Surveying wildlife along Lewis and Clark's route, 220 years later

A new wildlife survey follows Lewis and Clark's route, 220 years later. And, cell and GPS data show how animals react to humans' presence.

When Lewis and Clark crossed the United States in the early 1800s, they recorded their wildlife observations along the way. Now, more than 200 years later, an expedition is following the same route and partnering with scientists across the U.S. to catalog animals and track the changes. Expedition leader Roland Kays joins Host Flora Lichtman to share some highlights.

Plus, using cell phone data and GPS collars, ecologists were able to see how animals moved (or not) when people were around. Ecologist Ruth Oliver tells us about her findings.

Guests:

Dr. Roland Kays is research professor at NC State University and director of the Biodiversity & Earth Observation Lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

Dr. Ruth Oliver is an ecologist and assistant professor at UC Santa Barbara.

Other episodes you may enjoy:

• Are Raccoons On The Road To Domestication?
• Teamwork Between Species Is The Key To Life Itself

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.

Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-4-SCIFRI

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.