The Natural Curiosity Project

This track accompanies the book, "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This track accompanies the book, "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This track accompanies the book, "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

Interesting sense, smell. Ever wonder why turkey vultures hover over pipelines? They do. Find out in this episode.

It is time to raise our collective voices against the specter of racism that has come to dominate and define our country. Please listen, then act. As James Nachtwey says, "An abundance of means, but a confusion of aims, is the tragedy of our time."

I recently met Dumbledore. Actually, his name is Dick Todd, but he could be Albus Dumbledore’s brother. Not only do they look alike, with the white beard and long white hair, the places where they work are very similar. Every surface in his workshop is buried under mountains of car parts, oddly-shaped pieces of metal and plastic and rubber and glass, tools that I couldn’t begin to name, much less tell you their purpose, coffee cans full of odds and ends, and books, magazines, and drawings. But the thing that captivates me most about Dumbledore—I mean, Dick Todd—is his curiosity and energy for whatever catches his attention.

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

This collection of recordings accompanies the text of "Capturing Wildlife Sound: A Useful Guide."

Two lessons from the Age of Corona: now that we are becoming increasingly virtual in our dealings with others, here are some thoughts on ways to do it well--and to take advantage of the virtual environment's characteristics. And, some thoughts on what to do during this economic slowdown to actually get value from the downtime, both personally and professionally.

Actor and essayist (and good friend) Bob Verlaque joins the Natural Curiosity Project to share an essay he wrote on Earth Day, 2020, as the world is caught in the grips of both a global pandemic and a period of inexorable warming. HIs message is both heartwarming and challenging. Please listen--I hope you enjoy it.

For 400 years, the Georges Bank in the North Atlantic was sustainably fished by numerous countries, and the fishing stocks remained healthy. But in the mid-20th century, something happened, and fish stocks plummeted. What a story of human greed and hubris--and a great example of the phenomenon known as "The Tragedy of the Commons."

As we all adjust to life in this weird new world of stay-at-home, maintain social distance, wave at your neighbors, and so on, one of the things that we’re all having to adjust to, as well, is the growing use of digital collaboration and communication tools. They’ve been around for a long time, and we’ve all engaged with them to one degree or another, but with the increasingly urgent need to maintain physical, personal distance, and the equally important need for businesses to continue to operate as best they can, one of the things I’m getting lots of questions about is just how to use these tools most effectively. I answer them here.

A handful of unrelated stories that get at the heart of natural curiosity. Don't look for a theme here (OK, much of one); just look for good storytelling.

Just a few thoughts on dealing with the angst from the Corona virus--and how it relates to an experience I once had in the data center. You'll enjoy this--some great food for thought here.

Plants are remarkably adaptive organisms that have mastered the ability to travel. In this episode, we start with the lowly tumbleweed, and then move on to other remarkable botanical voyagers.

Some of the most important inventions were, in fact, accidents. The scientific method is alive and well, and we're all thankful for it. But sometimes, it leads us in some unexpected directions. This episode explores some of these unexpected twists and turns.

This is a departure from my usual material. As I write this, the uncertainty and fear over the spread of the corona virus is taking root. But remember, our children take their cues from us--if we're scared, so are they. This story is a selection from a book of children's stories that I'm working on at the moment. I thought it might be a nice gift to everyone out there who has kids, a little escape from reality--and hey, even you adults might appreciate it! Let me know what you think. Don't let this pandemic define us: let's show our kids what good people and kindness look like.

Photographers view the world through a variety of lenses—normal, telephoto, zoom, wide angle, and tilt-shift, each of which gives the artist a very different perspective on the same subject. It’s amazing how our human perspective changes when we look at the same subject matter through different lenses—an important lesson for all of us.

In this episode, we chat with Lang Elliott, one of the world’s gifted soundscape recordists who bills himself as equal parts a naturalist, author, speaker, poet, recordist, sound producer, photographer, cinematographer, and moviemaker. He explains his technique, how he developed his craft, and introduces us to his new app, Pure Nature 3D Soundscapes, available on the Apple Apps Store.

The voices of nature are an important indicator of the health and welfare of the natural world. Right now, our stewardship is lacking, as evidenced by the relative health of the earth's ecosystem. In this episode we talk about a few things that we can do to make inroads in this all-important responsibility, and we introduce Lang Elliott, a soundscape recordist who makes it his life mission to record the soundscapes that provide the natural music of planet earth.

The Nine Million Club (Repost) by Dr. Steven Shepard

Ever wonder what all those credits and titles actually mean when you watch a movie? In this episode, we chat with my friend Robert Verlaque, a celebrated actor who also understands the movie and TV business from an academic perspective. Listen and enjoy--now you'll finally know what a gaffer does!

In this second track, Davyd Betchkal, Senior Bioacoustician at Denali National Park, speaks about the need to balance preservation and conservation.

In this first of a two-episode interview with Davyd Betchkal, Senior Bioacoustician at Denali National Park in Alaska, Davyd talks with us about his job with the National Parks Service and his commitment to preserving the wildness of his home state.

Richard Nelson, anthropologist, naturalist, sound recordist, lover of the natural world, and friend, died last week. This is my remembrance of him.

Ixtoluca is the only term I have ever searched for on Google that returned precisely zero hits--that's right, none. The name refers to a structure built by Cortez, south of Mexico City, in the early 16th century, as a place to process silver. Today, it's a little-known ruin that is one of the most spectacular, eerie, and beautiful places I've ever stumbled upon.

An interview with Essex County, Massachussetts-based Sound Recordist Phil Brown. The introduction and closing sounds are from his impressive collection.

A few minutes of escape from the mundane...a soundscape recorded at the peeper pond on our friends' property in northern Vermont. Sit back and relax...it's something we don't do often enough.

Dr. Lynda Ulrich is a dentist in the small town of St. Albans, Vermont. She is also the founder of Ever-Widening Circles, An online resource for interesting knowledge nuggets, insights, and just plain good news. In this episode, host Steve Shepard interviews Dr. Ulrich.

What would it be like if we harvested avian and terrestrial species the same way we do marine life? It might surprise you--have a listen, and think about it.

A few clips from my many conversations with taxi drivers (and a few others) while traveling. They're the heart and soul of our country--of ANY country--and they're immigrants, all.

An homage to the voices for the natural world who inspire us to be better: Jane Goodall, Sylvia Earle, EO Wilson, and Sir David Attenborough.