Nature Connection Radio

Author Simon Parkin - The Forbidden Garden

On this episode of Big Blend Radio, award-winning author and journalist Simon Parkin discusses his new book, "The Forbidden Garden: The Botanists of Besieged Leningrad and Their Impossible Choice." 
The first book to chart the history of the world’s largest collection of seeds, "The Forbidden Garden" shares the story of the Siege of Leningrad and how from 1941 to 1944, the scientists in the seed bank had to face an impossible choice each day: eat the collection to prevent starvation, or protect their life’s work to help end world hunger? More at https://www.simonparkin.com/ 
This episode is cohosted by Margot Carrera, a fine art nature photographer who is passionate about the environment.  More: http://margotcarrera.etsy.com/ 
Check out Big Blend Radio's network of podcasts: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork 

Sara C. Bronin - How Zoning Shapes Our World

Happy World Urbanism Day, aka World City Planning Day! This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Nature Connection" Show features Sara C. Bronin who discusses her book, "KEY TO THE CITY: How Zoning Shapes Our World." 
Zoning codes have become the most significant regulatory power of local government, determining how we experience our cities. Yet zoning remains invisible. In "Key to the City," Sara reveals the impact of zoning—for good and ill—in cities across the country, from Hartford to Baltimore and Las Vegas to Chicago. Outdated zoning codes have maintained racial segregation, prioritized cars over people, and enabled great ecological harm. 
Along with being an author, Sara is an architect, attorney, Cornell University professor, and founder of the National Zoning Atlas. More at https://www.sarabronin.com/ and https://www.zoningatlas.org/ 
Big Blend Radio's "Nature Connection" Podcast airs every 2nd Monday and 4th Friday in collaboration with Margot Carrera, a fine art nature photographer who is passionate about the environment. More: http://margotcarrera.etsy.com/ 
This episode is also being shared and featured on other Big Blend Radio Network Channels including the "Big Daily Blend," "Women Making History," and "Garden Gossip." Check out our network of podcasts: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork 

Barrett Klein - The Insect Epiphany

This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Nature Connection" Podcast features renowned entomologist and professor Barrett Klein, PhD who examines the phenomenon of how humans and insects relate on a cultural level in his new book, "THE INSECT EPIPHANY:  How Our Six-Legged Allies Shape Human Culture" (Timber Press | Hachette; Oct 2024). 
Our world would look very different if we didn’t have insects—not just because they’re pollinators who play a crucial role in our environments, but because they inspire so many aspects of our culture. “The spellbinding diversity of insects is complemented by a diversity of humans and cultures,” Klein says, resulting in boundless inspiration and innovation. 
THE INSECT EPIPHANY explores the ways we use insects’ bodies (for silk, pigments, food, medicine), how we try to recreate them (for flight technology, architecture, social structures), and how we mimic them (for fighting, yoga, music, fashion).  More at https://www.pupating.org/ 
Big Blend Radio's "Nature Connection" Podcast airs every 2nd and 4th Friday in collaboration with Margot Carrera, a fine art nature photographer who is passionate about the environment. More: http://margotcarrera.etsy.com/ 
Follow Big Blend Radio's Network of Podcasts: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork 

Helping Pets After Hurricanes Helene and Milton

Due to the recent devastation of Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the Southeast USA, and in honor of October being Adopt-a-Shelter Dog Month and National Animal Safety and Protection Month, this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Pet Connection" Show focuses on how to help pets, and grieving pet parents, after the hurricane disasters.
NON-PROFITS TO SUPPORT:- https://www.humanesociety.org  - https://bestfriends.org/ - https://furkids.org/ - https://animalcenter.org/ 
PLUS, CHECK OUT BIG BLEND'S "HEALING AFTER HELENE" ONLINE MUSIC & BOOK EVENT + WEEKLY PODCASTS: https://blendradioandtv.com/listing/healing-after-helene/ 
Big Blend Radio's PET CONNECTION Show is cohosted by Angela Laws, veteran pet sitter, and community manager at https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/  
This episode is also featured on Big Blend Radio's "Big Daily Blend" Podcast Channel. Follow the "Pet Connection" podcast at https://pet-connection.podbean.com/ 

Author Christopher Brown - A Natural History of Empty Lots

This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Nature Connection" Show features acclaimed author Christopher Brown who discusses his new book, "A Natural History of Empty Lots: Field Notes from Urban Edgelands, Back Alleys, and Other Wild Places." 
A NATURAL HISTORY OF EMPTY LOTS is a genre-bending blend of naturalism, memoir, and social manifesto for rewilding the city, the self, and society. Through his keen examination of abandoned industrial sites, empty lots, and deserted agricultural land, Brown discovers that even in these so-called "ruined landscapes" nature's resilience shines.
Inspired by its unfailing persistence to return, Brown shows us how easy it can be to bring the wilds back to these damaged places and why it is critical that we do. Over the course of twenty years, Brown documented these liminal spaces, explored them with his son, and even built his home in Austin, Texas on a brownfield site bisected by oil pipelines. 
Infused with Brown's deep love of nature and a constant sense of awe, A NATURAL HISTORY OF EMPTY LOTS combines field notes from Brown's travels with his personal story as he traverses the nexus of the city and the wilds. More at https://christopherbrown.com/  
Big Blend Radio's "Nature Connection" Podcast airs every 4th Friday in collaboration with Margot Carrera, a fine art nature photographer who is passionate about the environment. More: http://margotcarrera.etsy.com/ 

Science Author Lisa M. Baril - The Age of Melt

This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Nature Connection" Podcast features science journalist and author Lisa M. Baril, author of "The Age of Melt: What Glaciers, Ice Mummies, and Ancient Artifacts Teach Us about Climate, Culture, and a Future without Ice."
Around the world, ice has preserved some of history’s most fascinating artifacts, such as the skeleton of an Iron Age horse, wooden arrows with bird-feather fletching, and even a baby mammoth. Yet, these incredible pieces of history were only discovered as the ice began to do what we all feared: melt. 
Lisa M. Baril traveled all over the world studying ice and its effect on humans. In THE AGE OF MELT, she explores the shifting view that humans have long held of glaciers—from fear, to awe, to conquest. More:  https://www.lisabaril.com/ 
Big Blend Radio's "Nature Connection" Podcast airs every 2nd and 4th Friday in collaboration with Margot Carrera, a fine art nature photographer who is passionate about the environment. More: http://margotcarrera.etsy.com/ 
This episode is also featured on Big Blend Radio's "Women Making History" and "Way Back When" podcast channels. Follow Big Blend Radio's Network of Podcasts: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork 

Cinematographer Jeff Reed - Nature and Wildlife in National Parks

This episode of Big Blend Radio's "Nature Connection" Show features Jeff Reed, showrunner and cinematographer of the new National Geographic series, "National Parks: USA." Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/z42Ph8A2Uh8?feature=shared 
From Zion and Yellowstone to Katmai, the Everglades and Olympic, each park presents its own cast of animal characters. This five-part series features a blend of wildlife weaved seamlessly with stories of rich culture, history and geological landmarks. Along with a discussion about the biodiversity in our parks, and the threats some species are facing, Jeff also talks about how they captured some of the incredible footage you can see in the series. 
Starting Sept. 8, 2024, "National Parks: USA" Is available on the  National Geographic channel on Hulu: https://on.natgeo.com/3Qor0Ko 
Big Blend Radio's "Nature Connection" Podcast airs every 4th Friday, with expisodes througout the month, in collaboration with Margot Carrera, a fine art nature photographer who is passionate about the environment. More: http://margotcarrera.etsy.com/ 
Follow Big Blend Radio's Network of Podcasts: https://www.podbean.com/podcast-network/bigblendradionetwork Images featured, courtesy of National Geographic.

Women Who Protect the Earth

This Big Blend Radio "Women Making History" Podcast Panel discussion features guests who share how they work to protect the environment and talk about women they admire who work to protect the earth. Hear about environmentally activist women (and girls) of the past and present who are skilled in writing and the arts, hospitality and tourism, wildlife conservation, habitat restoration, progressive end-of-life care, cultivating community and peaceful cultural traditions, citizen science, and so much more!
FEATURED GUESTS:- LINDA BALLOU, travel writer, author, and podcaster. Hear her podcast about South America that also includes a segment about land conservationist Kristine Tompkins:  https://nationalparktraveling.com/listing/lost-angel-travel-adventures-in-south-america/ 
- MARIA CHAMBERLAIN, co-owner and innkeeper of The Inn at Oxbow Acres, a beautiful and sustainable Bed & Breakfast in Milan, New Hampshire. learn more: https://www.oxbowacresnh.com/ 
- SHARON K. KURTZ, travel writer and photographer. See her article about Christy Walton's eco-ranch Rancho Cacachilas in Baja California Sur: https://sharonkkurtz.com/authentic-adventures-at-rancho-cacachilas-baja-california-sur/ 
- EVA ELDRIDGE, travel writer and editor, talks about consumers who embrace environmentally practices in their homes and gardens like she does in Tucson, Arizona. See: https://blendradioandtv.com/listing/eva-eldridge/ 
- LEA BROVEDANI, trust expert and end-of-life doula, talks about green burials and women pioneers in this new eco-friendly technology. Visit: https://souljourneydoula.com/ 
- CHERYL LEUTJEN is the author of “Love Earth Now: The Power of Doing One Thing Every Day,” a candid, often humorous exploration that reveals her own imperfect journey toward living an eco-friendly lifestyle. More: https://cherylleutjen.com/ 
- ROSE PALMER is a travel writer and author. Read her article about Sadako Sasaki who survived the Hiroshima bombing but then died 10 years later from leukemia, and started the movement to make origami paper cranes as a symbol for peace: https://quiltripping.com/childrens-peace-monument-and-sadako-sasaki-stroy/ 
- JO CLARK is a travel writer and photographer who talks about Kelly Chigumbura of Zimbabwe, the head of THE BRAVE ONES who are women in charge of the protection and conservation of 11,000 elephants in Phundundu Wildlife Park.  Check out Jo's article about her visit to Etosha National Park in Namibia: https://nationalparktraveling.com/listing/etosha-national-park-safari/ 
- ELAINE A. POWERS is a retired laboratory biologist who writes science-based children’s book and continues her work as a citizen scientist for iguana conservation, serving on the IUCN Iguana Specialist Group.  More: https://elaineapowers.com/