For The Wild

“I really feel I was called here, and I really feel this land itself is calling for human touch.”  – Jessie, Slow Life Family Farm 
Embracing hunger, desire, and a calling for connection, we’re delighted to share the first episode of Fat of The Land with you.
Fat of The Land is a series that asks us what we mean when we look for connection between people and the land. Following a desire for real relation, for deliciousness, and for slowness, each episode traces what happens when we follow this desire. This opening episode, Aperitivo, grounds us in Sicily with Carlo and Jessie at Slow Life Family Farm. Together with Ayana, they dive deep into the history of Noto, Sicily, and how it has sustained human life across centuries. What does it mean to be independent as growers and gardeners while also recognizing our interconnectedness with both the land and each other across time? 
Let this episode pique your appetite for more to come. 
This episode is brought to you by generous sponsorships from Ritū and Terra Elaÿa.

Biographies
At Slow Life Family Farm, we carry on the legacy of a 2nd generation family of guides, deeply embedded in the history and nature of Sicily. Founded by Carlo, a renowned historical and nature guide, and Jessie, an expert in natural plant uses, our farm is a living testament to a life intertwined with the land. Our mission is to cultivate not just organic produce but to foster a community around the authentic Sicilian way of life, integrating age-old traditions with sustainable living.
Carlo: Born in Siracusa, Carlo is an esteemed English-speaking guide in Eastern Sicily, known for his work with BBC nature documentaries and Netflix’s Chef’s Table series.
Jessie: With a passion for the traditional uses of plants, Jessie brings a wealth of knowledge about local crafts, foods, and medicines to our farm’s daily life. 

Thank you to our partners and sponsors for this series:
 Ritū
Fat of The Land is a series about what it means to be in relationship with land, food, and the people who tend both across generations. Ritū was made with the same kind of care; six ancient plants, ground and blended into a morning cup that honors the land it comes from, delivered in a compostable bag that returns to the earth.
Ritu built a custom landing page for us and would like to offer For The Wild listeners 25% their first month with a discount code FORTHEWILD25. 
To order yourself some Ritu, head to: drinkritu.com/forthewild 
Terra  Elaÿa
Thanks also to Terra  Elaÿa for the support of this series. Terra Elaÿa is a sanctuary where ancient ways meet the needs of our time. We emerge at this time of crossroads, standing as a space for the transformation, renewal, and re-enchantment of the human spirit. Located in the heart of southern Italy, we provide a place to come into a deeper relationship with life: to slow down, listen, and restore embodied wisdom.
Head to terraelaya.com to learn more upcoming Terra Elaÿa experiences or to host an event.  

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We are so excited to share Fat of The Land, a new five-part series unfolding over the next five weeks. 
This series began with a kind of romantic impulse. I traveled to Italy with a longing to be among people whose relationships to land and food have been tended over generations, particularly within the traditions of Slow Food. 
As a settler of North America, I carry big questions around land and lineage and memory and loss... I imagine meeting grandmothers making ravioli, sitting with elders, absorbing something simple and intact about belonging, but what I encountered was far more complex and far more meaningful. The experience didn't feed me in the ways I expected. Instead, it unsettled me and expanded my understanding of tradition, of connection and of what it means to belong to a place I'm deeply grateful for that disorientation and for all that it revealed across this series. We'll move through conversations shaped by land, food, inheritance and the tensions and contradictions that live within them.

Fat of The Land is made possible with the generous support of our sponsors. 
We're especially grateful to Ritū, whose delicious grounding ceremonial drink feels deeply aligned with the spirit of this series, nourishment that invites presence, connection and reflection. 
We're also thankful to Elaÿa, a retreat center in Italy that holds space for deep rest, learning and relationship with place. 
Thank you for listening and for being a part of this unfolding. Here we go, spring is here.
- Ayana
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"The more I learn, the less I know. Sometimes learning more means accepting that we don’t really know." – Rachel Meade

In the third episode of In The Company of Humpbacks, Rachel Meade joins Ayana to rethink what we mean by study, communication, and the goals of biology and conservation. What might change if we were more honest about our uncertainties and willing to admit what we don’t know? Could that openness lead to stronger relationships and better science?
Rachel guides us into the vast, largely unseen world of whale sound, beyond what we usually define as “song,” and into forms of communication that may lie outside human understanding. How do we show respect for something that resists being fully known?
About this series: With delightful insight from Dr. Fred Sharpe, Rachel Meade, and Joseph Olson, In the Company of Humpbacks contains a wealth of knowledge and beauty. We’re so excited to bring you along with us on this magical journey through the more than human world. 
Sounds and images collected under NOAA/NMFS Research Permit 26663.
Learn more and support this work at thrums.org. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of our partners: Five Fingers Lighthouse, and the American Cetacean Society.

Behind-the-Scenes Extras
By joining us on Patreon, you can get early access to episodes, reflection prompts, a bonus episode, and behind the scenes content. Patreon membership also gives you access to our zines, archives of extended episodes, and more. Join us at patreon.com/forthewild.

