Heavy metal music seems to attract sharks, but do you know why?

On the final episode of Season 10 we sit down with the world's only Heavy Metal Marine Biologist! Tom "The Blowfish" Hird tells us all about his his wild stories from the field, including how he performed heavy metal music at sea to get a closer look at the ocean's coolest predators!

Enjoy this episode and stay tuned for Season 11 of Conservation Connection, coming October 1st 2024.

This episode was recorded at EarthX2024 in Dallas Texas!

New tools allow us to collect more data than ever before, but is that always a good thing?

When it comes time for policymakers to make decisions, a complex system of stakeholders, limited resources, and unclear goals can make it hard to figure out the best way forward. That's where decision scientists like Dr. Jennifer McGowan swoop in to save the day!

⁠Want to support the show by buying some swag? Check out our online store!⁠

This episode was recorded at EarthX2024 in Dallas Texas

Rainforest sounds recorded by by AdrienPola, accessed on FreeSound dot org

When he learned that 95% of California's kelp forests had disappeared in the past 10 years, Adam Hussain devised a plan to put his underwater film skills to use saving the ecosystem that he loved!

This week we sit down at EarthX with the director of the upcoming documentary Seaforestation to learn about the critical role that kelp forests play in the oceans and how researchers and citizens across the globe are solving the threats that kelp forests face!

Check out the trailer to Seaforestation HERE

In this episode we sit down with Erica Bjelland, a Program Development Specialist at the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance! RREAL is a nonprofit organization who's goal is to make solar energy accessible to communities of all income levels, providing support for anyone who is interested in bringing solar energy into their community. Listen in to hear a great conversation about the importance of renewable energy and the ways in which RREAL is making it easier to access! 

Click here to learn more about our nonprofit: www.lastchanceendeavors.com

Click here to learn more about the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance: www.RREAL.org

Listen in as we sit down with Erik Sotka, an evolutionary ecologist with the Grice Marine Lab at the College of Charleston. He's an expert on invasive species and the ways in which they're changing the ecological make up of marine habitats in the eastern United States. Did you know that the vast majority of introduced species do not go on to become invasive, but instead fizzle out? Erik Sotka is fascinated by why some species succeed where others fail, and the effects that they may have once they're established!

Click here to learn more about our nonprofit: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com

Listen in to this EarthX micro-episode to hear what the Mexican government is doing for the critically endangered vaquita! This species of shy porpoise is endemic to the Gulf of California, and is on the brink of extinction. Often caught as bycatch in illegal nets set for a species of fish called totoaba, the number of vaquita remaining in the wild is estimated to be fewer than 30 individuals!

If you'd like to learn more about our nonprofit, click here: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com

If you'd like to learn more about vaquitas, click here: http://www.vivavaquita.org

Join us for our final interview to come out of WhaleFest 2019 as we sit down with Janet Neilson, a whale biologist who works at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. Janet's job is to understand how many whales are in Glacier Bay each summer, and to figure out where they're concentrating! She and her team use a variety of techniques to monitor their whales, and spend the entirety of the off-season analyzing all the data they collect in the few short months that the humpbacks visit the park. If you've ever wondered what the day-to-day life of a whale researcher is like, this is a must-listen episode!

If you'd like to learn more about our nonprofit, click here: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com

If you'd like to learn more about Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, click here: https://www.nps.gov/glba/index.htm

If you'd like to explore the "humpback yearbook" click here: http://alaskahumpbacks.org

Join us for another episode recorded in Dallas at EarthX 2019! This week we're sitting with Emily Hazelwood and Amber Jackson-Sparks, two leaders in the Rigs-to-Reefs movement and the co-founders of Blue Latitudes! Their company designs sustainable, creative, and cost effective solutions for environmental issues in the offshore industry. Offshore oil rigs are massive pieces of infrastructure that are put in place for decades at a time to extract petroleum, but once the oil reserve has been depleted a new issue arrises: what to do about the infrastructure left behind? Emily and Amber argue that after decades in the ocean the structure has built up an incredible amount of sea life, and that it's beneficial to allow everything below the surface to remain. In fact, these man-mad oases can become important safe-houses for marine life in an increasingly over-harvested ocean! To learn more about our nonprofit, click here: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com To learn more about Blue Latitudes, click here: http://www.rig2reefexploration.org

 Join us for another gripping episode coming all the way from Sitka, Alaska! We sit down at WhaleFest 2019 across the table from Mayumi Arimitsu, a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey's Alaska Science Center, to discuss the shift that the mysterious "Blob" has caused to the food chain in the eastern Pacific! A massive die-off of critical sea birds puzzled scientists, and Mayumi's work has helped clarify some of the possible links and mechanisms behind it!

To learn more about our nonprofit, click here: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com

To learn more about the Alaska Science Center, click here: https://www.usgs.gov/centers/asc/

Join us for another EarthX episodes with the CEO of Fresh Food Connect, Candace Chandra! Fresh Food Connect is a tech platform that allows small-scale urban agriculturalists to connect with the people who need their produce the most, and was launched as a way to lessen the impact of food deserts- urban areas with no easy access to fresh produce. It's important to remember that environmental issues go beyond just preserving habitats or species: if your family has no access to nutritious food you've got a lot more on your mind than trying to go green. 

If you would like to learn more about our nonprofit, click here: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com

If you would like to learn more about Fresh Food Connect, click here: http://www.freshfoodconnect.org

Join us this week as we continue our Sitka WhaleFest series with Rob Suryan, Research Ecologist with the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center and Science Coordinator for Gulf Watch Alaska! Listen in as Rob unravels the mystery behind the disappearance of a critical link in the Alaskan marine food chain! If you've been listening to our other WhaleFest episodes you're probably already familiar with "The Blob", a several year phenomenon of unusually warm water in the northern Pacific ocean. With the appearance of the warm water came a drastic decline in the number of forage fish, a group of fish that serve as a critical food supply to animals higher up the food chain, and Rob's job was to figure out exactly what happened!

To learn more about our nonprofit, click here: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com

To learn more about the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center, click here: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/region/alaska

To learn more about Gulf Watch Alaska, click here: https://gulfwatchalaska.org

This episode tells the story of how some very special dogs are helping to protect one of the most iconic marine animals found in the US! Listen in to the hilarious Christian Fritz, Founder and Chief of Operations for K9s 4 Conservation, an organization that trains dogs to sniff out sea turtle nests so that marine biologists can protect the precious hatchlings within. Believe us, recording this episode with an adorable pup in the studio was a highlight of our week!

If you'd like to learn more about our nonprofit, click here: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com

If you'd like to read more about K9s 4 Conservation, click here: https://www.k9s4conservation.org

This week's episode is with one of the most driven and passionate guests we've ever had; Jackie Hildering, the keynote speaker at WhaleFest 2019! She calls herself the Marine Detective in part because she always asks the question "Why?", and she believes that a sense of wonder is the most important tool in the conservationist's toolkit. Listen to her journey from the classroom to the co-founder of the Marine Education and Research Society, and all of her crazy stops along the way!

Click here to learn more about our nonprofit: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com

Click here to learn more about the Marine Education and Research Society: https://mersociety.org

Click here to learn more about the Marine Detective: https://themarinedetective.com

Although 85% of wild oyster reefs have disappeared over the past 120 years, Georgia's oyster populations are thriving!

Listen in as we chat with Justin Manley, the hatchery manager at UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s Shellfish Research Laboratory on Skidaway Island! We get deep into the science of oyster aquaculture and learn all about the work being done to protect this critical ecosystem!

Want to access resources about oyster farming? Check out the links below!

UGA Marine Extension

Oyster South

East Coast Shellfish Growers Association

This week's episode is a power-packed panel of film makers and producers discussing the massive impact that virtual reality films can have for conservation. We sit down with Christophe Balihache (an underwater filmmaker and co-founder of Underwater Earth), Sophie Ansel (a virtual reality filmmaker), Raymond Chavez (a producer for Guardians of the Kingdom), and Susan Grella (an associate producer for emerging media at Vulcan Productions) to hear about the process behind the incredible VR film, Guardians of the Kingdom! The film tells the story of the Tongan people as they transitioned from a whaling economy to one based on eco-tourism. 

Click here to learn more about our nonprofit: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com

Click here to learn more about the VR film Guardians of the Kingdom: https://www.vulcanproductions.com/guardians-of-the-kingdom

This week we're continuing our Sitka, Alaska series with the Education Director of the Sitka Sound Science Center! Janet Clarke's job is to help connect the people and students of Sitka to the incredible research that's taking place in their backyards. She spearheads the SSSC's Scientists in the Schools unit, which brings a working scientist into every Sitka school classroom every single year and which has bolstered Sitka's science literacy rates way above the statewide average! Listen in as we discuss the programs that the Science Center is currently involved in, as well as the importance of programs like the Sitka WhaleFest celebration!

Click here to learn more about our nonprofit: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com

Click here to learn more about Sitka Whalefest: https://sitkawhalefest.org

Click here to learn more about the Sitka Sound Science Center: https://www.sitkascience.org

Todd Tanner is the driver behind Conservation Hawks, a nonprofit group of hunters and anglers that are working to protect the environment. They're taking it upon themselves to identify and address the single biggest threat to our hunting & fishing activities: climate change. The more time a person spends outdoors the more they'll care for the health of our planet, and who spends more time outdoors than hunters and anglers? Listen in to hear about the waves that Todd Tanner and Conservation Hawks are making in the world of environmental protection!

Click here to learn more about Conservation Hawks: https://www.conservationhawks.org

Click here to learn more about our nonprofit: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com

To kick off Season 2 of Conservation Connection, we're starting with our first ever husband and wife team, Keisha Bahr and Danny Coffey! Keisha is a coral researcher who has been examining the causes and effects of the global phenomenon called coral bleaching, and Danny investigates the movement patterns of large pelagic fish and sharks with advanced wildlife tagging technology. We caught up with this duo at Sitka WhaleFest 2019 in Sitka, Alaska, where Keisha was presenting her research to ocean-loving members of the public. Listen in to hear about their journeys from high-schooler to researcher, their current work, and their favorite moments from the field!

Click here to learn more about our nonprofit: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com

Click here to learn more about Sitka Whalefest: https://sitkawhalefest.org

Click here to learn more about the Sitka Sound Science Center: https://www.sitkascience.org

Glenn Prickett is the mastermind behind Rock Creek Strategies, a consulting firm that "helps companies, investors, and organizations incorporate the value of nature in economic development". So what does that mean? It means that Glenn crunches the numbers to find ways for businesses to help protect nature AND their bottom line at the same time! Need to remove carbon pollution that your factory is producing? Well you could pay to install carbon scrubbers on the top of your smoke stacks, or you could protect native forests that provide the same amount of carbon pollution removal! When you take into account all the economic value that nature provides, you realize that it makes financial sense to protect our planet. 

Click here to learn more about Rock Creek Strategies, LLC: https://www.rockcreekstrat.com

Click here to learn more about our nonprofit: https://www.lastchanceendeavors.com

Sarah and Daniel sit down with us at SeaWorld's Park to Planet Weekend to describe the ways in which they are inspiring the next generation to care about aquatic systems and the environment. These two incredibly passionate educators go above and beyond for their students, exposing them to real world aquatic systems and the ways in which every day choices impact them. Listen in to discover why their aquatic science program has doubled in size in just four years!

Don Hartsell, the first commissioner of the World Air League and a member of The Explorer's Club, is promoting energy efficient cargo transportation by organizing a world first: an airship race around the globe! Harkening back to the days of new frontiers and untested technology, the World Air League is organizing an eighteen-leg circumnavigation race where the vessels competing are lighter-than-air crafts that float across the sky with minimal energy consumption. This is the first time in human history that an airship race has sought to circle the globe, and the organizers are hoping to use it to bring attention to possible solutions that greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with cargo transportation! With an incredible story to tell and the passion to tell it, Don Hartsell will have you wondering why airship cargo transport isn't commonplace today. 

