On a new Wild For Change podcast, we welcome back Damien Mander, environmentalist and founder of Akashinga, the first all-women, anti-poaching organization formerly known as the International Anti-Poaching Foundation.   We also welcome Nyaradzo Hoto, a Biodiversity Officer of Akashinga who focuses on research and data analysis collected by the Akashinga rangers.    The Akashinga rangers are not only working to protect precious wildlife from poachers, but they are also supporting countless...

Today on the Wild For Change podcast, we will be speaking with Sara Newton, Head of Content and Creative Strategist for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Sara is also one of the main cinematographers for the organization. For over forty years, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been patrolling the seas to help coastal and island governments from illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. With marine life facing a multitude of threats, Sea Shepherd is a formidable force on the open...

On a new Wild For Change podcast, we speak with Kayah George.  Kayah George is from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, part of the Coast Salish peoples of Victoria, Canada.  Despite Kayah’s young age, she has spoken for half her life about indigenous and environmental issues like the transmountain pipeline and chemicals leaking into the Burrard Inlet.   She recently wrote and directed a documentary titled ‘Our Grandmother The Inlet’ that looks at the lives of Kayah and her grandmother Ta7a and their...

We welcome back to the Wild For Change podcast Grand Chief Judy Wilson, a member of the Secwepemc Nation to discuss the importance of our interconnection with nature. Nothing is separate.  For example, more than 70 of the 100 crops responsible for providing 90% of the world’s food are pollinated by bees. But the bee population is crashing from the use of pesticides.  Understanding the interdependence between us and nature is essential for our future.  If we look at the wild spaces on earth,...

Today on the Wild For Change podcast, we are speaking with Teresa Becher and Mandy Migura from Alaska Wildlife Alliance (AWA) about the special population of endangered beluga whales who live in the Cook Inlet in the central Gulf of Alaska.   Teresa is the Beluga Whale Monitoring Coordinator who coordinates monitoring sessions of a whole team of volunteer community scientists and is the go-to expert on the beluga whales' behaviors in the Kenai and Kasilof rivers.   Mandy is the Deputy...

Today, we are speaking with Ron Sutherland, Chief Scientist of Wildlands Network who is their in-house animal and rewilding expert.  The mission of Wildlands Network is to reconnect, restore and rewild North America so that life in all its diversity can thrive.   Ron has over 25 years of experience in wildlife research.  His extensive knowledge of wildlife and natural spaces provides us with a formidable fact-based approach towards conservation.   Rewilding is giving back to the wildlife and...

On today’s Wild For Change podcast, we will be discussing freshwater availability with Lis Mullin Bernhardt, a United Nations Programme Officer for Water.  Her previous work for the UN includes Coordinator for the Global Adaptation Network, an initiative that helps the world build resilience to climate change.  Water is essential in order for us to survive but as climate change disrupts freshwater availability, water scarcity has become more prevalent around the globe.   According to Drought...

On today’s Wild For Change podcast, we speak with John Jurko II, creative director of Global Conservation Corps and lead producer and director of the film RHINO MAN.   Global Conservation Corps is a non-profit organization that is bridging the gap between communities and wildlife.  The film RHINO MAN was the first project of Global Conservation Corps and was created to support the rangers protecting the rhino and to share their stories.  Rangers are the front line, the boots on the ground,...

On a new Wild For Change podcast, we speak with Hannah Matthews, a Water Programs Manager of charity: water. Water is the foundation for all life, without water, we couldn’t survive.  Lack of fresh water largely influences a person’s physical and mental health, time, education, and livelihood.  And as we are seeing the effects of climate change, chronic water scarcity has become more prevalent around the globe. 703 million people lack access to clean and safe drinking water.  This means women...

Growing up April and her husband Tyler dreamed of having a pet pig.  After watching a video of a mother pig living in a horrific gestation crate, April knew in her heart she wanted to dedicate her life to rescuing and saving pigs and finding them their forever home.  This was the impetus of Chicagoland Pig Rescue.  But April and Tyler aren’t stopping at rescuing pigs and finding them sanctuary placement.  They are documenting the intricacies and rich inner worlds of pigs’ lives to raise...

Wetlands are crucial ecosystems for the filtration of excessive water in some parts of the world and for storing carbon, preventing the overheating of the atmosphere. This is why they are often called the ‘kidneys’ of the landscape. Moreover, they are home to numerous flora and fauna species and thus are vital as a variety of habitats. However, human interventions sometimes have catastrophic impacts on wetlands. according to some estimations, over the last 50 years, our planet has lost around...

On today’s Wild For Change podcast, we speak with Nicole Schmitt, Executive Director of the Alaska Wildlife Alliance.   Alaska Wildlife Alliance was founded in 1978 to be a voice for Alaska’s wildlife, which includes marine mammals and endangered species. The mission of Alaska Wildlife Alliance (AWA) is to safeguard wildlife biodiversity knowing the wildlife have not only an intrinsic value to ecosystems but to the Alaskan people as well.    In recent years, AWA has expanded its reach and...

