Hey there Nature Nerds, enjoy this week's ramblings, including a fun story about Warsaw Clams helping monitor water quality in Poland! Be sure to watch "Fat Kathy" here Clam Image credits Julia Pełka / GRUBA KAŚKA via Reddit.

Hey there Nature Nerds! Jen and Megan are back with a new episode on Pigmy Hippos and the internet sensation, Moo Deng :)

Megan and Jen have returned from sabbatical-ling with some plans for 2025! Missed our ramblings? Enjoy 30 minutes of digressions, banter, and side stories! More to come!

Hey there Nature Nerds! We’re going to take a little sabbatical while Jen gets her PhD but don’t fret, we’ll be back! You can still reach us on Instagram and email ([email protected])! Share your adventures and until next time…. Don’t Die Out There!

Welcome to 2024 Nature Nerds! In this Nature Nugget, Megan talks surfing, the mountaineering of the ocean! References: https://www.hbo.com/100-foot-wave https://www.explainthatstuff.com/surfingscience.html https://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/article/hawaii-surfing-star-mikala-jones-dies-18198643.php https://www.surfertoday.com/surfing/the-most-notable-deaths-in-surfing#:~:text=But%20shark%20attacks%20still%20are,drowning%20is%20your%20next%20opponent. https://www.theinertia.com/surf/5-of-the-goriest-wipeouts-in-surfings-history/ https://surfspots.org/worst-wipeouts-ever/

Happy Holidays Nature Nerds! In this, our last episode of 2023, Jen talks about the dangers of K2 and the recent tragedy of Muhammad Hassan. Organization to Support: The Intrepid Foundation https://www.theintrepidfoundation.org/ We empower our travelers to make real impact in the communities they visit. Since 2002, The Intrepid Foundation has supported over 130 organizations across the world. We’re creating positive impact through the joy of travel, community and connection. With our local knowledge and Intrepid teams on the ground, we support our carefully chosen partners to make a positive impact and create solutions on important issues. This ensures that your donations aren’t just about giving back but giving responsibly – impactfully – where it's really needed. In 2019, the Intrepid Foundation is launched the Step Up for Porters Challenge: A fundraising initiative to engage trekkers and raise money for porter welfare. It’s for anyone with an interest in doing good and getting fit, with a goal of at least 10,000 steps per day, per participant, over the month of June. Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_K2_disaster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_K2_disaster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_K2_disaster https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deaths_on_eight-thousanders https://basecampmagazine.com/2018/02/12/the-2008-k2-tragedy/ https://www.alanarnette.com/blog/2023/09/06/k2-2023-coverage-harila-and-tenjen-cleared-on-muhammad-hassans-death/ https://www.insider.com/death-k2-real-story-climbers-stepped-dying-man-kristin-harila-2023-8 https://explorersweb.com/muhammad-hassans-death-k2-expeditions/

A big thanks to Patron Annette for this suggestion! In this month's bonus episode, Jen talks about Lapland and the amazing story of Aimo Koivunen and the down side of mittens! Enjoy! Organization to Support: Snowchange Cooperative Snowchange.org Snowchange was started in late 2000 to document climate and environmental change in the North and work with local and Indigenous communities of the Northern regions. Re-wilding Finland™ is a trademark owned by Snowchange with the purposes of advancing community-based and -controlled national efforts to fight impacts of climate change, enhance biodiversity and protect waterways. Links: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aimo_Koivunen https://allthatsinteresting.com/aimo-koivunen https://medium.com/exploring-history/the-crazy-crystal-meth-adventure-of-a-finnish-soldier-1cae54a1238f https://www.tourstolapland.com/travel-guide/10-interesting-facts-finnish-lapland https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/where-santa-claus-live-hometown-north-pole-180953723/#:~:text=Lapland%20had%20served%20as%20a,the%20ears%20of%20a%20rabbit. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/interactive/2022/climate-change-reindeer-habitats-deforestation/

Hey there Nature Nerds- this week Jen shares the creepy and mysterious story of Lake Nyos! Links: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/gas-cloud-kills-cameroon-villagers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Nyos_disaster https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/defusing-africas-killer-lakes-88765263/ https://theconversation.com/cameroons-exploding-lakes-disaster-expert-warns-deadly-gas-release-could-cause-another-tragedy-190154

Hey there Nature Nerds! This week Megan talks Snow Leopards! Bundle up and enjoy! Organization to Support: Snow Leopard Trust https://snowleopard.org/ The Snow Leopard Trust aims to protect this endangered cat through community-based conservation projects that are based on an improved scientific understanding of snow leopard behavior, needs, habitats and threats. References: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/living-with-snow-leopards-tashis-story-a-nature-short-film-sneak-peek/16903/ https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/fascinating-facts/snow-leopards https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/snow-leopard https://snowleopard.org/snow-leopard-facts/ WIld Films India: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRQXebUBZtI BBC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKWVvMaml_8 Real Wild: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GorzEZtv_Z0 https://snowleopardblog.com/stories-of-shape-shifting-snow-leopards/#:~:text=The%20story%2C%20based%20on%20ancient,one%20to%20take%20her%20place. https://snowleopardblog.com/about/snow-leopards-in-the-movies/ https://wildfor.life/guarding-the-ghosts-of-the-mountain#:~:text=It%20is%20the%20belief%20held,the%20guardians%20of%20the%20mountains. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41270646

This week Megan talks quicksand! Enjoy! References: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicksand https://www.britannica.com/story/how-deadly-is-quicksand https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geology/do-people-die-in-quicksand.htm https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160323-can-quicksand-really-suck-you-to-your-death https://interestingengineering.com/science/quicksand-is-not-very-deadly https://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2010/08/terra_infirma.html https://www.dellamente.com/quicksand/