If you'd like to learn more about the World Sky Race, visit their website! http://www.worldskyrace.com

David Marquis is an activist, writer, political powerhouse, and all around renaissance man with a burning passion for creating lasting environmental change. We sat down with him at EarthX in Dallas to discuss his goals for the city over the next few decades, including the ways that Dallas needs to respond in order to conserve the largest urban forest in America and the Trinity Watershed that serves half the population of the Lone Star State.  His goal is to take the energy of activist movements and carry it "beyond the march" by implementing lasting changes to city ordinances and institutional policy that will protect the environment for years to come! He also stressed that each person has a role to play in this movement: no matter what you do you can do it green!

If you'd like to learn more about the venture capital firm mentioned in this episode, click here to listen to episode 009!

Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode:

"We’ve got to ask how do we move people around, not how do we move cars around"

"Everybody has a place in this movement, in changing the world and making it a better place. Whether its becoming a city planner, or a conservationist... whatever it might be."

"We can’t all be speakers, we can’t all be politicians, we can’t all be elected officials, but there’s a place for everyone doing this work to save the environment, to save our planet."

"Whatever you do, do it green and make it last."

Underwater robots searching for deep sea coral, algae-loving bacteria that might solve wastewater problems, and an invasive seaweed that is shifting ecosystems and bringing bacterial hitchhikers; quite a broad range for undergraduate research! Lilia, Pressley, Ana, and Jordan are three undergraduates from across the country participating in the Fort Johnson REU program this summer, and they sit down with the Conservation Connection team to share their experiences and discoveries.

Not only are these undergrads pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding in their topics, they're practicing valuable skills in science communication that they'll need for the rest of their careers as researchers! Communicating science to other researchers is one thing, but helping the public understand why their research matters is a different skill set entirely.

Want to read more about their work this summer? Check out the Fort Johnson REU Blog: https://blogreu.wordpress.com

The Hansen name was made famous when Mark Victor Hansen co-created the best selling book series Chicken Soup For the Soul, and he and his family are using their success to make this planet a better place! We sit down for a mini episode with the team that's pushing to make water-purifying technology available across the globe. Powered by table salt and a tiny solar panel, this device can fit in a pocket and purify up to 10 gallons of water a day!  Listen in to hear all about its development and how it can save lives.

Check out these links to learn more: 

metamorphosisenergy.us

https://ecoworldtechnologies.com

Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode!

"I wanted to be involved in something that was game-changing and positive for the world so I became a part of Metamorphosis Energy." -Preston Weekes

"9000 people die a day from drinking contaminated water. 5000 of those are children." -Crystal Hansen

"You can disinfect this water with no power, no resources. You can do it anywhere in the world." -Preston Weekes

"We’re a solution company, and there aren’t many of them around. Both philosophically and technologically." -Mark Victor Hansen

We interrupt your regularly scheduled episode of Conservation Connection to bring you this special crossover episode with Crystal DiMiceli of the Forces For Nature Podcast and The Healthy Seas Podcast!

Listen in for a sneak peak of Season 10 and to discover another incredible podcast!

Intersex snails with a story to tell, dead shrimp that are validating a mathematical model, and the hidden dangers of oceanic micro-plastics; quite a broad range for undergraduate research! Sam, Carolina, and Kelsey are three undergraduates from across the country participating in the Fort Johnson REU program this summer, and they sit down with the Conservation Connection team to share their experiences and discoveries.

Not only are these undergrads pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding in their topics, they're practicing valuable skills in science communication that they'll need for the rest of their careers as researchers! Communicating science to other researchers is one thing, but helping the public understand why their research matters is a different skill set entirely.

Want to read more about their work this summer? Check out the Fort Johnson REU Blog: https://blogreu.wordpress.com

Extremophile bacteria affecting clouds, disappearing crocodiles, and an epidemic affecting wild sea lions; quite a broad range for undergraduate research! Jackson, Jules, and Katherine are three undergraduates from across the country participating in the Fort Johnson REU program this summer, and they sit down with the Conservation Connection team to share their experiences and discoveries.  

Not only are these undergrads pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding in their topics, they're practicing valuable skills in science communication that they'll need for the rest of their careers as researchers! Communicating science to other researchers is one thing, but helping the public understand why their research matters is a different skill set entirely. 

