The presence of coyotes in New York City can seem contradictory. Wild animals living in one of the most populated cities might be hard to believe. However, numerous packs of coyotes have been able to thrive across the city’s pockets of green space. 

In this episode, “Following Coyotes,” Jay Simpson (artist-researcher and National Geographic Explorer) tells a story about coyotes, soundscape ecology, and how to listen to a landscape. Drawing from his research and sensory ethnography practice, Simpson leads us along coyote paths that run throughout Pugsley Creek Park, along Westchester Creek, and throughout Ferry Point Park in the Bronx. We’re able to hear the extent of noise pollution within these environments, and the proximity to which coyotes and humans can co-create city spaces. What can we learn about New York City, about our notions of a wild nature, and about environmental change as we walk along the pathways of coyotes? 

All proceeds from this episode will be donated to the Gotham Coyote Project, a collective of researchers, educators, and students working together to study the ecology of the northeastern coyote in New York City and the region.