NCTC is always looking for ways we can minimize our impact on the environment, and we ensure that we operate our campus in a sustainable fashion. We'll be sharing several podcasts on NCTC's sustainability practices and how you can incorporate these methods of sustainability into your life. In the second episode, Tracy McCleaf and Mike McAllister discuss composting and how it’s good for the planet, saves us money, reduces waste that goes to the landfill and provides a chemical-free solution for

In Part 2 of the Scientific River Diving series, Dr. Jim Siegel talks with Ryan Hagerty, FWS Regional Diving Safety Officer, and Matthew Patterson, FWS Certified Diver, about their scientific river dives. As a FWS photographer and videographer, Ryan talks about his experiences capturing mesmerizing images in the depths of rivers and other dark places! Matthew talks about his experiences diving for the coolest animal ever, freshwater mussels! Sit back, relax, and enjoy visualizing the depths of these

When we think of scuba diving, our minds go to clear water and marine life. That is not always the case and in this two part podcast series, Dr. Jim Siegel talks with Ryan Hagerty, FWS Regional Diving Safety Officer, and Matthew Patterson, FWS Certified Diver, about their scientific river dives. As a FWS photographer and videographer, Ryan talks about his experiences capturing mesmerizing images in the depths of rivers and other dark places! Matthew talks about his experiences diving for the coolest

Ticks! They seem to be in abundance this year! Have you found one on you? Would you know what to do if it attached? In this episode of "Thoughts from Home," listeners hitch a ride with the Podcast team to talk about what ticks are, how they get on you, how to get them off you and the diseases they can carry. Learn interesting facts about this animal and hear tips on how to keep yourself safe from ticks this summer season.

The NCTC is celebrating its 25th Anniversary! In this podcast, Steve Chase, NCTC Director, and Mark Madison, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Historian, reflect on the past and speculate the future of NCTC’s next 25 years.

The USFWS Library is celebrating 60 years of Silent Spring! This April, we're reading Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, the classic that launched the environmental movement for America's Wild Read. Conservation hero Rachel Carson (1907–1964) was a renowned author and one of the first female biologists to work for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She became one of the most celebrated and beloved science writers in America, but it is easy to forget how controversial Silent Spring was when it was

Some creepy crawly and misunderstood wildlife, like spiders, bats, and raccoons offer a lot of benefits to our environment and we'd like to shed some positive light on those important ecoservices. In Part 1 of the Creepy Crawly and Misunderstood Wildlife podcast, the team talks about spiders, bats, and raccoons. Spiders are hardy builders, using their cable-like silk to create intricate webs to catch up to 14 times their own weight in insect prey. Bats are a unique species, flying mammals that

Some creepy crawly and misunderstood wildlife offer a lot of benefits to our environment. In Part 2 of the Creepy Crawly and Misunderstood Wildlife podcast, the team talks about skunks, opossums, and snakes and their important ecoservices. Skunks, opossums and snakes are some of the most efficient and effective natural pest controllers! Snakes keep prey populations in balance. The skunk's charm is in their adaptive and versatile diet, which includes insects, grubs, mice and more. Killing up to 5,000

Ever wonder what the Native Youth Community Adaptation and Leadership Congress (NYCALC) is all about? In this podcast you'll learn about NYCALC and hear participants' reactions to the program.

Dr. Jim Siegel, US Fish and Wildlife Service biologist and NCTC Ecology curriculum manager, reviews the calls of the most common frogs and toads that can be heard at the NCTC each spring. Hearing the intricate descriptions and sounds of the frogs and toads, you can envision being near the springtime ponds at the NCTC.

Catherine Woodward, Fish and Wildlife Biologist in the USFWS Conservation Library introduces a series called Off the Shelf, where she hopes to inspire you and other readers to connect with conservation literature and nature writing, as she talks about books pulled from the library shelves. The Home Place: A Colored Man's Love Affair with Nature by Dr. J. Drew Lanham is a powerful and motivating memoir and the main themes discussed are home, conservationists of color, and how we each play a role in