The National Wildlife Federation has worked with hunters and anglers since 1936 to tackle the biggest natural resource challenges. The NWF Outdoors Podcast explores the most important conservation issues and the people who do the hard work to safeguard our fish, wildlife, lands, and waters. Hosted by Aaron Kindle, director of sporting advocacy at NWF.
Episodes
Thursday Jun 09, 2022
Thursday Jun 09, 2022
Aaron and Bill sit down with the 2021 Orvis Conservationists of the Year, owner of Alaska Sportsmen’s Lodge, and renowned Bristol Bay conservationist Brian Kraft. Brian has spent nearly 20 years working to stop the Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay from ever becoming a reality. The EPA recently announced another comment period regarding prohibiting discharge of dredge or fill materials. If the latest effort is successful, the Pebble Mine would again be halted. We talk to Brian about how he got into the lodge operating and fishing guide service, the incredible fishing and wildlife resources of Bristol Bay including 30” rainbow trout, how he first learned of the proposed mine, and his work to keep the mine away from the area that produces nearly half of all the planet’s salmon. And last, we pivot to permanent protection and how we can end the threats of large-scale mining in Bristol Bay once and for all.
Links:
EPA link to comment portal
https://www.epa.gov/bristolbay/public-comments-and-hearings-2022-proposed-determination
EPA link describing comment process
Video of Brain and his family talking about the values in Bristol Bay
https://www.fishasl.com/hold-the-line-bristol-bay-alaska/
Video announcing Brian as Orvis Conservationist of the Year
Conservation Organization Resources on Bristol Bay and the Pebble Mine
https://www.savebristolbay.org/
https://stoppebbleminenow.org/
Brian’s lodge website
Show notes:
3:58 – A little background on Brian.
5:35 – Brian, Aaron and Bill share what they have been doing outside recently.
9:20 - Brian provides a brief overview of the scale and scope of Bristol Bay and the surrounding area… The “breadbasket of fisheries” the bounty there is mindboggling! 47% of the world’s salmon comes from here!
16:50 - Brian talks about how he got into running fishing lodges in Bristol Bay without any prior experience.
25:55 - Brian takes us through a day on the water with his clients in Alaska… they’re catching 22-26” rainbow trout on the fly!
30:38 - What is the average size range of the rainbow trout up there?
32:53 – Short break for a message from our partner podcast, Artemis Sportswomen. For more great content, be sure to follow NWF Outdoors on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
34:45 - Brain shares a little background on how we got to where we are at now regarding the threat of the Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay. This has been a team battle!
56:29 – How do we get permanent protection? Where would the relief money come from that would be used for the Federal Government to purchase land that is now part of the state of Alaska? What are other options including land swaps, etc.
59:19 - What should folks be telling the EPA right now and how can we help with the permanent solution? “This is the wrong place for this type of development. Salmon runs are irreplaceable and provide food for the world. Let’s not replace one resource with another.”
1:04:07 – Parting words from Brian, Bill and Aaron.
“I didn’t inherit this land and these fisheries from my ancestors. I’m borrowing it from my children. It’s my responsibility to make sure that it’s in better shape for them to use and enjoy. We need to do the right thing. There are right places to do things like this and wrong places – and this is definitely the wrong place.” –Brian Kraft.
Thursday May 26, 2022
Catching Fish Changes Lives with Steve Bowman
Thursday May 26, 2022
Thursday May 26, 2022
If you love bass fishing, this is the episode for you. Our guest today is Steve Bowman, and when it comes to bass fishing, conservation and tournament angling, he’s definitely the guy you want to hear from. From being a member of The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame to his work as manager of Bassmaster.com tournament coverage and BASS Manager of Angler Relations, he’s in the mix. His career and work are interesting, but it’s when he tells the story of making his first rod from an old car antenna to which he attached drink can pop-tops for guides and a Zebco reel he spent the summer mowing yards to buy when this show goes to the next level. The antenna rod comes back to mind when Steve tells how an African American kid in Little Rock changed his life and how he views the outdoors.
