Tom Knisely Podcasts

Connor Wood from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology talks about how he uses sounds in animal conservation despite being tone deaf. Using passive acoustic surveys he has studied Spotted Owl populations, surveyed the entire Sierra Nevada mountains with a team of only 15, and even studied endangered toads. What is a passive acoustic survey? Will this tech…

Steven Hogg from Three Rivers Park District and Sam Safran, Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Minnesota, join us to discuss how Three Rivers Park District surveys for birds. How do you document all the birds in an area? Do you really have to wake up before dawn? Do the birds at least make you coffee? How can you use bird calls to evaluate restor…

Join Angela and Brandon as they explore how birds make the complex calls that both delight and sometimes aggravate at 4 in the morning. From the syrinx, to what the calls mean, and regional accents in birds, join us as we tune in to bird calls.By Three Rivers Park District

Three dedicated volunteers from Three Rivers Park District discuss how they monitor and care for a purple martin colony, what they do if a storm blows a house down, and why they enjoy caring for these dazzling birds.By Three Rivers Park District

What does a motorized couch have to do with Purple Martins? Joe Siegrist, President and CEO of the Purple Martin Conservation Association, joins us to explain. Learn what it's like to be on an undercover stakeout in Brazil looking for Purple Martins, why Purple Martins are given fanny packs for their migration, and what research the Purple Martin C…

Angela and Brandon discuss an animal that has become completely dependent on humans for housing, Purple Martins. Angela teaches Brandon about Purple Martin life history, the bird's relationship with humans historically, and dispels a few myths about their relationship with mosquitos.By Three Rivers Park District

Geoff Miller, a PhD student working with the Twin Cities Coyote and Fox Project joins us to talk about the research he is doing to shed light on what coyotes are doing in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Having found coyotes everywhere in the cities, from completely urban to city parks, he explains how the project works, why it is being done, some prelimi…

Scott Noland is a Land Manager with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. He joins us to talk about land management with coyotes, the benefits they bring to the area he manages, and how people should act when they see a coyote.By Three Rivers Park District

Angela and Brandon explore the fascinating history of the largest predator in urban areas, coyotes. From it's plethora of names, to unique adaptations that let it thrive even when hunted by humans, the coyote is a misunderstood animal full of amazing attributes.By Three Rivers Park District

Quantina Beck-Jones joins us about her personal experiences in nature, from the time she was a kid to today. Nature has been important to her since she was a child and she shares what it means to her, why seagulls helped her connect with birds in Minnesota, and her work with Urban Bird Collective to help people overcome barriers to getting into par…

By Three Rivers Park District

Join us as Joel Brown, a professional historic interpreter, talks to us about the legacy of George Bonga and the rest of his family. One of the first African American's born in what became Minnesota, George Bonga's involvement in the fur trade and participation in several treaties helped create the Minnesota we live in today.…

In January and the rest of our long winter, many of our Minnesota birds are not here...where do they go and what are they doing? To give us some perspective on our missing birds of the winter season, Leonal Chavez, a coffee farmer in Honduras, talks with Angela and Brandon about dedicating his land to bird conservation.…

Dr. Sushma Reddy, Bell Museum's Breckenridge Chair of Ornithology, discusses what it is like managing the Bell Museum's 46,000+ bird specimens, new advances in science that has allowed the relationships between bird species to be better understood, and why the dinosaurs are not actually extinct.By Three Rivers Park District

Zack Mohlis from the Three Rivers History Team joins us to talk about the history of birding in Minnesota, why a state geologist led the research on birds in the 1800's, how dead birds in the mail helped science, and his favorite lines of poetry, we mean scientific writing, from the state birds report.…

Kick off Season 4 as Brandon and Angela discuss what birding means to them, talk to Kim Nowicki of Eastman Nature Center and John Moriarty, Senior Manager of Wildlife, about Three Rivers Park District's Big Year of the Bird, and they discuss why birds are a good gateway to the outdoors.By Three Rivers Park District

Nadia Abuisnaineh is a NASA Solar System Ambassador. She joins us to talk about what a Solar System Ambassador is, why the night sky is so important, and a Citizen Science Project you can do to help scientists determine the impacts of light pollution using constellations.By Three Rivers Park District

