FVCC Nature Journal
74 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 months ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsJoin host, John Fraley, in an exploration of fun aspects of the natural world: interesting bird and wildlife species, other fauna, and flora, much of which we can find on the FVCC Campus.
The podcast features interviews with naturalists and wildlife professionals and students doing interesting projects, as well as funny and unusual aspects of nature and wildlife management. Listeners can learn about nature in their own backyard (or campus).
John's experience includes hosting a wildlife and nature radio show for more than 20 years on local radio stations KJJR and KALS.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Episode 24 - All about Geysers, with Adam Wenz
January 21, 2022 15:28 - 12 minutes - 13.9 MBThere are hundreds of geysers in Yellowstone Park and each one has a story. Learn about the sources of geysers, how they are formed, and why they are so rare in the world. Professor Adam Wenz has been fascinated with the geochemistry of geysers since childhood, and he leads us through a fascinating discussion of these amazing, world-famous features.
Episode 23 - Flying Squirrels and Christmas Trees!
December 10, 2021 19:34 - 13 minutes - 14.4 MBThe Northern Flying Squirrel is one of two native tree squirrels in Montana. This diminutive glider spends its life in trees mostly of the boreal coniferous forests of Montana, making it the poster squirrel for the common Christmas trees cut by Montanans for their homes. This squirrel can glide up to 270 feet or more and demonstrates surprising skills of aerial maneuvering.
Episode 22 - The Ghostly Woodland Caribou
December 03, 2021 20:08 - 13 minutes - 14.5 MBThe woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) is an elusive member of the deer family that occasionally dips down from Canada and is seen in northwest Montana. The woodland caribou has a fascinating life style that involves deep dark forests and subsisting on tree lichens. FVCC student Taylor Rose joins us and describes his efforts over the last two years to develop his great idea into a graduate project at the University of Idaho, working on caribou habitat and status.
Episode 21 - Montana’s Magnificent Wild Turkeys
November 19, 2021 20:03 - 12 minutes - 14.3 MBThis episode includes lots of fun facts about wild turkeys, their biology, and behavior. Learn about turkey-related Thanksgiving traditions, and hear the story of a cat hitching a ride on the back of a wild turkey!
Episode 20 - Montana’s Elusive Snowshoe Hare
November 12, 2021 19:41 - 11 minutes - 13.5 MBThe snowshoe hare lives across the Montana landscape, especially in lodgepole and other conifer woodlands. Its white color provides almost complete camouflage in winter, but it is still preyed upon heavily by lynx, coyote, raptors, marten and other critters. Tune in to this podcast and learn lots of fun facts about this elusive prey species.
Episode 19 - Conserving Cutthroat Trout in Glacier National Park
November 05, 2021 15:53 - 14 minutes - 16.1 MBJoin top fisheries Scientist Clint Muhlfeld and host John Fraley as they talk about the history and genetics of Montana's state fish in the waters of beautiful Glacier National Park!
Episode 18 - Bat Crazy!
October 29, 2021 22:29 - 13 minutes - 14.5 MBJoin us for a ride through the interesting world of bats! There are more than 1,200 species of bats worldwide, and 15 species in Montana. Some bats can fly 100 miles per hour; they are the only mammal capable of true flight. The smallest bat in Montana is the western small footed myotis, which weighs only 5 grams. Bats are valuable insectivores, but they also represent spookiness and fear for their association with Halloween.
Episode 17 - Montana Wilderness
October 22, 2021 17:39 - 13 minutes - 14.7 MBIn this episode, explore the variety of wilderness areas in Montana, focusing on the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex not far from campus. You’ll learn about how wilderness is designated and managed, and hear some fun stories about old-time and more recent wilderness visits!
Episode 16 - Wild World of Porcupines
October 15, 2021 17:11 - 12 minutes - 13 MBPorcupines have captured the attention of people for centuries. Their quills are used for decorations and are feared by other animals. In this episode, you will learn lots of fun facts, and join a discussion of factors behind the porky's near disappearance in western Montana.
Episode 15 - All About Bears
October 07, 2021 20:42 - 12 minutes - 14.4 MBTune in for a tour through the world of black bears and grizzly bears in Montana, including fun facts, stories, and management challenges.
Episode 14 - Deer in Montana
October 01, 2021 19:06 - 12 minutes - 14.6 MBDeer and humans have had a long history together in our country. Deer have provided sustenance to people over time, and now are moving into suburban and urban areas creating challenges for the deer and for humans. In this episode we will peer into deer biology and behavior and talk about the continued value of our relationship with deer in Montana.
Episode 13 - The Chemistry of Nature
October 01, 2021 19:04 - 12 minutes - 15 MBJoin Dr. David Long and host John Fraley as they discuss fascinating chemical connections in the natural world around us. Dr. Long is a popular chemistry Professor here at FVCC known for his reflective and entertaining lectures. One of the things he describes in the show is a long ski across Yellowstone National Park and some surprising chemistry of thermal features.
