Nature & the city KELLY & MARLEY'S WILD PROJECT

The podcaster’s eyes have been opened to a new way of life

- Kasia De Vydt-Jillings

Before meeting her partner Marley Ford, Kelly Gilbride was a self-confessed city slicker who had never hiked before, rarely paid attention to nature around her, and was making ends meet as a podcast producer by day and bartender at night.

But then life with her lichenologist beau changed everything. So much so, she was inspired to make a documentary about Marley and his peers, as they joined ecologists and enthusiasts from around the globe to document as many species in their suburbs as possible for the City Nature Challenge.

“I wanted to do something that encouraged people to pay attention and connect to the world of nature around them, because that’s what Marley did for me,” shares Kelly, 32.

“He’s someone that really sees the world, not just the blur of greens.”

They first met at a gig with friends about four years ago and for Kelly, the connection was instant.

“Marley looked at me and smiled, and I went home and told everyone, ‘I’m in love with this lichenologist,’ then pursued him relentlessly for months,” she laughs.

Marley had grown up on a remote farm in the Hokianga, mustering cows on horseback with family and always connected with nature. He is one of a very small group of passionate Kiwi lichenologists – scientists who discover and study lichens – which he balances alongside his day job as an ecologist.