Join host Jeff Corwin on an epic adventure across the Great Plains of the United States on a mission to understand the connection between the incredible species that call it home. First, Jeff travels

Join host Jeff Corwin on an epic adventure across the Great Plains of the United States on a mission to understand the connection between the incredible species that call it home. First, Jeff travels to the Canadian border to help Native American tribes re-establish bison across tribal lands. Jeff learns how ancient bison herds once shaped the Great Plains and how modern conservationists are fighting to bring those herds back. Later, Jeff works with biologists to manage a delicate population of black-footed ferrets, a species once believed to be extinct. Jeff discovers how wild bison play a vital role in ferret survival and the survival of the Great Plains themselves. Video transcript: Jeff Corwin: The black-footed ferret was once believed to be extinct, but thanks to critical conservation work, and a little bit of luck, this incredible species has been rescued from the brink. Unfortunately, there are only about 400 left in the wild. In order to protect this fragile population, scientists first need to find them. Jeff Corwin: We're back in Montana, this time visiting the Fort Belknap Indian Community, home of the A'aninin and Nakoda tribes. I'm with canine field specialist Melissa Steen and Tule, one of the best black-footed ferret finders in the business. Jeff Corwin: So she's basically going from whole to whole sniffing for the presence of a black-footed ferret. Melissa Steen: There she goes. Jeff Corwin: So what's that behavior mean? Melissa Steen: So when she sits she's telling me she's found something. Jeff Corwin: So these are actually the borrows of prairie dogs from two to 10 feet into the earth, all snaking and twisting and rooting together. And there's potentially a black-footed ferret here taking advantage of the presence of prairie dogs, because they depend on prairie dogs. Jeff Corwin: Prairie dogs are a keystone species. Approximately 150 other species benefit or depend upon prairie dogs for survival, especially the black-footed ferret. Tragically in the 1900s widespread habitat destruction and the arrival of a disease called Sylvatic plague reduced the population by more than 95%. Without prairie dogs, the black-footed ferret almost completely disappeared. The few that remain here at Fort Belknap are some of the last on earth. Melissa Steen: So what we do now is we are going to flag this hole. Tule. Good girl. Then I'm going to take my GPS and mark this spot. And that will help inform where they send people out tonight to help look for the ferret. Jeff Corwin: So the next layer of this incredible conservation project with black-footed ferrets takes us to the spotlight team. Jeff Corwin: Darkness falls quickly over the prairie and I'm teaming up with Chamois Andersen from Defenders of Wildlife. Jeff Corwin: Chamois, just kind of going over the horizon with this spotlight. And what are you looking for? Chamois Anderssen: Yeah, I'm scanning the prairie for what are green eyes, the sheen of the ferret's eyes are green. They look like emeralds. And they're close to the ground, dipping in and out of the prairie dog burrows. It's sort of like playing tag. Jeff Corwin: Finally we find a black-footed ferret. Jeff Corwin: All right. So this is where proof is in the pudding. Jeff Corwin: The black-footed ferret only survives in this subterranean community of prairie dogs. Now do you just put it in the front? Chamois Anderssen: Just straight out like that. Yeah. Correct. And then you want to kind of cover it with the blanket and then we'll take a GPS reading. Jeff Corwin: Okay. So way point is saved. The trap is set. Jeff Corwin: This creature, for all intents and purposes, it was extinct. What happened? Chamois Anderssen: A dog named Shep on a ranch in Meeteetse, Wyoming found a dead black-footed ferret on the property and brought it home to its owners. That's how we realized it was no longer extinct. Jeff Corwin: But as irony would have it, soon after discovery, disease came and wiped out most of those surviving ferrets, didn't it? Chamois Anderssen: Yeah. Jeff Corwin: What caused this collapse, Chamois? Chamois Anderssen: It's Sylvatic plague. When we see these prairie dog towns start to decline because of plague, ferrets quickly blink out. So if we can keep plague at bay, ferrets are healthy again. Jeff Corwin: All right. My friends, an hour has passed. I'm going to check our trap. Look, furry, little body. The hatch is closed. We've got a ferret. All right. To the camper. Jeff Corwin: We take this precious ferret to our field station where biologist Jessica Alexander will collect vital data and administer a life saving vaccine. Jeff Corwin: All right. What's the plan, Jess? Jessica Alexander: So we're going to move this ferret into the induction chamber. Jeff Corwin: Okay. Jessica Alexander: So set it down right here so it's lined up with the front, the end of the trap. We've hit our character limit. Leave us a comment for the rest of the transcript.

