Columbus, OH Kristin Stanford, OSU Stone Lab faculty and resident researcher, will reappear on the Discovery Channel’s top-rated TV program Dirty Jobs Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at 9:00pm in its 150th Dirty Jobs Extravaganza. The two-hour special will look back at some of the most popular episodes, show behind-the-scenes and never-before-seen footage, as well as a giant fireworks display, as host Mike Rowe celebrates 150 different ‘dirty jobs’.
Stanford’s research on the federally threatened, state-endangered Lake Erie water snake was previously featured on the show’s Season 2 premiere episode and has aired to an audience of more than 15 million people across the country. Voted one of the audience’s favorite Top Ten episodes, Stanford was invited to the show’s set in San Francisco to film the 150th episode celebration.
"Each guest did a short interview with Mike updating him, and the viewers, about how things have changed since they had been out last," says Stanford. "It was fun, but we were working the entire time. They filmed everything."
Starring on Dirty Jobs is the most far-reaching thing Stanford has done yet to educate people about Lake Erie water snakes. "It’s just one more way to get the word out there about what we’re doing and how the snake is doing," she states. "Considering the show averages more than one million viewers every episode, it pretty much speaks for itself!"
Stanford’s research is supported by endowments through Ohio State’s Stone Laboratory and Ohio Sea Grant, Northern Illinois University, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. Her goal is to increase Lake Erie water snake populations and remove them from the endangered species list by enhancing public awareness through education and outreach efforts. For more information about her research, visit respectthesnake.com.
Stone Laboratory is The Ohio State University’s Island Campus on Lake Erie and the education and research facility of the Ohio Sea Grant College Program. For more information about Stone Lab, visit stonelab.osu.edu. For a schedule of Dirty Jobs episodes, visit discovery.com .