Nature Now

KPTZ's Nature Now Team
  • 4.7 (7)
  • Nature
  • Updated Weekly

Nature Now presents eclectic Pacific Northwest-focused news, insights and observations about the natural world around us. Anything that grabs the attention of the Nature Now team can be heard on these episodes: birds and bees, flowers and trees, the weather and the stars – everything from microscopic Salish Sea plankton to ecosystem dynamics in a changing world. Every member of the Nature Now team is fascinated by the wonders of the natural world around us, is endlessly curious, hungry for new knowledge, and loves to share these passions with our listeners.

  1. Sep 23

    Survival of Kelp Forests in Our Changing World

    Dive into the iconic kelp forests of our coastal oceans with host Nan Evans and oceanographer Dr. Ed Parnell. Ponder what makes them so critical to the health of marine ecosystems and so vulnerable to changes due to atmospheric and ocean warming. Did you know that kelp are among the fastest growing organisms on our planet - two feet per day, to heights of over 100 feet above the ocean floor. Yet, shockingly, kelp forests are vanishing world-wide. Off the Oregon coast: about 70% of the kelp canopy vanished between 2010 and 2022; nearly 90% of the bull kelp beds vanished in parts of the South Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands in recent decades. (KPTZ airdate: September 23, 2026) Learn more: Ed's upcoming lecture "Marine Heat Waves and the Ecology of Southern California Kelp Forests" The response of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) in southern California to low-frequency climate forcing Demography and dynamics of giant kelp cohorts across four decades: Lessons for conservation and resilience planning Video of dive from Mia's Reef to Quast Rock in north La Jolla Researchers Create A Family History of San Diego Kelp Over More Than Four Decades 50 years of data reveals true extent of climate change impacts on kelp forests Monterey Bay Aquarium: Kelp Forest Ecosystem NOAA: Kelp Forest Ecosystem Extreme warming challenges sentinel status of kelp forests as indicators of climate change Mystery sound recording: California Sea Grant Original music for Nature Now 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!

  2. Aug 19

    Our Changing Coasts – Sea Level Change and Dam Removal

    Nan Evans talks with Washington Sea Grant's Coastal Hazard Specialist, Dr. Ian Miller, about the intersections of coastal science, hazard and risk assessments, and planning for changes in our coastal ecosystems. Specific examples include visualizations for rising and falling sea levels in coastal Washington and the impacts that the removal of the Elwha dams had on the shoreline. (KPTZ airdate: August 19, 2026) Learn more: Ian Miller @ Washington Sea Grant Ian Miller's blog, The Coast Nerd Gazette The River & Ocean Film Festival The University of Washington Climate Impacts Group Sea Level Rise Data Visualizations Washington Coastal Hazards Resilience Network Port Townsend Sea Level Rise Risk Assessment Mystery sound recording: Parande at English Wikipedia Original music for Nature Now 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!

  3. Aug 5

    It's Learning, It's Fun, It's Solid Science... It's iNaturalist

    Nan Evans and her guest Wendy Feltham explore fun and enriching ways to expand and enrich your nature observation experiences. iNaturalist is a free, non-profit, and community-powered forum where every observation tells a story. And every observation has the potential to advance research and scientific understanding of the natural world. (KPTZ airdate: August 5, 2026) Learn more: iNaturalist iNaturalist newsletter Wendy's activities on iNaturalist Wendy's Crabs of the World project Jefferson Land Trust’s Quimper Wildlife Corridor project Two of Wendy’s articles from the Rainshadow Journal: Songbirds of Port Townsend and Becoming a Citizen Scientist Wendy's "Making A Difference" profile in bioGraphic (scroll way down past RhymeTime) Mystery sound recording: Kim Nelson, ML84225, courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library Original music for Nature Now 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!

