For more than 60 years, researchers have been studying generations of yellow-bellied marmots in Colorado, creating one of the longest-running studies of wild mammals in the world. Dr. Julien Martin is a professor of biology at the University of Ottawa and one of the researchers now leading that project, studying how marmots respond and adapt to changes in their environment.

But keeping a decades-long research project going takes more than good science. When traditional research funding became uncertain, Julien and his colleagues tried something a little different: they launched OnlyMarms, an OnlyFans account dedicated entirely to marmots.

What followed was a surprisingly successful experiment in science communication, fundraising and the internet's apparently limitless appetite for charismatic rodents.

In this episode of Defender Radio, we talk with Dr. Julien Martin about the value of long-term wildlife research, what marmots can teach us, and what happens when scientists have to get creative to keep their work going.

SHOW NOTES:

Episode Art of Kite the Yellow-Bellied Marmot by Laura Green / Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory

Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Marmots Page: https://sites.lifesci.ucla.edu/eeb-rmbl-marmots/

RMBL Marmots on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rmblmarmotproject/

OnlyMarms main page: https://onlymarmssolana.org/

Dr. Julien Martin's OnlyMarms GitHub: https://juliengamartin.github.io/onlymarms/

UCLA Coverage of OnlyMarms: https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/onlymarms-rodents-are-baring-a-bit-of-fur-for-science

Winner of Fat Marmot Week Coverage: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/fat-marmot-week-9.7327200

Dr. Julien Martin's University of Ottawa page: https://www.uottawa.ca/faculty-science/professors/julien-martin

The Fur-Bearers' Wildlife Campaigns and Advocacy Manager Tijana S and Science Communicator and Researcher Dr. Valli Fraser-Celin join the Defender Radio podcast to talk Jimothy, wild animal welfare science, how our use of space impacts wildlife, and a new study on coexistence stats worldwide. Plus a bit of fun and laughter as host Michael Howie is taught more about science, as always.

SHOW NOTES:

Screengrab of Jimothy by Instagram user c1vrgr1 with permission.

Etymology: https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/language-and-linguistics/etymology
Entomology: https://entsoc.org/about/what-is-entomology
Ethology: https://www.britannica.com/science/ethology

More about Jimothy: https://thefurbearers.com/blog/jimothy-captured-our-hearts-now-we-need-to-give-him-space/

More about grizzly bears and how our space impacts them: https://thefurbearers.com/blog/sharing-space-with-bears-how-our-behaviour-shapes-encounters/

Sci Comm article, Whose Welfare Counts? The Science of Wild Animal Welfare: https://thefurbearers.com/blog/whose-welfare-counts-the-science-of-wild-animal-welfare/

Sci Comm article, Human–Wildlife Conflict: Insights from 220 Studies in 47 Countries: https://thefurbearers.com/blog/human-wildlife-conflict-insights-from-220-studies-in-47-countries/

Want to suggest topics for Defender Radio? Reach out to us at info@TheFurBearers.com, by visiting DefenderRadio.com or engaging host Michael Howie on social media via Instagram (www.instagram.com/howiemichael) or Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DefenderRadio).

Defender Radio is produced by The Fur-Bearers (www.TheFurBearers.com), a charitable non-partisan organization whose mandate is to advocate on behalf of fur-bearing animals in the wild and in confinement, promote coexistence solutions in communities and protect the habitats of fur-bearing animals across Canada. You can follow The Fur-Bearers on Instagram (www.instagram.com/furbearers), Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/thefurbearers.bsky.social) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FurFree).

Over 21,000 people were evacuated from Summerland, British Columbia, when the Bald Range fire rapidly grew to over 156 square kilometres. Among the thousands of homes that were impacted or destroyed by the wildfire is Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society.

The volunteer-run organization, led by founder Eva Hartmann, focuses on water birds, bats, reptiles, and small mammals like beavers, otters, and muskrats. When the call to evacuate came in Eva and her partner chose to enact the Interior Wildlife evacuation plan – and saved all the animals in their care. Tragically, the Interior Wildlife facilities were destroyed by the wildfire. Now, the Interior Wildlife team is launching a fundraiser to rebuild when the time is right, and get back to helping wildlife who need it most.

To share more about Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, the impact of the wildfires, how the team is managing, and what's next, Defender Radio is joined by volunteer Ryan Elisabeth Cope.

SHOW NOTES

Cover image by E. Hartmann/IWRS

Donate to IWRS Rebuilding Effort: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/interior-wildlife-rehabilitation-society/

Learn more about IWRS: https://interiorwildlife.ca/

Find IWRS on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/p/Interior-Wildlife-Rehabilitation-Society-100064551319807/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/interiorwildlife/?hl=en)

BC 2-1-1 Wildfire Resources: https://bc.211.ca/wildfires/

BC SPCA Wildfire Animal Support: https://spca.bc.ca/bc-wildfire-animal-support/

Want to suggest topics for Defender Radio? Reach out to us at info@TheFurBearers.com, by visiting DefenderRadio.com or engaging host Michael Howie on social media via Instagram (www.instagram.com/howiemichael) or Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DefenderRadio).

Defender Radio is produced by The Fur-Bearers (www.TheFurBearers.com), a charitable non-partisan organization whose mandate is to advocate on behalf of fur-bearing animals in the wild and in confinement, promote coexistence solutions in communities and protect the habitats of fur-bearing animals across Canada. You can follow The Fur-Bearers on Instagram (www.instagram.com/furbearers), Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/thefurbearers.bsky.social) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FurFree).