Want to read more about their work this summer? Check out the Fort Johnson REU Blog: https://blogreu.wordpress.com

Charley and Aislinn are two of the founding members of Heirs to Our Oceans, a global youth organization that is working to inspire kids to learn about and protect oceans and waterways for future generations. Did we mention they are only 15 and 13? Yep, these teens aren't just sitting back and waiting, they're taking action today to protect their own futures! With chapters from Kentucky to Palau, this nonprofit is building up steam to be a major player in the fight to protect our planet! Listen in to hear how they got started, how you can help, and how YOU can join the movement. 

To visit their website, click here: www.heirstoouroceans.com

To see the latest news from Heirs to Our Oceans, visit their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/heirstoouroceans

To see even more Heirs news, check out their instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heirstoouroceans/

Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode!

“I’m focusing more on ocean legislation and policy which is a bit different from other kids' focus areas.”  -Aislinn

“We’re really all about connecting youth globally, really around the world, and getting all youth connected around the problem of ocean conservation.”  -Aislinn

“My sister and I got together a bunch of our friends and people that our friends knew and we came together as the first Heirs to our Oceans chapter.”  -Charley

“We realized that it was more important to get kids inspired now and have that be the journey.”  -Charley

“Support your local youth. Support them in their passions and where they want to go with the environment and their careers.”  -Charley

“Really everyone needs to get involved. It’s the next generation stepping forward, its previous generations helping us out, it’s people from around the world coming together to solve these problems.”  -Aislinn

We're kicking off our first mini-series by bringing Dr. Bob Podolsky back on the show! He's the director of both the Grice Marine Lab and the Fort Johnson REU Program, and he's sitting down with his colleague Dr. Heather Fullerton to describe the incredible opportunities they make available to undergraduate students every summer. These students get ten weeks to pursue original research, allowing them to experience the life of a professional researcher while honing skills they'll need in their future careers. 

Every Sunday for the next three weeks we'll be posting an episode that highlights these students' research and their experience in Charleston during this field season, so be sure to tune in next weekend!

If you'd like to learn more about the College of Charleston REU Program, click here: http://reu.cofc.edu

If you'd like to check out their Instagram, click here: https://www.instagram.com/cofcbiology/?hl=en

If you'd like to check out their Facebook, click here: https://www.facebook.com/cofcbiology/

Heidi Whitehead is the Executive Director of the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, and has helped countless marine mammals in need over the course of her career. Listen in to hear about TMMSN's partnership with SeaWorld and how their "time capsule" of resources is advancing the field of marine mammal medicine and rehabilitation all over the world!  She also shares wild stories of rescuing animals in the wake of devastating hurricanes.

To learn more about the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, click here: http://www.dolphinrescue.org

To see the latest news from the TMMSN, visit their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/tmmsn.dolphin.rescue

Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode!

“We look at every animal that comes in as an opportunity to help future animals that strand.”

“It’s not all just playing with dolphins in a pool; when you’re dealing with rescue and rehabilitation specifically you’re not dealing with healthy animals.”

“Several years ago we formalized the partnership [with SeaWorld] so that we could really move forward and advance the stranding network’s ability to provide care for more animals.”

“I got in touch with the Coast Guard helicopter crew and said ‘There’s no way we can get this dolphin back unless we put it in your helicopter!’ ”

Dr. Slattery is the Director of the Institute for Environmental Studies at Texas Christian University, and he and his students are making waves all over the field of ecology! Listen in to hear more about TCU's research station in the Cloud Forests of Costa Rica, where it's not precipitation but the clouds themselves that feed the hydrologic cycle. We also discuss the plight of the South African Rhino, possible solutions to the problem, and the incredibly complex issue of wildlife poaching. 

To learn more about TCU's Environmental Studies program, click here:  https://environment.tcu.edu/ 

To learn more about rhinos in South Africa, click here:  https://planetrhino.tcu.edu/ 

Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode!

"If you’re dealing with difficult environmental issues, you need a broad range of perspectives."

"I think it’s not overstating the case to say that within a decade or two we’re looking at [rhinos] being gone unless we solve this problem."

"When someone in the bush gets approached by a poacher or a poaching syndicate, not even necessarily to poach an animal but just tell them where these animals are, and they can get the equivalent of one to four years salary just by telling them that and they can put food on the table to feed their family for one year or more, that’s an easy decision. I probably would make the same decision."

