The Wildlife Experience
Season 1
by Andrew Austin
In this episode I interview Matt McCall (@real_matt_mccall on Instagram). Matt is a passionate outdoorsman that spends much of his time outdoors chasing ducks in southeast Texas and beyond. We discuss all manner of duck hunting including duck hunting strategies, public land vs private land, essential hunting gear, duck behavior, and cooking and eating ducks. We also discuss The Bayou Dragons, an outdoor brand that his crew started through social media which aims to capture the full experience of a group of friends that are passionate about the outdoors.
In this episode I interview Dr. Marisa Tellez (@crocparasites13 on Instagram). Marisa is the founder of the Crocodile Research Coalition in Belize and the Vice Regional Chair of Latin America for the IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group. We discuss her career working with crocodilians, Steve Irwin's influence on society and conservation, the work of the Crocodile Research Coalition, crocodilian parasitology, Belizean culture as it relates to crocodiles, the value of good mentorship in science, her experience working with alligators in Louisiana, sustainable use of crocodilians, and other wildlife conservation topics.
In this episode I interview Romey Swanson (@romeyswanson.wildlife on Instagram). Romey is the Director of Conservation at Audubon Texas and a passionate naturalist. We discuss a variety of topics including wildlife tax valuation, climate change mitigation, the decline of North American birds, his professional career in wildlife conservation, and other important wildlife topics. We also discuss our shared experience as biologists that are hindered by stomach diseases and how we've dealt with it (that bit runs for about 10 minutes starting at 1:20 if you want to skip it).
In this episode I interview Chester Moore (@thechestermoore on Instagram). Chester is an award-winning wildlife journalist and currently the Editor-in-Chief at Texas Fish and Game Magazine. We discuss various aspects of his exciting and impactful wildlife journalism career, current Texas conservation issues, the value of experiencing wildlife and the outdoors, wildlife conservation in general, and some of his current projects. Check out his website at www.highercalling.net to learn more about his work.
In this episode I interview AnnMarie Young (@annmyoung.arts on Instagram). AnnMarie is a landscape artist and nature lover that finds inspiration for her work through getting out and experiencing the natural world. We discuss some aspects of her art career, including how she once used her artwork to raise conservation funds, her experiences in wild places such as Alaska, her budding interest in herping and other outdoor pursuits, over-looked endangered species, the lack of public land in Texas, and related topics.
In this episode I interview Ian Breland (@life.of.ian on Instagram). Ian is a herper and filmmaker that is currently working on a unique show about field herping and exploring the world with a strong message of wildlife conservation. We hit on a variety of neat topics including field herping from Colorado to South America, uncontacted tribes, the Amazon, the Pleistocene megafauna extinctions, the idea of rewilding the Great Plains, the potential for undiscovered megafauna, pros and cons of sensationalism in wildlife filmmaking, and other related topics.
In this episode I interview Ramsey Russell (@ramseyrussellgetducks on Instagram). Ramsey is a passionate waterfowl hunter that started his wildlife career as a biologist before starting a waterfowl hunting business that offers premier waterfowl hunts around the world from Pakistan to Peru. Some of the stuff we cover includes his experiences hunting around the world, waterfowl ecology and management, chasing experiences instead of numbers, anti-hunting movements, the various roles hunters play in conservation, and other related topics. Check out his website Getducks.com and podcast "Duck Season Somewhere" to learn all about waterfowl.
In this episode I interview Matthijs Hollanders (@matthijs.hollanders on Instagram). Matthijs is a herpetologist from the Netherlands that is currently studying chytrid fungus for his PhD in New South Whales, Australia. We discuss his experiences field herping in various places including Texas, Oman, Ecuador, Europe, and Australia. We also discuss herp photography, the complex nature of locating rare herps, herp behavior and habitat, chytrid fungus affects on frogs and now salamanders, and other related topics.
In this episode Aan and I interview Casey Shanaberger (@cjsfishes on Instagram). Casey is a passionate multi-species angler that knows a lot about over-looked fishes, especially those in the sucker family. We cover some of the basics of fishing in Iowa, his experience getting into multi-species fishing, "rough fish" and why they are awesome, the nuances of harvesting fish and game, the problem with wanton waste of shared fish and wildlife resources, duck hunting in Iowa, and other related topics.
In this episode I interview Suzanne Simpson (@wetlandsuzanne on Instagram). Suzanne is an ecologist based out of Houston that works for the Bayouland Conservancy and is currently working on a comprehensive wildlife book titled "Wild Houston". We cover some very important topics including Houston's most noteworthy ecosystems, major conservation wins and losses, the value of land trusts and why you should donate to them, conservation easements and mitigation banks, how waterfowl hunters started the Katy Prairie Conservancy, future conservation challenges for Houston and Texas in general, and other related topics.