Emily sits with Dr. Stephen Kress, world-renowned ornithologist and founder of National Audubon Society's Project Puffin, for a conversation while overlooking the waters of Muscongus Bay, Maine. This special two-part episode shares a chronicle spanning half of a century. In Part 1, learn about the Atlantic Puffin and how Dr. Stephen Kress initially thought of & implemented his revolutionary idea: Project Puffin ~ an attempt to restore a lost colony of these puffins to their southernmost habitat in the United States. Hear his first-hand account of a saga which demonstrates how against all odds clear vision, perseverance and thinking like a puffin became crucial steppingstones for the blueprint of seabird colony restoration & conservation today.
Links
Visit the Project Puffin & Seabird Institute website for: a map of the research islands with detailed info on Eastern Egg Rock, info on Hog Island Audubon Camp, the Project Puffin Visitor Center, how to adopt-a-puffin & more:
https://projectpuffin.audubon.org/
Puffin FAQ's:
https://projectpuffin.audubon.org/birds/puffin-faqs
Hardy Boat/National Audubon Puffin Watch Cruise:
https://hardyboat.com/cruises/puffin-watch-national-audubon/
Watch: Project Puffin Live-Cams in Maine:
https://explore.org/livecams/puffins/puffin-boulder-berm-cam
Watch: Steve in 1979's "Return of the Puffin" from Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom television show (23 min.):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPbpSRHJPGE
Read: Maine Magazine article from 2016 about Steve & the history of Project Puffin
(medium length):
https://www.themainemag.com/hope-thing-feathers/#close
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TMC's theme song "Hearts as Full as the Moon" is courtesy of Oshima Brothers:
https://www.oshimabrothers.com/
Visit TMC's website to discover more about the podcast: