In this episode, Steve’s cousin Michael tells the story of a life-threatening challenge that affects four billion people on this planet: that’s half of the human population. But it’s also the story of one very simple thing that, if implemented, will change every one of their lives. And you can be part of it.

An Interview With Michael Shepard

One of the things that makes this Podcast so much fun to produce is the opportunity I have to meet talented people who do interesting things. In this episode we meet Mary Sullivan, whom you have most likely never heard of. She works with Mike Rowe, whom you have most certainly heard of. Mary is the President of mikeroweWORKS, a foundation that donates tens of thousands of scholarship dollars to people who seek a job in the skilled trades. But Mary is much more than a corporate executive: she is a gifted and compassionate leader, an attorney, a biologist, a Hollywood agent, and a force to be reckoned with. She lives one of the ideals of her own foundation: When hard work follows passion, magic happens. In this episode, Mary shares her nonlinear journey from growing up in Maryland to working with Mike Rowe and helping hundreds of people achieve their dreams. There are some serious messages and compelling lessons in this episode—enjoy. And please visit the mikeroweWORKS Foundation to see the remarkable things they do for so many: www.mikeroweWORKS.org.

Episode 131 - Mary Sullivan's Dirty Job

Jared Blake is as passionate about the natural world as they come. One of the ways he works to protect it is by capturing the sounds of nature and sharing them with the world. He is equal parts technician, advocate, videographer, recordist, and teacher. Enjoy the post--his captures are magical.

Interview With Jared Blake

To say that Jacob traveled to Create Voices of a Flyway is kind of like saying that David Attenborough is a newscaster. One of the largest bird migration routes in North America is the Mississippi Flyway, which the Audubon Society describes as a “river of birds.” Every year, more than a billion birds make the round-trip journey from their breeding grounds in Canada and the northern US to their winter habitats along the Gulf of Mexico and in Central and South America. 

As he made his way from Louisiana northward, Jacob’s conversations with the people he met along the way shattered stereotypes left and right. For more than two months, he traveled along the Mississippi flyway, interviewing oil workers, commercial fishing crews, ornithologists, farmers, environmentalists, Wildlife and Fisheries employees, conservation land managers, scientists, concerned citizens, Audubon volunteers, and dozens of others. All had a story to tell, but one theme stood out: they all agreed that we have a collective responsibility to balance our impact as a species with the needs of the natural world. But he didn’t go on the journey to advocate: he went to listen.

Episode 161 - Voices Of A Flyway With Jacob Job

Jim Winninger and I have known each other for a long time. We share interests in teaching, music, photography ... and the power of passion. Jim thinks about it all the time, and has a lot to share about the subject. And folks, if any of you are parents, you might want to listen to this one with your teenage kids. It applies to them as much as it does to you.

Epsode 171 - A Passion For Passion With Jim Winninger

An evening at the local wetland, punctuated by a symphony of spring peepers and an occasional round of applause from the resident beavers.

Interlude - Beavers And Peepers

Episode 219 - Reef Renewal USA

If you’re a regular listener, you know that I’m interested in the sounds of the natural world and have interviewed quite a few sound recordists on this program. In this episode, you’re going to meet a guy who is more than just a sound hobbyist. He works all over the world for big movie studios—in fact, when we recorded this, he had just returned from a shoot in the Sahara Desert in Algeria for a big Hollywood production He also produces sounds for the video game industry, which is far more complicated than you may think.

My guest is George Vlad. I learned about George’s work a few years ago when I ran across a photograph of him standing on the lip of a volcano with a boom pole extended over the rim. He has recorded soundscapes all over the world: the Amazon Basin, Borneo, the Arabian Desert, the rainforests of west Africa, Madagascar, and all over Europe, including in his native Romania. You can learn more about George and his work, and listen to some great tutorials, at mindful-audio.com, or at his YouTube site. But first, meet George. I caught up with him for this interview at his home in London.

Episode 220 - George Vlad Captures The World

Just a few thoughts on the societal and generational progression from data to wisdom.

Episode 221—A Few Thoughts On Wisdom

I first ran across Rick Hannon's work when I purchased his album, "Dusk to Dawn on the Camas Prairie." After listening to this extraordinary collection, I reached out to Rick, and he agreed to join me on the Natural Curiosity Project to to talk about career as a photojournalist, photographer, sound recordist, and sound designer. From natural soundscapes like the Camas Prairie, to the sounds of antique typewriters, Rick does it all.

Episode 223 - Rick Hannon Of Evocative Sound

In this free-flowing conversation, I interview Ryan McCarty, an extraordinary individual with a story to tell that is both inspirational and informative. Actually, that's all I'm going to say. Enjoy!

