Future Ecologies

Mendel here with an exciting announcement: I'm producing a new video podcast for a local environmental advocacy organization: the False Creek Friends Society. False Creek, as the name suggests, is not a creek. It’s a tidal slough, and it’s one of the most visible waterways here in Vancouver, where I live. It’s right next to downtown, and it’s always bustling with life. It also has a reputation for being highly polluted, thanks to bygone industry and present day civic infrastructure. Despite that, a recent bioblitz survey revealed that it’s home to more than 500 different species. The goal of the False Creek Friends Society is to see this waterway become a focal point of healing the intersection of ecology and urban society, and have it serve as a living lab for us to better understand our relationship with these waters. More specifically, the proposal is for False Creek to be designated as Canada’s first Urban Marine Park, with Indigenous co-governance, under the 30 x 30 conservation goals. Of course, getting there is going to take work, and a lot of learning — lessons which I think will be relevant not just for me and my neighbours, but anybody living near water. The story of False Creek’s future is about public health, climate resilience, Indigenous reconciliation, more-than-human beings, and environmental justice. Because after all, we’re all waterbodies. If you’re as excited about this project as I am, you can learn more and get involved at falsecreekfriends.org Waterbodies is recorded on location on False Creek. The first episodes will arrive this September, but the trailer is out now. So I hope you’ll get subscribed to the Waterbodies feed anywhere — YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etcetera. (Just in case you were wondering, Future Ecologies is not going away. But it’s also still not sustainable as a full time job for me or anyone else. If you want, you can help us out at Patreon.com/futureecologies, but in the meantime I think this makes for a pretty cool balance.)

We're excited to introduce our brand new spin-off format: Hyphaedelity (which will ironically be somewhat lower-fi than our usual output). Here’s the deal: Hyphaedelity is our experiment in chatcasting, but with a twist. On each episode, we’re inviting a past guest from Future Ecologies to conduct their own interview, and bring us all along to sit in on their conversation. We wanted to see what would happen if we chased some of threads outwards from the dense tangle of ideas usually on display in our main episodes, and to be a little looser with it — not having to worry about pesky things like narrative clarity, or scoring, or sound design. This inaugural episode brings together Sarah Jim (of Scales of Change, Chapter 6) and Lucas Glenn, to discuss Lucas's ecologically engaged art practice as the former artist-in-residence for the city of Kelowna. Let us know what you think about this new format! We've got a wide array of conversations heading your way, and we hope you enjoy going a little off-trail with us. Works mentioned: Seed Bomb Recipe and 9 StatementsPepaken HautwM.A.S.S.I.V.E.Compost Cycles for Island XThe Wild Ride

When is it ethical to kill one thing to save another? Lethal intervention is a common practice in the field of wildlife management, especially when the survival of a species hangs in the balance For as long as we’ve existed, human beings have employed killing as one of our primary responses to adversity. We seem to believe at some deep level that if we have a problem, killing the manifestation of that problem might just make it go away. This is the logic of political assassinations, revenge plots, and the endings of most Hollywood blockbusters. But when we actually apply this logic to the more-than-human world, what does it mean for the species and ecosystems we’re impacting? And what does it mean for us? In this episode, we're facing this essential moral dilemma as we learn a way to navigate the tension between collective and individual well-being. — — — Find credits, a transcript, and citations at futureecologies.net/listen/fe-6-4-humane-being Future Ecologies is completely independent and listener supported. Help us keep making this show, and get all the perks at futureecologies.net/join

Today, it's our pleasure to bring you an episode from our friends at Bioneers, who have just released a 6-part series called Nature's Genius. Follow Bioneers wherever you get podcasts, or listen to the rest of the series at bioneers.org/natures-genius/ This is episode 1 — The Universe Beneath Our Feet: Mapping the Mycelial Web of Life Imagine an underground web of mind-boggling complexity, a bustling cosmopolis beneath your feet. Quadrillions of miles of tiny threads in the soil pulsate with real-time messages, trade vital nutrients, and form life-giving symbiotic partnerships. This is the mysterious realm of fungi. Acclaimed visionary biologists Toby Kiers and Merlin Sheldrake guide us through the intricate wonders of the mycorrhizal fungal networks that make life on Earth possible.

