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

In Part One of my conversation with Dr. Randy Simpson, we talked about the experiences that shaped him as a naturalist and wildlife biologist.In Part Two, we follow where that life took him and what he learned along the way.Sitting beside the fire at Randy’s Cottonwood Farm in Gonzales County, our conversation moves through his early professional career, work on a South Texas ranch, and eventual return to Texas State University as a teacher and researcher.But this part of our conversation increasingly becomes about something larger than a career.Randy and I talk about the importance of getting students out of classrooms and into the field, learning directly from landowners and the people who work the land, and remaining curious enough to question what we think we already know. We talk about relationships and professional networks, the limits of applying scientific findings too broadly, and why knowing a place requires spending time in it.We also explore something that has become increasingly important to both of us: the value of simply being outside. Nature contact. Observation. Getting up early. Keeping notes. Writing things down. Developing the habits that allow a naturalist to keep learning over a lifetime. Randy discusses early mornings, journaling, and longhand notes as part of those practices.And then, almost impossibly, the wild world offers its own contribution.If you heard me tease the coyotes at the beginning of Part One, this is the episode where they finally show up. Right in the middle of a conversation beside the fire, a nearby group begins calling into the evening.We stopped talking. And listened.It's difficult to imagine a more appropriate interruption to the first conversation on Modern Texas Naturalist.Pull your chair back up to the fire. Here's Part Two of my conversation with my friend and mentor, Dr. Randy Simpson.In this conversation00:55 — Early career, opportunity, and life on a South Texas ranch09:17 — Returning to Texas State and stepping into the classroom20:15 — Finding a path through wildlife biology25:12 — Nature contact, curiosity, and why being outside matters29:07 — The coyotes have something to say34:23 — Learning beyond the classroom38:43 — Early mornings, observation, field notes, and writing things downAbout 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.