Dr. Randy Simpson: A Life Among the Wild Others — Part One

There was little question about who I wanted as my first guest on Modern Texas Naturalist.Dr. Randy Simpson was my graduate advisor at Texas State University, but over the years he became much more than that: a mentor, a friend, and one of the first people who showed me what a life built around curiosity about the natural world could look like.For this first conversation, Randy and I sat beside a mesquite-and-oak fire at his Cottonwood Farm in Gonzales County, Texas, poured some coffee, and started at the beginning.In Part One, we trace Randy’s path from a childhood spent outdoors to a career studying and teaching wildlife biology. We wander through early encounters with Texas wildlife, his graduate research on animal behavior, and his work studying nutria and their effects on wetland ecosystems.Along the way, our conversation turns toward some bigger questions: What happens when the wildlife we remember from childhood begins disappearing? How do shifting baselines change what we think of as “normal”? And, when it comes to conservation, how much easier is it to protect an intact landscape than to try to put one back together after it has been lost?We also talk about books (because a conversation with Randy was never going to get very far without talking about books) and some of the writers and naturalists who helped shape the way he sees the world.Mostly, though, this is a conversation between two naturalists who have known each other a long time, sitting beside a fire and following their curiosity wherever it leads.And we're only getting started.Part Two continues the conversation, with more stories, more coffee, and, eventually, a perfectly timed chorus of coyotes from somewhere beyond the firelight.In this conversation02:09 — Pulling up a chair at Cottonwood Farm03:36 — Randy’s childhood outdoors and the making of a naturalist13:07 — Nutria, the fur trade, and an introduced species18:00 — Studying nutria and thinking about wildlife management22:45 — Horned lizards, childhood wildlife, and what has changed30:14 — Preservation, restoration, and protecting intact landscapes39:39 — Books, natural history, and the writers who shaped Randy46:35 — Looking ahead to Part TwoThe Captivate chapter extraction supports those subject transitions, although I’ve rewritten the labels substantially so they read like useful navigation rather than AI chapter headings. Show Notes - DRAFTAbout Modern Texas NaturalistModern Texas Naturalist is a podcast about curiosity, the natural world, and the people whose lives have been shaped by exploring, understanding, and caring for it.Hosted by wildlife biologist and conservationist Romey Swanson.Edited by Dell Little. New conversations every other Wednesday.