The Grit City Podcast - Episodes Tagged with “Otters”

GCP: Saturday Night Grit - Animals, Drinking, & The Coloring Book! Bonus featuring Suzanne Akerman

GCP Media — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 04:00:00 -0700

Scott and Jeff discuss otters in the news, Tibbitts@FernHill, and GCP coloring books. Long-time friend of the podcast, Suzanne Akerman, kicks off her series at Peaks and Pints with September's Drinking for Conservation, supporting Washington Wild. Washington Wild is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and restore wild lands and waters in Washington State through advocacy, education, and civic engagement. Founded in 1979 as the Washington Wilderness Coalition, Washington Wild has been instrumental in protecting nearly 3 million acres of Wilderness in Washington State.

03:18 – Jeff talks about the otter attack in Bremerton, the gang of otters running around in New York, and they discuss their odds against otters on land. Jeff turns it over to Suzanne Akerman recording from Drinking for Conservation, Suzanne talks about the history behind Drinking for Conservation, and Lindsey from Washington Wild shares the type of conservation work they do.

17:15 – Suzanne explains the history behind the giant white bucket they bring along to the events to give people other ways to donate, encountering people who are new to Drinking for Conservation, and attendees share what brought them to the event. She gives info on what people can find in the take-home selection at Peaks and Pints, and encourages people to follow Drinking for Conservation for future events.

30:12 – Jeff talks about his amazing experience at Tibbitts@FernHill, the reservation process, and the plates he enjoyed with the five-course meal. He shares the prices, ability to bring your own drinks, and his recent visit to his favorite local dispensary. Scott discusses the benefits of using the Petals app and dorks out on other things he likes to track.

50:19 – Jeff talks about ordering the coloring books, Scott discusses the benefits of coloring, and plans for how listeners can buy one. He talks about the alcohol loopholes Mormon wives have found, how people with passports don’t have to get the Real ID, and Jeff shares why people worldwide may not stamp your passport.

Special Guest: Suzanne Akerman.

GCP: Sunday Sermon - Otters, Sports, and Missed Connections

GCP Media — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 04:00:00 -0800

On this episode, the guys talk about the Tacoma business closures and new ones opening, the rocking New Year's Eve party, Erik chats about sports, and they close out discussing Missed Connections.

00:14 – Justin enters the fun house version of this Willy Wonka episode, talks about going through technical difficulties, and Derek talks about getting back into podcast editing. Justin talks about the GCP fan art from Suzanne Akerman, Jeff shares his feelings about otters, and Justin talks about the recent closure of the local Tacoma brewery Odd Otter.

16:27 – Justin talks about the recent opening of Berliner Beerhall, how long they’ve been working on opening, and Scott talks about his great experience there recently. Justin talks about scooter rentals no longer being available in Tacoma, the passing of Jewless Jerry, and Jeff talks about the New Year's Eve Karaoke Mosh Pit.

34:54 – Erik talks about a local Tacoma boxer representing the USA in the Olympics happening in Paris, meeting him at the Unleashed Stadium Bowl, and they make plans to have the MMA guys back on future podcasts. Jeff talks about holding Missy Franklin’s gold medal, what it was like to hold it, and Justin dives into Tacoma’s Missed Connections.

50:10 – The guys discuss the type of person that was behind the Regal Movie Theater missed connections, the types of people that post on Craigslist, and other misconnection socials out there today. Jeff ponders on whether these types of people also like Breakfast at Tiffany’s, hopes that these posts are consensual, and Scott guesses how many women he thinks post on Craigslist.

Suzanne Akerman Returns!

GCP Media — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 04:00:00 -0800

Friend of the show, Suzanne Akerman, returns to give an update on the haps at Point Defiance Zoo. Suzanne spends her days sharing her passion for animals with visitors at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium where she works as a staff biologist for the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater. When she is not performing in shows or scooping poop, Suzanne is chair of Drinking for Conservation, a committee dedicated to conserving wildlife through fun social gatherings. Her hobbies include reading, solving crossword puzzles, trivia, dancing, and occasional modeling. Suzanne holds a B.A in English and an M.A. in Education from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma and an M.A. in Biology from Miami University. She’s joined the GCP cast also on episodes 110, 80, 76, and 16!

01:44 – Brogan gives the team a review of how his day has been so far, they share type of alcohol they’re enjoying, and Brogan gives an update on when Cosmic Bottles is opening. Suzanne share’s how she’s feeling, things she’s been doing at the Point Defiance Zoo, and how the zoo has been shifting during Covid. She shares cool tarantula facts, the wide range of critters she gets to work with, and the new avenues the zoo has opened up during this crazy time.