In this very special donkumentary, we’re headed to the Mojave Desert — to Death Valley, in particular — where we find one animal at the centre of a heated debate in land management: the hardy wild burro (AKA donkey, ass, or Equus asinus). These feral burros, beloved by some and reviled by others, are an introduced species in the desert southwest, but are uniquely entangled in its human history. Since before the establishment of Death Valley as a national monument, they have been widely regarded as overpopulated on the Mojave landscape. In recent years, rising costs, public controversy, and some conflicting legislation have brought the sustainability of conventional burro management into crisis. But not everyone is convinced that they’re harmful. Could this crisis be avoided altogether if we looked at burros under a different light? Are they crowding out the native and endangered fauna? Or are they filling an ancient ecosystem niche? Join us as we meet the land managers, ecologists, and donkey racers all trying to do right by the desert. Find photos, credits, a transcript, and citations at futureecologies.net/listen/fe-6-3-get-yer-ass-outta-here — — — We rely on listener support to stay independent, ad free, and making the best podcast we can make. Help us keep the lights on at patreon.com/futureecologies — and get perks like early episode releases, bonus audio content, stickers, patches, a cozy hat, access to our community discord server, and your name on our website Get new episodes in your email: join our mailing list You can also find us on Bluesky, Instagram, Mastodon, & iNaturalist

We’re unlocking one of the conversations from our bonus feed. In this interview, building on episode FE6.2, Mendel speaks with Skye Augustine, a leading voice uplifting the science, history, and culture of Sea Gardens. In a time where so much of the future feels uncertain, the resiliency of Sea Gardens over millennia is (at least to us) a source of deep comfort and inspiration. What’s more, if you’re as inspired as we are, and you want to learn how your community could build a clam garden, we’ve got you covered. Don't miss our conversation with Joseph Williams, Community Shellfish Liaison for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, who constructed the first Clam Garden of the modern era — available for free on our Patreon. — — — The Future Ecologies bonus feed is where we release exclusive bits of audio to all of our supporters. There’s a whole back catalogue of silly mini episodes, long-form extended interviews with guests from the main feed, and a bunch of entirely new, fascinating conversations you won’t hear anywhere else. It’s one of the ways we say thanks for helping us make the show — we really can’t do it without you. You can get access to the bonus feed (on your podcast app of choice) and more, for less than the price of a cup of coffee at patreon.com/futureecologies or subscribe directly within Apple Podcasts.

We're borrowing an episode from one of our all-time favourite shows: Threshold, a Peabody Award-winning documentary podcast about our place in the natural world. Now in their 5th Season, "Hark", Threshold producer Amy Martin is exploring sound itself: investigating what it means to listen to the nonhuman voices on our planet — and the cost if we don’t. With mounting social and ecological crises, what happens when we tune into the life all around us? Other episodes from Hark cover the sounds of the primordial microbial ooze, of insects, of fish, and of plants. Today, we're featuring episode 3: on the sounds of coral reefs, and how listening to them may help them survive a warming world. Find Threshold (and the rest of Hark) wherever you get podcasts, or at thresholdpodcast.org

Food security, climate adaptation, and vibrant biodiversity all in one place — welcome to the ancient and diverse technologies of Sea Gardening. These widespread (but often overlooked) monumental rock features are proof positive of thriving Indigenous maricultural systems all around the Pacific Rim, since time immemorial. These spaces are not only simply stunningly beautiful spots to hang out, they're also a powerful symbol of ecocultural restoration; of Indigenous sovereignty, self-determination, and internationalism; of relationship building; and of the kind of future that is possible as we adapt to a changing climate and rising sea levels. We hope you find them as inspiring as we do. Join us as we visit a sea garden, learn about how they work, and meet a few of the people bringing them back to life. — — — Visit futureecologies.net/listen/fe-6-2-sea-garden for full credits, links, citations, photos, a transcript, and more. Support the making of this independent, ad-free podcast at futureecologies.net/join for as little as $1 each month, and get early episode releases and exclusive bonus content. Chip in a little more and we'll send you stickers, an embroidered patch, and a cozy hat.

