Surveying wildlife along Lewis and Clark's route, 220 years later
Summary
Dr. Roland Kays discusses retracing Lewis and Clark’s route to compare historical wildlife records with modern camera trap data, highlighting conservation successes and ongoing threats like oil infrastructure. Ecologist Dr. Ruth Oliver then explains a new study using anonymized cell phone data to track human presence, revealing that animals often react more strongly to people in less developed areas. The episode explores how combining these datasets can inform better strategies for human-wildlife coexistence.
Topics discussed
Sponsors: Progressive Insurance and Alienware
Modern Lewis and Clark expedition with Dr. Roland Kays
Comparing wildlife populations to 1800s records
Conservation successes and modern habitat challenges
Prairie dogs and a duckling rescue story
Using big data to track human-animal interactions
Break and introduction to next segment
Dr. Ruth Oliver on cell phone data and wildlife
Animal responses to human presence in rural areas
Conclusion and credits
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