Nature Connection Radio

Nature Connection Radio

It’s all about Nature, Wildlife, Science, and the Environment on Big Blend Radio’s NATURE CONNECTION Podcast. Hosts are Nancy J. Reid and Lisa D. Smith, mother-daughter travel team on the Love Your Parks Tour and publishers of Big Blend Magazines.

Episodes

September 13, 2025 26 mins

This episode of Big Blend Radio features renowned author, climate activist, and clean energy expert Bill McKibben, who talks about the transformative power of solar energy and his new book HERE COMES THE SUN: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization (W.W. Norton & Company; Aug. 19, 2025).

McKibben explains why solar power is now the cheapest energy on the planet and no longer an “alternative” but the ma...

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In this episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Travel with Terri” Show, travel writer Terri Guthrie shares her family’s multi-generational adventures in the San Antonio Hill Country. From exploring the awe-inspiring Natural Bridge Caverns and experiencing the breathtaking bat emergence at Bracken Bat Cave, to interacting with giraffes and exotic birds at the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, Terri highlights the wonder and joy of connecting wi...

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This episode of Big Blend Radio’s Nature Connection show features climate storyteller and activist Denali Sai Nalamalapu, author of “Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance” (Timber Press / Hachette, May 13, 2025).

Based in Southwest Virginia, Nalamalapu is a powerful new voice in climate storytelling and a leader in one of Appalachia’s most courageous environmental resistance movements. Holler chronicles the fight against the...

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In this episode of Big Blend Radio’s Nature Connection Show, we expose the urgent threat facing Florida’s black bears: the proposed return of trophy hunting. Our featured guests—Adam Sugalski, founder of OneProtest, and Kathleen Walls, travel writer and animal rights activist—delve into the history, controversy, and consequences surrounding bear trophy hunting in the state.

Despite widespread public opposition, Florida officials ar...

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This episode of Big Blend Radio shines a spotlight on North East Trees, an award-winning urban greening nonprofit committed to building climate resilience and advancing environmental equity in underinvested communities throughout Los Angeles.

Featured Guests: 🌳 Joe Laskin – Director of Development, North East Trees – https://www.northeasttrees.org/  🌿 Cheryl Leutjen – Author of “Love Earth Now” and “Madness on the Brink of Eco-...

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Celebrate National Parks & Recreation Month with this episode of Big Blend Radio’s “Travel with Terri” Show featuring travel writer Terri Guthrie, who shares her recent adventures in Corpus Christi, Texas—officially known as the Birdiest City in America!

From vibrant wetlands and hundreds of bird species to the famous annual birding festival, Corpus Christi is a top destination for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. Terri h...

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July 18, 2025 51 mins

Join us for a delightful "Happy Hour Hang Out" on Big Blend Radio as we celebrate National Picnic Month and Parks & Recreation Month! This engaging episode explores the pure joy of picnicking, the profound benefits of connecting with nature, and our favorite spots and foods for an outdoor feast from Arizona to England. 

We dive into the calming practice of forest bathing, the therapeutic power of nature's sounds, and the breath...

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Noise is everywhere—disrupting our sleep, increasing our stress, and wrecking our focus—yet it's often dismissed as a minor nuisance. But what if it’s a major environmental issue hiding in plain sound?

This episode of Big Blend Radio's Nature Connection Show features author and science writer Chris Berdik, who dives into the surprising science and urgent implications behind his new book, "Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World―and H...

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Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day with this captivating episode of Big Blend Radio’s "Nature Connection" Show, featuring naturalist and author Charles Hood, who discusses his new book “Nature at Night: Discover the Hidden World That Comes Alive After Dark” (Timber Press).

From glowing oceans to jungle predators and migrating birds under the stars, Hood explores the wonders of nocturnal wildlife through vivid storytelling and over ...

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Celebrate National Go Birding Day with this special episode of Big Blend Radio's "English Connection" show, featuring Glynn Burrows, owner of Norfolk Tours in England. Glynn shares his insights into birding in the UK, from spotting Kingfishers along the Norfolk Broads to witnessing Puffin colonies off the coast of Wales, and even catching breathtaking starling murmurations along the East Coast during migration season.

