FEATURED GUESTS:
Craig C. Downer – Author, Ecologist & Naturalist
Craig C. Downer received is A.B. in Biology at the University of California at Berkeley, his M.S. in Biology at the University of Nevada in Reno and has a Ph. D. in Wildlife Ecology. He is a member of the American Society of Mammalogists & the World Conservation Union, Species Survival Commission, Tapir Specialist Group. An activist for wild horses and burros, he is the author of ‘Wild Horses: Living Symbols of Freedom’. He is actively involved with the Andean Tapir Fund. Downer has captured, radio collared, released and tracked 7 wild mountain tapirs in the world heritage Sangay National Park of Ecuador as well as scouted out the wild populations or their possibility throughout Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela, amassing a large volume of observations and factual information.  He wrote the Action Plan and Species Resume (1997) for the mountain tapir and is on the IUCN SSC Tapir Specialist Group.  The Andean Tapir Fund is dedicated to carrying out the goals outlined in the Action Plan and has made great headway in increasing public awareness and concern for this very endangered species, of which luckily perhaps only 2000 survive. Read more about the Andean Tapir Fund.
 

Ronald J. Tipton, Senior Vice President of Programs, National Parks Conservation Association
Ron has spent most of the past 30 years as an advocate for public land preservation and national park protection. A graduate of George Washington U. with an undergraduate degree in American Studies and a law degree from GW's National Law Center, Ron has worked as a program officer at the National Academy of Sciences and on the oversight/investigative staff of the House Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee. Since 1978 he has been a part of the advocacy and/or management team of four non-profit national conservation organizations: The Wilderness Society, National Audubon Society, World Wildlife Fund, and National Parks Conservation Association. (NPCA) Ron has been the Senior Vice President for Programs for NPCA since 2000.

Ron is currently the President of Samaritan Ministry of Greater Washington, an organization founded and supported by Episcopal parishes in the DC metropolitan area that provides counseling to individuals in need that want to improve their lives. He has been a member of the board or governing council of numerous recreation and trails organizations, including the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, International Mountain Bike Association, Potomac Appalachian Trail Club and the Benton MacKaye Trail Association. Ron is married and has one child and in 1978 walked the entire length of the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail. Read more about the National Parks Conservation Association. To listen to Ronald's interview, please double click on the Play Button below.

David D. Gillette - Therizinosaur!—Mystery of the Sickle-Claw Dinosaur
David D. Gillette has been Colbert Curator of Paleontology at the Museum of Northern Arizona since 1998.  He earned a B.S. Degree in Biology from Michigan State University (1967), and a Ph.D. in Geology from Southern Methodist University (1974).  Dave has worked in museums and universities for 40 years, including faculty appointments in Geology and Biology. Some highlights of his career include - he held a Predoctoral Research Fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution; he was the first Curator at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History; he spent 11 years as State Paleontologist of Utah (Utah Geological Survey); he was Distinguished Lecturer for the American Association of Petroleum Geologists; he received the James H. Shea Award, National Association of Geoscience Teachers for science writing and communications; in 2004 he testified in both houses of the Congress in favor of a bill that nearly doubles the land area of the Petrified Forest National Park. His research in recent years has concentrated on dinosaurs, plesiosaurs, and Ice Age fauna of the Colorado Plateau. At MNA he created a one-year exhibit “Plesiosaur—Terror of the Cretaceous Sea”. He will join us to discuss his recently developed special exhibit, “Therizinosaur!—Mystery of the Sickle-Claw Dinosaur”. Dave has published more than 150 papers, one popular book (Seismosaurus, The Earth Shaker, Columbia University Press), and edited two technical books (Dinosaur Tracks and Traces, Cambridge University Press; and Vertebrate Paleontology in Utah, Utah Geological Survey).  His research at MNA has been supported by numerous grants from the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management. Read more about the new exhibit at MNA - Therizinosaur! Mystery of the Sickle-Claw Dinosaur. To listen to Dr. Gillette's interview, please double click on the Play Button below.


J. Dietrich Stroeh – Water Management & Conservation
The most essential component of life is water. People can do without food but we cannot live long without water. Oil may make the world go round, but we can survive without it. Water – fresh, clean drinking water – is about to become a very hot commodity in the world. Water is then new oil. Dietrich “Diet” Stroeh is a man who believes that together cities and agencies can proactively protect the future of water before the well runs dry. It’s his collaborative approach to water management that has made him the inspiration for Michael McCarthy’s “The Man Who Made It Rain” and has earned him great respect among water experts across the country. His emphasis is on the planning, design, and management of water and sanitary sewer distribution systems.  His 45 years of professional experience and ability working with local and regional agencies allows him to provide creative and innovative design solutions to waste water disposal and water management challenges.  He is thoroughly familiar with the engineers, and the institutional, economic, planning and environmental aspects of water resource management. Read more about the J. Dietrich Stroeh. To listen to Diet's interview, please double click on the Play Button below.



Robin Avery – Environmentally Conscious Singer / Songwriter
The Miami based singer/songwriter and community activist speaks volumes to an environmentally conscious world on her inspirational new single ‘Light the Way’. Avery, who received widespread critical acclaim and airplay with her recent debut album ‘The Way You Hold Me’, is deeply devoted to animal rescue as well as the work of environmental and human rights organizations like Amnesty International, The Southern Poverty Law Center, Heart To Heart and The Nature Conservancy. With the release of her sweeping and inspiring new single, Miami based singer/songwriter Robin Avery is breaking into the American consciousness with one simple mission: to “Light The Way” for concerned Americans who are committed to righting social injustices and respecting the environment by protecting it from the ravages of irresponsible behavior and harmful government policies. Read more about Robin Avery. To listen to Light Your Path and to Robin's interview, please double click on the Play Button below.


Lorenz Shilling – Deconstruction vs. Demolition
Lorenz Schilling is the President and Director/Chairperson for The Deconstruction & Building Materials ReUse Network, Inc.(a.k.a. Reuse Network.) With over six years experience in deconstruction, Lorenz founded Reuse Network to continue his pursuit of integrating practical, industry friendly solutions for deconstruction practices, while seeking to build greater cooperation and collaboration with complimentary business and organizations endeavoring to achieve reuse. Lorenz will join us to explain why deconstruction is a good alternative to demolition. To listen to Lorenz' interview, please double click on the Play Button below.