Wild For Change Nicole Rojas

On a new Wild For Change podcast, we welcome back Damien Mander, environmentalist and founder of Akashinga, the first all-women, anti-poaching organization formerly known as the International Anti-Poaching Foundation.  
We also welcome Nyaradzo Hoto, a Biodiversity Officer of Akashinga who focuses on research and data analysis collected by the Akashinga rangers.   
The Akashinga rangers are not only working to protect precious wildlife from poachers, but they are also supporting countless other animal lives through their completely plant-based diet.
We’ll discuss the uniqueness of Akashinga’s plant-based diet and how this also parallels helping to save the Earth as American biologist E.O. Wilson proposed in his book, Half-Earth.  Damien and Nyaradzo will share with us how eating a plant-based diet supports our health, the countless lives of animals that are not only part of animal agriculture but the wildlife and the health and stability of our home planet Earth.  
Damien has been featured in the documentary Game Changers about
eating a plant-based diet and TedX, BBC, and National Geographic.
Both Damien and Nyaradzo are two exemplary individuals who embody the spirit of a game-changer.
I wanted to include in the show notes three quotes from the podcast that provide insight into how our collective actions affect the planet and all life on Earth:
“I already know I’m not responsible for the death of animals.  I’m not carrying that weight on my shoulders, on my conscience and that is a powerful thing to be rid of.” 
Damien Mander on eating a plant-based diet.
“For us as humans, we are in a unique position.  For the first time in history we are the only species that has the power to determine what level of suffering is acceptable for all other species on the planet.  But in having that power as well, we’ve been trying to play God in a negative way.  We’ve been trying to control everything without realizing what we’re doing to our own species.  If we really don’t start to respect the planet, or treating it like a bloody garbage dump, it’s gonna chew us up and spit us out.”  Damien Mander
“We don’t need much space to grow vegetables.  As we grow vegetables, we are also supporting the climate exchange.  Like taking exchange for fighting for the climate change, because the more we grow plants in the environment, the more we are fighting on the climate change.” 
Nyaradzo Hoto, on how eating plant-based supports the planet
Website: http://www.wildforchange.com
Twitter: @WildForChange
Facebook: /wildforchange
Instagram: wildforchange

Today on the Wild For Change podcast, we will be speaking with Sara Newton, Head of Content and Creative Strategist for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Sara is also one of the main cinematographers for the organization. For over forty years, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been patrolling the seas to help coastal and island governments from illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. With marine life facing a multitude of threats, Sea Shepherd is a formidable force on the open seas. 
In this podcast, we will learn more about Sara's specialized role within Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, what life is like living out at sea, and the various campaigns they have launched, such as "Stop The Grind" in the Faroe Islands, their efforts to protect the Vaquita porpoise in Mexico's Upper Gulf of California, and their monitoring of waters in Antarctica due to the exploitation of krill, a major food source for whales and penguins.
We will also learn how to support Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in general and contribute to the fight against the exploitation of krill. Your support can make a major difference in the lives of marine animals.
Website: http://www.wildforchange.com
Twitter: @WildForChange
Facebook: /wildforchange
Instagram: wildforchange

On a new Wild For Change podcast, we speak with Kayah George.  Kayah George is from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, part of the Coast Salish peoples of Victoria, Canada.  Despite Kayah’s young age, she has spoken for half her life about indigenous and environmental issues like the transmountain pipeline and chemicals leaking into the Burrard Inlet.  
She recently wrote and directed a documentary titled ‘Our Grandmother The Inlet’ that looks at the lives of Kayah and her grandmother Ta7a and their profound connection to water amidst the background of industry dominance as water is now seen as a commodity.  
Beyond using her voice and remarkable story-telling abilities to support indigenous and environmental issues, Kayah is creating a docu-series in conjunction with National Geographic about the Orcas of Oak Bay, Victoria.  Kayah has a very special connection with the Orcas.  We will learn the history of the relationship of the Coast Salish peoples with the Orcas, how their lives parallel each other, the unique abilities of the Orcas, the threats they face and how traditional ecological knowledge has been instrumental in supporting the Orca population.  
To learn more about Kayah George and her work, you can find her on Instagram at @kayahgeorge.  To learn more about the Tsleil-Waututh Nation’s efforts to stop the Trans Mountain Expansion tanker and pipeline project go to www.twnsacredtrust.ca.
A poem by Kai George’s great-grandfather, Chief Dan George
Get to know the animals around you,
Get to know the birds,
Get to know the land…
the water,
Because what you don’t know
you won’t understand,
And what you don’t understand,
you will fear.
And what you fear, you will destroy. 
Website: http://www.wildforchange.com
Twitter: @WildForChange
Facebook: /wildforchange
Instagram: wildforchange