Biographies
Rachel Meade has long held a passion for marine mammal research. She has extensive hands-on experience in rehabilitation, response, and field-based research. She has worked across a range of species, including harbor and ice seals, sea otters, bottlenose dolphins, California sea lions, and humpback whales. Since joining Dr. Fred Sharpe’s research team in 2023, Rachel has developed a specific interest in cetacean bioacoustics, completing multiple remote field seasons in Southeast Alaska and presenting her work at the Society for Marine Mammalogy’s 2024 conference in Perth, Australia. Her background includes marine vessel operations, scientific diving, veterinary assistance, and acoustic and data analysis using Python, R, and Raven Pro. Rachel holds a BS in Marine and Coastal Science from Western Washington University and is seeking opportunities to continue her research and academic studies through a master’s program in marine mammal science.
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In the second episode of In the Company of Humpbacks, take a walk with Dr. Fred Sharpe and Ayana as we get to know him and his research team more intimately. Together, they reflect on grounding scientific work in awareness and relationality, offering insight into the deeper purpose behind conservation. The episode explores how our pursuit of knowledge shapes and is shaped by our relationships with the more-than-human world, while also embracing the sensory, emotional pull of curiosity about nature.
With delightful insight from Dr. Fred Sharpe, Rachel Meade, and Joe Olson, this series contains a wealth of knowledge and beauty. We’re so excited to bring you along with us on this magical journey through the more-than-human world. 
Learn more and support this work at thrums.org. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of our partners: Five Fingers Lighthouse and Puget Sound Chapter of the American Cetacean Society.
*Sounds and images collected under NOAA/NMFS Research Permit 26663.

Behind-the-Scenes Extras
By joining us on Patreon, you can get early access to episodes, reflection prompts, a bonus episode, and behind the scenes content. Patreon membership also gives you access to our zines, archives of extended episodes, and more. Join us at patreon.com/forthewild.

Biographies
Dr. Fred Sharpe has been studying the foraging ecology of humpback whales in SE Alaska since 1987. He received his Ph.D. from Simon Fraser University and is currently collaborating with the Cetacean Institute on the study of the humpback’s aerial sounds. Fred’s interest in conservation biology has led him to follow the whales south to their Hawaiian wintering to document their historical ecology and legacy impacts from commercial whaling. He has been awarded the Fairfield Award for Innovative Marine Mammal Research and the Society for Marine Mammology’s Award for Excellence in Scientific Communication. Fred volunteers with NOAA as a large whale entanglement responder. He is a naturalist in the classical tradition and enjoys botanizing and preserving native oaks grasslands. During his botany undergraduate days (University of Washington) he co-authored and illustrated Wild Plants of the San Juan Islands. After graduation, he continued his work in the archipelago and co-authored and illustrated Birding in the San Juan Islands.   
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“Learning whale language is about being in right relationship.”
In the first episode of For The Wild’s In the Company of Humpbacks, we hear from Joe Olson and Dr. Fred Sharpe about their approaches to analyzing whale sound. When we desire to understand whales, what more than human impulse are we activating? Immersing the listener in a world of exploration and investigation, this episode leaves us with the spirit of questioning and a hope for deeper relationality in our pursuit of understanding.
With delightful insight from Dr. Fred Sharpe, Rachel Meade, and Joe Olson, this series contains a wealth of knowledge and beauty. We’re so excited to bring you along with us on this magical journey through the more-than-human world. 
Learn more and support this work at thrums.org. We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of our partners: Alaska Whale Foundation, Five Fingers Lighthouse, and the Puget Sound Chapter.
*Sounds and images collected under NOAA/NMFS Research Permit 26663.

Behind-the-Scenes Extras
By joining us on Patreon, you can get early access to episodes, reflection prompts, a bonus episode, and behind the scenes content. Patreon membership also gives you access to our zines, archives of extended episodes, and more. Join us at patreon.com/forthewild.

Biographies
Dr. Fred Sharpe has been studying the foraging ecology of humpback whales in SE Alaska since 1987. He received his Ph.D. from Simon Fraser University and is currently collaborating with the Cetacean Institute on the study of the humpback’s aerial sounds. Fred’s interest in conservation biology has led him to follow the whales south to their Hawaiian wintering to document their historical ecology and legacy impacts from commercial whaling. He has been awarded the Fairfield Award for Innovative Marine Mammal Research and the Society for Marine Mammology’s Award for Excellence in Scientific Communication. Fred volunteers with NOAA as a large whale entanglement responder. He is a naturalist in the classical tradition and enjoys botanizing and preserving native oaks grasslands. During his botany undergraduate days (University of Washington) he co-authored and illustrated Wild Plants of the San Juan Islands. After graduation, he continued his work in the archipelago and co-authored and illustrated Birding in the San Juan Islands.   
Joe Olson's love of cetaceans began when he was three years old and his grandfather routinely took him to visit Namu the killer whale at the Seattle Marine Aquarium. His concern for the general wellbeing of cetaceans started in fourth grade while writing a report about blue whales being on the verge of extinction. After receiving a degree in Physics and working as a Research Engineer and Research Physicist for several years, Joe started the hydrophone design and manufacturing company named Cetacean Research Technology in 1994. In 1999, Joe founded the Puget Sound Chapter of the American Cetacean Society (ACS) and is currently serving as the chapter president. Since selling Cetacean Research Technology at the end of 2022, Joe has been delighted to direct much more of his energy toward ecosystem protection and restoration issues with ACS and toward interesting cetacean research projects with colleagues and former hydrophone customers. When not volunteering on such projects or attending astrobiology colloquia at the University of Washington, Joe provides underwater and bioacoustics consultation through his company, Cetacean Communication, and he
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