  4. Jul 29

    Our Seabirds As Sentinels

    Jackie Canterbury speaks with Dr. Eric Wagner about his book, Seabirds as Sentinels. The Pacific coast — often called the "Blue Serengeti" — is a major center for seabird research. The central idea is that seabirds function as sentinels, or early-warning indicators, of changes in marine ecosystems. Because they depend on fish and other marine life for food, shifts in seabird behavior, breeding success, migration patterns, or population numbers can reveal broader environmental changes occurring in the ocean before the changes are obvious to us. (KPTZ airdate: July 29, 2026) Learn more: Seabirds as Sentinels by Eric Wagner Dr. Eric Wagner Seabirds as Sentinels: A Conversation with Science Writer Eric Wagner Sound recording: Matthew L. Brady, XC842483, accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/842483. 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!

  5. Jul 15

    Getting Rid of Noxious Weeds (Part 2)

    Debaran Kelso talks with Sophie DeGroot, Noxious Weed Coordinator for Jefferson County, for the second part of our program on invasive weeds. We get down and dirty out in the field, focusing on how to remove a couple of our arch enemies, English ivy and holly, along with discussing removal strategies for other invasive species in our area (part 2 of a two-part program). (KPTZ airdate: July 15, 2026) Learn more: Jefferson County Noxious Weed Control Board Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board Buckthorn Blaster for cut-stump herbicide application Possible herbicide for holly/ivy: Brush and Vine Killer or other similar products (triclopyr as active ingredient) Weed Wrench Pacific Northwest Weed Management Handbook English Holly (Ilex aquifolium) Herbicide Treatment Study Original music for Nature Now 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!

  6. Jul 8

    Getting Rid of Noxious Weeds (Part 1)

    Tired of those pesky weeds?!? Debaran Kelso talks with Sophie DeGroot, Noxious Weed Coordinator for Jefferson County, about the problem of invasive plants and the role of the Noxious Weed Board in our county (part 1 of a two-part program). (KPTZ airdate: July 8, 2026) Learn more: Jefferson County Noxious Weed Control Board Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board 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!

  7. Jun 24

    Medical Care for Marine Mammals of the Salish Sea

    Are you charmed by the antics of Harbor Seals? Awed by the power of California Sea Lions? Endeared by marine mammals in general? What happens when they are injured, sickened, or endangered by other health conditions? Nan Evans talks with Casey McLean, Executive Director of SR3, the only organization in the Pacific Northwest fully dedicated to the protection of the health and welfare of marine wildlife. SR3 "Responds" to animals injured in the wild, "Rehabiltates" injured and sick animals at their hospital and care facility in Des Moines, Washington, and conducts field and laboratory "Research" on marine mammal health. (KPTZ airdate: June 24, 2026) Learn more: SR3: SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation, & Research SR3 Virtual Tours + Look at Surgery X-ray at SR3 The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA Marine Mammal Rehabilitation Is It a Seal or a Sea Lion? Marine Mammal Protection Marine Mammal Ecology in the Pacific Northwest Marine Mammals as Indicators of Ocean Health Mystery sound recordings: Phoca vitulina and Zalophus californianus by the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Oceanography in partnership with Inspire Environmental of Newport, RI Original music for Nature Now 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!

  8. Jun 3

    Mysteries of the Deep Ocean (Part 3)

    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 3 of a three-part program). (KPTZ airdate: June 3, 2026) Learn more: NOAA Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration Benthic Deepwater Animal Identification Guide Ocean Exploration Trust University of Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory Archive Monterrey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Schmidt Ocean Institute Chris Kelley at Ocean Exploration Trust Chris Kelley at Schmidt Ocean Institute Chris Kelley's lecture: In Deeper Waters: Exploring Earth’s Largest, Yet Least Understood, Biome The Mysterious Deep Sea Animals of the Deep Mysteries of the Deep BBC Earth: The Strangest Creatures of the Ocean News from NOAA Ocean Exploration Inside the Quest to Mine the Bottom of the Sea 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!

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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Nature Now presents eclectic Pacific Northwest-focused news, insights and observations about the natural world around us. Anything that grabs the attention of the Nature Now team can be heard on these episodes: birds and bees, flowers and trees, the weather and the stars – everything from microscopic Salish Sea plankton to ecosystem dynamics in a changing world. Every member of the Nature Now team is fascinated by the wonders of the natural world around us, is endlessly curious, hungry for new knowledge, and loves to share these passions with our listeners.

Information

  • Creator
    KPTZ's Nature Now Team
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    193
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Nature Now

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