You can also ...

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Think New York City is just skyscrapers and sidewalks? Think again! 🗽🌳 On this special Arbor Day (April 25) and National Go Birding Day (April 26) episode of Big Blend Radio, we chat with Ryan Mandelbaum—naturalist, science writer, and author of the beautifully illustrated new book, "Wild NYC: Experience the Amazing Nature In and Around New York City" (art by Chelsea Beck).

From red-tailed hawks in Manhattan to horseshoe crabs in...

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April 22, 2025 40 mins

In this special Earth Day episode of the Big Blend Radio, we’re joined by Kris Kiser, President & CEO of the TurfMutt Foundation, to dive into the growing lifestyle trend of “backyarding” – the shift of indoor activities like dining, working, exercising, and entertaining to our outdoor spaces.

Kris shares how this powerful movement is encouraging communities across the country to invest in urban parks, public green spaces, and ...

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March 28, 2025 53 mins

This episode of Big Blend Radio's NATURE CONNECTION Podcast features  Alyson F. Brokaw, behavioral and sensory ecologist, and author of "The Weird and Wonderful World of Bats: Demystifying These Often-Misunderstood Creatures." 

Out now through Timber Press, "The Weird and Wonderful World of Bats" is a vibrant and approachable text that reintroduces readers to bats, dispelling their negative reputations and providing a window into t...

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This shared episode of Big Blend Radio's PARKS & TRAVEL Podcast features travel writer Sharon K. Kurtz who shares her whale watching adventures in Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Baja California Sur is a premier whale-watching destination, home to both the blue whales of Loreto Bay National Marine Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the gray whale nursery of Magdalena Bay. Read Sharon's article about her whale watching...

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March 6, 2025 97 mins

Celebrate World Conservation Strategy Day with this special episode of Big Blend Radio focusing on Sustainable Travel and Tourism. Hear what destinations are doing around the world to promote sustainable and eco-friendly practices to safeguard the planet for their local community and future generations, and the ways travelers can be part of sustainable solutions. 

FEATURED GUESTS: - Dan Howard – VP of Communications at Visit Park C...

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February 28, 2025 42 mins

On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Nature Connection" Show, author Paula Whyman discusses her memoir, "BAD NATURALIST: One Woman’s Ecological Education on a Wild Virginia Mountaintop," out now through Timber Press. 

A few years ago, Paula Whyman decided to leave her Maryland / suburban DC empty nest to find a rural getaway -- maybe a small farmhouse where she could put her interest in conservation to work. With little experience...

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This episode of Big Blend Radio features author Cheryl Leutjen, who discusses her latest book, "Madness on the Brink of Eco-Apocalypse: Furious Facts, Dark Humor & SOS Calls to Action." A follow up to her award-winning book "Love Earth Now," the book confronts the human-caused harm on Earth’s life support systems.

Weaving “furious facts” with dark humor and vivid prose, Cheryl offers concrete resources and inspiration to fuel t...

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January 21, 2025 13 mins

From Africa and Asia to North America, this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's BIG DAILY BLEND podcast celebrates National Squirrel Appreciation Day (Every January 21st) with some fun facts about squirrels and their small rodent families.

 

SONG OF THE DAY: Ray Stevens, "The Mississippi Squirrel Revival": https://youtu.be/K16fG1sDagU?feature=shared

 

TRAVELING BIRD (SQUIRREL) FEEDER videos on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Mov...

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November 22, 2024 19 mins

One of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in which 230,000 people perished, will be National Geographic's biggest docuseries of autumn, 'Tsunami: Race Against Time.' 

This episode of Big Blend Radio features Barry Hirshorn, the seismologist who, in 2004, was tracking all the data as it trickled in. During the chaos, Hirshorn had to make sense of data so extreme as to be unreal. In 2004,...

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November 11, 2024 30 mins

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 choic...

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