Rewilding Earth Podcast The Rewilding Institute

About Today’s Guests

George Wuerthner (President, Sage Steppe Wild) – George is a professional photographer, writer, and ecologist. He has visited hundreds of mountain ranges around the West, more than 400 wilderness areas, more than 200 national park units, and every national forest west of the Mississippi. George is the author of 38 books on environmental issues and natural history including Welfare Ranching, Wildfire: A Century of Failed Forest Policy, Energy: The Delusion of Endless Growth and Overdevelopment, Thrillcraft, and Keeping the Wild. His most recent publication is Protecting the Wild.

Jonathan Ratner (Director, Sage Steppe Wild) – Jonathan has extensive knowledge of federal land management agency methods and practice, with a specialty in public lands livestock grazing. He has been monitoring and commenting on grazing cases in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado for the last 20 years. Prior to that he studied endangered species such as the grizzly bear, lynx, wolverine, and marten for the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, the US Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management.

Topics



* Who funds most conservation and environmental groups and how funders can knock organizations off mission.

* The difficulties of having a no-compromise policy when it comes to mission and funding.

* An old, treasured conservation news source gets a new life.



Extra Credit



* Reading: “The Wildlife News“

* Sage Steppe Wild

* Tons of resources on all things Western public lands conservation and advocacy



About Today’s Guests

George Wuerthner (President, Sage Steppe Wild) – George is a professional photographer, writer, and ecologist. He has visited hundreds of mountain ranges around the West, more than 400 wilderness areas, more than 200 national park units, and every national forest west of the Mississippi. George is the author of 38 books on environmental issues and natural history including Welfare Ranching, Wildfire: A Century of Failed Forest Policy, Energy: The Delusion of Endless Growth and Overdevelopment, Thrillcraft, and Keeping the Wild. His most recent publication is Protecting the Wild.

Jonathan Ratner (Director, Sage Steppe Wild) – Jonathan has extensive knowledge of federal land management agency methods and practice, with a specialty in public lands livestock grazing. He has been monitoring and commenting on grazing cases in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado for the last 20 years. Prior to that he studied endangered species such as the grizzly bear, lynx, wolverine, and marten for the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, the US Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management.

Topics



* Who funds most conservation and environmental groups and how funders can knock organizations off mission.

* The difficulties of having a no-compromise policy when it comes to mission and funding.

* An old, treasured conservation news source gets a new life.



Extra Credit



* Reading: “The Wildlife News“

* Sage Steppe Wild

* Tons of resources on all things Western public lands conservation and advocacy

Note from Randy: Hi everyone thank you for listening. On the podcast I speak about not reporting possible poachers when they talk about jaguar killings. In addition to the fact that information channels would dry up if we were to report those who talk about killing jaguars, there is also the fact that actual poachers with evidence of the crimes are not prosecuted. In the death of Corazon the jaguar and the bear killed in Cumpas there was physical evidence and no charges were brought against the perpetrators. In the case of the bear in Cumpas there was video of the killing and the boasting. In that case, the people reporting it were even threatened.  I know that a conviction would help protect jaguars. But by the same logic another killing not prosecuted damages peoples belief that jaguars are protected. We are woking hard to change peoples views and relationships with jaguars and biodiversity in general. Thank you.

About Randy Young Villegas

As former manager of the Northern Jaguar Reserve in Sahuaripa, Sonora, Randy witnessed the environmental destruction from current agricultural systems that leads to jaguar persecution. Randy has experience in landscape restoration, permaculture, water harvesting, and natural building, and completed a diplomado program on agaves and mesquites to regenerate semi-arid zones through the University of Guanajuato. He has been involved in different aspects of community development and is a member of the Committee for Sustainable Rural Development for the municipality of Sahuaripa and the Sembrando Vida program for the Santo Tomás, Sehuadehuachi, and Pónida ejidos (community owned lands).

Topics



* Working with landowners to reconnect with the land through regenerative agriculture and permaculture, natural building techniques

* Recreating a bond with nature that provides more stable income for landowners while providing safe habitat for Jaguars to roam and live

* Winning hearts and minds leading to a respect and even pride in helping large carnivores

* Examples of working with nature, alternatives to monoculture farming, and creating a win-win for people and nature



Extra Credit

Visit La Tierra del Jaguar for more information and to get involved!

Download the transcript for episode 122 (PDF)

 

Note from Randy: Hi everyone thank you for listening. On the podcast I speak about not reporting possible poachers when they talk about jaguar killings. In addition to the fact that information channels would dry up if we were to report those who talk about killing jaguars, there is also the fact that actual poachers with evidence of the crimes are not prosecuted. In the death of Corazon the jaguar and the bear killed in Cumpas there was physical evidence and no charges were brought against the perpetrators. In the case of the bear in Cumpas there was video of the killing and the boasting. In that case, the people reporting it were even threatened.  I know that a conviction would help protect jaguars. But by the same logic another killing not prosecuted damages peoples belief that jaguars are protected. We are woking hard to change peoples views and relationships with jaguars and biodiversity in general. Thank you.

