Show Notes
This week on The Average Conservationist Podcast, Marcus sits down with 2% for Conservation Communication Coordinator, Brie McWade. Brie opens up the conversation talking about her background and how she found her way to 2%. Growing up in the shadows of Mt Rainier, Brie spent much of her time submerged in all things 'Pacific Northwest' and since 2017 she has spent much of her time discovering all things western, especially hiking around our National Parks. When she's not out hiking around Brie volunteers her time as a certified Master Gardener for Los Angeles Country from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources to educate on sustainable landscaping, best practices in vegetable growing, water conservation efforts and pollinator preservation. Be sure and follow Brie along on her various adventures on IG at @stateofbrie!
Show Transcript
Marcus Ewing: [00:00:00] You are listening to the average Conservationist podcast brought to you in partner with 2% for conservation. 2% for conservation's. Mission is to create an alliance of businesses and individuals that ensure the future of hunting and angling by committing their time and dollars to fish and wildlife.
1% of your time plus 1% of your money equals 2% for conservation. 2% helps businesses and people pair with conservation causes to support things that fit what they care about, whether you are into hunting, fishing. Or just getting outdoors 2% can help you not only start giving back to wildlife, but get certified for it.
Getting 2% certified means you've made the same commitment as popular brands like Sitka Stone, glacier, and seek outside in giving at least 1% of your time and dollars. Back to wildlife, but it's not just for outdoor companies, breweries, contractors, coffee roasters, and even piano repair companies have earned 2% certification and stand out as leaders in their communities for doing so.
Businesses that are committed to conservation deserve your business. When you [00:01:00] shop, learn more about 2% for conservation@fishandwildlife.org. That's fish. wildlife.org.
What's up everybody? Happy Wednesday. Welcome back to another episode of the Average Conservationist Podcast, and I'm your host, Marcus Shoeing. Today on the podcast I have with me Bree McQuaid, and Bree is the communications coordinator for 2% for conservation and really Brie and I get to have a great conversation.
We've been in contact gosh, almost since she started with 2% back in November of [00:02:00] last year. And just haven't been able to get our schedules to line up until today. And it was a conversation that certainly felt long overdue. We got to. Talk about really quite a bit. We talk about, how Bree kind of went down the path of communications, what she was doing prior to coming on board with 2% what her role looks like with 2%.
And really the, some of the big takeaways that she's found in recent months with 2%, the what. What the outdoors looks like to her. Growing up, excuse me in the Pacific Northwest and now living in Southern California the difference is how she's able to, just really appreciate all that the outdoors has to offer.
A recent she, I mean we cover a lot of really good stuff here and I would say that, I think Bri [00:03:00] ha is just scratching the surface of what the outdoors, is. And I, the only reason I say that is, Brie doesn't come from a hunting background or angling background.
While she certainly, loves the outdoors and has spent an immense amount of time out there it's just a little bit different than I guess like I, or even some of the guests that we've had on. So it was really great to hear her perspective and what it is that she loves about it. The types of things that she likes to do.
And that's one of the great things about this podcast is being able to hear people's different experiences when it comes to the outdoors and what it means to them. And, her moment in time where things clicked for her and she realized the importance.
I think she always knew it, but there was, and without giving too much away, we talk about. When that kind of turning point was when, the conservation aspect of things kicked in. Bree has a a great love for visiting and exploring national [00:04:00] parks, so we get to dive into that a little bit towards the end of the conversation.
Some some parks that are on her bucket list and some of her favorites as well. Brie also shares a great ex, a great story and experience about a recent fly fishing trip that she just took as she's just waiting into the waters, no pun intended, of fly fishing. So it was really cool to hear about that experience as well.
All in all, just a great conversation with Bree and. For those listening, if you're seeing, a lot of 2% posts on social media and things like that is all Bree. And yeah, she's doing a fantastic job over there at 2% and I really enjoyed this conversation and look forward to getting her on here again in the future.
So episode 1 49 with Bree McQuaid. Enjoy. Brie McQuaid, welcome to the podcast. How are you today?
Brie McWade: Hi, Marcus. I'm good. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Yeah,
Marcus Ewing: absolutely. I know I'm, we've been trying to do this and we talked a little bit about it before we started recording, but we've been [00:05:00] back and going back and forth for goodness months, I would say.
And we just haven't had our schedules aligned. Yes. Because I know when Jared, him and I for the most part, usually stay in fairly close contact. And then after Calvin had left, There was a period of time in there where I don't know that he was outwardly talking about the direction and who was gonna fill that void and take over her role.