We often think of Greek constellations when we look at the sky, but every culture had their own constellations and stories. James Knutson-Kolodzne and Jessica Heim of Native Skywatchers join us to share Indigenous star and earth knowledge, explain what Native Skywatchers is, and give resources so you can learn more about Dakota and Ojibwe constella…

Jessica Heim has a Master's in the field of Cultural Astronomy. She joins us to discuss her Master's Thesis on light pollution, what causes it, and how we can work together to reduce it.By Three Rivers Park District

Join Angela and Brandon as they explore how the final frontier, space, impacts the animals in Three Rivers Parks. From moths orbiting the light outside your house, to dung beetles setting course with the Milky Way, open your hailing frequencies, set your course for the second star on the right, and engage the podcast as we explore the night sky.…

Raul Velaquez joins us to share his immigration story. Originally from Colombia, he came to Minnesota to study engineering. He now works for the Minnesota Department of Transportation to design better roads. Hear how his connections to the land influenced his choices. A special thank you to Green Card Voices for connecting us with Dr. Raul Velaquez…

Professor Dalma Martinovic immigrated to Minnesota from Croatia in 1996. Join us as she shares why she moved to Minnesota, her experiences here, and how our parks differ from parks back in Croatia. A special thank you to Green Card Voices for connecting us with Professor Martinovic.By Three Rivers Park District

Join us as Jayne Becker, from our history interpretation team, starts our conversation on neighbors by telling us about immigrants from Switzerland who settled in the area that is now Elm Creek Park Reserve. Their immigration story started in the 1850s, after Native Americans were forced from the land and the U.S. Government made it available for p…

Grant Armour- Recreation Program Specialist from our Outdoor Recreation School talks to us about how the greatest threat in nature is ourselves. Grant discusses the importance of knowing your boundaries and recognizing when you are in a growth state or panic state when trying recreational activities. He gives tips on how to evaluate activities in n…

John Moriarty, Senior Wildlife Manager, talks to us about whether we have anything to fear in our parks. We discuss what, if any animals pose threats to us in Three River's Parks; how perceived lack of control makes humans pretty bad at judging potential threats, and steps you can take in our parks to remain safe.…

Bill Walker, Historical Programs Supervisor, joins us to give a European historical perspective on fear of nature. Why did early American settlers fear the wilderness? Was Thoreau talking about wilderness at Walden's Pond, or something else? How did Manifest Destiny play into American's fear of nature?…

Dr. Rachel Putnam joins us to talk about current research on climate change's impacts on forests in North America. She then talks about her own research on how different sugar maple tree populations may adapt to climate change.By Three Rivers Park District

We are joined by Shawn Howard, Nursery Operations Supervisor, and Paul Kortebein, Senior Manager of Horticulture and Forestry to discuss how the park district raises and plants several thousand native trees and shrubs a year and the challenges of starting a native nursery back in 1970 that is still helping to restore forests in all of our parks.…

Join Angela and Brandon as they discover that trees do more than just sleep during the winter. They discuss what causes fall colors, how the colors are made by the tree, what trees actually do in the winter, and what trees have to do before they can grow in the spring.By Three Rivers Park District

Liz Gilles from the Minnesota Zoo discusses the zoo's "Show Us Your Mussels Challenge", the work the zoo is doing to educate people about mussels, and research being done at the zoo to figure out how to reintroduce mussels.By Three Rivers Park District

Mike Davis (MN DNR) and Olivia Poelmann (Graduate Student at Clemson SC) join us to talk about how the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are studying mussels, the impacts humans currently have on them, and some of the successes they have had restoring species, including endangered ones.By Three Rivers Park District

Alan Holzer from Mississippi Gateway Regional Park joins us to talk about what is a mussel, their unique life story (including interesting techniques they use to get fish to host their young), and how human's history with them has resulted in mussels becoming one of the most endangered groups of animals.…

Jerry Jennissen's farmland includes the ditch that is the official start of the Crow River. Any action he takes on his farm has a direct impact on the entire Crow River. He talks about his experience with the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program, why farming sustainably is important to him, and Angela gets to discuss how Jerry…

Brad Redlin, Manager of the Minnesota Agriculture Water Quality Certification Program from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture talks about how it is a team effort between his department and farmers to improve water quality around Minnesota. Brad Redlin explains how the Water Quality Certification works and how it is helping farmers navigate cha…

