Episode 132: Rewilding Our World – Big Ideas for Landscapes Large & Small
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About
Dr. Jessica Hardesty Norris is a biologist with over 20 years of experience in ecological planning and research, program development, strategic planning and community outreach for natural resource conservation. She has demonstrated success in proposal writing, partnership building, and project management. Her recent project work includes park planning for Charleston County and leading Biohabitats’ engagement in a 100-mile greenway along the Chattahoochee, often with a focus on writing and communication. Her areas of technical expertise include bird conservation, urban ecology, nutrient cycling, sustainable fisheries, and community outreach and engagement. She has presented and published papers on topics related to conservation biology, tropical ecology, and ornithology. Jessica currently serves on the Boards of Audubon South Carolina and College of Charleston’s Sustainability Institute, and as Natural Resources Chair of the Charleston League of Women Voters.
- Conservation ecologist and specialist in birds
- Primarily ecological planning at Biohabitats
- Former president and active in Charleston Audubon, board member of Audubon SC
- BS Humboldt State University, Peace Corps Ecuador, studied bird migration for PhD from Duke
Show Notes
In this episode of the Rewilding Earth Podcast, Jessica shares her journey from an organismal biologist to making significant contributions on the ground through with Biohabitats. She discusses rewilding, ecological restoration, and the importance of landscape connectivity. Jessica explains her transition from working on tropical ecosystems to engaging with urban and peri-urban restoration projects. She highlights the significance of bridging academic, federal, and local efforts in conservation and the evolving roles of conservation professionals. Jessica also reflects on her philosophical perspective gained through various roles, emphasizing the need for adaptability and seizing unexpected opportunities for small to large-scale ecological changes.
00:00 Introduction
00:38 Jessica’s Journey to Biohabitats
02:32 The Role of Restoration Companies in Conservation
03:22 National and Local Conservation Efforts
06:13 Future Opportunities and Challenges in Conservation
11:35 The Importance of Small-Scale Restoration
19:06 Private Landowners and Ecological Restoration
22:32 Collaborations and Learning from Contractors
25:44 Career Advice and Personal Reflections
27:40 Conclusion and Final Thoughts
Extra Credit
- Check out the work Jessica and the team at Biohabitats are doing!
- Large-scale recovery example mentioned in this episode: Gorongosa National Park, ep 57
Director of Digital Outreach (D.O.D.O.) for The Rewilding Institute
Host and Producer of the Rewilding Earth Podcast
Jack started Rewilding work as Executive Director of Sky Island Alliance in the mid-1990’s, organizing the Sky Island Wildlands Network design, ripping up illegal roads on forest service lands, installing wolf acclimatization pens on Ted Turner’s Ladder Ranch & conducting howling surveys to help make way for the final stage of the Lobo reintroduction program in the Southwest.
Through the years, Jack has worked with Dave Foreman and the Rewilding Gang to further Rewilding initiatives and education.
I especially appreciate the comment by Dr. Jessica Hardesty Norris to the affect, that one cannot measure their effort to create positive change in ecological remediation, vis-à-vis the immense scale of the challenge before us. Her analogy of saving the one fish that is before you, even if the problem is much bigger than that one fish—harkened my mind back to my youth in Alaska, where I spent considerable time on Resurrection Creek, near Hope, AK. People, fueled by “fish fever”, would over harvest the silver salmon runs coming out of Cook Inlet, & I would find beautiful Silvers laying in a shallow depression with just enough water to immerse one gill, struggling to breath, or in the grass along the stream, still alive. With no one watching, I would snatch these fish up, place them back in the stream & massage them until they could swim away. It didn’t fix the problem of over fishing in either the commercial or sport realm, but I was 13 then & I’m 72 now, & my Hope & expectation is that offspring from those repatriated fish still return to Resurrection Cr. to this day.
Thank you for your work.