...

Join the Natural History Institute in welcoming Dr. Earyn McGee, a herpetologist and passionate science communicator. Her PhD research focused on how climate change and human water use impact lizard diets in the Southwest, particularly as streams dry due to drought.

Dr. McGee is also dedicated to addressing barriers for Black women in natural resources careers. She co-founded a program with Delta Sigma Theta to introduce middle school girls to these fields. A Forbes 30 Under 30 lister and AAAS IF/THEN STEM Ambassador, she engages audiences via social media, including her popular #FindThatLizard game and her accounts at @Afro_Herper on Twitter and Instagram.

...

Angela Bates and Karla Grant explored the initial years of the Indigenous boarding program at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill.

They met the young men who were excelling, making the most

Angela Bates and Karla Grant explored the initial years of the Indigenous boarding program at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill.

They met the young men who were excelling, making the most of the educational and personal growth opportunities provided by the program.

...

The Center for Biological Diversity is a leading organization of lawyers, scientists, and activists dedicated to protecting endangered species and habitats globally.

Learn more about their

The Center for Biological Diversity is a leading organization of lawyers, scientists, and activists dedicated to protecting endangered species and habitats globally.

Learn more about their work: biologicaldiversity.org

...

Join INFORUM on October 20 for Bryant Terry, acclaimed chef and author of *Black Food: Stories, Art, and Recipes from Across the African Diaspora*. He will explore the depth and breadth of Black foodways, celebrating its diverse creations and creators.

Also, mark November 19 at 6 pm for the Commonwealth Club’s Virtual Gala, honoring women's leadership in science and medicine. The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum.

Learn more about these events, explore upcoming programs, become a member, or watch/listen to content at commonwealthclub.org. For the gala, visit commonwealthclub.org/2021gala or text Club2021 to 41444.

...

At its core, racism denies your humanity. At its core, sexism demeans and demands that you accept less than full person-hood. At the intersection of race and gender, there is little chance to be

At its core, racism denies your humanity. At its core, sexism demeans and demands that you accept less than full person-hood. At the intersection of race and gender, there is little chance to be truly free. I didn’t realize that I had been doing the very thing I swore I would never do. I had gotten so good at presenting my pain, frustration, anger and hurt as a black woman to predominantly white audiences in conversations and every day life that I did not realize how exhausting it had become. So, I finally decided, I had had enough of polite conversation. I would speak my truth and declare as Beyonce had in Lemonade, “I Ain’t Sorry." Frances Cudjoe-Waters is the mother of three incredible boys and the wife of an amazing husband - all of them on the endangered list in 2017 America. After focusing on civil rights issues as a Harvard Law student two decades ago, she never thought she would see the reemergence of situations like Charlottesville, VA and the spree of killings of black bodies with repeated acquittals by white juries - something she'd only studied about in the 90's as history from the 1960's, but now lived again in the late 2010's. She is passionate, loved and loving. And somehow seeks ways to facilitate discussions between all types of people from all different places. And didn't realize until preparing for this talk, how much of a toll this always "even-ness" and dispassionate intellectualism can actually take as we all seek to just be human. Her family was recently featured by the Dallas Morning News with a profile of her family on the front page of the Sunday paper 2017. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

...

Join the Commonwealth Club’s Virtual Gala on November 19 at 6 pm to celebrate women in science and medicine. Register and donate: text Club2021 to 41444 or visit

Read more

Email a Friend