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 Apr 28, 2022
The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act with lead sponsor, Senator Martin Heinrich
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
Thursday Apr 28, 2022
Aaron and Bill sit down with Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico to discuss the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) - what it is, what it aims to accomplish, and what we need to do to get I passed. Senator Heinrich is the leading sporting advocate in Congress and has worked diligently on numerous pieces of conservation legislation. We cover his perspectives of RAWA, how it will help state agencies, the opportunities to mitigate wildfire and its impacts, and his opinion that RAWA will be “the most impactful wildlife conservation investment in U.S. history”. Senator Heinrich has also been a champion on combating CWD. We ask him for an update on the Senate companion legislation to the passed House version of the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act.
Links:
NWF Outdoors Recovering America’s Wildlife Act action alert – email your Member of Congress here: https://support.nwf.org/page/39420/action/1?fbclid=IwAR32AQFGFCHRenhBbDzEtHB9vBVXrb9T0PURcT9pv6kDfyweoSLgBckvSBo
RAWA bill text: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2773
More details on RAWA: https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Wildlife-Conservation/Policy/Recovering-Americas-Wildlife-Act
Our recent sporting blog on RAWA: https://www.nwf.org/Outdoors/Blog/03-23-2022-Bipartisan-Wildlife-Bill-Will-Benefit-Hunters-Anglers
House version CWD bill text: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5608
Show notes:
2:39 – Little background on Senator Martin Heinrich. “The sporting community’s biggest champion in Congress.”
3:27 – What has Senator Heinrich been doing outside recently?
5:44 - Senator Heinrich talks about Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. “…the wildlife version of the Great American Outdoors Act”
8:23 – Why should the sporting community support this?
11:24 – “This is the number one agreed upon focus for benefiting wildlife in this Congress, and the sporting community in particular has stepped up in a way that’s allowed us to move this forward and keep it incredibly bipartisan during a divided time in our country. Wildlife is something that brings us back together…”
12:36 - Senator Martin Heinrich reflects on what the early advocates for wildlife went through a century ago in places like New Mexico… highlighting elk, mule deer, pronghorn and wild turkey.
Expressing hope that our grandkids inherit the same amazing breath of wildlife that folks took for granted when they grew up.
15:28 - How much latitude will state agencies will have when they spend the money provided by Recovering America’s Wildlife Act? Turns out, the actual program is built completely by each individual state agency.
Please note: States all have what are called state wildlife action plans, if you are interested for your state be sure to google “(your state) wildlife action plan”
17:06 – Senator Heinrich points out -- the current programs which support these state wildlife action plans are completely inadequate to implement them. The need outstrips the support. RAWA would allow the agencies to implement these plans.
18:01 – “What the catch? There’s gotta be a catch? Nothing can be this perfect…” Right now, sportswomen and sportsmen have a lot of input with state agencies because their dollars fund the agencies. Will this change when the states have additional funding?
21:04 – Shout out to our partner podcast, Artemis Sportswomen. For more great content, please be sure to follow NWF Outdoors on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
22:48 - Senator Heinrich talks about how Recovering America’s Wildlife Act will help with natural infrastructure and wild fires.
26:14 – Continuing discussion the benefits that stack up when you restore habitat for one small song bird in a wetland… restoration like this benefit’s multiple species (including hunters and anglers).
27:07 - Senator Heinrich talks twenty years down the road with Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, highlighting the importance of restoring riparian habitat for Rio Grande cutthroat trout, song birds and the sporting community.
29:46 - What do we need to do to get this across the finish line?
30:50 - Senator Heinrich talks about the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act being introduced into the Senate.
32:21 - Senator Heinrich shares statement about the importance of passing Recovering America’s Wildlife Act.
Thursday Mar 17, 2022
Thursday Mar 17, 2022
Aaron and Bill have an interesting chat with Casey Stemler, the lead for Secretarial Order 3362. S.O. 3362 was issued during the Trump Administration but continues to this day. It is aimed and conserving and resourcing big game migration corridors. It has already helped infused millions of dollars into migration areas and connectivity projects. We discuss how and why the order came to be, it’s latest status, why no sheep and moose, and other lessons learned on the conservation of migration corridors.
Links:
https://westernmigrations.net/
https://wildlifemigration.utah.gov/
https://migrationinitiative.org/
Show notes:
3:00 - Aaron shares a little of Casey’s background and recent work regarding wildlife corridors.
5:00 – What the crew has been doing outside recently.
6:54 – Sika deer!
9:52 – Latest news on SO 3362 (Improving Habitat Quality in Western Big-Game Winter Range and Migration Corridors).
13:34 – What exactly is wildlife migration and connectivity work? Why does it matter? Plus, some good stories regarding the amazing stuff they have learned doing this work.
20:46 – The focus of state agencies collaring animals, miniature vs. large skill migration routes, technology and what this focus reveals to us about what these critters do and what they need.
25:22 – 3362 is focused on deer, elk and pronghorn.
27:26 – We know that pronghorn don’t like fences; will they also avoid railroad tracks?
30:50 – This work benefits more species than just deer, elk and pronghorn.
35:06 – The infrastructure bill and how much it will benefit habitat connectivity.
37:13 – Short break for message from our partner podcast, Artemis Sportswomen! Also, for more great content, be sure to follow NWF Outdoors on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
38:53 -- Casey brings folks up to speed on 3362 regarding habitat conservation, due diligence, and the introduction of bighorn sheep, moose and migratory birds as species to consider.
