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Season Watch Podcast sponsored by Sugar Lake Lodge
Season Watch

A dramaturgist, a journalist, and an ecologist walk into a podcast...

By Charlie Mitchell,
Stella Mayerhoff, Report for America
Published October 30, 2026 at 1:10 PM CDT
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A photo of a grey wolf has graphics of devil horns and theater curtains superimposed on top of it.
KAXE
/
Graphic by Charlie Mitchell. Original photography by Christa Rittberg via iNaturalist.
How monstrous are wolves, really? A wolf stands near MN Highway 53 in September, 2022.

Charlie Mitchell and Stella Mayerhoff discuss the intersection of monsters and conservation with Michael Chemers, professor of dramatic literature and founding member of the Center for Monster Studies.

Send us a voice memo through SpeakPipe!

What can theater dorks teach conservation ecologists?

Co-hosts Charlie Mitchell (phenology coordinator, nature nerd) and Stella Mayerhoff (reporter, scientist, budding monsterologist) dive into the study of monsters with Michael Chemers, a professor of dramatic literature in the Department of Theater Arts at UC Santa Cruz and founding member of the Center for Monster Studies.

We chat about how the study of monsters applies to conservation biology, environmentalism, and invasive species.

Attributions

  1. Wolf call by Luca Baghino, XC1091826. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/1091826.
  2. This episode was produced by Charlie Mitchell and Heidi Holtan.

Love the podcast? Have any monstrous thoughts to share? Let us know! Send us a voice memo through SpeakPipe!

Email us at seasonwatch@kaxe.org.

Tags
Season Watch Season Watch PodcastKAXENorthern MinnesotaPhenologyFall phenology
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Charlie Mitchell
Charlie Mitchell creates the Season Watch Newsletter and Season Watch Podcast, produces the Phenology Talkbacks show, coordinates the Phenology in the Classroom program, and writes nature-related stories for KAXE's website. With a background in ecology and evolutionary biology, Charlie enjoys learning a little bit about everything, whether it's plants, mushrooms, or the star-nosed mole. (Fun fact: Moles store fat in their tails, so they don't outgrow their tunnels every time conditions are good.)
See stories by Charlie Mitchell
Stella Mayerhoff, Report for America
Stella Mayerhoff is a scientist-turned-journalist. She joined KAXE in July of 2026 as a Report for America corps member, and covers Minnesota’s headwaters region in partnership with the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk.
See stories by Stella Mayerhoff, Report for America
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