Restoration Ecologist and Natural Areas Specialist Nicholas McCarney spends a lot of time thinking about nature. When he isn’t managing and establishing native ecosystems and habitats for native fauna, he’s busy teaching K-12, college, and adult outdoor audiences. I sat down with Nicholas to chat about restoring degraded ecosystems, staying positive in conservation, and The Anthropo Scene Podcast.

Restoration Ecologist AND Natural Areas Specialist – sounds like a big role to fill! I’d love to hear more about what that entails.

On the science side, my job is to establish native ecosystems as healthy habitat for native species. Restoration ecology is the branch of ecology that deals with returning disturbed or developed land back into a more natural state. One of the ways I do this is through grow room/greenhouse management where I will grow native plants from seeds collected and sorted during previous years for the establishment of natural areas. These plants will also be sold to the public to encourage natural landscaping.

When I began, the main goal was always to get a dominant native plant community because *theoretically* a good plant community is a good habitat for sensitive animals. What myself and other researchers have looked into is how these large-scale restoration efforts are affecting the fauna that already exists there. Since restoration efforts are so hyper-fixated on plant life, oftentimes you see drastic declines in animal life because the projects can be so aggressive to meet government standards.

I think we’re in the midst of a shift to see more fauna-inclusive restoration management practices and so a major part of my work in understanding these systems is studying how different turtle species are distributed across the region. Most mornings you can find me knee-deep in ponds pulling out large snapping turtles, or other species, for mark-recapture data. This data is being used to see their movements and also cross-examine that data with data on restoration efforts. Over the next decade or so, data will be collected to see if turtles have preferential utilization of areas with native flora and without native flora and perhaps how the restoration efforts affect the turtle densities. I’m specifically focusing on common species of turtles, because if we can see the effects of human activities on the animals that we don’t consider at risk, then we will need to change our restoration efforts to better accommodate these incredible animals that are often overlooked. Of course, establishing and studying these systems can’t be done alone, so a large part of my job involves hiring and training interns, volunteers, and nature stewards.

Science communication is also a major component of my work and so I create and teach outdoor curricula centered around the natural world, as well as digital design and video creation for educational outreach and advertising. One upcoming project I have been working on lately is the ‘eco-exploratorium,’ which is a classroom that features hands-on and visual components form many different forms of native species. That project is currently underway and should be ready to share this winter!

You certainly have your hands in multiple projects – do any stick out that you’re particularly proud of?

I would say it can be boiled down to two completely different scenarios, with both having equal impacts on me as a person. The first instance would be a few years back when I spent some time volunteering with the University of Florida. I was able to assist them with their research into crocodilians. Sitting on an airboat in the middle of the cooling ponds of a nuclear power plant looking for crocodiles at 3 am was a moment that made me feel like I had reached a point in my life that made 10-year-old, Steve Irwin-obsessed, me proud.

The second instance, and one that is probably more appropriate for my work these days, is when I established a native wetland that had previously been a cornfield. Within a year after I began management, species of frogs that only had a few populations left in the town began to show up. Hearing them call in a place that I had changed from a previously uninhabitable cornfield was so fulfilling!

From cooling ponds to cornfields, it sounds like your work takes you to some pretty degraded landscapes. How do you stay motivated and optimistic throughout it all?

I get this question a lot because I tend to always appear as though I have a ton of energy and never quit. It’s honestly pretty simple. I know that every second I am not aiding in creating habitat for native plants and animals is time that’s being spent harming the natural world. It may seem futile and I am a realist. I understand how much humans have destroyed the planet and I’m not one to sugarcoat it. But every excuse we use to say “why bother if we’re already beyond repair?” is just less and less of a chance that we have to stop the disappearance of natural life from this planet.

Additionally, self-care is something that I’ve been more aware of in the last few years. I used to go full speed all the time. And while I still tend to stretch myself fairly thin, I am aware of my limits and understand that if I burn myself out, I won’t be as effective for a bit after that point. It’s better to take it slow and know your limits. Also, just understanding that it is okay to feel drained has really helped me with my self-care. It’s incredibly important for any students, researchers, scientists, and anyone really to remember that their work is important, but they are more important. Because without them, the work doesn’t get done. So take care of yourselves.

It also helps to keep a dream project in mind. I hope to one day oversee massive acreages of restoration on native prairie and wetland. Illinois, known as the prairie state, only has .01% of its historic prairie left. Everything else has been farmed or developed. The soils will likely never recover, but the flora and fauna can if given the chance. I would love to be responsible for massive areas of land that was untouchable to humans.

Your enthusiasm is palpable! Is that what drove you to start your podcast?

I started The Anthropo Scene podcast to help people get an understanding of what effects humans are having on the world. So many people are so far removed from nature and since real natural education is so lacking I knew I wanted to reach out to more people in a manner that could give them detailed, yet digestible, information. I’m good at talking – even outside of the classroom or educational events, I’m always talking. A few people suggested I start a podcast and it sort of just evolved from there.

I’m sure our readers will be excited to follow along. With so many roles, I’m sure you must have a bunch of projects coming to fruition.

Definitely! I recently learned how to operate large tractors and mowers to increase the efficiency of my invasive plant management. Next, I want to finish out my prescribed burn certifications that have been delayed because of COVID so I can begin overseeing prescription burns without added assistance.

You can follow Nicholas as he wades in knee-deep water for turtles on Instagram (@naturenerdnicholas).