45:16 – Habitat work regarding ducks and duck hunting.
48:07 -- Corporation with private land owners within 3362.
50:55 -- Do large chunks of area (i.e. 5,000 acres) present new problems compared to working with smaller ones?
52:00 -- Discussing other developments that are happening parallel to this which is helping move it along.
55:39 – The Tribal Wildlife Corridors Act.
58:17 – Discussing the diverse habitat projects on the border between Colorado and New Mexico and NWF rock star, Jeremy Romero.
1:00:06 – The Southern Ute Tribe is very engaged in these conservation efforts including building an overpass.
1:01:51 -- Suggestions for people on how to keep up with these issues on a local level. Skip the social media and go back to the good stuff by supporting your local newspaper and gatherings in your community!
1:04:41 -- Closing thoughts from Casey, “We have to take the initiative.”
“With privilege comes obligation. We've got this amazing natural resource, this wildlife... especially as sportsmen and women, we get to go enjoy it and bring it home and feed our our families… Go take care of it.” –Aaron Kindle.
Thursday Feb 03, 2022
Bill and Aaron BS’n, where is Ronquest?
Thursday Feb 03, 2022
Thursday Feb 03, 2022
Bill and Aaron wax poetic on a few subjects after a few failures to get the famous Jim Ronquest connected (we’ll get him back soon). We talk end of duck season, getting outside, preview the Ronquest episode, and point to some current events in conservation.
Friday Nov 12, 2021
Problematic Paylakes with Aaron Wheatley and Greg Schwipps
Friday Nov 12, 2021
Friday Nov 12, 2021
In our latest episode, we sit down with two Midwestern fisherman and catfish advocates. They have grown increasingly concerned with "paylakes" in their region. We discuss what paylakes are, how they operate, and how they are decimating the public resource of catfish by largely unregulated and unethical means. We detail the situation, what it's meant for average anglers, fishing tournaments, invasive species spread, management, and for the rivers of the Midwest that grow very large catfish. Last we touch on how you can learn more, and get involved in helping to better manage the resource and getting a fair shake for regional anglers.
Links:
Lots of info about paylakes: www.exposingpaylakes.com
Indiana Catfish Conservation Association
https://www.facebook.com/IndianaCatfishConservationAssociation
Home site of the catfish tournament Aaron Wheatley started:
https://www.monstersontheohio.com/
National Wildlife Federation's work on invasive carp in the Midwest
https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Environmental-Threats/Invasive-Species/Asian-Carp
Show notes:
1:00 - intro to episode
2:08 - intro to guests
4:45 - Greg's recent small mouth fishing trips
6:10 - what is a paylake
9:05 - the situation in Kentucky
13:15 - monetizing a natural resource through paylakes
15:30 - methods of take and "netting"
19:45 - what did it look like for average anglers leading up to this situation
22:05 - the Monsters on the Ohio catfish tournament - how this paylakes situation has degraded the tournament experience and local tourism
26:45 - catfish are being exploited all over the Midwest
32:45 - one thousand people in the crowd at the Monsters on the Ohio tournament
34:57 - a message from the Artemis sportswomen podcast
35:30 - the scope of the problem
40:12 - problems with transporting live fish
43:00 - how the current paylakes situation exacerbates invasive species issues
46:45 - we know large catfish are feeding on invasive carp
48:15 - what do we need to do about this
51:00 - pushing for no transportation of live fish in KY
55:00 - the need to change limits, take methods, and size thresholds
1:00:20 - the need for cooperative interstate regulations
1:03:20 - checking out the "exposing paylakes" website
1:08:15 - fighting this fight for the next generations
1:08:30 - listening to the side of those who operate paylakes
Friday Oct 15, 2021
Friday Oct 15, 2021
For this episode we sit down with the President and CEO of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, Howard Vincent. We talk pheasant and quail season outlooks and the issues the birds are facing, then we move on to several conservation topics including the upcoming Farm bill and the Conservation Reserve Program – what it does, it’s benefits and why it’s so important for conservation. We also cover the recently formed grasslands sporting coalition and their hopes and dreams for restoring America’s grasslands. We touch on the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, climate change impacts on wildlife, and why it’s so critical average sportsmen and women engage in conservation.
Links: https://www.quailforever.org/; https://www.pheasantsforever.org/ ; https://www.actfrograsslands.org
Show notes:
1:05 - Howard Vincent introduction.
3:00 - What has Howard been doing outside recently?
5:05 - General outlook on on this year. How are the pheasants and quail doing overall?
7:54 - What is the state of pheasants and quail? What is the conservation outlook?
13:14 - The Farm Bill 101 and CRP. What they do, what they are designed to do and why we need them.
15:40 - What does a typical CRP acre look like?
20:40 - Precision agriculture.
23:20 - Unpacking the new Farm Bill.
39:50 - A message from our partner podcast, Artemis Sportswomen.
42:10 - The Grasslands Act. What it is and what it's designed to do.
47:34 - How an average Joe/Jane get engaged in the Grasslands Act?
70% of grasslands are gone. The time to act is NOW.
54:27 - Recovering America's Wildlife Act and its importance for the sporting community.
1:02:45 - Closing statement from Howard Vincent. Get fired up! Your voice makes a difference!