"Most people have that visceral reaction 'let’s just arm everybody and go shoot poachers.'  We’re not going to be able to shoot our way out of this crisis."

"It all simply comes down to finding a way for these local communities to protect [the rhinos] themselves in the long run."

"I know we’ve turned every one of those young men and women into advocates for wildlife conservation, so that’s been really powerful."

Museums are illuminating places, and no one knows that better than Kirk Johnson, the Sant Director of the National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institute. He believes that museums are the last bastions of the real thing: one of the only places left where you can come face-to-face with an authentic artifact and experience it first hand. Listen in as Chance and Sarah Kathryn talk with Kirk about his experience as the Director over the last few years; everything from innovative technology to the magical surprises that come with working at a world class museum of natural history. 

Do you know what animal is the closest living relative to a bear? Or how many squirrel specimens can be found in the National Squirrel Collection? Kirk shares these tidbits and more! 

If you're in the DC area, check out the new exhibit "Deep Time" opening this Saturday, June 8th 2019! It's more than a fossil room, it tells the story of life on our planet from the earliest organisms to modern day, and continues on into the future of what our planet may look like!

Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode:

"I prefer to think of museums as the last bastion of the real thing."  - Kirk Johnson

"If you ask the question: what’s the nearest living animal to a bear, most people can’t answer that question.  Can you?" - Kirk Johnson

"Down the hall from my office is the national squirrel collection, where we have 32 thousand squirrels." - Kirk Johnson

"The whole story of conservation is based on what do we stand to lose on planet Earth, and the first thing you have to know is what do we have on planet Earth." - Kirk Johnson

"It’s about 15 million years old. It’s on display in the new exhibit. You’ve probably never heard of it. David Attenborough had never heard of it! I was so psyched to stump David Attenborough." -Kirk Johnson

The world's coral reefs are in crisis and dying off at an alarming rate, but conservationists are working day and night to protect them! Meet Guyon Brenna and Zoë Ward, two members of Reef Life Foundation ( https://www.reeflifefoundation.org/post/last-chance-endeavors) who are doing just that. Reef Life Foundation and its partners have developed a brand new material (Oceanite) that they're using to build artificial reefs, and are applying the cutting edge science of coral micro-fragmentation to grow corals up to 50 times faster than they would out in the wild!

Click here to purchase a bracelet and plant a coral:  https://www.reeflifefoundation.org/shop 

Click here to see Oceanite and a micro-fragmentation disk:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YITW3s63b1c 

Click here to watch a video about their test sites in St. Maarten:  https://vimeo.com/325568580 

Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode:

"The rate at which we can get coral to grow... is unlike anything we've ever seen before" -Zoë Ward, Reef Life Foundation

"On SeaLegacy's website, we are their only solutions partner. So we are the person that they expect to have results, do the thing, figure it out." -Guyon Brenna, Reef Life Foundation

"If you are a fan of breathing, then you should be a fan of reefs." -Zoë Ward, Reef Life Foundation

" We want to be the first line out there, planting the coral and making sure that we’re having an impact in the areas that we’re supporting." -Zoë Ward, Reef Life Foundation

If you thought that all conservationists are scientists and forest rangers, think again. Cassie Bowe and Bethany Gorham, two key members of Energy Impact Partners, sit down with us at EarthX 2019 to discuss how the world of venture capital and conservation go hand in hand. EIP is the link connecting energy utility investors to innovative green energy start-ups that are propelling the energy field to new heights!  Listen in to learn how EIP makes a difference for the planet through intentional investments!

Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode:

"This day and age, you don't have to choose between caring about climate and making a profit... that IS the way you make profit these days." -Cassie Bowe, Energy Impact Partners

"Where are we investing? In any technology relevant to the convergence of the energy system towards a de-carbonized, electrified, and de-centralized future." -Bethany Gorham, Energy Impact Partners

"In terms of the types of checks we write, it's usually 10-30 million dollars. So these are pretty big checks, especially for the energy industry." -Cassie Bowe, Energy Impact Partners

"Conservation is not just about the people knee deep in mud everyday. It's also about the people in business suits, working in venture capital, growing and investing in the green innovations of tomorrow." -Chance Ruder, Last Chance Endeavors

If you'd like to visit Energy Impact Partners' website, click HERE

And If you want to learn more about the companies they've invested in, click HERE

National Audubon Society is known worldwide as a leader in bird conservation, and for good reason. Listen in to hear David Yarnold describe the steps that Audubon is taking to reach the next generation of conservation leaders through their brand new Campus Chapters program! 