Join us as we explore the third river in Three Rivers - The Crow. Dan Nadeu joins us from Wright Soil and Water Conservation District. He explains why the Crow used to be called "the armpit of the Mississippi" and how the partnerships he has with farmers along the Crow River are integral to improve its water quality.…

Park Service Assistant Thao Vang talks to us about fishing in Three Rivers Park District, how fishing has changed over time for Hmong culture in Minnesota, and how to create a welcoming environment for people new to fishing.By Three Rivers Park District

Nick Sacco from Three River's Outdoor Recreation School and Janine Kohn from the Minnesota DNR drop us a line to go over fishing basics such as how to get started, what equipment you might need, where to go, and proper fishing etiquette.By Three Rivers Park District

Join us as we dive under the water to explore fishing habitats with Brian Vlach, Water Resources Senior Manager at Three Rivers. Diverse aquatic habitats throughout Minnesota support a huge range of fishes, not all lakes are the same. We also discuss how climate change is impacting fish populations in Minnesota.…

The great coffee migration ends back in Minnesota where we talk to Anne Costello of Peace Coffee Company, a local Minnesota roaster. Anne discusses how coffee is roasted, the environmental impacts of roasting coffee, and best practices in the coffee industry. Julia Holiday, a historical interpreter from Three Rivers joins lastly to share past coffe…

In this episode we are joined by three coffee farmers to hear their perspective on farming everyone's favorite morning drink. Ashley Prentice in Guatemala, Gabriel Miari in Brazil, and Mario Palomo in Honduras discuss the similarities and differences of growing coffee in their different companies and steps they have taken to grow environmentally fr…

Amanda Eastwood of Westrock Coffee Company joins us to talk about what it is like buying coffee from farmers, how the process can support local communities economically and improve the health of farmers, and why that is important in the coffee trade. She also provides some recommendations on what you can look for on coffee labels to see if your cof…

Birds and coffee have more in common than just hearing both early in the morning. Many of the migrating species that call Minnesota home in the summer live on coffee farms in the winter. Learn how coffee farms impact birds and steps that can be taken to create coffee farms that have bird biodiversity as rich as actual rainforests.…

Three Rivers believes you belong here. Making sure that "You" applies to everyone is a continual job with a lot of work going on behind the scenes to ensure our parks are accessible. Join us as we talk to Chris Boyer, Executive Director of Three Rivers Park District Foundation about what the Foundation is, and how it helps make our parks more acces…

Three Rivers Park District wants everybody, of any abilities, to participate in programs and enjoy experiences in a natural resourced based park setting. Sam and Tracy Tabaka from Outdoor Recreation talk to us about adapted programming and equipment in the Park District. Learn how programs are adapted to meet people's abilities, why this is importa…

Join us to discuss how Three Rivers Parks and The Autism Society of Minnesota have partnered to provide programing specifically designed for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Eric Ringgenberg, Director of Education Services for the Autism Society of Minnesota, discusses what autism is and how programming can be done differently to help particip…

Perspective from a retired biologist and current Three Rivers volunteer, Mike Sweet, shares his goal to get outdoors every day to enjoy the benefits of interacting with nature. He describes the welcomed surprises that evoke both feelings of relaxation and energization. As a member of Minnesota Rovers, an outdoor club, there are many opportunities t…

Silverwood Park of Three Rivers has an exciting first in Minnesota to share and Angela and Brandon immerse themselves in forest bathing with a certified ANFT Shinrin Yoku guide. Guests David Donovan, Silverwood Program Coordinator, and David Motzenbecker, Landscape Architect, provide further insight on healing in nature.…

Joining Angela and Brandon from the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Brent A. Bauer shares the science behind parks and greenspaces improving both physical health and emotional well-being. You can now be prescribed nature, listen to learn more.By Three Rivers Park District

Why do we give roses on Valentine’s day? It has something to do with the Language of Flowers. A tradition at least as old as Shakespeare where the flowers people sent carried specific messages. Learn about the history of this tradition and a few flowers you can send messages with from Jayne Becker, Cultural Heritage Interpreter.…

Wander through the Plant Kingdom as Missy Anderson, Propagation Specialist at Three Rivers Park District Nursery, joins us to discuss the love life of plants. Do trees really alternate their forms every generation like ferns do? How does plant reproduction cause you to sneeze and are humans making it worse? Join us and find out!…