And then I know he got into the the process of searching someone out to to work on the communication side and the social media side of things. And yeah, I think I knew your name probably before you were actually like, announced as, as coming out with 2%. No, I'm glad that we're finally here.
Yeah, it's
Brie McWade: awesome. It did take a little bit for onboarding. There was a lot of schedules and so many people were out of reach, right? So many people were out in nature and hunting and doing all this stuff. And so it took a while for everybody to get back into cell range, I think.
Yeah. For me to get onboarded finally. But yeah, I've been on since November.
Marcus Ewing: Yeah. Fast approaching a year. Yeah it's amazing how quickly [00:06:00] that time goes by. Very fast. Bree. I'm gonna put you on the spot here, even though I told you I wasn't gonna do that. Yes.
Brie McWade: Here we go. So
Marcus Ewing: just tell the listeners a bit about yourself.
What's your background looks like, how you ended up working with 2% and kind of what that process looked like.
Brie McWade: Sure. Gosh, where to start? I am from Seattle and I think that. Saying that might share a lot about how I came into a place of wanting to work within nature and conservation, but I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and I'm one of those people who if I could spend the entire year barefoot, I would, I just love being outside in.
The rain though was a little bit harder than I would like. So five years ago I moved to Southern California. I guess it's six years now. I moved to Southern California for some other work opportunities at the time and it's a lot easier to be barefoot year round down here. Yeah,
Marcus Ewing: for sure.[00:07:00]
Brie McWade: I love I just love being outside. I, since moving to California too, I've gotten a lot more opportunities to hike and camp and backpack and. I think just as my kids got older, it just became so much more important to be outside and to teach them about our resources. Sure. Before I moved to California, I lived on a 20 acre farm at the base of Marin Rainier.
And the hiking trails were like our backyard when we weren't tracing around the farm. It was idyllic. And to be able to raise my kids in that environment was, it's almost something you feel like. You would only read about or see in the movies? Yeah. They would be out in the fields and I'd have to like shout for them to come in for dinner.
Like it was that cliche and stereotypical. But it was incredible. And then, we had a bunch of horses and we had a bunch of wild animals coming through the property a lot. We had a resident Wild Eagles nest on the farm that We [00:08:00] actually, we got to work with the Washington State Fish.
I guess it was Fish and Wildlife. I can't remember the organization actually. Yeah, fish and Game.
Marcus Ewing: Fish and Wildlife, yeah. Fishing
Brie McWade: game. There was a lot of construction going on in the area and it was threatening the distance that could be within this eagle's nest. Okay. And so we got to work and by we, I mean with my landlord, but to ensure that, that the buffer was preserved.
And so the kids got to be a part of that and witness that happening. Literally like we could see the nest. We would see this pair of eagles like flying in and out of it every day. And so to know that it was threatened to be able to talk with the state and ensure that they were able to be safe was.
I think maybe like a turning point for me oh, this is really valuable for my kids to be paying attention to. This is something that's happening on a regular basis. Getting up into Mount Rainier and we literally would go hiking where you're walking along the rivers and you're seeing the salmon,[00:09:00] yes. Like they would geek out and that was our nature. We would have elk come through the property coyotes on a regular basis. It was just, our big wild backyard. And so then when we moved to California, the environment changed drastically. Yeah. And it's now bears and mountain lions, and we still have lots of coyotes, but it's, we don't live on a farm anymore yeah.
The whole thing shifted and changed. I got a lot more. Focused on the national parks and getting them into these big, beautiful, preserved environments so we could learn and really understand everything that was out there. And I think that, through seeing all these different places, got to teach them and just, it was fun.
So we spent a lot of time outside, whether it's the beaches or the desert or the woods. And it. I don't know. Conservation's almost a no-brainer when you're spending all this time outside.
Marcus Ewing: Yeah. And it's you [00:10:00] touched on it there without I think necessarily realizing it, but. The, I feel like for a lot of people, and whether you grew up in the outdoors or you were introduced to it later on in life, and when I say introduced the outdoors, that could be hunting or fishing or it could just be, really appreciating nature and, you spend a lot of time hiking or backpacking or things like that.
Just, time in nature. There's always that. Turning point, like you you mentioned there that one kind of almost singular moment where you're like, where everything just clicks internally, you're like, I get it right, like this all makes sense. Like all the things you see from a distance if you're not super tuned into things in terms of conservation, but.
All of a sudden now it all makes sense. And then for me it was actually, having kids. It was, even though like I grew up in, in the, out my, my dad and my grandfather, all big hunters, big fishermen, big, big I grew up in the outdoors. In, I grew up in a rural community in Michigan here.
