fruit. Why the big leaves? How did they get here? What happens at Pawpaw Fest? Where is it? How do I get there? (Sunday October 6th, Simpler Thyme Organic Farm, 1749 Hwy 6, between Guelph and Hamilton.) For more info listen to the show or check out The Urban Orchardist instagram page. Correction : Matt mentioned Malus floribunda as the name of the apple native to the southern Great Lakes area, but he afterwards he realized he made a mistake, and the species is Malus coronaria. To learn more : Shrubs of Ontario by James H. Soper and Margaret L. Heimburger, ROM Publications , 1982.The Dawn of Everything by by David Graeber and David Wengrow. Allen Lane, 2021.1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann. Knopf, 2005.Growing Trees From Seed by Henry Kock. Firefly Books, 2008.The role of anthropogenic dispersal in shaping the distribution and genetic composition of a widespread North American tree species by Graham E. Wyatt, J. L. Hamrick, Dorset W. Trapnell. Ecology and Evolution, 2021. The Urban Orchardist websiteMatt’s Instagram

    36 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

A show about relationships with the landbase, striving to evoke resilience, resistance, and reverence for the land. Interviews with authors, researchers, activists and students of the land.

Information

  • Creator
    byron
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2024
  • Episodes
    127
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © byron
  • Show Website
    to know the land

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