About Randy Young Villegas

As former manager of the Northern Jaguar Reserve in Sahuaripa, Sonora, Randy witnessed the environmental destruction from current agricultural systems that leads to jaguar persecution. Randy has experience in landscape restoration, permaculture, water harvesting, and natural building, and completed a diplomado program on agaves and mesquites to regenerate semi-arid zones through the University of Guanajuato. He has been involved in different aspects of community development and is a member of the Committee for Sustainable Rural Development f...

About

Before joining The Rewilding Institute, Megan “Turtle” Southern was the coordinator of the Northern Jaguar Project, where she helped to establish and grow the Northern Jaguar Reserve in Sonora, Mexico, organized scientific research projects and conservation education among youth, and worked extensively with ranchers to promote coexistence.

It has been 15 years since the jaguar known as Macho B died. That is an entire lifetime for a jaguar. It has been eight years since El Jefe was last seen in Arizona, having since moved south into Sonora, Mexico. The newest U.S. jaguar, confirmed earlier this year, follows in their footsteps – a trail that leads through Arizona and New Mexico to vast areas of wild, rugged habitat and abundant prey.

What this new jaguar shows us: Arizona is still wild, we still have our apex predator here, and the border is still porous enough that wild jaguars can cross it. Jaguars are telling us with their movements that they need access to both sides of the border, and that we need to keep linkages open between core areas.

Large portions of Arizona and New Mexico have been identified as potential jaguar habitat, based on historical observations, vegetation type, prey availability, and proximity to water. With Arizona and New Mexico in the mix, the northern population of jaguars could double in number from the cats found in Sonora, habitat options would be expanded, genetic integrity improved, and overall, there would be a more positive outlook for the future.

We know that 20 years ago, the jaguar population in Sonora was believed to be in decline. The idea of setting up what is now the Northern Jaguar Reserve was seen by some as an impractical dream. Today, this core area is protected, a priority for conservation, and essential to jaguar survival and recovery.

Being in places where jaguars roam, like on the reserve, provides countless opportunities for inspiration for what the next 20 years of conservation efforts will bring for jaguars in their northern range. Jaguars belong in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, historically and still today. This is their home. 

Topics



Field guide to get to know the jaguar

Jaguars in the United States – historically

Jaguars in the United States – modern times

One place northern jaguars live: Northern Jaguar Reserve

Finding understanding, inspiration, and story from jaguars in the U.S. and Mexico

Corridors, connectivity, threats, the border wall

Hints at future plans, how carnivores prompt us to think big… stay tuned for more.

Storytelling is key to advancing conservation; science alone doesn’t lead to action, and imaginative empathy is key, as discussed recently with Paula MacKay and Robert Long in Episode 120.



Extra Credit



* Northern Jaguar Reserve

* Embattled Borderlands, Krista Schlyer / Borderlands Project StoryMap

* The Border Wall in Arizona and New Mexico, Wildlands Network StoryMap

* Where Jaguars Roam, Forktailed Media

* Read the book “Borderland Jaguars“

* Related podcasts: – Laiken Jordahl and Lauren Strohacker’s Rewilding Earth ep...

About

Paula MacKay has studied wild carnivores for the past two decades and is currently a carnivore conservation specialist with Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo. Also dedicated to communications on behalf of her wild kin, Paula earned an MFA in creative writing from Pacific Lutheran University in 2015.



She was managing editor for Noninvasive Survey Methods for Carnivores (Island Press, 2008), and her work has been published in numerous journals, magazines, books, and anthologies. Paula lives on an island near Seattle with her husband (Robert Long) and more-than-human dogs, in the company of elder trees. Visit her website to read Paula’s writings about rewilding and to subscribe to her blog, Wild Prose.

Dr. Robert Long is a Senior Conservation Scientist at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, and director of the zoo’s Living Northwest program.



His primary responsibilities include coordinating carnivore research and conservation projects in the Pacific Northwest. Robert has twenty-plus years of experience studying a variety of species, most recently wolverines, lynx, martens, and urban carnivores such as coyotes, and also bears, fishers, bobcats, foxes, deer, snowshoe hares, and owls. He holds degrees from Humboldt State University, the University of Maine, and the University of Vermont. In 2008, he co-edited the book, Noninvasive Survey Methods for Carnivores. He currently lives with his wife (Paula MacKay) and their dogs on Bainbridge Island.

Topics



* Working with carnivores: carnivore conservation & research in the Pacific Northwest

* Non-invasive methods of studying carnivores like camera traps

* Animal autonomy

* How pervasive are camera traps now that anyone can use them?

* How to ensure communities feel safe with cameras in urban monitoring environments

* Scat in the freezer and books on poop!



Extra Credit



* NORTHWEST CARNIVORE SCIENCE & CONSERVATION PROGRAM

* Paula MacKay’s website

* Learn more about non-invasive survey methods for carnivore research



Books Mentioned:





Ben Goldfarb, Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of our Planet. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2023.