So that was just, it was very commonplace for me. But like [00:11:00] the conservation piece like that, the side of giving back and preserving things really took effect like when I had kids and when I really started to pay a lot closer of attention to, my actions to, I. I guess trying to give as much as I was taking from the land, I guess you could say.
So yeah, it's always interesting to hear like what it is for people. Like when was that moment when all of a sudden kind of the light bulb went off, and it's wow, I should really be paying closer attention to things that I'm doing. Or, just having those conversations with your kids, right?
Like trying to educate them as best as possible and, who knows, maybe. Your kids grow up to be a wildlife biologist or the next great, conservationist of North America or something like that. You just never know what's gonna really interest them as they get older. I hope
Brie McWade: to just ingrain recycling we'll start with, let's start there.
Baby
Marcus Ewing: steps. Yeah. Something.
Brie McWade: Yes. Or growing tomato plants. No, I, we, I think we can relate a lot about. I don't know. You don't wanna get, I don't wanna get too philosophical, but once when you have kids, you have [00:12:00] this responsibility to teach and you want it to be preserved so that they can get it and then their kids can get it and their kids.
It's that age old. Yeah. Or that time, that age timeless thing about just, you just want it to last forever cuz it's amazing. Yeah.
Marcus Ewing: Yeah. Yeah, cuz how great would it be in, however long when your kids have kids, you become grandma and you guys can visit these same national parks that you took your kids to and things really come full circle and you can, watch as your kids.
Are passing along, the same conversations, the same, anecdotes about, the national park that you're visiting about. Oh, visited this or founded this, or, the park was founded however many years ago. And this is what it's known for.
To be able to see that get passed down a generation and that, that love for the outdoors is really cool for me. And that's one of the things that I kind of love to hear people talk about, whether they think it's boring or not. Like it's. It's just something that, that's really exciting to me for
Brie McWade: sure.
And it's so funny that you say that because sometimes I feel like, is it boring? Am I could drone on and on about [00:13:00] my favorite park or the parks I haven't been yet, or growing vegetables. And I don't know, some people don't care, but, It. It is important, and even if it's just important to some of us, it's better than nothing.
Here
Marcus Ewing: on the average conservationist. We care about all of it. Good.
Brie McWade: Oh, I hope so. Yeah. When I was leading up to coming on the show and even when I started working for 2%, I really spent a lot of time around this word conservationist, because that's a big, I feel like that's a big word, and I feel like it's an intimidating word.
And even talking to Jared this morning, I was like, I have to Google what conservationist means. Again, am I a conservationist? I was having this massive imposter syndrome, am I enough of a conservationist? Am I an average conservationist? What is a conservationist? I was making myself nuts about this, and there's just such a big range of what we can do to be a conservationist.
And I hope that message gets through to like our kids or to our [00:14:00] friends or whoever might be listening, right? I. I, I sometimes second guess am I doing enough to be a conservationist? Do I qualify? Do I count as one? But answers yes.
Marcus Ewing: Y ex Yeah, absolutely. The answer is definitely yes.
And I can see, why people would feel that way. Not just yourself, but we you look around the outdoor space, and I know that, you are, new to like the hunting and fishing side of things very. And you see a lot of these kind of public figures. I don't wanna say talking heads cuz that's not the right way to describe 'em, but, these very public figures who have a really big platform that voice their opinions on conservation.
Someone like Randy Newberg, for example. And y I think that if we get into trying to compare ourselves to someone like Randy who has. Just been really a leader in terms of conservation, especially in recent years when social media has become a lot more impactful in the conservation space.
I feel nine outta 10 of us are [00:15:00] probably gonna fall short. Just because we're average people, right? Like we have day jobs and I think and Jared preaches us a lot, and he's said it numerous times on the podcast, he's conservation isn't the competition.
You do what you can do. And that's good enough, right? If you see opportunities, take advantage of those, have discussions because, As a parent when, we do these little things. If we're out for a walk, if we're out for a hike and there's some trash on the ground and you pick it up and if they say, you know why?
That's like that. That's, it's such a great question because then you can really open things up and you can you can slow play the answer, right? Garbage on the floor, on the ground is bad for the environment. An animal could eat it. An animal could get sick.
Could, tarnish the soil, there's a lot of different answers, but then you can take it one step further and you can introduce the word conservation because it's a very big word and I think it's. And for me, I didn't know what conservation was. I knew things I was supposed to do when I was outside.