Episode 224 - Ryan McCarty And The Culture Of Good

Have you ever had this happen: You see a book a shelf that makes you think of a friend you haven’t spoken with in a while. You smile at the memory, and as you smile, your phone rings. You look at the screen, and it’s the person you’re thinking about, calling you.

We’ve all had it happen, and it’s kind of weird. But it turns out that there may be some serious science behind the phenomenon—serious, as in quantum physics. It even has a name: Synchronicity.

Join me and my friend Tom Myers as we chat about the strange world of coincidences. Or are they?

Episode 229 - The Strange World Of Synchronicity

When I was a kid I spent a lot of time in New Mexico, where my grandparents lived (Roswell, specifically). As we drove around, I became fascinated with town names--like Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Huh? Well, I did some research, and I came up with a list of what I think are the funniest, or most intriguing, town names for every state. Enjoy!

Episode 231 - Of 400s And Other Names

In response to a query from a young student, I decided to talk about roly polies. Hey, it’s Friday—celebrate with something fun!

Episode 233 - Holy Moly Roly Poly!

Imagine walking into the library because you’re interested in finding a book that will help you better understand a particular topic. You walk up to the circulation desk, tell the librarian what you’re interested in learning more about, and they say, “I’ve got just the book for you. Wait here.”

So, the librarian walks into the back and returns with the book. Only in this library, the books—are people. Because this is the human library.

You’re not going to hear from me a lot in this episode, because I want to leave the story to the people who are best equipped to tell it: the founder of the organization in Copenhagen, the manager of the New York City Human Library, and Brian Belovitch, one of their books.

Episode 234 - The Human Library Project

Another track that’s mostly for the kids, this one thanks to a student request about the lowly dung beetle—a much smarter little critter than we give it credit for. Enjoy!

Episode 235 - Dung Beetles

Dudley Edmondson is a gifted nature photographer with a passion for telling nature's story through his books and images. He's also a Black Man in America, and wrestles with all that that means as someone who often feels more comfortable in the wild than he does standing in his own front yard. Listen to his story--and think about what it means.

Episode 236 - Interview With Dudley Edmondson Nature Photographer

Described as the most resilient creatures on earth, tardigrades are funny little critters that can withstand just about any threat we toss at them--and shake it off as if  nothing happened. They can be frozen, boiled, left in the vacuum of space, exposed to radiation--and nothing seems to affect them. In this episode we talk about these little critters. Enjoy!

Episode 237 - Tardigrades

This is an important audio essay (at least, I think it is). It’s a bit longer than my usual diet, but it will be worth your time to listen and, as Winnie-the-Pooh would say, think a little think about it. Thanks, in advance.

Episode 238 - Things Vs. Our Idea Of Things

A message from an 8th grader asked me to look into antlions. So, I did, and with lots of memories of these little critters from my own childhood, here you go!

Episode 239 - Antlions

What's the largest thing on earth--the blue whale? Nope, not even close. Here's a hint: it weights 233 times what a blue whale weighs.

Episode 240 - Battle For The Biggest

As you know, the tag line of this program is that this is the place for stories that matter. Well, this story matters more than most. Not only is it about experiencing the wonders of the African bush, it's about a young woman, sightless from birth, who taught others how to see.

Episode 241 - Seeing Sounds

Episode 242 - Interview With Musician And Field Recordist Madeline Reilly

Amazing what happens when art and science collide.

Episode 243—When Art And Science Yield Truth

Sometimes there are no words. In this case, I editorialize about  theme I believe deserves attention: the corrosive power of disinformation and lies, and those who wield them.

Episode 244 - It's A Thing

Have you ever dreamed about going on an expedition? And I don’t mean a walk in the deep woods—I mean, going to places most of us couldn’t find on a map, and living under some pretty rugged conditions.Well, my guest on this program has done that. In fact, he’s been on more than one expedition, to some of the roughest places on the planet. 

Meet Tony Baylis. Tony is an Australia-based wildlife sound recordist who sometimes bills himself as a ‘bird vocabularist’—meaning, someone who specializes in the unique calls of individual species. I caught up with him recently while he was in the UK, visiting our mutual friend Roger Boughton, and we had a great conversation.

Episode 245 - The Papua New Guinea Expeditions With Tony Baylis, Wildlife Sound Recordist

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

14 - Fallow Deer Rut

1 - Welcome

I photograph, record, and write about the natural world. I see, I listen, I write. I fundamentally believe that curiosity can save the world—so I publish stories to make people curious. Ultimately, curiosity leads to discovery, discovery leads to knowledge, knowledge leads to insight, and insight leads to understanding. Please enjoy!

Popular tracks by The Natural Curiosity Project