Episode 12 - Adventures of the Alpine Rock Rabbit
October 01, 2021 19:01 - 13 minutes - 15.5 MBIn this episode of the nature journal, tune in and learn about the Pika, or rock rabbit, a small high-elevation critter found in the Jewel Basin high country and other mountainous areas. This territorial, 4-ounce animal cuts and cures alpine vegetation in hay piles under boulders to help them last through the winter.
Episode 11 - A Bull of a Trout
October 01, 2021 18:58 - 13 minutes - 15.1 MBBull trout are the largest native trout in Montana, traveling one of the longest migration routes (up to 150 miles) of any inland trout. Join the discussion about the unique life history of this fish, which uses Flathead Lake, the river, and upstream tributaries to spawn. Biologists count bull trout nests each year to keep track of how they are doing. Bull trout are a federally threatened species and a species of special concern in Montana.
Episode 10 - The Amazing Weasels
October 01, 2021 18:48 - 13 minutes - 15.2 MBThe weasel family in is amazingly diverse, including the wolverine, otter, marten, mink, and three species of weasels. Surprisingly, the least weasel has the strongest bite (pound for pound) of any mammal, and the short-tailed weasel is probably our most numerous carnivore. Join host John Fraley and producer Collin Burkhart for a lively discussion of fun facts and surprising quirks of weasels in Montana.
Episode 9 - Fabulous Fish Trivia
October 01, 2021 18:45 - 12 minutes - 13.9 MBMontana waters support at least 90 species of fish with a diversity of species and habits. Learn about the largest fish in Montana (paddlefish, up to 142.5 pounds) and the smallest (a tiny sculpin, 0.05 pounds). Some Montana fish can live to be more than 100 years old! Come along on the trivia trail by tuning into this week’s FVCC Nature Journal.
Episode 8 - Wacky Wildlife Encounters
October 01, 2021 18:39 - 12 minutes - 14.3 MBIn this segment, John Fraley recounts some scary and funny wildlife encounters from the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Glacier National Park. Species include grizzly bears, moose, pine marten, and even ruffed grouse!
Episode 7 - Wildlife Adventures of the Singing Game Warden
October 01, 2021 18:35 - 13 minutes - 14.8 MBGame Warden Ben Chappelow, known as the” Singing Game Warden,” joins host John Fraley to talk about humorous and interesting experiences he’s had while patrolling on horseback in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Ben shares a few song segments on his guitar along the way!
Episode 6 - Adventures of a Wildlife Photographer
October 01, 2021 18:32 - 12 minutes - 13.7 MBJohn Fraley welcomes award winning wildlife photographer Chris Peterson, editor of the Hungry Horse News. Chris relates some surprising encounters with wildlife, and some of his favorite photos and stories from his long career in Glacier National Park. Chris spends about 250 days each year in the woods.
Episode 5 - Fish Detective Whodunit: Who Put Walleye in Swan Lake?
October 01, 2021 18:28 - 11 minutes - 13.3 MBFish Detective Sam Bourret joins the program again to talk about tracing the origin of the illegal introduction of walleye into Swan Lake. By analyzing the geochemistry of inner ear bones of the walleye, Sam identified the source lake and is hot on the trail of the perpetrators.
Episode 4 - Fish Detective: In Search of the Pygmy Whitefish
October 01, 2021 18:26 - 11 minutes - 13.1 MBFisheries biologist and “Fish Detective” Sam Bourret is on a search for a glacial relic, the pygmy whitefish, in lakes ranging from Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness. He has recently discovered the diminutive fish in Tally Lake, and in Big Salmon Lake deep in the Bob Marshall. This ancient, deep-water critter is an important link in the lakes’ food chain and an indicator of healthy water quality.
Episode 3 - Path of the Puma: South America
October 01, 2021 18:22 - 13 minutes - 17 MBJim Williams joins John Fraley to talk about the exciting interactions of mountain lions (called pumas in Chile and Argentina) and their prey in South America, particularly in the large national parks that have been established there. In South America, some of the same conflicts between ranchers and ranch hands (Gauchos), and their livestock are present. Jim traveled to Patagonia to advise the wildlife managers there on how to help humans coexist with lions. In Patagonia, mountain lions prey...
Episode 2 - Path of the Puma: North America
October 01, 2021 18:20 - 10 minutes - 16.8 MBIn this episode, cat expert Jim Williams joins John Fraley to discuss William's 2018 book, Path of the Puma, published by Patagonia Books. Jim explains key points of cat biology and ecology, and Jim's 4-year experience with mountain lions (pumas) on the Rocky Mountain Front in Montana. Jim is considered one of the top mountain lion experts in the world. Jim and John talk about human-cat interactions, and note that mountain lions move through the Stillwater River Corridor right through the FV...
Episode 1 - Red Tail Riffle
October 01, 2021 18:11 - 17 minutes - 28.3 MBIn this first episode of the FVCC Nature Journal, Host John Fraley and recent FVCC graduate Raser Powell talk about the fascinating web of life found at Red Tail Riffle on the Stillwater River on campus. As an ecology student, Raser led a project to identify the critters in the river and surrounding area to build a trophic energy pyramid for the system, noting over 400 predator and prey relationships shared by the 46 members of the flora and fauna. Some of the key species in the food chain ...