Leave things better than you found it. Pick up trash, like all of [00:16:00] these things, don't disturb wild animals if you can help it kind of thing. And I didn't know that kind of all of these things together, was conservation planting trees. I was just like, oh, like we just planted trees.
Okay. Like I didn't know that was like an, an act of conservation and as you get older, you really start to. Kind of piece the puzzle together and give a much better understanding of what it is and, conservation. It just has so many things, acts that, that fall under that umbrella that everyone looks at it different, everyone kind of participates different and none are any better than the other.
And that's what makes it. Such a beautiful thing is because you have people who don't hunt or don't fish, but are, active conservationists in their own way. Or you have people who do hunt and fish and that's their way of being involved in conservation and, herd management and things like that.
So it's a very. Big and scary word, but it, I think the more you peel back the layers it's something that everyone can be involved in.
Brie McWade: I fully agree [00:17:00] fully. I was I just started fly fishing actually. Ah, and I was just out this weekend and I was really excited and. I think New fish, new Fisherwoman, zeal.
I was like, what if I catch this bass and what if I do this and what if I have this beautiful cast, like I could be on a movie with Brad Pitt. And I went to this new lake here near me called Crystal Lake. It's up with Zza Canyon and Beautiful. Like I had to be up at six cuz we're meeting at seven.
I got to do this program through Orvis, which was just incredible. And so we're meeting up there. I'm taking pictures along the way cuz everything is just so pictures. There's nobody on the roads, right? It's so early and I get up there and we're all meeting and we get our gear all tackled up or whatever.
See I'm so new, I don't even know. You're good. I'm tackling up. And then we hike to the lake and it's this crystal clear lake reflection is incredible. And then we get to the water's [00:18:00] edge. And the amount of food and trash and garbage that was in this lake. Just like the whole, my whole mood was like, what?
Like I can't even think about fishing right now. Like h where, how are they even fish in this lake? Let alone that we're gonna actually catch them and how do you cast over this tide of garbage sandwich remains? And it was like the most. It was such a contrast to what you think about we see these movies and we hear about people talking about this beautiful, breathtaking nature and they're gonna go and enjoy it and sometimes the reality is, Wow this place needs a lot of work before we can enjoy it at that point.
And I didn't catch a single thing. There was tons of fish. They just I think they just humored me by watching me fling this popper into the, to the lake. But in hindsight, I actually wish that I had just spent my time with a garbage bag. Like I would've felt maybe more productive. I get I was up there to learn it [00:19:00] and I wanted to enjoy that experience and I had a blast.
It was a really good time. But it just, there's two sides to this, right? And then I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, like, where's the education component? Somebody's being taught that this isn't a problem or that this is okay and oh gosh, the right the puzzle is massive.
And I could go and clean up all that and make an impact that day, but I almost feel like how can I make a bigger impact? Do I need to be like, Talking to children, do I need to be, can I volunteer in a different way? And very quickly it can be overwhelming and bigger than ourselves.
So I love that there's platforms like this where we can talk about all the different ways to be mindful. Yeah,
Marcus Ewing: no, absolutely. And I think you know that in, in hindsight, right? You can look at that as an opportunity, right? Maybe you go back to the team at Orvis or the team of people that you went out with and say, Hey, What we, we were able to do last weekend was great with, just learning about fly fishing and getting out there and seeing some beautiful area.
But, hey, I noticed a lot of, trash. Would you guys be willing to like partner together and, we can just spend [00:20:00] a morning out there and we can, just walk shore lines with some trash bags and we can pick it up and that way the next time we bring a class out here, hey, like this is, now, it's, is Pristine as a, the lead up to it, right?
Everything
Brie McWade: is, oh, love this. Yes. I'm gonna steal this idea.
Marcus Ewing: Please do. Please do. But then that, and then maybe instead of, anglers who wanna learn how to fly fish, right? Maybe adult onset fisher, fishers fishermen, fisher women, whichever, maybe you get, a younger class of people in, or you get, the same group of people and they bring their kids now.
So now you can do it twofold. You can spend three or four hours picking up trash. You can spend an hour or two talking about the basics of fly fishing and, casting poppers out and trying to get fish to bite. And just yeah. Make it as educational and fun as possible.
And I think that's one of the big things I try to do with my kids now and in the outdoors is just make it fun. Yeah. I understand picking up trash isn't always gonna be fun, but if you can make a game out of it, you know how it is with kids, right? Whatever little hack you can do to keep their attention for that much longer.
Like it's a win all the way around.
