Most of us never think twice about the names of birds. But across North America, more than 150 bird species are named after historical figures, including colonizers, enslavers, and people who promoted racist pseudoscience.

On this episode, Megan Leslie sits down with filmmaker and environmental journalist Aliya Jasmine to talk about her new short film, Bird Names, which explores the movement to change the names of these birds and the reasons why a simple change in language might have a much bigger impact than people realize.

Aliya and Megan talk about the merits of renaming (or “unnaming”) these beautiful birds, as well as the importance of making conservation spaces more welcoming and inclusive for all different kinds of people. Plus, if there was an Aliya Jasmine bird, what would it sound like?

Finally, WWF-Canada community engagement specialist Kathy Nguyen pops in to share a nature hot take about how small a habitat can really be.

Watch Aliya’s short film, Bird Names, here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL4lCBPWUbs

To stay up to date on what’s going on at WWF-Canada, sign up for Living Planet News: https://wwf.ca/signup-for-living-planet-news/

Tell us something good, suggest a guest or ask a question by emailing us at goodnature@wwfcanada.org

Or leave Megan a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/wwfgoodnature

What does it take to fight a mining company for 20 years—and keep showing up?

On this episode of Good Nature, host Megan Leslie chats with singer-songwriter and environmental activist Sarah Harmer. Sarah has been fighting to protect the Niagara Escarpment in southern Ontario since her iconic 2005 I Love the Escarpment tour. She and Megan dig into the power of art to shift public opinion, the Jefferson salamander's surprising role in a landmark legal win, and why she believes showing up is the most important part of protecting the habitats you care about. She also reflects on her 2025 Juno Humanitarian Award and her call to fellow musicians to use their platforms for the causes that matter.

Plus, senior conservation scientist Jessica Currie calls in with a "Tell Me Something Good" about a surprisingly powerful (and often overlooked) climate hero hiding beneath Canada's coastal waters.

Film clips are from the documentary Escarpment Blues (2006), directed by Andy Keen.

To stay up to date on what’s going on at WWF-Canada, sign up for Living Planet News: https://wwf.ca/signup-for-living-planet-news/

Tell us something good, suggest a guest or ask a question by emailing us at goodnature@wwfcanada.org

Or leave Megan a voice message: https://www.speakpipe.com/wwfgoodnature

Bears capture our imagination like almost no other animal. But behind that fascination is a bigger story about climate change, coexistence, and how we care for wildlife.

Today on Good Nature, host Megan Leslie sits down with Gloria Dickie, environmental journalist and author of Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future. Gloria shares stories from her travels reporting on all eight of the world’s bear species, from polar bears in Churchill, MB to spectacled bears in the Andes to sloth bears in India. Along the way, Gloria and Megan discuss the role of bears as ecological and cultural keystone species, why bears around the world have stopped hibernating, and what real “bear smart” communities look like.

Plus, Jessica Currie from WWF-Canada’s Science, Knowledge and Innovation team drops in to tell Megan something good about the world’s largest (and most surprising!) wildlife migration.

Check out Gloria’s work: https://www.gloriadickie.com/

Learn more about the Living Planet Report Canada: https://wwf.ca/lprc2025/

To stay up to date on what’s going on at WWF-Canada, sign up for Living Planet News: https://wwf.ca/signup-for-living-planet-news/

Tell us something good, suggest a guest or ask a question by emailing us at goodnature@wwfcanada.org

Or leave Megan a voice message:

https://www.speakpipe.com/wwfgoodnature

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