Show links:
https://www.bassfishinghof.com/inductee/steve-bowman
https://www.wired2fish.com/w2f-slide/steve-bowman
https://www.waterfowlerhof.com/
Show notes:
4:31 – Bill, Aaron and Steve share what they’ve been up too outside recently. Cue the turkey hunting, bass fishing and shed hunting!
9:20 - Steve shares a little background on his childhood, a heartfelt story or two and his earliest memories of fishing with a stick and a string and the adventure of converting an antenna into a fishing rod so he could fish at the pond near his house. “So here’s a kid that’s right on the verge of going into a gang or going fishing… and he’s taking the opportunity to go fishing.”
22:37 – Steve continues his discussion on the importance of providing fishing opportunities for every angler. He goes on to discuss high school and college bass fishing programs and the importance of investing in opportunity.
27:56 – Steve talks about how he grew up saying he wanted to hunt and fish for a living. He chats about how he got into journalism and taught himself to write after saying to his boss, “I’ll do anything you want me to do, just ever ask me to write.”
30:57 - Steve shares an inspiring duck hunting story that changed the direction of his life.
33:35 – Steve talks about the time they wanted to channel the White River.
37:00 - Discussing wildlife management and past deer situations in Arkansas.
39:13 – Short break for a message from our partner podcast, Artemis Sportswomen. For more great content, be sure to follow NWF Outdoors on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!!
40:05 – Bill brings it back to storytelling and salesmen. Steve talks about his late friend, Ray Scott, and his profound impact on hunting and fishing in the U.S. as well as international bass fishing.
44:05 - The evolution of “catch and release” in our country.
47:16 - Aaron brings it back to the connection between conservation and opportunity.
51:36 – Bill brings up the topic of fishing with pro anglers and a few things that weekend anglers can pick up from observing these professionals in action.
55:55 – Lots of professional bass fishing professionals were athletes prior… Also a mention of Tom Brady, duck hunting and duck habitat.
59:03 – Bill brings it back to Vanishing Paradise and Steve’s involvement in a conservation issues that sportsmen and sportswomen need to know about.
1:02:12 – Steve discusses a few conservation issues in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.
1:05:15 – Closing statements.
“Just realize that a greater entity created all this, rather than a core of engineers…” -Steve Bowman
Thursday Apr 21, 2022
Thursday Apr 21, 2022
In the final episode of the CWD Chronicles, we bring back Matt Dunfee from the Wildlife Management Institute to put a bow on the series, help us affirm good information, throw away bad information, respond to listener questions, and look to the future of managing and living with CWD.
Links:
CWD Chronicles FULL SHOW ARCHIVE: https://www.nwf.org/Outdoors/Our-Work/CWD-Chronicles
Recent and Ongoing CWD Research and Management Projects: https://cwd-info.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CWD-RESEARCH-SUMMARIES-MASTER-6-29-21.pdf
CWD in North America: https://cwd-info.org/map-chronic-wasting-disease-in-north-america/
Carcass Importation Regulations: https://cwd-info.org/state-and-province-carcass-import-regulations/
CWD-Related Hunting Regulations: https://cwd-info.org/cwd-hunting-regulations-map/
Show notes:
5:14 – Aaron shares a little background on Matt for those who didn’t catch episode one.
6:34 – Quick overview of previous topics covered in the CWD Chronicles Episodes 1-5.
9:18 – Ashley shares a few other things that we hope to look at as we wrap up this series.
*A few take-aways from previous episodes: Get tested. Support intensive management actions when necessary. Don’t congregate animals.
11:53 – Within the past six months, we have four new states with CWD positive tests!
13:09 – Matt reflects on the broader picture which has been reinforced over this series.
“The first one is never the first one, we find this disease as we test more for it.”
17:00 – Aaron chips in that in this episode we are highlighting questions from our listeners.
19:05 – First listener question from John Matis in Loveland, CO.
John says: I’d like to know why all the deer aren’t dead? If chronic wasting disease is so contagious, and results in 100% fatalities, then why haven’t all the deer and elk died? Or is there genetic selection taking place, where the animals are developing immunity or resistance to the disease? Why not let natural selection take place?
