
116: Subsistence Living in Alaska with Zephyr Sincerny
02/16/22 • 100 min
Alaska is considered by many to be the last frontier. One of the few remaining places where true pristine wilderness still exists. Without a doubt, this largest state in the United States is a fantastic place for outdoorsmen or anyone who wants to live close to nature and away from the crowds. This is because, although Alaska is huge, it has a tiny population located in just a few urban areas.
As you can imagine, hunting and fishing are in the blood of most Alaskans and ready access to the abundant and well managed natural resources makes it a perfect place for subsistence living. I’m using this term as defined in Alaska state law as the non-commercial, customary and traditional uses of fish and wildlife.
To discuss this topic I’m joined today by Zephyr Sincerny who is an outdoor guide, instructor and educator with long years of experience gained while working for Outward Bound USA and NatureBridge. He spends a lot of time growing food in his garden as well as hunting and fishing.
During our conversation, we discussed how Zephyr provides food for his family, year-round without the aid of a grocery store! We also got into discussing the effects of climate change, techniques of food preparation and the ethical and spiritual aspects of bowhunting. This is one special episode and I’m sure you’ll love every minute of it!
Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter
Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.
Recommended Books: tommysoutdoors.com/books
Merch: tommysoutdoors.com/shop
Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook
Mentioned in this episode:
DOWNLOAD:
How to Get Started in Deer Hunting in Ireland
The Hunter Conservationist Podcast brings you nuanced content about conservation, science and responsible hunting in Canada, so you can stay topped up on issues concerning your outdoor, hunting and fishing lifestyle, stay current on the latest in wildlife conservation, science and responsible hunting and be entertained by conversations with intellectual thinkers.
Alaska is considered by many to be the last frontier. One of the few remaining places where true pristine wilderness still exists. Without a doubt, this largest state in the United States is a fantastic place for outdoorsmen or anyone who wants to live close to nature and away from the crowds. This is because, although Alaska is huge, it has a tiny population located in just a few urban areas.
As you can imagine, hunting and fishing are in the blood of most Alaskans and ready access to the abundant and well managed natural resources makes it a perfect place for subsistence living. I’m using this term as defined in Alaska state law as the non-commercial, customary and traditional uses of fish and wildlife.
To discuss this topic I’m joined today by Zephyr Sincerny who is an outdoor guide, instructor and educator with long years of experience gained while working for Outward Bound USA and NatureBridge. He spends a lot of time growing food in his garden as well as hunting and fishing.
During our conversation, we discussed how Zephyr provides food for his family, year-round without the aid of a grocery store! We also got into discussing the effects of climate change, techniques of food preparation and the ethical and spiritual aspects of bowhunting. This is one special episode and I’m sure you’ll love every minute of it!
Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter
Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.
Recommended Books: tommysoutdoors.com/books
Merch: tommysoutdoors.com/shop
Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook
Mentioned in this episode:
DOWNLOAD:
How to Get Started in Deer Hunting in Ireland
The Hunter Conservationist Podcast brings you nuanced content about conservation, science and responsible hunting in Canada, so you can stay topped up on issues concerning your outdoor, hunting and fishing lifestyle, stay current on the latest in wildlife conservation, science and responsible hunting and be entertained by conversations with intellectual thinkers.
Previous Episode

115: Coexisting with Large Carnivores with John Linnell
Large terrestrial carnivores, like wolves, bears and lynx, are the poster children for conservation and rewilding efforts. Also, they are usually right in the epicentre of the human-wildlife conflict which always sparks emotions. That makes it easy to use them to politicize conservation.
In many previous podcasts, our discussions about rewilding inevitably led us to talk about the issues surrounding large carnivores. But this episode is solely dedicated to our coexistence with these predators. And that’s because today’s guest is Dr John Linnell, who conducts interdisciplinary research on the interactions between humans and wildlife to mitigate conflict.
John works as a senior scientist at the Department of Terrestrial Ecology at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research and as a professor at the Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management at the Inland Norway University of Applied Science.
Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter
Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.
Recommended Books: tommysoutdoors.com/books
Merch: tommysoutdoors.com/shop
Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook
Next Episode

117: Commercial Fishing in Alaska with Sena and Rich Wheeler
This week we continue with our Alaskan theme by taking a closer look at commercial fishing practices, fisheries management and the life of fishermen in Alaska. So, today I talk with Sena and Rich Wheeler, a third-generation fishing family. Sena and Rich run a family business, Sena Sea, whose goal is to consistently deliver premium quality seafood. They also operate a fisherman-owned custom processing facility to ensure that they have complete control of the entire process, from the sea to the client’s doors. The Wheelers see fishermen as custodians of the pristine waters of Alaska and they make sure that their seafood is produced in the most sustainable and ethical way possible.
In the first part of this podcast, we discussed in detail fisheries management practices in Alaska. We also delved into the subject of human-wildlife conflict, a very interesting segment, not only because of the differences but also because of the similarities to the situation in our neck of the woods. In the second part, we discussed fish handling techniques and how to ensure that the fish you catch (I’m looking at you recreational anglers) is of the best quality and taste possible. It’s a fascinating episode that will give you a look at how some familiar issues are dealt with in another part of the world.
Subscribe to Tommy's Outdoors: Conservation and Science Newsletter
Support the Podcast and Buy Me a Coffee.
Recommended Books: tommysoutdoors.com/books
Merch: tommysoutdoors.com/shop
Follow Tommy's Outdoors on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/conservation-and-science-281556/116-subsistence-living-in-alaska-with-zephyr-sincerny-35089731"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to 116: subsistence living in alaska with zephyr sincerny on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy