Podcasts
The Wild Things
The weasel known officially as the black-footed ferret had disappeared from North America’s Great Plains by the end of 1970s. Or, so a lot of experts thought before a rancher’s dog sniffed out a final ferret colony in Wyoming a few years later. Now, after breeding like ferrets in captivity for year, these rare nocturnal weasels have restored to prairielands in the United States, Mexico and – most recently – in Canada. Hear about the weasel that all but rose from the dead on this latest episode of “The Wild Things.”
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WWF launched this podcast series to tell the stories of scientists, researchers and others on the frontlines of the struggle to preserve the natural world. “Wild Things” is written and produced by award-winning journalist John Nielsen, formerly an environment correspondent at National Public Radio.
Meet Martha Kauffman, Managing Director of the
Northern Great Plains Program
"The American Prairie’s native sod is like an old-growth forest. Once plowed, it can’t be replaced. Right now, less than 2% is protected."
Experience the Northern Great Plains
Black-footed ferret release photo gallery
An exclusive slideshow of the historic return of the black-footed ferret to its native Canadian prairie. View the photos
Species of the great American prairie
Home to some 1,595 species of plants, 300 birds, 95 mammals and no fewer than 220 kinds of butterflies, the Northern Great Plains ecoregion is an amazing showcase for biodiversity. What lives on the plains?
WWF projects in the region
Collaborating with local, regional and national partners, WWF is working to increase the amount of land managed primarily for wildlife from less than 2 percent to 10 percent of the region’s native habitat. Learn about our workConnect with WWF
John Nielsen is a journalist in residence with WWF, where he reports on the field work being done by WWF researchers all over the world. Before joining WWF this year, John spent 19 years at National Public Radio where he reported on wide range of environmental issues. In 2005 he won the Excellence in Science Writing award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is also the author of “Condor: The Brink and Back,” which was named the Best Natural History Book of 2006 by the National Outdoor Book Association.