Brie McWade: [00:21:00] Oh, for sure. I cannot, my brain is already turning We could put bags of trash on a fish scale. And whoever has the heaviest bag or something gets like an extra donut. I don't know yeah. I'll
Marcus Ewing: do a lot for a second donut. Yeah. Yeah. I will say, so that you're just starting on this journey of fly fishing.
Good luck cuz it is that rabbit hole gets deep, real fast. It becomes very, do I even know? Oh I love fly fishing. I'm probably not the best person to ask that question to because I'm still trying to figure stuff out from time to time. But it's just, it's one of those things that's so hard to do.
And it's like just catching off fish is so rewarding sometimes. And you're just, you're constantly learning because, if you're, fishing a lake or if you're fishing a river then you start to pay attention to, the flies that, you know, the hatches that are going on if you're, trout fishing for example.
So you're trying to, best match your fly with the hatch that's going on. You start to read the river and try to figure out okay, where there's some deeper holes where fish might be hanging out. Yeah, it's just an ever You're just always learning [00:22:00] and it's it's super fun and very humbling.
Brie McWade: Oh, I could see the humbling part for sure. At one point I had cast my line and it was somehow wrapped like twice around my body and I was like, I dunno how to,
Marcus Ewing: we've all been there. We've all been there.
Brie McWade: Oh man. Yeah. I I'm so fortunate I get to spend a bunch of time in Montana and so you. I'm sure because of the fly fishing connection, but it's world class up there and it's it's almost romanticized. Yeah. And it's I wanna do that. And then the reality of it, like you're saying, it's really challenging. They, I. The classes I was taking, they show you like a dozen flies and I can't even remember too, yeah. And they're like, use this for this and this for that.
And then when the water's like this, and I'm like, oh, wow. I
Marcus Ewing: humbling. Yes. There's so much, there's so much that goes into it, especially if you're fortunate enough to, I've fished a ton on my own, but I've also had the opportunity to fish with some very knowledgeable [00:23:00] guides over the years as well.
And I'll go out there. Thinking that I have a good base, right? Like I can speak the language, like I understand what I'm doing, I know how to catch a fish. I know how to cast, like I feel like I have the basics covered, right? So you get into the day and you're having these back and forth with the guide and All of a sudden he starts saying stuff and I'm like, what is that?
I don't know what that is. Yeah. It's yeah, it's just, it's humbling all the way around, whether you're catching fish or not. Like just the wealth of knowledge that, that some of these guys and gals have that have been guiding for, 20, 30 years is it's remarkable. And sometimes I would almost just rather say, Hey, why don't you fish?
I'll watch and I'll just ask questions when they come up. And then we'll go from there.
Brie McWade: I feel this way too. I feel like they have such a passion for it. I've met only three guides, but each one has specifics. I don't know if it's like tried and true or learned or wives tales [00:24:00] or urban legends.
But they all have this very specific way that they believe is best and that has worked for them. And so as you're trying to learn, they could tell you 12 voice of skin a cat. You know what I mean?
Marcus Ewing: Yeah. Absolutely. So Bree, how was it that you found your way to 2%?
Brie McWade: Yeah that's a good question.
It surprised me that I was able to find it and I was so excited once I did. I have been working in communications for a very long time. I studied communications and technical writing actually, and worked for. I worked in corporate for a while and then took some time off to raise my kids. And then as I returned to the workspace, I went back into technical writing and I was just like a worker, but I kept finding freelance projects and I kept aligning myself with sustainability minded businesses or businesses that were wanting to do something bigger and different and better in the industries that they were in.[00:25:00]
And I got over the last five years, a crash course in what sustainability means today, and I've worked in several industries. That's the beauty of freelance. Like ev every client or every project is an education in itself, but I've really found that was, it just resonated. It felt like it was meaningful work, even though the writing or the content creation, can be the same.
The skill is the same, but the way that you talk about certain things is different. And I had found a listing for this position with 2% on LinkedIn, I believe. Or indeed, I can't remember. But I had a couple of conversations in the beginning with Jared and we just really, we had these conversations that didn't feel like interviews.
It was just. It was great conversation about this and that, and I was, like I said, I've spent so much time in Montana and there was just good synergy about what 2% was doing. Yeah. And the reasons why 2% [00:26:00] existed. And I just instantly felt like this. Was a good fit for me. And even through the interview process I felt, and I had told him in the board, if this communications role is not right for me, I respect that, but please keep me in mind because I want to be involved somehow.
I, yeah I don't have to work for you. I, but just please keep me in mind because it's, there's something here and it's just calling to me. And so it just felt good to know that this existed. And then, The cherry on the top was that I get to be a part of it in a very meaningful way. I work on primarily social media.
