What The Whales & Lions Tell Us - An Immersive Listening Journey & Discussion

WHAT THE WHALES & LIONS TELL US An Immersive Listening Journey & Conversation

By Climate Shifted · In partnership with Climate California (PBS)

Nature speaks to us in many ways. Can you hear what she's saying?

From the oceans to the mountains, What the Whales & Lions Tell Us takes you on a bioacoustic listening journey with two of our animal relatives — then into conversation about what they're telling us, what they need, and what we can actually do to help them.

From oceans to mountains, we are not separate from these worlds. We come from them. We share them with creatures whose cultures predate ours by millions of years. And right now, many of those cultures are going quiet. This event is about listening before it's too late.

Chapter 1 — What the Whales Are Telling Us (45 min)

First, a bioacoustic listening journey. There is a recording of humpback whales performing their bubble-net feeding ritual — a choreographed, cooperative hunt — that will stop you cold. Ancient. Nearly alien. And yet unmistakably alive, unmistakably kin. Guests describe it as transcendent.

Then: a conversation with bioacoustic researcher Anne Simonis (SFSU) and Ken Pearce (immersive audio at Open Field Sound) about what these animals are telling us, what threatens them, and what we can do to help — from the scientists and communicators working closest to them.

Recording captured by Eric Keen (Sewanee University) using deep-water hydrophones in Gitga'at First Nation waters, BC · in partnership with BC Whales.

Panelists: Eva Frye · Climate Shifted (host) · Ken Pearce · Open Field Sound · Anne Simonis · Simonis Lab (SFSU)

Chapter 2 — What the Mountain Lions Are Telling Us (45 min)

Next, we move to the mountains — an acoustic journey with Mountain Lions, a conversation about wildlife corridors, urban-wildland interfaces, and the central reframe Tiffany Yap brings from the Center for Biological Diversity: these animals don't live apart from us. They navigate our roads, our decisions, our neighborhoods. What does it mean to be a good neighbor to the creatures that keep our ecosystems alive — and what can we do right now to help? Accompanied by Jack Hines, a bioacoustician and Podcaster from NPR's Ear to the Wild.

Panelists: Eva Frye · Climate Shifted · Charles Loi · Climate California / PBS (co-host) · Tiffany Yap · Center for Biological Diversity · Jack Hines · Ear to the Wild (NPR)Your tickets directly support our climate reporting and the art of these bioacousticians. Thank you for helping our nonprofit and volunteer teams continue sharing these important stories and experiences. Climate Shifted is an award-nominated podcast and artivism experiment exploring what actually works to shift people on climate. We interview climate psychologists, behavior designers, and artivist practitioners — then put lessons learned in practice through our sold-out live events. Learn more: https://climateshifted.com/ Climate California is a PBS documentary series covering the human stories behind California's climate crisis — the scientists, communities, and innovators on the front lines of one of the most consequential environmental challenges of our time. Learn more: https://www.pbs.org/show/climate-california/EVENT IS ON 16TH FLOOR OF FRONTIER TOWERBy registering for this event, you agree to share your registration information with the organizers of SF Climate Week.Photo credit: Sweet Girl by Rachel Moore