Kevin Nealon–the veteran comedian, longtime animal advocate, former “Saturday Night Live” star (amidst a long list of TV and film credits), and host of the YouTube series, “Hiking with Kevin”—explains why his animal advocacy and championing of certain animal welfare organizations has receded in recent years. 
He clarifies that his objection to the animal abuse endemic to factory farming and across other industries remains
unwavering, alongside his support of Farm Sanctuary, PETA, and Best Friends Animal Society–entities with which he participated in high-profile campaigns and other undertakings, such as hosting Farm Sanctuary’s 30th Anniversary Gala. Nealon points out this shift in his involvement is chiefly the by-product of changing demands on his time—including widening career opportunities, while he and his wife, Susan Yeagley, have been raising their son. In our interview, Nealon notes that he has become a vocal supporter of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, describing the Trail and its singular importance. He adds that he’s offered his services to the Conservancy, helping implement the organization’s campaign to revamp the snarky phrase “Take a hike” into an upbeat, friendly suggestion to partake in a trek enjoying the healing properties of being outdoors amidst nature. This brings us, quite naturally, to “Hiking With Kevin.” This is the YouTube series he’s hosted for several years, featuring Nealon taking celebrity guests—like Conan O’Brien, Sarah Silverman, and Martin Short—on casual hikes, with occasionally-breathless conversations on 
boundless topics unfolding on the trails. Nealon recalls the genesis of the series came accidentally,
in the wake of a hike with his friend, actor-filmmaker Matthew Modine. All these years later, the show’s going strong, with the element of being engaged in a hike, Nealon observes, seeming to foster notable candor amongst many of the guests. On occasion, the location of the hike can prove significant, like when Lin-Manuel Miranda showed Nealon on their hike key areas where he wrote “Hamilton.” He outlines four films he appears in that will be released in the coming weeks and months, and addresses his role, with Yeagley, as executive producers of “Come See Me In The Good Light,” a beautiful, enormously poignant documentary that was nominated for an Oscar (https://kevinnealon.com/)
You can see this interview–at least the Kevin Nealon side of the conversation–here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvY57sECL2g
ALSO: I spoke with Emiliana Fuger, a Wellington FL resident, sea turtle advocate, and author of the new book,
Anatomy Under the Sea: The Adventures of Luna the Loggerhead. She’s also a popular lecturer, visiting schools and other locations, delivering her “Turtle Talks.” Perhaps most significant amongst these details, Emiliana Fuger is nine years old. She recounts that in wanting to research sea turtle anatomy for her science fair project, she was stymied by discovering there were no children’s book on that topic—all she could find was a college textbook. The best way to solve this problem, Emiliana decided, was to write an anatomy book herself. So, she did! Related to that enterprise, she created a sea turtle model, fashioned from paper mache and other materials. In our interview, Emiliana gave a guided tour of her model, describing the location and function of key organs, after cheerfully noting the top, protective shell is called the “carapace.” She revealed that her next book will be a Spanish version of her first one, and she knows she wants to write about a baby turtle’s life cycle for her third book. Emiliana also shares her delight in giving “Turtle Talks,” pointing out that she recently began incorporating three jokes into each presentation. (https://www.lunatheloggerhead.com/)
COMEDY CORNER: Tim Harmston’s “Seagull” (https://www.timharmston.com/)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Elton John’s “Grey Seal”
AUDIO ARCHIVE:
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