Everyday Environment Podcast

Explore the intricate web of connections that bind us to the natural world with a deep dive into a variety of environmental topics with your hosts Abigail, Erin, and Amy.

Latest Episode

This week the Everyday Environment team recorded a live episode at the Master Naturalist Conference in Springfield! Abigail, Amy, Erin, and Emily discussed beavers as they talked about "Eager: The Surprising Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter" by Ben Goldfarb.
Everyday Environment

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Looking back to move forward: using historical data to understand invasions with TJ Benson

This week we welcome TJ Benson from the Illinois Natural History Survey to talk about the Critical Trends Assessment Program (CTAP), and how data collected can teach us how invasions have changed plant and animal communities in Illinois.

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Wading through the data: understanding EDDMapS, a leader in invasive species mapping with Rebekah Wallace

This week on Everyday Environment we chat with Rebekah Wallace out of the University of Georgia. Rebekah is the coordinator for EDDMapS, a platform used by the general public and professionals alike for invasive, pest, and biocontrol species reporting and distribution monitoring. For 20 years...

Early detection in public gardens with Michelle Beloskur

Join us as we chat with Michelle about the invasive plant early detection efforts of the Midwest Invasive Plant Network. We take a special focus on the Public Gardens as Sentinels against Invasive Plants initiative, a program focused on sharing information and creating a network to detect...

Breaking down invasive species rules and regulations with Chris Evans

In this episode of Everyday Environment, hosts Erin and Amy sit down with Chris Evans to break down how invasive species are regulated in Illinois—and why it matters to you. Illinois recently added nine species to the Illinois Exotic Weed Act, making it illegal to buy, sell, or...

Words matter: how we engage others to care about invasive species with Emily Steele and Phil Anderson

This week we're joined by our marketing and communications manager Emily Steele! We chat with Emily about how our words matter when we talk about invasive species and how we can encourage people to manage invasive species through value-based communication and engagement approaches. We also...

Season 4 Preview and Invasives 101

The Everyday Environment team is back for a new season this spring to discuss Invasive species. Get a preview of what is in store as well as a primer on Invasive Species from everyone's favorite Extension person: Chris Evans.

Invasives Species 101 starts at 20:30

Original Episode...

Taking action for wildlife: The power of community science

In this episode of the Everyday Environment Podcast, hosts Amy Lefringhouse and Karla Griesbaum talk with Allen Lawrance, Curator of Entomology at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, to discuss the power of community science and how volunteers contribute valuable data to wildlife...

Get to know your neighbors: listening to Illinois wildlife with Brodie Dunn

If you learn to listen for wildlife, you’ll start finding it everywhere. Learning a bird’s song or an insect’s call means you can sense them even when they are out of sight or pick out their call from a chaotic audio background that the brain normally filters out. There are side benefits too;...

Gopher it: Uncovering the unique ecology of the plains pocket gopher

Beneath Illinois’ soil lives a little-known but ecologically important animal — the plains pocket gopher. In this episode, hosts Amy Lefringhouse and Darci Webber talk with Nathan Alexander, postdoctoral researcher at the Illinois Natural History Survey, about...

Movement of Armadillos in Illinois with Agustin Jimenez

The Mexican long-nosed armadillo (Dasypus mexicanus) has become a recent addition to the local fauna of Illinois as a response to habitat alteration and climate change. With these new species and many others comes new diseases and exposure of pathogens. Join Southern Illinois...

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