With as much diversity as birds bring to our planet it's no surprise that they're facing an equally diverse set of threats, but the biggest of them all is climate change. As the environment changes, species of birds that we hold dear to our hearts are being pushed out of their historic ranges. Check out THIS LINK to see what scientists predict will happen to your favorite species (try looking at the Common Loon!).  

Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode: 

"The biggest threat to birds is the biggest threat to the planet, which is climate change." -David Yarnold 

"By 2080 nearly half of America's [bird] species could lose more than 50% of their range. Is extinction likey for some of those species? Yeah probably. That's the bad news. The good news is there's a lot we can do about that." -David Yarnold 

After we ask about his favorite bird: "That’s a bit like asking me to pick a favorite kid!" -David Yarnold 

CLICK HERE to check out the beautiful purple gallinule! 

CLICK HERE to learn what native plants you can grow to help your local bird population! 

CLICK HERE to learn how you can become an advocate for birds! 

CLICK HERE to start your own Audubon Campus Chapter!

In a changing ocean, whales and their protectors must react fast to stay ahead of the curve!

This week we sit down with Cathy Sakas, a life long adventurer, biologist, and ocean advocate. She found the first North Atlantic right whale calf in Georgia over forty years ago, and has spent her career working to ensure that they'll survive in the face of a changing ocean!

Dr. Bob Podolsky is the director of the Grice Marine Laboratory at the College of Charleston, and has spent his career working to unlock the secrets of the early life stages of marine invertebrates. He's on the front lines of ocean acidification, fighting every day to understand the ways in which changing oceans are putting the foundation of important marine food webs in peril. The gametes and larvae of your favorite marine organisms (sea stars anyone?) live in an alien world where minor changes in water temperature and chemistry can have massive effects on their survival, and no one knows more about this than Dr. Podolsky himself! 

Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode:  

"When you have a situation of low genetic variability, you have a situation where it’s going to be hard for those populations to respond to future changes in pH." - Dr. Bob Podolsky 

"Even though echinoderms seem inconsequential to human populations, their larval forms are parts of food webs that support the kinds of fisheries that humans depend on for their food." - Dr. Bob Podolsky 

"People have to recognize this: that it’s not just stuff out in the ocean that you shouldn’t care about, but rather human populations that are going to be impacted by changes in the way that these ecological communities work." - Dr. Bob Podolsky 

For more info on the Grice Marine Laboratory click HERE

Vicki Nichols Goldstein and Taylor Shedd, two key members of the Inland Ocean Coalition team, sit down with us at EarthX 2019 to discuss a hidden truth: no matter where you live your choices still affect the ocean and the ocean still affects YOU. Increasingly across the continent groups from inland states like Colorado, Arizona, and Illinois are banding together to protect our ocean, proving that "out of sight, out of mind" isn't always true. Listen in to learn how you can start your own Inland Coalition chapter!

Here are some of our favorite quotes from this episode: 

"The idea is very simple; you don’t have to see the ocean to protect it." - Vicki Nichols Goldstein

"What's an Ocean gal to do in the middle of the country? So I started the Colorado Ocean Coalition..." - Vicki Nichols Goldstein

For more info on the Inland Ocean Coalition click HERE

For info on starting your own Inland Coalition Chapter click HERE

For more info on EarthX click HERE

Sarah Kathryn and Chance travel out to Texas to take part in the largest Earth Day Celebration in the world! EarthX is a public event with hundreds of free exhibitors and educational opportunities in Fair Park, Dallas. Beyond the public expo, EarthX hosts a series of conferences that bring together experts from all corners of the environmental arena, providing a space for important discourse to take place! Listen in to hear what's going on in the Lone Star State.

