Project Upland Podcast

Why Are Ruffed Grouse Different Colors?

From old wives’ tales and 19th-century scientific debates to Ice Age genetics and modern survival studies, the color phases of Ruffed Grouse tell a much more complicated

Who Pays for Gamebird Research?

In this episode, Dr. Lance McNew, Professor of Wildlife Ecology at Montana State University, takes Gabby and AJ behind the scenes of modern game bird research. From sharp

How Congress Created America's First Public Lands

In this “Civics of Conservation” episode of the Project Upland Podcast, AJ and Gabby explore one of the most consequential transformations in American history: how the Un

The Governing Body with the Greatest Impact on Hunting

Fish and Game Commissions Sit at the Intersection of Science, Politics, and Public Responsibility for Wildlife In this “Civics of Conservation” episode of the Project Up

The Public Trust Doctrine - The Civics of Conservation

How the Public Trust Doctrine Built the Uniquely American Idea of Publicly Owned Wildlife and Wildlife Management In this episode, AJ and Gabby explore the origins of th

Rare Itinerant Breeders: How Researchers Discovered the Woodcock’s Unique Breeding Strategy

GPS tracking reveals American woodcock re-nesting movements across the Atlantic Flyway In this episode, AJ and Gabby talk with Colby Slezak, a recent PhD graduate from t

How White-Winged Doves Are Outsmarting Extinction

In Texas and Arizona, white-winged doves are culturally significant and a part of each state’s hunting heritage. Biologists are actively studying these unique migratory b

The Birds Aren’t Alright

In the Project Upland Podcast episode “The Birds Aren’t Alright,” hosts Gabby Zaldumbide and A.J. DeRosa speak with Dr. Michael Brasher, senior waterfowl scientist at Duc

Urgent: The Senate Public Lands Sale - A Breakdown

In this episode, AJ and Gabby take a break from their regular programming to discuss the sale of public lands as part of the federal budget reconciliation bill.  On June

A 140-year-old Woodcock Exposed an Eco Villain

How an 1885 dissection unraveled a hidden story about invasive worms and the migration routes of the American woodcock in North America. In 1887, Frederick Webster, a ta

The Mystery of Grouse Drumming: From Thunder to Artificial Intelligence

In this episode, Gabby and AJ explore the mystery of ruffed grouse drumming—starting in the 1700s, when naturalists first theorized about the sound, and tracing the evolu

Are Upland Hunters Hardcore? The Data Says Yes

In this episode, Gabby and AJ talk about the North American Upland Bird Hunting Survey, which has been conducted annually since 2018. The eighth iteration of this survey

Why No One's Heard Of The Passenger Pigeon

In this episode, Gabby and AJ talk to Mark Avery, author of A Message from Martha. As a biologist and conservationist, Mark takes us back in time to reconstruct the biolo

Cheatgrass May Be The End Of Utah's Sage Grouse

In this episode, Gabby and AJ talk to Associate Professor and Rangeland Wildlife Extension Specialist at Utah State University, Dave Dahlgren. As a sage grouse researcher

We’re Not Sick Of Talking About Sage Grouse

In this episode, Gabby and AJ talk to Utah-based sage grouse expert Dave Dahlgren. As a sage grouse researcher and biologist, Dave teaches us about huge amounts of habita

Trailer: Project Upland Podcast

Project Upland presents the new Project Upland Podcast, a cinematic and science-based production that delivers on the independent storytelling you have come to love.  Co