Coffee At New Jersey Audubon: Podcast Series
Join host Mike Skagerlind, in a series of monthly conversations discussing the issues at the heart of New Jersey Audubon’s conservation mission.
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Podcast Episodes
Episode 31: Bats: Nighttime’s Good Neighbors
In the series finale, MacKenzie Hall, a wildlife biologist from New Jersey Fish and Wildlife, shares her fascinating insights into New Jersey’s bat species, outlining the challenges they face and explaining why they are such good neighbors to humans. And in a farewell interview, Eric Stiles, now Emeritus President and CEO of New Jersey Audubon, reflects on the conservation path he and the organization have traveled over the past 21 years.
Episode 30: One Song, Many Voices.
Harvard University’s Dr. Scott Edwards on evolution, his epic bicycle trip across the continental US, and what he learned about the people and wildlife he met along the way.
Episode 29: Birding Is For Everybody. And Every Body
Virginia Rose and Freya McGregor from Birdability on the challenges — and benefits — for people with disabilities while out in nature.
Episode 28: N8ture_Al On Seeing And Being Seen
Alex Troutman, a Black wildlife biologist and nature advocate, discusses the importance of seeing people who look like you in the development and growth of careers like his in the biological sciences.
Episode 27: How To Grow A National Park
Professor Doug Tallamy discusses his Homegrown National Park movement, described as the largest co-operative conservation project ever attempted, which reimagines our backyards and community outdoor spaces as vital links in the web of life — and is growing a national park in the process.
Episode 26: Alarms In The Wilderness
In 2021, Tiffany Kersten broke the American Birding Association’s record for the most bird species seen in the lower 48 states in one calendar year. Often birding alone in remote places, she did it as a survivor of a recent sexual assault. Tiffany tells the story of how her birding Big Year spawned an even more important goal: to elevate women birders and to raise awareness about women’s safety in the great outdoors.
Episode 25: To Change A Narrative
Renata Barnes, Coordinator of the Outdoor Equity Alliance, discusses the challenges that impede equitable access to nature, the need to face uncomfortable historical truths, and the mutual benefits of introducing young folks with little experience of the natural world to wild spaces and all the treasures they contain.
Episode 24: A Passion For Birding
Eliana Ardila Kramer, one half of the Birding By Bus duo, reflects on her birding life, how a passion for birds helps us connect with our fellow humans, and the wondrous biodiversity of Colombia.
Episode 23: Angling For Diversity
Todd Pride, President of Legacy Land and Water Partners, on why bio- and human diversity are two sides of the same coin, creating lasting bonds between kids and the natural world through fishing and hunting, and a new focus on the natural spaces of the Underground Railroad.
Episode 22: Under The Surface: Conserving Planet Ocean
Dr. Carl Safina, President of the Safina Center, on ocean biodiversity, the threats oceans face, and what we can do to help conserve them..
Episode 21: Tracking Wildlife In The Digital Age
Dr. Trish Miller and Mike Lanzone explain how the bleeding-edge tech powering wildlife tracking today is yielding new insights into animal behavior.
Episode 20: Mostly Air: The Magic Of Owls
Katy Duffy has been surveying and banding owls, as well as teaching about them, for over 40 years. She joined the podcast from Yellowstone to share her insights into, and love for, this iconic and much beloved group of birds.
Episode 19: Sustainable Cities
Climate scientist Dr. William Solecki on what makes sustainable cities work, how they use nature as a partner and ally, and the increasingly important role they will play in the fight against climate change.
Episode 18: The Art Of Conservation
The artist Pat Brentano discusses her visual voice and speaking out for nature, the importance of the arts in education, and the benefits of native-planted yards.
Episode 17: Jonathan Franzen Is In Love. With Birds.
Acclaimed author and essayist Jonathan Franzen on his love of birding, the deeper meanings of beauty, and caring for habitats and wildlife in the teeth of the iron logic of climate change.
Episode 16: A Cleaner, Greener New Jersey
Kelly Mooij, Director of the Division of Clean Energy at the NJ Board of Public Utilities, on New Jersey’s wild habitat- and community-friendly energy initiatives — and listening for leaks.
Episode 15: A Conversation With Dave Golden
Dave Golden, Director of the NJDEP Division of Fish & Wildlife, on the vital importance of land (and ocean) stewardship in maintaining species diversity, the long history of hunting and conservation, and providing access to natural habitats for all, in crowded New Jersey.
Episode 14: A People’s Park
Sam Pesin and Greg Remaud tell the story of Liberty State Park and why it’s so important to protect such a special and symbolic natural oasis for the three and a half million people who use it every year.
