Nature Guys, a.k.a. amateur naturalist Bob Staggenborg and retired Cincinnati Nature Center chief naturalist Bill Creasy, launched their podcast last October. Once a week, they head to Bob’s basement bar/recording studio armed with notes and wine glasses (of water) to talk everything from ladybugs to the love lives of coyotes. It’s like Car Talk…with more flora and fauna, less faulty breaks.
Whose idea was it to do a nature podcast? Bill: Not us. Bob: About eight years ago, we were leading a hike and having a good time. Afterwards, a lady told us we sounded like the Click and Clack of nature, and we should be on the radio. We talked about it, but put it on the back burner at that point.
Why a podcast rather than radio? Bob: I didn’t think we could talk anyone into giving us a radio show. But anybody can do a podcast, and they’d come a long way by the time we decided to do it.
Who gets credit for the name Nature Guys? Bill: Bob does. We went out to a Greek restaurant one night and kicked around a lot of ideas. Bob: We liked the way it sounded.
There’s some irony to talking about nature from the basement, right? Bill: Weather permitting, we record at a picnic table outside the Cincinnati Nature Center.
You seem pretty relaxed. Do you rehearse a lot? Bob: No, in fact, aside from knowing the topic, we don’t do a lot of discussing ahead of time. Bill: I don’t know what he’s going to say, and he doesn’t know what I’m going to say. That keeps it fresh, and we laugh through the whole thing. I think that’s part of our charm, too.
Who picks the topics? Bob: We both do. Sometimes we just look outside and see what’s going on in the backyard. Bill: Of course, the topics we can discuss are endless. Some subjects are seasonal, and we’ve had a couple listener requests—like a couple that wanted to know how to get rid of bats when they get in the house.
And? Bill: You don’t swat at them with a tennis racket, that’s for sure. Turn off the lights inside and open a door. Hopefully, they’ll fly out toward another light source.
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