21:57 – Can a fawn be born CWD positive? Ashley points out that younger populations have other implications beyond just total numbers.
24:50 – Second listener question from Gary Maerz in Westbury, NY.
Gary asks: Have state agencies considered a program that allows the issuance of additional tags if a hunter harvests a CWD positive deer, after verified by testing?
29:08 – Third listener question from Austin Moon in Cheyenne, WY.
Austin asks: Why is CWD more prevalent in deer than in other ungulates?
34:07 – Fourth listener question from Sarah Mueller in Pennsylvania.
Sarah says: We are just now on the edge of the CWD zone, should I get my deer tested? Can I eat the meat if it’s CWD positive? I’m nervous about using my good knives to butcher if I get prions that will never come off on them. Other states have lived with CWD for years but Pennsylvania is pretty new – how do I navigate this?
38:00 – Ashley asks about the potential of prions penetrating the handles of her knives.
39:00 – Aaron asks if we, as a sporting community, should just take on as a sporting community that everyone should get tested 100% of the time.
43:22 – Should we be testing pronghorn if they are harvested in a CWD hot zone given the fact that the disease has been documented to jump species?
“When nothing is sure, anything is possible.”
45:43 - Unpacking the logistics of universal testing. Meaning that every cervid out there is tested.
54:50 - What if every research project out there at any given point could take a tiny “punch” sample from their ears for surveillance and tracking disease distribution.
1:00:47 - How can the nonsporting public engage in the issues regarding CWD? Taking a look at the North American model of wildlife conservation.
1:05:50 - It seems like there’s not really an end point in sight. Matt discusses some simple things to consider regarding wildlife conservation, getting involved, hunting with CWD on the mind, etc.
“This is your heritage. Treat it as such.”
1:07:34 - Pointing to the future, looking at a crystal ball, where are we at in 20 years?
1:12:46 - How can we bridge the gap of being in it 100% or just putting the blinders on because folks are bored of dealing with CWD. “Rather than getting angry and just calling someone an idiot, let’s get curious and say where did you get that perspective… let me listen to yours so you will listen to mine. We know as humans that gets us a lot more ground than shame, gilt or ridicule.”
1:15:30 – Closing statements from Ashley and Aaron.
“If everyone would listen to this podcast series, I think we would get where we need to go. This is definitely a long form conversation and I think at the end of this if folks do take the time to listen to the whole thing, they can come to a good solid perspective on not just CWD but a lot of other things.”
-Matt Dunfee, the Wildlife Management Institute
Friday Apr 15, 2022
Friday Apr 15, 2022
Jake Latendresse may be the most well-known sportsmen you’ve never heard of. He’s one of the nation’s finest hunter/angler videographers and has produced content for some of the biggest companies and organizations in the world. You see his work on Bassmaster every weekend and on videos and television shows from myriad entities, and it’s there because Jake had the courage to live his dreams. As a bar owner, videographer/producer and owner of Prairie Rock Outfitters, there’s no doubt he’s a driven entrepreneur, but Jake’s comments about childhood and conservation are what left Aaron and Bill speechless.
Links:
https://www.bassmaster.com/news/have-camera-will-travel-for-latendresse/
http://lmcollective.com/about/
https://prairierockoutfitters.com/
Show notes:
3:27 – “Everything in moderation, including moderation.”
3:38 – Bill gives some background on Jake Latendresse, the guest for the show.
6:12 – Everyone shares what they’ve been doing outside recently.
7:50 – Jake reflects on the recent below freezing weather events, “It was one of the most extreme weather conditions that we’ve ever had in the Great Lakes…”
8:49 – Jakes gives an update on the recent happenings in his life.
9:53 - Jakes shares how many events he films per year, relating the “Bass Master” events to a full football season.
11:29 – How does Jake balance all the things he does in addition to being a single dad.
14:18 - How Jake got started and established in sporting media and an early interest in art and photography.
