Enjoy an audio advent calendar with a short episode for every day from December 1 through Christmas. Each episode invites thoughtful reflection on the season, inspired by nature’s miraculous phenomena (from a turtle hibernating through the cold of winter to an astronomer puzzling over the star of Bethlehem) as well as music and art traditionally connected with the biblical story of the Nativity. Advent is a series from the Constant Wonder podcast, produced by BYUradio.
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Returning Ferrets to the Wild After Near Extinction
When Shep the ranch dog discovered a mysterious rodent raiding his food dish, the canine forever changed the trajectory of the black-footed ferret species. Join us as we explore the precarious but wonderful lives of North America's only native ferret. We'll even take you along on a release of captive-born ferrets into the wild.
Guests:
Travis Livieri, founder and Executive Director of Prairie Wildlife Research https://prairiewildlife.org/
Justin Chuven, Deputy Recovery Program Coordinator at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center https://www.fws.gov/office/national-black-footed-ferret-conservation-center
Brian Maxfield, wildlife conservation biologist with Utah Department of Natural Resources
Jimmy Breitenstein, wildlife photographer https://www.jimmybreitenstein.com/
Other voices from the ferret release: Clint Sampson, Crew, Marek
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A Town Made Of Leaves Brought Beauty and Hope
When options for recess became limited during the pandemic, a group of children in Oak Park, Illinois created Leaf Town, a thriving metropolis made of fallen leaves and lost trinkets. Beth and Kathleen Rooney recount the rise, fall, and rebuilding of the little community and remind us of the value of imagination and attention to little things.
Guests: Beth and Kathleen Rooney, authors of "Leaf Town Forever"
https://www.leaftownforever.com
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Chinese Immigrants' Remarkable Quest For The American Dream
When Ava Chin went looking for the father who had abandoned her family, she discovered the rich and complicated legacy of her Chinese immigrant relatives. Her great-great-grandfather helped build the railroad that united America, but his adopted country soon turned against him, legislating the Chinese Exclusion Act. This episode of the Constant Wonder podcast explores how Ava Chin's family continued to thrive in America, despite intense discrimination. As her family history unfolds, we witness Ava Chin lay claim to a past she never knew she had.
Guest: Ava Chin, author of "Mott Street: A Chinese American Family's Story of Exclusion and Homecoming"
Learn more about Ava Chin:
http://avachin.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ava_chin/?hl=en
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/563929/mott-street-by-ava-chin/
Excerpts from "Butterfly Lovers’ Violin Concerto" used by permission from the BYU Chamber Orchestra
Originally aired Sept 27, 2023
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How to Invite More Life and Wildness into the Garden
There’s a sea change happening . . . on land. People are rethinking what a garden is, what a yard is for, what urban green spaces can do to help life flourish. This visionary who promotes “more-wild-than-not” landscapes is a leader in redefining beauty. Rebecca McMackin grew up on a small farm in Connecticut, where her love for the natural world first took root. She spent a decade as Director of Horticulture at Brooklyn Bridge Park, managing 85 acres of organic parkland and championing biodiversity in the heart of the city. She's now one of today's preeminent voices in the cause of life-supporting, ecologically sound gardening practices.
Guest: Rebecca McMackin, Lead Horticulturist for the American Horticultural Society, publisher of the "Grow Like Wild" newsletter
Learn more about Rebecca McKackin: https://www.rebeccamcmackin.com/
Find her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oroeoboeococoao/?hl=en
Stay in tune with our phenomenal world. Join us for explorations of science, art, history, and more. We're on a quest to find awe and wonder in all nature—human or wild, vast or small. Encounters that move us beyond words. Hosted by Marcus Smith, Constant Wonder is a production of BYUradio.
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