I do a lot of website updates SEO work. I work with the business members and try to get their stories out there, whether it's through their photos or their projects. I work a lot with their With their teams to get blog posts put up so that we can continue to tell the story working with conservation partners about the needs of the [00:27:00] organizations as they're working to protect whatever it is they're working on, right?
And they're raising funds and donations. I think it was just really good fortune, but I wanna think hopefully too, that it was just part of my path to align with something that is so meaningful. 2% does amazing work and the business members that are part of it, sometimes it can be a big ass to, to put money outside of your business into conservation.
Absolutely. They do it so beautifully and so willingly and it's been fun to see and learn. I'm definitely I'm learning so much every day. I am, I'm an outdoors person, but the game side of it is very new and different to me. I was raised with a Fisher family. My grandpa was a commercial fisherman and my dad fish.
My uncle was a hunter, but I was just outside of that sphere. Yeah. And so now I feel like I'm really having to learn a lot about it, but I don't I don't question why people wanna be outside and be part of. [00:28:00] Of, of these things.
Marcus Ewing: Yeah. It's 2% has a, does a really good job of making businesses and individuals alike feel like they're part of something bigger than than themselves or than their company. And I think that's the name of the game with conservation is you're looking at a much bigger picture. You're, looking, you're always looking. Two miles down the road, I guess you're not necessarily focused on what's right in front of you.
And yeah, they do such a good job of that, of making sure that businesses are. Connected or being connected to causes that, their company cares about that their, individual members care about. And I think that's how, w that's why, the business members have been able to make such a difference in conservation cuz one They I think the biggest thing is that they can align with things that they're really passionate about, whether it's, stone Glacier, or Go Hunt.
Or like eco carwash some [00:29:00] college kids out of Wisconsin who has just this crazy entrepreneurial spirit and. Loves the outdoors, right? It's okay. Like it's just, it's really cool to see the different businesses, how they view conservation, what's important to them. And with 2%, like they give them a place to really channel that, that money, that energy and that's how you become super effective with your dollars.
And that's one of the things that 2% does such a great job of.
Brie McWade: Totally agree. And again it's been fun and to see all the different businesses that are part of it, it's not just hunting and fishing business. It's not like you're saying like carwash people, it's real estate businesses. The list is, this goes on the list is huge.
I was just reworking our business members page to make it more friendly to, to find businesses because we've. We've grown so much, right? There's anyone can be part of it and like you're saying, even personal pledge or individuals can make the personal pledge too. It doesn't have to be a business.
So I think that they've created a platform to be so [00:30:00] welcoming and encompassing. It's pretty
Marcus Ewing: rad. Yeah, absolutely. So being new to the fish and game side of things and of conservation, has there been like any really eye-opening moments for you or things that you've learned about that side of the industry that you didn't really know or were really aware of prior to coming on board with 2%?
Brie McWade: Yeah. Like I said, it, hunting and fishing has been in my periphery, so it's not like it's so foreign to me. But I think the biggest thing that has come through in the people that I've met and talked with is really this passion and it exists beyond the animal or the fish.
I think that you could very easily Like pigeonhole or stereotype who these people are, and I'm just learning. Everyone's got these great stories about, why these, why this pastime is important to them. And it transcends, like I said, the animal, it, it's [00:31:00] a love for the land or they grew up on a certain, they grew up in a state and now all of a sudden they may not have access to certain places.
So they're just working really hard to conserve for. Not only their hunting and fishing goals, but to preserve that piece of land so that the next generation can Yeah. It goes back to what we were talking about with raising families into it. It's just this passion. It's it, and I guess I, I just didn't realize like in today's modern society that it was so alive and well.
Yeah. That it, it's more than just. Bragging rights and having these beautiful pictures to show it's education too about the animals about the diseases that they're dealing with about population control. It's a big topic that I think it's wonderful to see how people are really passionate about what they're doing and they're cautious and they care.
It's intentional.
Marcus Ewing: Yeah, it's very intentional. That's a very, that's a very good way to put it. And yeah, that. Even it's still weird for me to say I operate in this space because I, [00:32:00] I have the podcast and I have the brand and whatnot, but the podcast has really allowed me to talk to a ton of different people throughout the industry.
And yeah, that's the passion is one thing that you always come back to, right? It may be about something different, but.
It's hard to put your finger on it, but when you see it, right? And that's you asked some of these past or previous guests, like some, very open-ended questions, right? And. Two minutes into their response or their answer, like all of a sudden, like you just see this like excitement and this joy like in, in what they're talking about.
