Episode 156: The Golden Toad – Hope, Loss, and the Power of Conservation Storytelling
October 3, 2025
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Trevor Ritland spent two years in the cloud forests of Costa Rica before returning to the United States to complete graduate work in documentary studies and science communication. His writing and video projects explore imperiled species, environmental mysteries, and ghost stories. Trevor lives with his wife and daughter (and their dog, Indiana Bones) in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Kyle Ritland earned his MFA in Creative Writing at the University of California, Riverside. When he wasn’t busy teaching, Kyle jumped the back fence to chase stories of Channel Island Foxes of Santa Cruz, rare birds of the desert wetlands, and the lonely coyotes of Joshua Tree. With his twin brother Trevor, Kyle founded the nonprofit Adventure Term, Inc. to train the next generation of environmental storytellers. He lives on Boston’s north shore with his wife, son, and two cats.
Episode 156 Summary:
Jack Humphrey speaks with Kyle and Trevor Ritland about their book, The Golden Toad, which explores the story of the extinct golden toad of Monteverde, Costa Rica. The conversation covers the emotional impact of species extinction, the importance of ecological empathy, and the power of storytelling in conservation. The Ritlands share personal stories, discuss the founding of their nonprofit Adventure Term, and reflect on the hope found in conservation successes and ongoing challenges.
The golden toad (Incilius periglenes) was a species of true toad that was once abundant in a small, high-altitude region of about 4 square kilometers (1.5 sq mi) in an area north of the city of Monteverde, Costa Rica. (Wikipedia)
Key Topics:
- The story and mystery of the golden toad
- The emotional and ecological impact of extinction
- The importance of hope and possibility in conservation
- The role of storytelling in science and conservation
- Adventure Term: the Ritlands’ nonprofit for conservation storytelling
- The challenges and opportunities for scientists and storytellers to collaborate
- Conservation successes, ongoing threats, and the need for habitat connectivity
- The importance of protecting unknown and undiscovered species
Notable Quotes:
- “It’s a very specific type of grief, and I don’t think we encounter it too often.”
- “We only have an instinct to protect things that we love, and we only love what we understand.”
- “If we spend the whole time looking for the golden toad, we’re going to miss all the other amazing species and features of the forest that are around us.”
- “There’s definitely no shortage of stories about endangered species and threatened ecosystems. So as long as those continue, we’re gonna keep trying to tell ’em.”
Extra Credit:
- Read The Golden Toad!
- Adventure Term is a nonprofit experiential learning initiative that equips young scientists, artists, and explorers with the skills they need to become the next generation of environmental storytellers.
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.