We welcome back to the Wild For Change podcast Grand Chief Judy Wilson, a member of the Secwepemc Nation to discuss the importance of our interconnection with nature.
Nothing is separate.  For example, more than 70 of the 100 crops responsible for providing 90% of the world’s food are pollinated by bees. But the bee population is crashing from the use of pesticides.  Understanding the interdependence between us and nature is essential for our future. 
If we look at the wild spaces on earth, everything we have come to know in modern society originated here such as the creation of civilizations, food, medicine, and our dwellings. These wild spaces are also home to many species of wildlife.
But these wild spaces have been dramatically downsized due to human growth, yet they are necessary for us to thrive.  The biodiversity and health of ecosystems worldwide are essential for our future.  It is also important to note that other species like wolves and elephants help maintain ecosystems' health and biodiversity.  
Because of Grand Chief Judy’s extensive traditional ecological knowledge and her close relationship with nature, I felt it would be enlightening to hear about her view on nature and to learn how to foster care and compassion for this precious life we all share on earth. 
As we went further into our conservation about reconnecting with nature, Grand Chief Judy Wilson made a point to say that when we reconnect back to ourselves, we can more easily reconnect with nature;
“When you’re more conscious aware of yourself, then you’re more conscious of the interconnection to Mother Earth, the water, all of creation and your reconnection and the interconnection of your purpose, place, and role in this world…”
Website: http://www.wildforchange.com
Twitter: @WildForChange
Facebook: /wildforchange
Instagram: wildforchange

Today on the Wild For Change podcast, we are speaking with Teresa Becher and Mandy Migura from Alaska Wildlife Alliance (AWA) about the special population of endangered beluga whales who live in the Cook Inlet in the central Gulf of Alaska.  
Teresa is the Beluga Whale Monitoring Coordinator who coordinates monitoring sessions of a whole team of volunteer community scientists and is the go-to expert on the beluga whales' behaviors in the Kenai and Kasilof rivers.  
Mandy is the Deputy Director and Marine Program Officer for AWA.  One of her responsibilities is to coordinate a group of nonprofits who advocate for the recovery of Cook Inlet beluga whales, a position she is uniquely suited for given her prior 11-year experience as the Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Recovery Coordinator when she worked for the National Marine Fisheries Service (now called NOAA Fisheries). NOAA Fisheries is the federal agency responsible for the management of Cook Inlet beluga whales.
The beluga whales of the Cook Inlet live explicitly in this inlet and because of this limited habitat, they also must face continued threats such as water waste pollution, noise pollution, climate change affecting their food availability as well as the rising temperature of the water in which they live, disease, habitat loss, as well as vessel strikes to name a few.  Their numbers have declined so dramatically, that approximately 300 beluga whales remain in the inlet.  They are now listed as endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.  
Alaska Wildlife Alliance is on the front lines, researching the various threats to the beluga whales, addressing these threats to ensure this very specialized group of beluga whales have a chance at surviving as well as raising awareness of how we can become involved and support this small group of beluga whales.  
If you live in Alaska near the Cook Inlet and would like to volunteer to monitor the beluga whales, please go to www.akbmp.org to learn more.  If you would like to provide support for the beluga whales via your smartphone, text beluga to (833) 541-0408. If you encounter any stranded marine mammal along a coastal area, please call NOAA at (877) 925-7773.  To learn more about AWA’s work, please go to https://www.akwildlife.org.
Website: http://www.wildforchange.com
Twitter: @WildForChange
Facebook: /wildforchange
Instagram: wildforchange

Today, we are speaking with Ron Sutherland, Chief Scientist of Wildlands Network who is their in-house animal and rewilding expert.  The mission of Wildlands Network is to reconnect, restore and rewild North America so that life in all its diversity can thrive.  
Ron has over 25 years of experience in wildlife research.  His extensive knowledge of wildlife and natural spaces provides us with a formidable fact-based approach towards conservation.  
Rewilding is giving back to the wildlife and giving back to the land.  The more we can support wildlife and nature by reconnecting, rewilding and restoring habitats and ecosystems, the more we will see balance, biodiversity and regulation of ecosystems return and flourish.
You can learn more about Wildlands Network and support their work online at www.wildlandsnetwork.org, on Instagram @wildlandsnetwork, Facebook: @Wildlands Network, X: @wildlandsnetwrk.
Website: http://www.wildforchange.com
Twitter: @WildForChange
Facebook: /wildforchange
Instagram: wildforchange