Season 6 kicks off in the deep dark woods: the simplified, post-industrial forests of the world — the only forests that many of us have ever known. Join us as we meet foresters in British Columbia, Vermont, and Scotland, all working to embrace the messy art of ecological forestry. Because if we want our forests to be old growth-ier, we might not be able to just wait and leave them alone. It might mean challenging some assumptions and getting out of our comfort zone, but that's what it'll take to see the forest for the trees. — — — With the voices of Ethan Tapper, Brian Duff, Keith Erickson, and Herb Hammond Music by Thumbug, Spencer W Stuart, Nathan Shubert, and Sunfish Moon Light See also: FE3.4 - Dama DramaGaliano Conservancy AssociationNNRG's "A Forest of Your Own"FernGully: The Last Rainforest For photos from our time in the ancient old growth, citations, a transcript, and more, click here. – – – 🌱 If you like what we do, you can help us to do it ✨ Support the production of Future Ecologies by contributing any amount at futureecologies.net/join Our entire community of supporters get early episode releases, bonus content, discord server access, and a 50% discount on all merch. Our biggest supporters get to show off with stickers, patches, and now toques (aka beanies). Thanks for keeping us independent and ad free!

Hey y’all. Did you miss us? We’re back! Well, almost. Check your podcast feed tomorrow for the first episode of Season 6. [EDIT FROM THE FUTURE] it's here: futureecologies.net/listen/fe-6-1-forest-tree (or in your favourite app) Or, if you’re one of our dear supporters on Patreon or Apple podcasts (or if you’d like to become one at futureecologies.net/join), you can find episode 6.1 already waiting for you on the bonus feed.

Our 2-part epic on biodiversity and music is returning to Lobe Spatial Sound Studio for an encore. Join us at Lobe (713 E. Hastings St., Vancouver BC) next Thursday September 14th: showtimes are 6:30pm and 8:30pm, both including a Q+A with Mendel. Tickets are available at eventbrite.ca/e/lobe-artist-residency-series-spiders-song-by-future-ecologies-tickets-695016291437 With grids of omni-directional speakers both on the ceiling and under the floor, a large subwoofer, and vibro-acoustic panels built directly into the floor itself, Lobe provides an unbelievably immersive listening environment. It's currently the only 4DSOUND spatial audio system in North America. (If you're not near Vancouver, you can always hear Spiders Song in stereo, but please wear headphones)

On July 7th and 8th, we’re celebrating the start of Season 5 with a live premiere, hosted by Lobe Spatial Sound Studio in Vancouver, BC. We’ve mixed a special version of the upcoming episode in 4DSOUND. Lobe Studio is truly a unique listening environment. Not only is there a completely immersive speaker array (the only one of its kind in North America) there are also vibrotransducers built directly into the floor. In short, it sounds amazing. We’ll be presenting a 90 minute episode, plus a Q+A, because we expect you might have a few questions. Show times will be 7:30pm on Friday July 7th, and 3:30pm on Saturday July 8th. Space is limited, tickets are by donation. Get yours here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/lobe-artist-residency-series-spiders-song-by-future-ecologies-tickets-649188910507 More about Lobe: https://lobestudio.ca/ EDIT: BOTH SHOWS ARE SOLD OUT —Thank you all so much for your support! Stay tuned for another date later this summer. ————— To catch FE5.1 before anyone else (early access on July 1), advance notice on other events, our wonderful discord server, and other exclusive content, join our community of supporting listeners at https://www.patreon.com/futureecologies Meet everyone who supports the show at https://www.futureecologies.net/patrons

On Friday October 21st, Lobe Spatial Sound Studio in Vancouver will present an immersive re-arrangement of our most recent episode, FE4.7 — Phase Change. You may have heard the episode before, but we guarantee that you haven't heard it like this. Lobe Studio is one of only three of its kind in the world, featuring a holographic 4DSOUND engine — this room goes well beyond surround sound. Tickets (pay what you can) and more info:...

Tomorrow (Saturday Dec 5) is World Soil Day, and there are many exciting things underfoot! The Shape of a Circle in the Mind of A Fish: The Understory of the Understory themind.fishhttps://youtu.be/6_vz_avr8Js Life in the soil https://rilliglab.org/podcast/https://soundcloud.com/mrillig/teaser-life-in-the-soil-podcast

Summary Heads up: Future Ecologies will be back in your feed soon! We’re sorry you had to wait so long. Music by PORTBOU

It’s 2019 and we have lots of news! Coming up: a free live event in Oakland on January 8th, a super special album release, and a revamp of our citizen science campaign.

Dr. Lisa-ann Gershwin introduces us to Aurelia labiata, the Pacific Moon Jelly. This mini-episode is the first of many to be released in weeks alternating our feature-length episodes. The rest of these mini-episodes will be exclusively available to our Patreon supporters. Get the rest at www.patreon.com/futureecologies