In this episode of Field Stories we catch up with co-host Chris Ketola who has just returned from a very successful research expedition in Uganda.
Chris shares his experience and stories about the trip, including one story in particular that involves volunteers up a tree and charging buffalo!
Chris and Michela also discuss how the current political climate in the USA is impacting conservation across North America and the entire world, with examples from our backyard all the way the way to Uganda.
This episode covers a lot of ground, so sit back and enjoy!
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Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)
Theme Music:
"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons:
By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/4.0/
39. ‘Hear Them’ - Cheyenne Beach: Amplifying federal conservation workers voices 🗣️🙋♀️🦆
This episode is dedicated to all the federal conservation and outdoor recreation workers across the U.S. facing challenges today.
Welcome to the first in a mini-series of Field Stories called "Hear Them," where we spotlight the wrongful terminations and hiring freezes plaguing the federal workforce. Through this series, we aim to shed light on the injustices our colleagues are enduring and offer a platform for their voices to be heard.
As of February 14, 2025, Cheyenne Beach became one of the many federal conservation and outdoor employees who were unjustly laid off. Today, we’ve given Cheyenne a platform to share her personal journey and the devastation she’s felt since that day. Her story is one that resonates deeply with thousands of federal workers who are living through the same struggles right now.
Cheyenne’s story is heartbreaking, but it’s also a call to action. Her loss mirrors the pain many others in our field are experiencing. We ask you to listen, empathize, and get angry with us. This is an injustice we cannot ignore. Stories like Cheyenne's show the very real human impact of these decisions, and they’re a reminder of why we must stand up and fight.
Cheyenne is a remarkable individual—kind, intelligent, and hardworking—who deserves so much more than this. Despite the hardships, she remains determined to push for justice in these difficult times.
Her courage to continue the fight is a message we all need to hear: We will not quit.
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Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)
Theme Music:
"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons:
By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/4.0/
And we’re back from another hiatus and are excited to introduce our guest, Jasmine Mancuso for episode 38 of Field Stories!
Have you ever wondered who monitors our freshwater ecosystems? What happens when a body of water becomes unsuitable and hazardous with Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) ??
Jasmine, an Aquatic Ecology Research Analyst, dives into her world of aquatic ecology. Her work focuses on understanding the cause and effects of harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes, some of the largest bodies of freshwater in the world! 🌎
Jasmine shares her journey as an Aquatic Ecologist, from rivers to lakes, where she met our cohost Michela in grad school! Today, we really highlight on the need for outreach, education, and connection between scientists and our local communities. When it comes to saving our freshwater ecosystems, not just for our animals but for our own health too, it’s important to have aquatic ecologists like Jasmine to listen and learn from! 🐟
Jasmine also shares her field story of running into problems with birds out on Lake Erie!
Don’t miss this new episode, and we are all excited to be back and rolling!
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Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)
Theme Music:
"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons:
By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/4.0/
This week we welcome the one and only Outdoor Anthony to the show! Describing Anthony Porter isn’t easy, he’s literally a jack of all trades! One part outdoor educator, one part wildlife survivalist, add in his trademark bow and arrows along with a dash of American Ninja Warrior and his new book and you get Outdoor Anthony! Anthony shared his journey towards his current status as one of the most engaging outdoor education content creators. He also shares his views on how wildlife education and communication have changed over the last decade and what his personal ethics are about what he will and won’t show on his channels. Anthony also shared his field story about a close encounter with a Mountain Lion and what that taught him about nature and our place in it. Don’t miss this awesome episode AND don’t forget to pick up your copy of his new book My Epic Nature Journal which is available now!Follow Anthony: @OutdoorAnthony Anthony's book: https://www.amazon.com/Epic-Nature-Journal-Anthony-Porter/dp/1962202577Follow Field Stories - Instagram - @field_stories_podcastHosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)Theme Music:"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons:By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Today we were joined by wildlife artist and lover of turtles, Matt Patterson, for episode 36 of Field Stories!
Have you ever wanted to get into wildlife art as a job but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you are already a wildlife artist and you just want to know how to get out into the field, and acquire some conservation experience!
Matt Patterson’s work has spanned far and wide, from illustrating a book about fish with his dad, to assisting in the field with turtle conservation in Madagascar and Belize!
Matt has recently illustrated and was a character of a non-fiction book called, “Of Time and Turtles”, by Sy Montgomery and is currently working on a new book about a very beloved snapping turtle named Fire chief! 🐢 His passion and love towards turtles truly is personified in his artistry and personality, which is such a beautiful thing to witness.
Thank you so much for joining us today Matt, we learned a lot from you and got to see inside the mind of an artist! We hope you enjoy this episode!
Streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube!