Episode 13: Black Birders Week Takes Flight
Corina Newsome and Tykee James, two of the co-organizers of Black Birders Week, discuss how a week of rapidly organized social media events became a STEM phenomenon, as well as the prescriptions for racial justice that inspired it.
Episode 12: The Story Of Bird Friendly Coffee
Dr. Amanda Rodewald, Garvin Professor of Ornithology at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Dr. Ruth Bennett, Research Ecologist at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, join Eric and Mike to discuss bird friendly coffee farming, its importance to the ecology of the areas where it’s grown, and the benefits for the local farmers who grow it.
Where to Buy this Coffee
NJ Audubon Lorrimer Nature Sanctuary – Franklin Lakes NJ
NJ Audubon Northwood Center – Cape May NJ
NJ Audubon Scherman Hoffman Wildlife Sanctuary – Bernardsville NJ
Macaulay Library Bird Calls Featured In The Podcast:
Cerulean Warbler (ML259009091)
American Redstart (ML257515051)
Tennessee Warbler (ML251608091)
Golden Winged Warbler (ML244187311)
Yellow Warbler (ML303396)
Kentucky Warbler (ML251522361)
Keel-Billed Motmot (ML147672351)
‘Blackburnian Warbler (ML255058011)
Wood Thrush (ML284634681)
Episode 11: Down On The (Sustainable) Farm
Richard Cotton, Cotton Cattle Company partner, joins Eric, Mike, and John Cecil, to discuss how his family’s sustainable farm is a vital part of the local ecology, the noble pursuit of producing healthy food, and how technology can transform farming.
Episode 10: Conserving Energy
Dave Daly, President of PSE&G, discusses the future of energy in the Garden State, the importance of non-carbon fuel, and how PSE&G works with New Jersey Audubon to protect habitats and promote diversity, equity, inclusion and justice.
Episode 9: Conservation Across The Aisle
Senators Bob Smith (D) and Kip Bateman (R), from the New Jersey Legislature, join NJ Audubon’s Vice President of Government Relations, Eileen Murphy, and Eric and Mike, to examine why our environment benefits from bipartisan legislation.
Episode 8: Natural Leaders
Ashley Rey, the youngest ever Chair of the New Jersey Audubon Board of Directors, discusses conservation leadership as the Millennial and Gen Z generations become increasingly influential.
Episode 7: A Conversation With Olivia Glenn
Olivia Glenn, the Director of the Parks and Forestry Division of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, explains how the Garden State’s natural and historic gems anchor all New Jerseyans with a sense of place and belonging.
Episode 6: The Atlantic Flyway
Dr. David Mizrahi, a leading expert on migratory birds and VP of Research and Monitoring at New Jersey Audubon, in conversation on shorebird conservation, the relationship between the Horseshoe crab and the Red knot, and the busy avian flight path that is the Atlantic Flyway.
Episode 5: Outside In
Kelly Wenzel and Brendan Schaffer sit down with Eric and Mike and give us their Top Ten Tips on staying close to nature during the Coronavirus lockdown.
Episode 4:Â Children Of Nature
Dale Rosselet sits down with Eric and Mike and tells us why reconnecting kids to nature is so vital, and why outdoor kids are the future of both our environment and our society.
Find Out More
Children & Nature Network
Episode 3: For the Forest and the Trees
John Cecil joins Eric and Mike to explain why New Jersey’s forests and woodlands are middle-aged, how their structure and function interact, and why they are so important to humans as well as wildlife.Â
Find Out More
Private Lands Forest Management & List of State Foresters
NJ Forest Fire Service & Info on being FirewiseÂ
Life in the City: Living Near a Forest Keeps Your Amygdala Healthier (Max Planck Institute)
Episode 2: Farming The Wind
Eric and Mike discuss New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s recently announced goals for creating 7500 Megawatts of wind-generated power off the New Jersey coastline, what it means for local wildlife, as well as the concept of the Negawatt.
Find Out More
Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Offshore Wind Energy (Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy)
US Public Views On Climate And Energy (Pew Research Center)
How Do Offshore Wind Farms Affect Ocean Ecosystems? (Deutsche Welle)
Renewable Electricity Overtakes Fossil Fuels In UK For First Time (The Guardian)
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Episode 1: Canaries In The Coal Mine
Eric and Mike discuss the North American bird loss crisis, how New Jerseyans can help fight back, and reasons for hope.
Find Out More
Survival by Degrees: 389 Bird Species on the Brink
Three billion North American birds have vanished since 1970
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Coffee At New Jersey Audubon is produced by Sonicle Media