As promised, part two of the blog describes the split of assets between Non-profit PA Woods and Forests Inc. and Woods and Forests Media. There are many exciting announcements to reveal. We also need to describe clearly why this split is necessary and what this means for both the non-profit and the media brand.
As you read from the PA Woods and Forests side, let's talk about what will be different for PA Woods and Forests. The non-profit is approaching year two since being founded on January 1, 2022. It needed to make clear what it actually is. Is it an organization about pets and pet keeping? Is it a hiking and recreation organization? Is it only an outreach-based organization? All of these questions started to become apparent as the year went on. PA Woods and Forests Inc. has nothing to do with keeping frogs and toads and the hobby of working with pet herps. The Critter Talks that AAron Capouellez presents his pets is still part of the organization. The animals at the Critter Talks are for outreach purposes. Seeing the actual critters can make an impression on someone and possibly have a new appreciation for a frog, plant, or insect. But, the overall idea is the organization is not pet-oriented.
PA Woods and Forests Inc. is not a recreational organization for hiking and camping. The organization partners with recreational organizations and supports getting people outdoors but is not involved in hiking and camping because that does not line-up with our mission and goals based on the conservation of target species and outreach. The hiking show All Seasons belongs to Woods and Forests Media. We will continue the show as one of our exclusive projects. The Frog Walks and Millipede Roundups are two events PA Woods and Forests Inc. owns. The organization advocates for taking people on guided hikes, but not just for the sake of hiking. The purpose is to educate and encourage the attendees to appreciate and care about the target species.
The organization has a board meeting coming in December, where the decision will be to stay just as an outreach-based organization or to add additional layers. The possibility of adding research or citizen science is a serious consideration moving into 2023. There are many exciting conversations about what the future holds. One of the main reasons for the addition of citizen science or research is because of the two conservation projects donated to the organization by AAron Capouellez. He will still direct, film, and edit the project. Frog Week will be a fundraising opportunity for the non-profit. Conservation Week, the other social media project, was given to the organization with the intention of being a collaborative project featuring many partners shared by both the non-profit and the media brand. More information about Conservation Week in a future PA Woods and Forests blog update.
Woods and Forests Media has some explaining to do. We will take the YouTube channel and Instagram page on January 1, 2023. Our goal is to create a media company that creates compelling programming featuring herp keeping, hiking, and showcasing our upcoming podcast. PA Woods and Forests Inc. had no interest in filing taxes because the goal AAron Capouellez had was to monetize both YouTube and Instagram. He chose to pull them out and continue his goal of creating content that would pay to care for his animals, pay for the camera gear, and compensate his crew for gas mileage. AAron got a state permit that allows him to own multiple of the same species of native amphibians and reptiles, according to a list created by the state. He hopes to get a commercial drone license winter 2023 to add aerial shots to the videos. These are two incredible assets, and he will use them to benefit the media brand and the non-profit.
The shows and projects Woods and Forests Media owns are
All Seasons (Hiking Show)
Wild Vivariums (Pet Frog Care)
Critters, Conservation, and Hiking Podcast (CCH Podcast)
Through The Woods (Docu-series)
We plan to launch Season 3 for both; All Seasons and Wild Vivariums in 2023. We hope to debut the CCH Podcast sometime in 2023. Through The Woods will still be far out. We hope to add more shows and projects to the lineup as the opportunities present themselves. Frog Week 2023 and Conservation Week 2023 will release on the Woods and Forests Media channel as usual. Both projects are owned jointly by the non-profit and the brand; the brand will film the conservation project of the non-profit. Our brand will showcase the project on the YouTube channel, but any donations and money made from the videos will be donated to the non-profit. It will be a very intriguing edition of Frog Week this year.
The docu-series Through The Woods is still moving forward. Many updates are coming involving this project. The stand is under construction. We are making significant progress from purchasing the materials in August to now, in October, beginning to put the habitat stand together. We have pulled some loose leaves off trees growing in the yard. This leaflitter will be in the upcoming 240-gallon enclosure. We will be adding more native leaves as we get access to them. The habitat is supposed to resemble a suburban woodland that goes into a sphagnum bog. The leaf litter was chosen to replicate a dynamic leaf litter similar to what would be in a suburban woodland edge.
The animals featured in this docu-series are American toads, wood frogs, purple pitcher plants, ants, and others. Pious (male toad) has been doing well and waiting for the day he can step foot in this future toad paradise. He seems to be comfortable with Oracle (male wood frog). The two sleep together or are always hanging out together. We often find Pious and Oracle hanging out together more than Oracle hangs out with the female wood frog Esther. All three are together waiting for the 240-gallon to be completed. You can often hear Oracle calling at different times of the day and night. He appears to have declared the temporary enclosure as his territory. Toads are nomadic: so Pious could care less. Oracle can beat his chest and make calls all he wants, but the only one possibly impressed is possibly Esther.
The trio seems to be doing well and are approaching one year they have been together. Toads and wood frogs occur in suburban woodlands and sphagnum bogs. Our group seems to be content together. We can't wait to get them into this long-awaited habitat.
Ace, the female American toad, is doing well. She is the star of the upcoming docu-series featuring her story and the relationship she and the group share with the wild frogs and toads. We believe her story will be well worth the wait when it debuts. This will be filmed like a true nature documentary. The inspiration for this project comes from many great stories created by BBC America, National Geographic, and YouTube. We believe a toad can be the star of a nature documentary. Ace is awaiting her promised home in a 40-gallon because she is not as friendly as the trio mentioned above. In a much larger enclosure, the space will allow the animals to break away from each other and allow us to feed individual frogs and toads and work with them more individually. Ace is like the Pokemon that never will go back to the Pokeball. She is always out and never hides. She is even watching as this blog is written! We will have to be clever to work around her to make sure the other frogs and toads get food. We will have more updates on the progress of this storyline soon.
Expect updates from all the shows coming this winter!
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