In this Patreon exclusive, we return to the field in continued conversation with Dr. Fred Sharpe and his collaborators. This episode widens its lens, tracing the seasonal patterns of humpback behavior, communication, and migration as they intersect with rapidly shifting ocean conditions. Moving between observation and reflection, Fred and Ayana speak to the importance of long-term listening: how knowledge is built not only through data, but through sustained relationships with place, species, and season.

Rachel Meade joins Ayana to rethink what we mean by study, communication, and the goals of biology and conservation. What might change if we were more honest about our uncertainties and willing to admit what we don’t know? Could that openness lead to stronger relationships and better science?

Dr. Fred Sharpe and Ayana as we get to know him and his research team more intimately. Together, they reflect on grounding scientific work in awareness and relationality, offering insight into the deeper purpose behind conservation. The episode explores how our pursuit of knowledge shapes and is shaped by our relationships with the more-than-human world, while also embracing the sensory, emotional pull of curiosity about nature.

Joe Olson and Dr. Fred Sharpe examine whale sound analysis, humpback communication, and ocean acoustics. This immersive introduction invites listeners to deepen their understanding of whale songs, sonic ecology, and our connection to the more-than-human world.

Kurt shares guided wisdom about the realities of commodification, ecocide, and the capacity of the human soul for intentional cruelty. How we fight against such darkness matters not just for humanity, but for all with whom we share this precious earth. 

We are honored to once again share this episode with you as a profound reminder of the place we share with the qwe 'lhol mechen, their capacity for memory, grief, and love, and the many ways that the Lummi Nation continues to protect, defend, and restore the Salish Sea.

Yoalli brings us to the Chacahua-Pastoría Lagoons in Oaxaca, Mexico, to investigate deep connections with land, ongoing colonial violence, and the grief that comes alongside loving a place; a heartening conversation about the importance of ecological grief, rage, and sadness.

We discuss Kyle’s body of work on dystopia and fantasy in climate justice, the reproduction of settler structures, Indigenous science, vulnerability discourses, and “decolonizing allyship.” Kyle concludes with the ever present reminder that our work must be rooted in consent, reciprocity, and trust.

Ayana and Dr. Max Liboiron explore the notion of plastic as kin, oil and petrochemical subsidies, the body burden of plasticizers, the historical construction of disposability, the appropriation of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in academia, the feasibility of recycling, and more.

K’asheechtlaa shares the oral history of herring abundance in context to what a typical herring harvest looks like today, industry’s inability to act with reverence, and how Herring Protectors are working to protect the herring and the culture tied to them.

Along with Dr. Kate Stafford, we listen to the many songs the ocean body sings, asking; how does a warming climate alter the Arctic’s soundscape? Why are the waters of the Arctic becoming louder, and what does this mean for kin like the bowhead?

Facing the onslaught of colonial terrorism towards both Black and Indigenous lives, Queen Quet's vision is lighting the way forward in troubled times in terms of sovereignty, land rights, and climate change resilience plans.

Dr. Bevacqua discusses Guåhan’s incredibly layered history, as well as the CHamoru history that predates any colonial narrative by thousands of years. With an understanding of how Guåhan (Guam) ended up as a “territory” of the United States, Michael shares the current efforts to decolonize Guåhan and instill strong self-governance

Stefanie shares how sharks regulate the ocean’s ecosystem, the ramification of dwindling shark populations, and the many reasons that the market for shark, ray, and skate meat has more than doubled since the early 1990s.

K’asheechtlaa shares the oral history of herring abundance in context to what a typical herring harvest looks like today, industry’s inability to act with reverence, and how Herring Protectors are working to protect the herring and the culture tied to them.

Shannon discusses the cycle of abuse within the Thai fishing trade alongside the larger systemic issues that drive such exploitation and reflects on the making of her film, Ghost Fleet, which exposes the dark side of illegal and unregulated fishing through the harrowing testimony of survivors.

Dr. Stafford has spent years listening to the sounds of climate change in the Arctic and learning how anthropogenic sounds, like ship propellers and oil and gas exploration, are changing marine mammals’ capacity to communicate.

Focusing on stories of wild life, we extend our conversation with Jahawi into the realm of what our wild futures look like amidst ongoing development. We ask how development is changing life and landscape in Kenya, as sizeable and extensive infrastructure projects are created across the country, as well as the colonial origins and echoes of conservation.

We discuss parenting and caring in the Anthropocene, the connection between tourism and militarism, Guåhan’s layered history and his most recent book of eco-poetry Habitat Threshold, which intimately explores ancestry, ecological collapse and the ongoing legacy of capitalism, imperialism and colonization.

Join us in conversation as Ayana and Kalani discuss an “all hands on deck approach” to addressing human behavior and developing personal preparedness.