Aug 20, 2020
This week we're joined by the charming and witty voice of Laura Mendenhall. Laura is a biologist by day, and a conservationist in her spare time. In college, she describes herself as an "aggressive vegetarian," which changed when she was doing condor conservation work in California and went on her first abalone hunt. These days, Kansas is her home hunting territory, where she's Board President of the Kansas Wildlife Federation. Laura shares with us what it's like to join a board of directors, and why you should consider it, even if your first reaction is, "Uhhh, what is a board?"
2:30 Anyone else feeling a little soft and doughy before September?
3:00 "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" with Samin Nosrat on Netflix and in print (it takes your turkey-cooking game to another level)
7:00 On being a Jane of all trades - hunting, gardening, birding, AND... (wait for it)... sourdough. Boom.
8:00 College memories: "I know I had classes with hunters...because there were always dudes who showed up in camo. But I never interacted with them."
8:30 From being an "aggressive vegetarian" to being a hunter
9:30 One of the biggest threats to condor recovery in California was lead ammunition
10:00 Check out the Artemis episode 9 on lead-free ammo with Kodi Jo Jaspers
11:00 Michael Pollan's book, "Omnivore's Dilemma" and his hunt for a feral pig in California
12:00 Diving for abalone in Pacific waters... it involves two wet suits, a special pry bar, and crossing a thermocline, kelp forests, pearls... and SHARKS. Abalone = basically a rock with guts the size of your face
18:00 Going from an abalone hunt to pheasants and beyond - hunting fills a void when your life circumstances need it most
24:00 Totally ok to dislike hunting with your husband
26:00 Finding female hunting friends... not always easy, almost always rewarding!
28:00 Feeding 100+ wedding guests on home-harvested turkeys... it can be done! (Eight turkeys did the job.)
30:00 MeatEater's "hunting purity score" - the more primitive/ethical/harder you make it, the higher the purity score
32:00 Kansas deer hunting scene: Bowhunting season overlaps with the rut, people are big into tree stands and bait piles. Hunting on private land (especially ag land) is more common than public land hunts
36:00 Kansas... "we're more than I-70, you guys!"
37:00 Hunting shelter belts or hedgerows -- they're breaks in ag fields, and great hunting spots (kind of thorny sometimes!)
38:00 Kansas Wildlife Federation
40:00 On volunteering by serving on a group's board of directors.... and having that moment, "Want to join the board?" and you're all, "Wut is a board?" Not as scary as it sounds! And a great way to give back.
44:00 If you're thinking about possibly joining a board, try sitting in on a meeting or meeting some of the other board members. And don't fall victim to imposter syndrome! Reach out. Start talking.
46:00 Non-diverse boards taking on diversity
48:00 Artemis book club, "Black Faces in White Spaces" by Carolyn Finney
51:00 Laura's super-secret method for prepping yourself for any kind of speaking or interview engagement. (Spoiler alert: It starts with Beyonce... and there's hand-motions involved!)
55:00 Kansas Wildlife Federation: 70 years strong! Plus, they run an outdoor adventure camp for kids.
57:00 R3 - Recruitment, retention, reactivation
1:00:00 Axing mountain goats to save sheep in the Grand Tetons
1:01:00 Federal judge overturns Trump administration changes to Migratory Bird Treaty Act
1:04:00 Artemis is hiring!
1:05:00 Monday, Aug. 24, webinar on sports dog safety with a veterinarian/bird hunter/general badass Meg Puchlerz of On Point Vet. Register here!