On a new Wild For Change podcast, we speak with amphibian biologist Dr. Kerry Kriger, founder of Save the Frogs! Save The Frogs! began in 2008 and works across the United States as well as around the world to prevent the extinction of amphibians and to create a better planet for humans and wildlife, while also empowering ordinary citizens to contribute to the betterment of the planet.   According to Save The Frogs! “Frog populations have been declining worldwide at unprecedented rates, and...

On this Wild For Change podcast, we speak with Judy Wilson, who formerly served as Kukpi Chief of the Neskonlith Indian Band about the Wolf Treaty; A Treaty of Cultural and Environmental Survival.   Judy has knowledge, experience and an extensive background in First Nations land rights/specific claims, human rights, children & family jurisdiction, emergency management and supports a wide range of issues including climate action, justice reform, environmental & animal rights. Currently...

Today we are speaking with Brooke Bowlin, a sustainable fashion advocate who got her start in the industry in 2018 from owning a second-hand clothing store.  After dealing with people’s excess of clothing, Brooke’s eyes were opened to the harm and overconsumption of fashion.  She has made it her mission to educate about better personal as well as industry practices.  Beyond her passion for helping to make sustainable fashion more accessible to the collective, Brooke is also an artist,...

Today, we welcome back Leif Cocks, founder of the International Elephant Project, based in Sumatra.  The International Elephant Project (IEP) is a not-for-profit project for elephant conservation, rainforest protection and local community partnerships, in order to protect and save the entire ecosystem and biodiversity of habitats shared by elephants.  The Sumatran elephant is critically endangered.  The current population is estimated at 1,200-1,500.  Threats to their survival is in part due...

On today’s Wild For Change podcast, we speak with three hosts of Vigil4Elephants that commemorates the elephant lives that were lost each year in captivity; Barbara Lovett, founder, and president of Save Nosey Now, Inc.Courtney Scott, founder and president of Free the Oregon Zoo Elephants.Sandra Clinger, president of The Elephant Advocacy Project (TEAP) and a board member of Save Nosey Now.  This group of dedicated souls have been coming together since 2019 to honor and mourn the captive...

On a new Wild For Change podcast, we speak with Jodie Wiederkehr, founder of Chicago Alliance for Animals (CAA).  CAA is a volunteer grassroots animal advocacy organization that began in 2015.   The first goal of CAA was to ban horse carriages in downtown Chicago, and in 2017, the organization began diligently documenting how the horses were treated by their handlers as well as the horses’ workloads by volunteers spending countless hours observing the horses.  With this documentation and...

On a new Wild For Change podcast, I speak with Miguel Franco, CFO and co-owner of Healthy Substance, a vegan Mexican restaurant located on the south side of Chicago.  We will be speaking about how Healthy Substance got its start, what it means to eat vegan, and how eating vegan helps to save animals’ lives.   Healthy Substance is one of my favorite restaurants and is my go-to for vegan Mexican food! During the podcast we learn; What it means to eat vegan.How Healthy Substance got its...

Today on the Wild For Change podcast, we will be discussing the magnificent rhino, with our guest, Simon Jones, CEO of Helping Rhinos.  Helping Rhinos is predominantly based in Africa.  Their focus is on helping the species survive at sustainable levels by improving protection, care, and welfare of the rhino in its natural habitat as well as to forge significant partnerships with successful organizations.  Helping Rhinos is celebrating ten years of protecting rhinos in their natural habitat. ...

Founded in 2013, Conserv Congo is a non-profit conservation whose mission is to maintain the biodiversity of the Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.   The Congo Basin is a vast tropical rainforest and a biodiversity hot spot which is home to 100’s of mammal species.   Conserv Congo puts itself on the frontlines to save and protect endangered species from poachers and wildlife traffickers, fighting the good fight every day trying to prevent extinction of wildlife.  To date,...

On today’s Wild For Change podcast, we are going to learn about habitat restoration with David Lloyd, steward for the Cook County Forest Preserves in Illinois.  During this podcast, we will learn why habitat restoration is so crucial for local ecosystems.   I am fortunate enough to live near forest preserves where I can take a hike, see wild flowers and wildlife and get a breath of fresh air.  Recently, I wanted to get back into volunteering and signed up to help with habitat restoration at...

On a very special Wild For Change podcast, we celebrate World Elephant Day with Dr. Vicki Fishlock, resident scientist of Amboseli Trust for Elephants in Kenya.   The Amboseli Trust for Elephants, located in Kenya, is a not-for-profit organization that focuses on the long-term conservation and welfare of Africa’s elephants in the midst of human expansion, through scientific research, outreach, advocacy, and training.    Dr. Cynthia Moss and her co-founder, Harvey Croze created the Amboseli...

On today’s Wild For Change podcast, we speak with Joshua Sam Miller. Joshua is a world recording artist, composer, and producer.  His mission is to connect people to the natural world through using the sounds of nature as a healing modality.   After discovering an affinity to surfing, Joshua took note of the fragility of ocean life and began using his artistry to help with ocean conservation by combining music and the sounds of nature.    He recently released an album called Sounds of the...