22:00 - Was being fulltime in the outdoors something Jake dreamed about as a kid? (plus: Jake shares a very special story for the first time ever, it’s a heartfelt story about what happened one time when he couldn’t go hunting with this father. His father never left him home during a hunting trip ever again.)
25:21 - At what point did Jake break through and become a sportsman?
29:39 - A day in the life of Jake capturing the “meat” of events all over the world.
34:30 - Jake talks about what the day is like and the relationships that form when he gets in a boat with a pro angler.
37:30 – Short break for a message from our partner podcast, Artemis Sportswomen!
38:58 - Jake chats about some of his other film projects he has done around the world starting with a sheep hunt in Mongolia.
44:28 – How did Jake meet Bill?
45:12 - Horse incident while hunting stone sheep hunt in B.C.
48:04 – “I carry an expedition medical kit wherever I go…”
52:47 - Jake talks about his father and the Gov. of Tennessee working together.
55:12 – Conservation! Mentorship! When and how did Jake get involved with conserving resources. “My dad pushed conservation on me pretty hard from a very young age.”
59:56 - What advice would Jake give to kids who have a similar dream of following the path he took in life. “Don’t force your children to do what you want them to do, support what they want to do. Allow them to be free and go down the road.” “Never give up.”
1:04:07 - Shout out for the video project that Bill and Jake are working on in the Everglades. Be sure to follow NWF Outdoors and Vanishing Paradise to see more!!
“Everyone deserves to have the opportunity to understand what their great outdoors are all about.” -Jake Latendresse-
Friday Apr 01, 2022
Friday Apr 01, 2022
After a month of tech issues and time conflicts, Aaron and Bill finally get together with Jim Ronquest of RNTV. Jimbo outlines his 21/22 duck season experiences from both home and on the road filming the show before moving to the timely topic of turkeys. After decades of population growth, many regions are experiencing declines, and we learn how Turkeys for Tomorrow is trying to find out why. It’s a lot to unpack, and then Jimbo drops a bomb on us!
Links:
https://turkeysfortomorrow.org/
https://www.drakewaterfowl.com/
https://www.nwf.org/-/media/PDFs/Outdoors/NWF_GameSpeciesAnalysis_Report_Final
Show notes:
4:18 – Aaron, Bill and Jim discuss what they’ve been doing outside lately.
8:00 – Talking the beginning of turkey season!
10:30 -- Jim talks about his upbringing and early years as a sportsman. “It was raining pitch forks and tater babies…”
17:14 -- Jim rounds up duck season.
21:27 – Shout out to Jim’s show, “RN T.V.” on the Sportsman Channel. Other than Ducks Unlimited, it is the longest running dedicated waterfowl show on outdoor T.V.
23:13 – Bill reflects on the first year he went turkey hunting with Jim almost twenty years ago.
25:40 – Jim discusses Turkeys for Tomorrow: Promoting America's hunting traditions, conservation, and education through the timeless collaboration of hunters and wildlife professionals to ensure we all have TURKEYS FOR TOMORROW.
38:15 -- What are the known turkey conservation issues? #HabitatLoss
41:57 – Aaron shares some critical stats regarding the loss of turkey habitat in a few states.
44:14 – Jim talks about how much he enjoys the transition from duck season to turkey season.
44:58 – Quick break for a message from our partner podcast, Artemis Sportswomen!
46:42 -- Jim talks about a research project he would like to have done regarding the use of chicken litter and fertilizer on pastures potentially causing disease.
50:07 – Jim reflects on hunters’ response to Turkeys For Tomorrow.
53:52 – “If you’re able, we need more than to just buy a license. That’s the bare minimum for conservation… “ If you don’t have money, perhaps you have time to volunteer.
54:50 – Jim highlights the unique model for wildlife management in North America.
55:30 – How long has Jim been on RN T.V.?
56:55 – JIM SHARES SOME BIG NEWS!!
1:00:17 – Jim talks about hunting with some of the Bass Elite guys during duck season. “I fish so I can go duck hunting…”
1:02:50 – Keep an eye out for Jim’s upcoming Climate Chronicle short film by making sure you’re following NWF Outdoors on social media!