During this episode of the Conservation Cast, Maya spoke with Marcus Wernicke about what Marcus has experienced and learned working at Marine Mammal Rescue for over four thousand hours. Marcus talks about the most common mammals rescued at the two locations, California and Vancouver, and California’s surrogate programs to teach orphaned seals how to survive in the wild. Later, Marcus helps answer many questions from chat about otters such as their threats, diets, and favorite toys. Marcus does a great job bouncing off of the chat which makes sense given that it was his idea for Marine Mammal R ..read more

During this episode of the Conservation Cast, Maya spoke with Simon Morgan about how Morgan decided to help found the Wildlife ACT fund and their mission. ACT helps to protect many species in Africa such as the African Wild Dog, Cheetah, and the major focus of this talk, the Black and White Rhino. ACT prevents the poaching of these species by monitoring and tracking them, educating people, and by using anti-poaching techniques like dehorning rhinos. Maya’s community raised $642.83 for the Wildlife ACT Fund, a non-profit trust working in Africa to prevent the poaching of many important species ..read more

Maya speaks with Louie Psihoyos, the famous director of award-winning documentaries such as “The Cove” and “Racing Extinction” about the importance of influential conservationists and their impact on society. During this episode of the Conservation Cast, Maya spoke with Louie about how he became so invested in his cause and transitioned from National Geographic photographer to director. Louie shares some of the most interesting and impactful stories of his experience becoming a conservationist and spreading his message. Louie presents his thoughts and experiences with so much passion that you ..read more

During this episode of the Conservation Cast, Maya spoke with Larson about his work and experience tracking, tagging, and researching bears. Larson answers viewer questions about each bear’s unique characteristics, their hunting styles, and about being a wildlife biologist. However, Larson knows about more predators than just bears. Larson’s Tooth and Claw podcast hopes to bring attention to some of the wildest and most fearsome animals in order to teach humans to give them the amount of respect they deserve. $1543.22 for the Tooth and Claw Podcast, a podcast focused on preventing wildlife att ..read more

During this episode of the Conservation Cast, Maya spoke with Michael about founding a non-profit and his path to becoming a pilot. Michael shares how lucky he feels to be able to do something this fulfilling and impactful. He also encourages others to try flying to feel the freedom it gives. Michael hopes that he and his organization can continue to bring awareness to the hundreds of thousands of animals that could be saved from euthanization if they were given more opportunities for adoption. Maya’s community raised $2562.69 for Pilots to the Rescue, a non-profit organization focused on givi ..read more

During this episode of the Conservation Cast, Maya spoke with Downey about her role and mission at the Wolf Conservation Center. Downey explains how WCC hopes to help wolf conservation by educating people, providing wolves with tools to survive, and rearing wolves. An important topic brought up by Downey is the devastating impact habitat loss has on many of the endangered animals today, including wolves. Downey hopes that by raising awareness, wolves can have a fighting chance of coming back. Maya’s community raised $2418.75 for Wolf Conservation Center (WCC), a non-profit focused on education ..read more

During this episode of the Conservation Cast, Maya spoke with Kirsten about her 12-year journey studying hellbenders, and how her aquatic ecology background and love for salamanders led to her position on the board of directors at FCSAL. Kirsten informed viewers of the lack of attention salamanders get despite the sheer importance of salamanders, given their role in their ecosystem as central links in the food web. The two discussed the aim of FCSAL in providing seed grant funding for projects surrounding salamanders, Kirsten also highlighted some small changes we can make in our everyday live ..read more

During this episode of the Conservation Cast, Maya spoke with aquatic ecologist and assistant professor Dr. Solomon David, about his favorite fish, the gar. Dr. David shows off all of the interesting and unique attributes of gar in hopes of sparking the same joy he feels for gar in others. He even gives a live demo of gar feeding! Another important topic brought up is the story of how Dr. David got into conservation. He showcases the importance of conservationists sharing their passion with the younger generation to improve our future. Maya’s community raised $1059.82 for Ranger Rick Magazine ..read more

During this special episode of the Conservation Cast, Maya spoke with her Mom, Vicki, about the rehabilitating effect animals can have on adults and kids alike. Vicki shares stories showcasing their animal’s ability to brighten up one’s day or be there for those in need. Vicki also emphasizes their animal’s unique ability to connect with kids with special needs and give them a friend to open up with. After seeing these effects firsthand, Vicki hopes to continue to spread smiles using her non-profit. Throughout the podcast, Vicki also explains how Maya became so passionate about animals and sha ..read more

During this episode of the Conservation Cast, Maya spoke with Jonathan about what exactly chytridiomycosis is, and how it became one of the main factors in the dramatic decline of amphibians in many parts of the world. Jonathan explained the way in which it infects and attacks the amphibian’s keratin production, thus negatively affecting levels of keratin in the skin which they require to function on land. The two discussed the effect of the harsh decline on the ecosystem, and emphasized the importance of amphibian conservation, answering the important question of what we can do to help aid th ..read more