The Wandering Naturalist

by Tom Knisely · · · · 1 subscribers

Explore the history and present of over 27,000 acres of park land inside Minnesota's Hennepin County and surrounding areas. Hosts Angela (wildlife biologist) and Brandon (interpretive naturalist) guide you through this suburban wilderness managed by the Three Rivers Park District.

Join as aspiring winter backpacker and thru-hiker, Emily Ford, shares on the remarkable journey of being the first woman to thru-hike Wisconsin's 1,200-mile Ice Age National Scenic Hiking Trail in winter. Hear how Emily continues to seek...
Learn about the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources program called Becoming an Outdoors Woman from its coordinator, Linda Bylander. Whether you're trying an activity for the first time, or you consider yourself an expert, you can gain new...
Engaging with the outdoors can take many forms, from hiking to skiing to kayaking, but barriers can create hesitation or doubt of your own abilities. Learn from guest, Allie Dart, Recreation Program Specialist at Three Rivers, on local...
The relationship each of us creates and builds with wilderness is uniquely our own, but what is wilderness? Join with Angela and Brandon, featuring special co-host Sara Gaines, as they take on the deeper definition and what it means to our...
Michael Waasegiizhig Price, Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) specialist at the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission in Odanah, Wisconsin, joins us to give his perspective on what Black Bears mean to his Ojibwe Culture and how Ojibwe...
Dr. Diana Doan-Crider, Director of Animo Partnership in Natural Resources, discusses the research she is doing on Black Bears in Mexico. She talks about how she started her project with a traditional western science mindset, how she started...
Andy Tri, MN DNR Bear Project Leader & Forest Wildlife and Populations Research Group, joins us to discuss the biology of Black Bears in Minnesota, how they are researched, and resources to help us be good neighbors to bears. John Moriarty, Senior...
Dr. Laurie Graham from Queen's University in Ontario Canada has spent 25 years studying antifreeze proteins. She talks about the evolutionary history of anti-freeze proteins, what life is like in a lab, and how you study creatures that are only 1 mm...
Dr. Rebecca Swenson and Dr. Corrie Nyquist join us from the University of Minnesota to talk about Minnesota's Bugs Below Zero project. We discuss some Minnesota specific winter active insects, why they are important and how you can help the University...
We thought winter was safe! We were wrong… Brandon and Angela dive into the world of snow bugs, uh, we mean arthropods, to discover how they can survive and thrive on the snow. Dr. Brent Sinclair, a professor in the Biology Department at...
Steven Hogg, Wildlife Supervisor for Three Rivers, talks about the Wood Duck program's history in our parks, what has made it successful, and where you can find these ducks in our parks.
Greg Hoch, author of the book With Wings Extended: A Leap into a Wood Duck's World. Joins us to talk about the history of Wood Duck conservation, how people can help Wood Ducks even if they don't live by water, and how Wood Ducks were an...
Jeff Bahls from the National Wood Duck Society joins us to explore the fascinating world of Wood Ducks. How far of a fall can a baby Wood Duck survive? Where do they go in the winter? Why are we talking about Wood Ducks in December? Listen to find...
Chris Smith joins us to talk about an app he helped to create, HerpMapper. Designed to document reptiles and amphibians around the world, Chris explains the features that make it safe for the animals being documented and how the app helps...
Breanne Black from Working Dogs for Conservation joins us to talk about conservation's best friend, dogs! Working Dogs for Conservation rescues dogs from shelters and trains them to perform conservation work. Whether it is searching for bumblebee...
Wander with us as we explore next and exciting tools being used by scientists in the field of conservation! Wendy Caldwell from Monarch Joint Venture joins us to discuss how drones and remote sensing are becoming an important tool for monarch...
In recognition of “International Artist Day” Angela and Brandon talk with artist Michelle Davis about her artistic process and how nature inspires the wonderful illustrations she creates for the podcast.
Dr. Dan Peach, “Dan the Mosquito Man”, joins us to talk about his research on mosquitos, and what he calls the secret life of mosquitos. He shares the benefits that mosquitos bring to an ecosystem and why we should think twice before trying to...
Nancy Read from the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District explains what the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District is, how it evaluates when and where mosquitos need to be controlled, and what methods they use.
John Moriarty, Senior Wildlife Manager at Three Rivers Park District, joins us to discuss everyone's favorite insect, mosquitos! We discuss some basic mosquito biology, why some mosquitos drink blood, and what Three Rivers Park District's policy is on...