Like, subscribe, share and leave a comment down below with any questions from this episode 💜!
This week on Field Stories, we’re joined by Mike Mills, a wildlife biologist at the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF). Mike’s journey began with a B.S. in wildlife biology, followed by fieldwork across the globe, from tracking king cobras in Thailand to sea turtle conservation in Costa Rica. In 2019, he joined SCCF as a nighttime sea turtle intern, eventually shifting his focus to Florida box turtles while completing his Master’s in Conservation Biology.
Now, as a full-time biologist at SCCF, Mike oversees wildlife fieldwork in the Wildlife and Habitat Management Department. In this episode, we explore Florida’s island ecology and the impact hurricanes have on both wildlife and habitats. Mike shares insights on the critical role of volunteers in sustaining these sanctuaries amidst Florida’s rapid development—and wraps up with an unforgettable tale of his time tracking king cobras in Thailand!
**Please note 2 sections of this episode have been redacted to ensure the safety of local wildlife
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Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)
Theme Music:
"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons:
By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/4.0/
This week we welcome back Nick as a special guest/host to discuss his summer in Suriname and Uganda. We hear about the conservation differences from country to country as well as some of the main reasons Gorilla trekking is a viable option in Uganda 🇺🇬 Nick tells two field stories with a more in depth look at a disastrous adventure in the Amazon rainforest involving a dog… as well as playing football with a rather large opposition player 👀 Guests to return for next week but we hope you enjoy this special episode where two hosts can discuss important matters... Follow Field Stories - Instagram - @field_stories_podcastHosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)Theme Music:"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons:By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This week we chat with bat biologist Carlos Restrepo! He shares insights into his fascinating research investigating how smooth surfaces, such as solar panels, can appear to be water surfaces to bats. This research is particularly relevant in Mexico where he currently works, as water is a finite resource in arid regions across the country. Finally Carlos shares his field story with us, which is one of the craziest stories we’ve heard yet!
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Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)
Theme Music:
"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons:
By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/4.0/
On this episode of Field stories, the three co-hosts are FINALLY all back together! This week sit down with Jamie Clark (@seaturtleager instagram), a Sea Turtle Biologist who is working towards her PhD at the Unviersity of North Carolina Willmington. Today we dive into Jamie’s PhD work, which investigates size-at-age relationships and population dynamics of various fish and sea turtle populations using skeletochronology - Fourier Transform Near InfraRed (FT-NIR) and DNA methylation methods. Being a sea turtle biologist is one of the toughest fields to get into, and Jamie discusses her career path and advice for future young scientists of how to get into the field, stressing on her passion for inclusion and equality in the field of stem. We wrap up this episode with a good laugh from Jamie’s field story and we hope you enjoy this episode just as much as we did!
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Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)
Theme Music:
"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons:
By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/4.0/
In this week’s special episode of the Field Stories podcast we dive deep into the forest fires across South America that continue to burn unabated, leaving people around the world feeling confused and hopeless. We speak to Peruvians Clemencia Pinasco and Juan Diego Shoobridge about their thoughts and opinions about the causes and potential solutions to stopping these fires. Our two guests, along with host Chris Ketola have, have years of experience working in the lowland Amazon in addition to other regions of South America. Their experience brings a unique perspective and depth to a topic that is all too often only addressed with short news clips. We take a deep dive into this incredibly complicated issue and offer some suggestions about how people can help… Follow Field Stories - Instagram - @field_stories_podcast Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos) Theme Music: "Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/
This week we speak to bat ecologist and researcher Jessica Dangerfield! Jessica spoke to us about bat conservation in England and why it’s arguably the most bat crazy country in the world! Her extensive work with bats includes monitoring and research projects in addition to bat rehabilitation. She also shared stories about some of her exciting international projects, including a doozy of a field story involving the rainy season in Malawi and spending a night with colleagues inside of a stuck truck in the middle of the Savannah!
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Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)
Theme Music:
"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons:By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This week we speak to ornithologist, author and tour guide Phil Chaon. Phil’s career has taken him literally across the world, first for research and more recently as a tour guide. Phil also recently co-authored the amazing book Habitats of The World, and is hard at work on a follow up called Habitats of North America. Phil spoke about the differences between the life of a field biologist versus a tour guide, and also the responsibilities of leading ethical ecotours. Finally Phil shared the most Peruvian field story ever, let’s just say we doubt he will ever need to buy that many onions again in his life! Another fantastic episode with a very interesting guest!
