Ami Eckard-Lee

05/22/2026

Today's office: Bleeding the brakes in the Butler Blackhawk Biplane (how's that for a tongue twister??)! The brakes on this 1929 biplane have been having issues, and I'm the only one small & flexible enough to access the brake pedals on the floor of the cockpit - yet another unexpected advantage of being a former circus performer!

When I'm not working for PBS, I'm the Creative Director at the Kelch Aviation Museum. For someone a little restless and hands-on, this job is a perfect adventure - at any moment I might be tinkering on a plane, keeping 25 first graders enthralled with a history story, making video content, interviewing a WWII vet, researching for an exhibit, or writing HTML code. Absolutely no day is the same - and that's why I love working in a small museum. Sometimes it can be challenging, but it is never ever boring.

What's YOUR weirdest/funnest work moment this week?

05/11/2026

Field Notes is on Youtube! The whole series is here in one playlist, check it out!

Join Ami as she explores how climate change is shaping ecosystems, communities, and everyday life across Wisconsin. Through conversations with scientists, st...

05/01/2026

All the dirt on... dirt!

Soil plays a key role in the carbon cycle and supporting healthy ecosystems. Meet the scientists, farmers, and Indigenous knowledge holders working to improve soil health.

05/01/2026

Hey Field Notes Fans! 🌍 🎬👏🏽We want YOU to be involved in Season 2! ✨🌱

Have you been watching Field Notes on Climate and found yourself wanting to learn more? 🌍 Or is there a climate topic you’ve always been curious about that you'd like to see us explore? Now’s your chance to ask!

Drop your questions in our form - and we may feature YOUR question in an upcoming episode!

Educators! Use this form to share questions you or your students have about Field Notes on Climate or anything related to climate science and solutions. We may feature YOUR question in an upcoming video. What do you want to learn about? Ask Ami! Did an episode spark more questions about a topic? Ask...

04/24/2026

Happy Earth Day!!!! The whole first season is out now - watch Field Notes on Climate any time, anywhere!

04/22/2026

This is just the tiniest tip of the (rapidly melting?!) iceberg of weirdness bloopers from just one of 8 episodes of Field Notes on Climate:

Ami shares funny outtakes, random thoughts, and puppet performance tips in this blooper compilation from behind the scenes of "Field Notes on Climate."

04/21/2026

Thank you to everyone who tuned in to the livestream premiere of Field Notes on Climate yesterday, as part of the EarthFest celebrations this week! Super fun to be in the studio with Kylie Compe and the very skilled PBS crew. I had no idea it took that many people to put on one little livestream, so thank you Levi, Mia, Milo, Tommy, Willie, Andy, Veronica, Zach, Amanda, Eric, and Al for letting this clown on air and making me look and sound good!

Live online broadcast was a little nerve wracking, but I had a blast - literally; they let me bring my mini whoopee cushion on air. Dreams do come true, y’all. If you want to see me make jokes about methane, you can watch the recorded livestream on YouTube.

04/21/2026

The Savanna Institute is such an amazing resource right here in Wisconsin!

Nate Lawrence is an ecosystem scientist at the Savanna Institute. “If we can robustly quantify how trees are improving something – let's say maybe improving water quality – then there's probably a way that we can plant more trees as a result of that finding,” he explained.

04/19/2026

Tune in for the streaming online virtual premiere of Field Notes on Climate tomorrow, Monday April 20th, at 11am and 1pm central time! 🌍🌱☀️

We'll screen a couple new episodes, and I'll be in the studio with producer Kylie Compe to take questions, chat about the show, and be my weird little self.
🌱11am stream: www.youtube.com/live/R62goOd9De4
🐝 1pm stream: www.youtube.com/live/SptOKDW353U

04/14/2026

It is only the day after our TV broadcast premiere on PBS, and we’re already shooting for season two of Field Notes on Climate! Can you guess what the new episode is about?
Thank you everyone for the enthusiasm and excitement about the show!