Kindred Roads Podcast18 Marras 2025

From Working for the National Park Service to Being Woken Up by a Bear

Julio Campis Díaz is a 24-year-old Puerto Rican ecologist and PhD student whose career took a dramatic turn the day he stepped into El Yunque National Rainforest. What began as a required research assignment led him from freshwater shrimp studies to working inside Great Smoky Mountains and Yosemite National Park.

In this episode Julio shares how that moment reshaped his path, the mentors who guided him, and the field experiences that shaped his love for conservation. He talks about tracking rare owls, teaching visitors in national parks, witnessing shrimp migrations, and navigating close encounters with wildlife. We also discuss the challenges national parks face today and the importance of including native knowledge and strong community partnerships.

In this episode

• The unexpected moment in El Yunque that sent Julio from pre med to wildlife science

• What it is really like to work as a ranger in Great Smoky Mountains and Yosemite

• The wild encounters waking up to a bear, tracking a rare owl for hours, and seeing shrimp migrations that look unreal

• How national parks are changing and why native knowledge is shaping better conservation

• The surprising role kids have played in his passion for education and outreach

• His current PhD work removing old dams to reopen migration routes for fish and shrimp

• The long term dream that keeps him motivated leading El Yunque National Forest

Connect with Julio:

Follow along on other platforms:

KEYWORDS

national parks, wildlife stories, bear encounter, park ranger intern, national park service, Yosemite internship, Smoky Mountains wildlife, conservation careers, ecology student, wildlife biologist, fieldwork stories, outdoor jobs, nature podcast, environmental science, wildlife encounters, El Yunque rainforest, shrimp migration, PhD ecology, national park education, conservation inspiration, travel podcast, adventure podcast, park ranger

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(44)

How to Survive 90 Days Completely Alone in the Ocean

Cyril Derreumaux holds three Guinness World Records, and each one is its own kind of insane. In 2016, he and a crew of three other men set a record for the fastest ocean rowing crossing from Californi...

19 Elo 54min

Inside the High-Stakes Job of Being the First to Spot a Wildfire...

What happens when the person responsible for spotting the next wildfire is 100 feet in the air, completely alone, and just got struck by lightning for the fourth time? If you're Trina Moyles, you clim...

10 Elo 1h 25min

He Spent 21 Days at Sea, Worked in the Amazon for 30p an Hour, and Slept in the Same Room as the Taliban… | Part 2

Matt was riding a horse over a mountain pass above 3,000 meters when the weather turned and he ended up stuck in a snowstorm. What do you do when there's nowhere to turn back to? This is Part 2 of Mat...

27 Heinä 57min

He Spent 21 Days at Sea, Worked in the Amazon for 30p an Hour, and Slept in the Same Room as the Taliban... | Part 1.

What do you do when the only way out of the country during a pandemic is to advertise yourself on a Facebook sailing group and hope someone takes you? If you're Matt Whitley, you pack your bags, fly t...

11 Heinä 57min

How He Started a Successful Surf Camp at 23 With No Money or Experience… (& How You Can Too)

What happens when a 23-year-old, unemployed and fresh out of university during Portugal's worst financial crisis, decides to start his own surf camp anyway? In this episode, David Moore shares the sto...

26 Huhti 1h 3min

They Invited a Homeless Man to Live With Them. Here's What Happened…

What happens when two friends invite a man they met outside a Little Caesars to come live with them, and all three of their lives change forever? This one is a little different from our usual episodes...

6 Huhti 1h 2min

What Happens When a Solo Woman Cycles Across the World...

What happens when a solo woman decides to cross continents by bicycle, trusting the kindness of strangers along the way? In this episode, Claire Wyatt shares the story of cycling across some of the mo...

15 Maalis 1h 26min

From Quitting Her 9 to 5 to Photographing Wimbledon’s Fashion Icon…

What happens when you leave a stable 9 to 5 and decide to build a career around your passions instead? In this episode, Olivia Chenery, a London based events, hotel, fashion, and brand photographer, s...

17 Helmi 51min