21:12 – Jeff throws his otter question to Suzanne, he reminds listeners that otters do have a great PR team but they are monsters, and Suzanne talks about plans to send Jeff a special shout out from the Sea Otters. She talks about the upcoming event with Drinking for Conservation, they talk about the various Zoom meetings they’re all attending, and Suzanne explains what the Grit City Carnivore Project is.

39:11 – Brogan shares that his dog howls when he plays the harmonica, Suzanne expands on what that phenomenon is, and Justin encourages Brogan to share that on TikTok. Brogan gives props to the GIFs on Discord, Justin poses the question on if the zoo has a hippo, and Suzanne shares that the zoo in Seattle has one. Brogan suggests that they host a live Drinking for Conservation when Cosmic Bottles opens, Justin talks about Pierce County Restaurant Rally, and Scott asks Suzanne what animals she loves to see and work with at the zoo.

58:48 – Suzanne agrees to go out with GCP on their Big Foot Hunt, Justin shares his excitement on who their upcoming guest is going to be, and they share their favorite Clownvis songs. Scott talks about their new shirts that are available to their Patreon listeners, gives a shout out to their latest Patriot, and Suzanne talks about the methods used to train a tortoise to do tricks. Suzanne lets the group know how kids that are interested in being a zookeeper can start getting involved in it now, how adorable tiny pigmy rabbits are, and Justin encourages listeners to join their Patreon team!

Thanks Suzanne for catching up and letting us know what’s been going on at Point Defiance Zoo!

Special Guest: Suzanne Akerman.

Support The Grit City Podcast

Links:

Cougar Mountain Zoo
Prom for Penguins!!! — Free for people to drop in and share some ways to raise money for penguins!
Grit City Carnivore Project — Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is partnering with the Schell Lab at the University of Washington, Tacoma and Northwest Trek on a community science project – reporting sightings of carnivores like coyotes and raccoons in the greater Tacoma area.
Pierce County Restaurant Rally
Pygmy Rabbit - Conservation Northwest — Washington’s pygmy rabbits are small, few and far between. We’re working to conserve and improve their habitat.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium Biologist Suzanne Akerman

GCP Media — Mon, 21 May 2018 07:45:00 -0700

One this episode they guys are joined with Suzanne Akerman. Suzanne spends her days sharing her passion for animals with visitors at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium where she works as a staff biologist for the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater. When she is not performing in shows or scooping poop, Suzanne is chair of Drinking for Conservation, a committee dedicated to conserving wildlife through fun social gatherings. Her hobbies include reading, solving crossword puzzles, trivia, dancing, and occasional modeling. Suzanne holds a B.A in English and an M.A. in Education from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, and will earn her M.A. in Biology from Miami University in December of 2018.

The show kicks off with conversation on how Suzanne and Justin met through karaoke in an apartment complex where they section off studio rooms to use for private karaoke rooms. Susanne then dives into her career as a Staff Biologist at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium and how she got started with them as a volunteer in 2002. She talks about doing stage shows at the zoo and what made her decide to study zoology.

15:49 – Suzanne talks about exotic animal trade, the zoo recommending that people don’t buy exotic animals, and how breeders of cats and dogs at times make people write essays before they allow them to buy their new pet. She verifies that ligers are real animals and the genetic problems that come up with breeding them. She mentions that good organizations and zoos don’t promote ligers because they want to focus their efforts on breeding animals that need to be reproduced.

26:35 – Suzanne covers the American Association of Zoo Keepers and the Point Defiance AAZK chapter that holds monthly Drinking for Conservation events. She explains that all of the funds raised at each event are donated to the organization that supports the endangered species they are highlighting that month. She explains where people that would like to attend can find them on Facebook. Talk then turns to otters and how their cute, cuddly, playful, act is just a just a front.

44:24 – Suzanne tells the guys about Northwest Trek, her internship there and her 7 hour interview that got her the internship on the spot. She covers Point Defiance building their new aquarium that will open at the end of the summer and people being able to attend the zoo during their renovation. They also cover the opening of Wild Wonders at the zoo, opened May 12th runs all summer long.

The show comes to an end with discussion over Sasquatch and invasive species in Florida including snakes, monkeys, and gutter gators. Thanks Suzanne for joining the guys for an insightful look at what it’s like to be a staff biologist!!

Special Guest: Suzanne Akerman.