And it's that's it, right? That's that's why you are doing what you're doing, right? It's it's very enlightening and very cool for me to see when someone like you you hit the right button, right? And you get 'em to talk about something that they're super passionate about and the detail, and then, five minutes into their answer oh, I, I'm sorry to ramble.
It's no. Like you are good. Please ramble because you're dropping some knowledge on people here for sure. I
Brie McWade: love it when people get all excited and they, [00:33:00] yeah, they lose like the self-consciousness, right? It's just that they do raw excitement and. And to see it exist in adults, I think is pretty unique, right?
Yeah. It's sometimes we can be so guarded and, oh, should we say this? Should we say that? But y yeah, I can totally see that. It's fun to see that.
Marcus Ewing: Yeah. Brie, just a few more things and then I'll let you, I'll let you get outta here and get back to the rest of your day. Yeah. What is as someone who's, Still inside of a year with 2%.
What are you hoping that you're able to help? 2% do? What are, I'm sure that, you and Jared talk and the board talks, and you guys have obviously goals as an organization. But what do you hope to really help drive forward with 2% and with your role there?
Brie McWade: Yeah, that's a big question. There's a lot of really cool stuff coming down the pike. So I guess just. Being part of what they've already been doing, they've established a really great base and a really great foundation. And as it's rapidly growing, there's these new initiatives that I'm [00:34:00] excited that I get to be part of and share about across social.
And we've got the media awards coming up and so that'll be my first go with this project. And I'm super excited about it. We're looking for actually individual judges now who are willing to watch the films and listen to the podcasts and vote on that. So you'll be seeing that campaign come out here pretty soon.
We've got new application packets that are coming out that are a lot more like visually communicative, so I think that's gonna be exciting for our business members or potential members. But one thing that I'm most excited about, Is in August, is the community conservation day coming up where it's like taking a pledge over a weekend?
It's gonna be third weekend in August. Okay. And groups across the globe will be able to unite on this about what they're doing in their home or their community about con conserving and giving back. And so as these things are growing, I get to be a part of sharing and spreading this word and.[00:35:00]
Community's huge. Community's huge in all avenues, but in the conservation space, I think that we need each other and the accountability and the support and yeah. So I'm excited to be part of that coming up and it's gonna be a lot over the next few months. But hopefully it just, it builds more interest and more awareness and we just, Get more eyes and ears on what's going on and people wanna talk about it, or people wanna be part of it.
I think that would be the cat's pajamas.
Marcus Ewing: Yeah. There you go. Yeah. The community conservation date that's a big one. It's one that I always enjoy because yeah, you can pull people from all different areas. If you've maybe. Had some type of interaction through social or you've met someone at a pint night or a cleanup or something like that and you guys can come together and organize your own thing.
We did that two years ago. We had a group of people in Michigan here that came from some, as far as three hours away. And we cleaned up a ton in this state game area. And it was just really cool. Everyone was out there like having a good time. And I think of the maybe 15 or 20 people that.
Participated, [00:36:00] maybe only three or four of 'em actually used that area. So we had a bunch of people who weren't even gonna benefit from cleaning up this area. Just participating and helping and yeah, it was just, it was a really great event and really cool to see everyone just have a good time and, and make some positive change in the process.
I love
Brie McWade: hearing that. I'm always blown away about how. Picking up garbage or doing a cleanup. That's work. But you get a group of people together, you promised, a couple of pints at the end of the night, people are coming three hours away to do it. Yeah. That's. It's
Marcus Ewing: phenomenal.
Yeah. Yeah. It speaks to the quality and the character of those individuals that, that are participating in that. You touched on it earlier and I meant to come back to it a little bit sooner, but I know you love your national parks. You've seen a bunch of 'em. Yes. Your favorite? I, it might be hard to say favorite.
So you're top two or three. And then what are, what is one that's, the bucket list that you have to get to that you just haven't been able to get to yet? [00:37:00]
Brie McWade: Yes, thank you for talking National Parks with me now. We're gonna need another half hour. Yeah, I've been to a good amount, but all here on the west.
Okay. So I. Part of me feels like maybe I should knock all these out before I, I venture to the east. But I don't know. We'll see, but it is not hard to pick. My favorite it is Joshua Tree. Joshua Tree National Park. I first went there about seven years ago and I was instantly taken aback at the difference of this.
This environment, it almost felt like it was out of this world. It's very still very calm, very quiet, very graphically pleasing with all the boulders and the trees. It's just, it's a completely unique place. I've been more times than I can remember. I can't even tell you how many times I've been there.