Episode 120 Transcript (PDF)

About

Paula MacKay has studied wild carnivores for the past two decades and is currently a carnivore conservation specialist with Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo. Also dedicated to communications on behalf of her wild kin, Paula earned an MFA in creative writing from Pacific Lutheran University in 2015.



She was managing editor for Noninvasive Survey Methods for Carnivores (Island Press, 2008), and her work has been published in numerous journals, magazines, books, and anthologies. Paula lives on an island near Seattle with her husband (Ro...

About

Lauren Strohacker is an eco-political artist whose work emphasizes the non-human in an increasingly human-centric world. She received a BFA (2006) from The Ohio State University and an MFA (2011) from Arizona State University.



Strohacker’s co-creative and site-responsive practice routinely collaborates with both local and national wildlife conservation organizations to conceptualize animals who have been displaced by the colonial built environment, controlled by the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, and erased by the anthropocentrism of capitalism. Conceptually, Strohacker’s focus on wildlife and public space reflects larger contexts of ecology, politics, and radical interspecies municipality.

Topics



* Art in unexpected places

* Reinvigorating human connection to nature, the wild things

* The border wall Jaguar project and other work

* The power of art to move people, pattern interruptions

* Art as a campfire







Extra Credit



* Check out Lauren’s amazing art here!

* Episode 119: Lauren Strohacker Transcript 2023



About

Lauren Strohacker is an eco-political artist whose work emphasizes the non-human in an increasingly human-centric world. She received a BFA (2006) from The Ohio State University and an MFA (2011) from Arizona State University.



Strohacker’s co-creative and site-responsive practice routinely collaborates with both local and national wildlife conservation organizations to conceptualize animals who have been displaced by the colonial built environment, controlled by the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, and erased by the anthropocentrism of capitalism. Conceptually, Strohacker’s focus on wildlife and public space reflects larger contexts of ecology, politics, and radical interspecies municipality.

Topics



* Art in unexpected places

* Reinvigorating human connection to nature, the wild things

* The border wall Jaguar project and other work

* The power of art to move people, pattern interruptions

* Art as a campfire







Extra Credit



* Check out Lauren’s amazing art here!

* Episode 119: Lauren Strohacker Transcript 2023

About

In the early 1980s, an outdoorsy, nature-loving undergrad named Keith Bowers had an epiphany. Keith had been studying landscape architecture at the University of Virginia when he met Ed Garbisch, a pioneering practitioner of marsh restoration along the Chesapeake Bay.

“Wait a minute,” thought Keith. “I can apply my education to restoring the places I love?”

After graduating in 1982, Keith started Biohabitats, an ecological restoration company. 36 years later, with a mission to “restore the earth and inspire ecological stewardship,”

Biohabitats has become one of the most recognized names in ecological restoration and conservation.

Topics



* What is a BCorp?

* What is a Perpetual Purpose Trust?

* How does making nature the only shareholder in a company benefit conservation efforts?

* What it’s like to work in such a company.

* What’s ahead for forward-thinking companies who choose this model and how will it help rewild the planet?



Extra Credit:



* Subscribe to Leaf Litter at Biohabitats

* Purpose Owned | Natalie White: “Specializing in a new legal form of ownership called the Perpetual Purpose Trusts. We help create plans that allow founders to protect their values while they step aside and new leaders to step in, deepen impact thought codifying purpose commitments, design ways to share governance and rewards with stakeholders, and bring in aligned financing to create regenerative business models.

Purpose Foundation: “Purpose Foundation helps businesses and communities build equitable ownership, governance, and financing models.”

Profit Reimagined: “We are on a journey to build a world where every women founder has the financial literacy to grow their own business.”



Transcript: Download the transcript of Episode 118



About

In the early 1980s, an outdoorsy, nature-loving undergrad named Keith Bowers had an epiphany. Keith had been studying landscape architecture at the University of Virginia when he met Ed Garbisch, a pioneering practitioner of marsh restoration along the Chesapeake Bay.

“Wait a minute,” thought Keith. “I can apply my education to restoring the places I love?”

After graduating in 1982, Keith started Biohabitats, an ecological restoration company. 36 years later, with a mission to “restore the earth and inspire ecological stewardship,”

Biohabitats has become one of the most recognized names in ecological restoration and conservation.

Topics



* What is a BCorp?

* What is a Perpetual Purpose Trust?

* How does making nature the only shareholder in a company benefit conservation efforts?

* What it’s like to work in such a company.

* What’s ahead for forward-thinking companies who choose this model and how will it help rewild the planet?



Extra Credit:



* Subscribe to Leaf Litter at Biohabitats

* Purpose Owned | Natalie White: “Specializing in a new legal form of ownership called the Perpetual Purpose Trusts. We help create plans that allow founders to protect their values while they step aside and new leaders to step in, deepen impact thought codifying purpose commitments, design ways to share governance and rewards with stakeholders, and bring in aligned financing to create regenerative business models.