For more information on EarthX, check out their website: www.EarthX.org

Dr. Paul Gayes does a little bit of everything. He's the Executive Director of the Burroughs and Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies with the Coastal Carolina University, and he's involved with everything from tracking changes in long-term storm patterns to searching the sea floor for the best location to place an off-shore wind farm! In this episode, the Conservation Connection team sits aboard the Coastal Explorer to learn how a changing environment interacts with a growing coastal population, and what that means for the future of coastal science.

Conservation Connection takes Dallas by storm! We've got a big announcement, and it has to do with the massive EarthX conference being hosted in Dallas on April 26-28th!

We'll see you next time on Conservation Connection!

Dr. Jody Beers is an integrative physiologist who focuses on how fish respond to changes in their environments. She's the newest faculty member at the College of Charleston's Grice Marine Lab where she's setting up a lab to investigate the effect of cooling waters on local fish populations. Listen in as she describes her previous experiences living and working in Antarctica with the only vertebrate that lives without hemoglobin in their blood! By understanding the ways that a changing climate affects individuals and populations, we can better protect all of our ocean resources!

Dr. Dave Eslinger is an oceanographer for NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In his spare time, he and his team are documenting the beauty and value of South Carolina's waterways at many levels; using everything from satellite imagery to microscopy to produce a wholistic look at this vibrant ecosystem. Listen in to hear how a 12 year-old boy from land-locked Idaho became the citizen scientist saving his underwater robot from entanglement beside a nine foot alligator! 

If you'd like to explore Dr. Eslinger's project after listening to this episode, check it out at bit.ly/SCWaters

Dr. Gorka Sancho is a fish ecologist and a professor of biology at the College of Charleston where he conducts research at the Grice Marine Laboratory. He's been captivated by fish since age seven and has spent his life dedicated to unlocking their secrets. Though he is a prolific scientist, he also firmly believes that research and education should go hand in hand. Join us to learn about his work on the issue of micro plastics in Charleston Harbor and how he has tracked unexpected tiger sharks in South Carolina Estuaries!

Episode Notes

Every day, scientists and conservationists around the globe are working to answer critical questions about our rapidly changing environment and the organisms that live there; the minute details of their work reveal both the beauty and the precarious balance of the natural world. Join the Last Chance Endeavors team as we interview today's leading wildlife scientists and conservationists about their most recent discoveries. Listen in to hear the ongoing story of the scientific studies being conducted to protect our planet's future

Support Conservation Connections by donating to the tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/conservation-connection

This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Over 300 species rely on the Gopher Tortoise - and its burrows - to survive!

This week we chat with disturbance ecologist Barbara Blonder at Flagler College to learn about the struggles and survival tactics of coastal gopher tortoises! She uses her research and her position as City Commissioner to help St. Augustine make the best possible management decisions.

Happy rattlesnakes mean a happy island!

This week we sit down with Joseph Colbert, a wildlife biologist with the Jekyll Island Authority. He studies eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, and uses this knowledge to inform management decisions which keep the entirety of Jekyll Island in harmony with nature!

EXGREEN20

We're wrapping up this season with some big changes, some quick announcements, and a conversation on the value of collaboration!

Check back on April 2nd for the start of our next season when we'll be investigating coastal conservation in the American southeast, and come see us at EarthX in Dallas from April 22 to April 26th!

Visit EarthX.org to buy passes, and don't forget to use discount code EXGREEN20 to get 20% off! Reach out to us on our instagram @ConservationConnection

This week we dive deeper into the spider shoal lily and its role in the Chattahoochee River ecosystem by sitting down with Natalie Downey from the Chattahoochee River Conservancy. Listen in to learn about the importance of this flower and the ways that volunteers are working to restore its population!

Click here to get involved: ChattRiver.org

On Georgia's southern border lies the Okefenokee Swamp, our nation's largest intact blackwater wetland. For thousands of years it's been a place of refuge and recreation, but modern industry is threatening to change it forever. Listen in this week to Deborah Reed (Reed's Grocery Store) and Rena Peck (Georgia River Network) as we discuss the value of the Okefenokee and the dangers that are threatening its future!

www.ProtectOkefenokee.org

www.GARivers.org