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Instagram - @uropsalis Follow Field Stories - Instagram - @field_stories_podcast Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos) Theme Music: "Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/
This week sees the return of an OG guest, several field stories and an in person chat at Snake Patrol Suriname about all things snakes and Suriname live from the country 🇸🇷 Follow Field Stories - Instagram - @field_stories_podcastHosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)Theme Music:"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons:By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This week we spoke to Miriam Boucher, a Canadian Herpetologist who specializes in researching crocodilians. Miriam talked about her work with crocodilians across the Americas, and discussed her current PhD project focusing on bioaccumulation within alligator populations in the United States. She also explained her groundbreaking device used to prop open crocodilians mouths for research. Finally she shared her field story with us, and let’s just say it invoked a massive American Crocodile zooming towards her at full speed while she was in a canoe!
Nick also made a return to the podcast, and shared a tease of the amazing stories he’s been accumulating in Suriname.
A jam-packed show that’s can’t be missed!
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Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)
Theme Music:
"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons:
By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/4.0/
Michaela is born and raised in Beverly, MA and has been involved in whale conservation since 2016. Starting as an intern on a whale watch, she found all sorts of channels to get people excited about whales!! Currently she is working for a UK based whale and dolphin charity called ORCA where she lives aboard passenger ships to take data on whale and dolphin hot spots and critical habitats while hosting lectures and workshops relevent to the species and locations visited. When she is home she works for a company called The Whale Mobile - a life sized inflatable whale called Nile, who travels around the states to share the importance of whales with kids who might not get the opportunity to see whales in their habitats :) Basically just a dork about whales who loves any excuse to talk about them and inspire potential whale dorks out there Follow Field Stories - Instagram - @field_stories_podcast Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos) Theme Music: "Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/
Our guest this week is Alex Troutman! (@n8ture_al on IG). Alex is a Fish and Wildlife Biologist and Environmental Educator, and his work has taken him across the United States, with an amazing stop in Asia working with bats as well. Alex is a prominent voice for the black in STEM community, and he shared some of his experiences and perspectives on this extremely important topic. This episode touched on some very intense subjects and is very much worth the time to really take in what Alex had to say about the challenges the black community face when trying to break into conservation. Finally Alex shared his field story about his encounter with “dinosaurs” during one afternoon of fieldwork!
Follow Alex:Instagram - @n8ture_alX - @n8ture_alFollow Field Stories - Instagram - @field_stories_podcastHosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos)Theme Music:"Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons:By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
This week we speak to Jody Allair! Jody is the Director of Community Engagement at Birds Canada. Through fieldwork and educational initiatives, Jody has been dedicated to bird conservation for the past 20 years. Jody and Chris spoke about the important role of environmental education and how it has evolved over the last decades. Jody also gave his insights into how young people with a passion for wildlife can contribute to conservation and find a successful career path. Finally Jody shared his field story involving an unfortunate skunk and Great Horned Owl, and needless to say you can almost smell the skunk in his story while listening! Follow Jody: Instagram - @JodyAllair X - @JodyAllair Follow Field Stories - Instagram - @field_stories_podcast Hosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos) Theme Music: "Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/
On this weeks episode we speak to the director of Osa Conservation, Andy Whitworth! Andy has worked across the Neotropics for more than 10 years and is currently focusing his work on conserving the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica while also supporting projects in Peru.
Andy shared his thoughts on conservation in Costa Rica, why it’s such a biodiversity hotspot and how climate change in particular is such a major threat to biodiversity across the Neotropics.
Finally Andy shared his field story with us, and needless to say anytime a story involves caimans, it’s a banger!
This week we speak to Liliana Tobar González. Lili is a Mexican biologist who specializes in ornithology, with a focus on two pretty distinct groups: grassland and pelagic birds! In addition to her fieldwork, Lili is also very active on social media through her @bioloversdelmundo IG account. We spoke to Lili about why she is so passionate about promoting environmental science education in Spanish and in Latin America. She also shared very personal insights into the state of the environment in Mexico and the very complicated challenges facing conservation efforts there. A great episode with one of the most passionate and energetic guests we have had to date!
Instagram - @bioloversdelmundoYouTube - @Biolovers Follow Field Stories - Instagram - @field_stories_podcastHosted by Chris (@chrisketola), Michela (@michiganbiologist) and Nick (@nick_smith_wildlife_photos) Theme Music: "Honey Bee" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/
In this episode of Field Stories, we're thrilled to welcome J. Spahr, a masters-educated professional scientific illustrator from New Hampshire. J. Spahr, creates stunning infographics and illustrations that highlight endangered habitats and animals from around the globe. Her passion for wildlife and conservation has taken her to diverse locations such as Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and across the United States. Throughout her travels, J. has worked closely with a variety of species, including brown bears, salamanders, fish, and many more. J. also demonstrates that you don't need to be a scientist to contribute to conservation, and she shares how others can follow in her footsteps. Join us as we dive into her fascinating journey and learn about the vital role of scientific illustration in environmental awareness and conservation.