The Mountain Nature and Culture Podcast
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This podcast explores the natural and human history of the Canadian Rockies as well as its attractions and culture. We'll look at the ecology and wildlife as well as the unique plants and birds that make the Canadian Rockies home. Looking back through our history we will share the stories behind the scenery.
The Mountain Nature and Culture Podcast
2y ago
This week, in honour of the unnamed graves discovered across western Canada from the victims of Residential Schools, I’m going to read the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Over the past few weeks, the news has been flooded with stories of countless graves of indigenous children, forgotten victims of Canada’s Residential School system.
This has brought into clear focus the horrible indignities done to our first nations over the span of more than a century and has forced many of us to open our eyes and recognize the horrible legacy of colonization and cultural genoc ..read more
The Mountain Nature and Culture Podcast
3y ago
In this episode, I discuss the many ways you can leverage the unplanned free time that may have been thrust upon you due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Suddenly the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives has been interrupted and replaced with…isolation. Let’s take this time to learn and study to ensure we emerge from our dens with a fresh perspective…and with that said, let’s get to it.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainnature/Ep088_Mountain_Nature_and_Culture_Podcast.mp3
This is a special episode. I wanted to help those of you that are stuck indoors at one of the most wonderful times of the year ..read more
The Mountain Nature and Culture Podcast
3y ago
In this story, I investigate the terrible toll that German submarines took on Allied shipping convoys during World War II, and how a tiny lake in Jasper National Park might have turned the tides of war.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainnature/Ep087_Mountain_Nature_and_Culture_Podcast.mp3
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As I start this story, I have a confession to make. When I was a kid in high school, of all the subjects I was required to study, I hated history the most. Like many kids, I saw history as nothing but wars and dead people, and a list of dates to be memori ..read more
The Mountain Nature and Culture Podcast
3y ago
In this episode, we’re going to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone and the incredible impact this reintroduction has had on the ecology of the park.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainnature/Ep085_Mountain_Nature_and_Culture_Podcast_Mixdown_1_01.mp3
Wolves have for generations been one of the most maligned of carnivores. They have been demonized, poisoned, hunted, trapped, and in many areas completely wiped out. As American settlers made their way westward following the steps of Lewis and Clark, the persecution of wolves continued.
Settlers and rancher ..read more
The Mountain Nature and Culture Podcast
3y ago
In this episode, look at bird feeding, and how we can do it ethically and effectively while minimizing negative impacts on your feathery friends.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainnature/Ep084_Mountain_Nature_and_Culture_Podcast.mp3
If you’re a regular listener to this podcast, are you getting out to the mountains to explore? Are you looking for a guide to show you the best places the mountains have to offer? Let’s strap on a pair of snowshoes and follow the footsteps of martens, weasels, lynx, and snowshoe hares.
Why not throw on a pair of ice cleats and explore the frozen cascades of J ..read more
The Mountain Nature and Culture Podcast
3y ago
In this episode, I’m taking a deep dive into the impacts that grizzly bears have on subalpine and alpine meadows as they tear up the turf in their constant quest for roots, tubers, and ground squirrels.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainnature/Ep082_Mountain_Nature_and_Culture_Podcast.mp3
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Now Listed as one of the Top 15 Ecology Podcasts on the Internet
Before we get started I just wanted to share the news that the Mountain Nature and Culture Podcast was recently selected as one of the top 15 podcasts focussing on ecology by Feedspot ..read more
The Mountain Nature and Culture Podcast
3y ago
This week, I look at the danger of overtourism in the Mountain West and how we need to rethink both how we market, and how we understand the true cost of tourism.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainnature/Ep081_Mountain_Nature_and_Culture_Podcast.mp3
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New Research Looking into Overtourism
From the very first episodes of this Podcast, I’ve talked about the challenges of over-tourism in the Canadian Rockies. Every year the number of visitors increases while local, provincial, and federal tourism agencies continue to spend millions of dollars to ..read more
The Mountain Nature and Culture Podcast
3y ago
This week, I take a deep look at the Alberta and British Columbia governments misdirection when it comes to conserving caribou populations. Instead of reducing habitat fragmentation, their policy is to kill wolves. I also explore ancient human footprints discovered on the coast of British Columbia. This new trackway lends credence to the new theory that the continent’s first immigrants travelled along the coast, rather than through an ice-free corridor….and with that said, let’s get to it.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainnature/Ep080_Mountain_Nature_and_Culture_Podcast.mp3
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The Mountain Nature and Culture Podcast
3y ago
This week, I start with a closer look at one of the true harbingers of spring, the prairie crocus. It’s more than just a pretty flower, it’s an insect spa. I also look at how climate change means that plants are blooming earlier, but migrating birds aren’t able to keep up with the pace of warming. Finally, I look at how earlier ripening of buffaloberries may not be just what the grizzly ordered. And with that said, let’s get to it!
http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainnature/Ep079_Mountain_Nature_and_Culture_Podcast.mp3
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Season of the Crocus
It ..read more
The Mountain Nature and Culture Podcast
3y ago
In this episode, I look at the Canadian connections between the T.V. series Game of Thrones and western Canada. Think thrones, direwolves, and dragons! I also examine the new draft Fire Management Plan for Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks.
http://traffic.libsyn.com/mountainnature/Ep078_Mountain_Nature_and_Culture_Podcast.mp3
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Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks Fire Management Plan
Forest fires have been an ever-increasing reality in the mountain west. With warming climates, fire seasons are getting longer, summer droughts ..read more