It's only a 90 minute or about two hour drive for me okay. I. [00:38:00] I go whenever I can. But that being said, I do have Mount Rainier is very near and dear to my heart. Of course. I almost feel like that's a, that's like just a gimme because I grew up just seeing the mountain was out and so I felt the mountain was there all the time.
But the tops for me are It's so funny that this is coming up. So I was in Montana last week and was accidentally there for opening day of Yellowstone National Park and I was like I'm in. And I'd been through the park a couple of times and it's a beautiful park. It's not my favorite, we already, that's Josh retreat.
But I understand why people love it and I understand why it's protected. Everybody talks about the bison and. I'd been skunk the first couple of times, and then when I went in just last week, it was snowing. I think two-thirds of the park is still closed. It was not the picturesque expectation.
But within, I think three minutes here comes like a half a dozen bison straight down the [00:39:00] road at my car, having to stop for this parade. And I was, there's nothing like it. Yeah. There's nothing like, The respect and the appreciation and having to just get out of the way for these giant magical beasts.
And then they were everywhere in the park and I was, I. I was like, this must be why people just freaking love Yellowstone. Yep. And obviously some of the other things, grand Charismatic Basin is one of my favorite spots, and it's very different in the winter or spring when it's too steamy.
To actually see the colors is a totally different experience. So I, I do Yellowstone quite a bit. And Denali is another one of my favorites, I think because again, the animals and the wildlife is so present and it makes you feel so small. Yeah. And that this is not our home and we must tread lightly here.
And we must respect, I think the message is just louder in these places where the [00:40:00] animals come out. To make sure you're behaving right. Cause they're not gatekeepers e Exactly. Yeah. And we have to obey, we have to be respectful. So those are definitely some of my favorites.
I would really like to get to the Everglades. I think that's a good one. Yeah. Just seeing something completely different. Yeah. I do love the ocean. Florida and the entire Southeast is just something that I'm not very well versed in. And. I want, I wanna see manatees and crocs and I don't even know what everything there is to see over there.
Yeah. But I'm curious and I don't have anything similar to, to compare it to That would be tops on my
Marcus Ewing: list. Yeah, that's a good one. I didn't know one I wasn't entirely sure with a lot of the different parks you had seen or if it had been mostly west coast, in the mountains west as well, how much you had actually seen out East.
The Everglades is a really good answer because yeah, it's completely unique to a lot of other national parks out there, [00:41:00] especially on the West coast or, the Western United States. So yeah, I think that would be, Yeah, just a total 180 from what you're used to experiencing out west.
No, that would be a very cool one.
Brie McWade: Yeah and I don't wanna put down the parks. I, my favorite purchase every year is to buy my parks pass. And then I'm like, okay, what am I gonna cross off this year? And I do plan to get to Glacier cuz I, I tend to only be up in Alaska or in Northern Montana when the park is close.
So I'm excited to get there this summer. I've done, Lassen and crater lake. Some of them, like it's forest and it's lakes and it's streams and I wanna see like a different color water and I wanna see Yeah. Something just different animals. Completely
Marcus Ewing: different.
Yeah. Yeah. No, I can appreciate that. Brie, see I told you this was gonna be painless. Yeah,
Brie McWade: you are very kind. Thank you. Yeah no, this podcasting is very new to me.
Marcus Ewing: No, you did great. And again, I appreciate the time today. It's been great to actually get a chance to talk to you. I definitely look [00:42:00] forward to doing this again in the future.
Brie McWade: Absolutely. Thank you again for having me on and everything that you're doing and helping support, 2% Awesome. Yeah,
Marcus Ewing: it's it's an easy decision on my end to make. So thank you as well, and look forward to talking to you again soon. Awesome. Thank you. All right, take care. All right. Thank you again to Bree for joining me today.
I would also like to thank the partners of the podcast, stone Glacier and go hunt as well as 2% for conservation. And if you're interested in learning more about 2% for conservation, you can visit their website. Fish and wildlife.org. And over there you're gonna see all the certified brands that have committed to conservation that you should support when you shop.
I also encourage you guys to give 2% a follow on social media, where it's gonna be only positive conservation driven content that they're sharing with you on a daily basis. So again, if you'd like to learn more about 2% for conservation, you can look for them online, on social medias or@phishandwildlife.org.
Thanks for joining me this week, everyone. Hope you enjoyed the conversation with Bree. Yeah, stick around. We're gonna have [00:43:00] more great stuff coming especially as we roll into the summer months here. So until next week, stay safe out there and remember that conservation starts with you.
