Nature's Archive

#126: New Hope for Sunflower Sea Stars

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0800

Some of the most consistent feedback I get about the podcast is the message of hope that rings through. Today’s episode takes the message of hope up a level by revisiting the folks at the Sunflower Star Lab.

Sunflower sea stars are amazing creatures - not your typical sea star. They can reach over three feet, live for decades, they are highly mobile, and function as keystone species in kelp forest systems. Just a little over a decade ago, there were 6 billion of these animals along the pacific coast of North America. Then, they vanished. And the consequences to kelp systems has been dire.

But thanks to innovative work at the Sunflower Star Lab, and the numerous partners that they’ve cultivated, things are looking up - and much more quickly than I ever imagined.

So last December I made the short trip down to Moss Landing, California, and today I’m sharing my conversation with Reuven Bank and Andrew Kim from the Sunflower Star Lab. They’re here to tell us the full story of the Seastar and why things have taken this turn for the better. You might remember them from episode 104 - even if you listened to that one, I promise you today’s episode is well worth a listen.

Check out the Sunflower Star Lab at sunflowerstarlab.org and on Facebook and Instagram.

FULL SHOWS NOTES

Links

Friday Harbor Laboratories

Jason Hodin

Kelp Watch

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Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!

#125: The Plankton of the Land: The Alien World of Aphids with Natalie Hernandez

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0800

Imagine a creature that is born already pregnant with its own grandchildren. No mating, no waiting—just a continuous, telescopic unfolding of life. It sounds like something out of a sci-fi novel, but it’s likely happening on the underside of a leaf in your backyard. Today, we’re looking past the 'pest' label to discover the mind-bending biology of the aphid.

Our guest today is aphidologist Natalie Hernandez. If you are on iNaturalist, you might recognize her as one of the most prolific identifiers of aphids.

Today we learn about these incredible insects, including why ants tend to aphids like livestock, how telescopic reproduction works, and we investigate why aphids are incredibly important to ecosystems. While a few aphid species can be pests to agriculture, most are critical parts of the food web.

I’ve grown to love finding new aphid species when I’m out exploring, and I hope today’s episode will help inspire you to look under a few more leaves this spring and summer.

Find Natalie on iNaturalist and instagram!

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS

Aphids on the World's Plants - excellent online resource for identifying aphids

Thanks to Brook Neely for editing this episode.

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#124: The Moving Target of Climate: The Future of Stewardship with Dr. Zac Cannizzo

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0800

Land stewards face a constant, high-stakes puzzle: Do you protect a single at-risk species, or do you optimize for total biodiversity? Do you fight to hold back the tide of natural succession, or do you step back and let nature take the lead?

Stewardship has always been about trade-offs, but climate change has shifted the very ground we stand on. It’s no longer just about maintaining what we have; it’s about navigating a target that is constantly moving. We are moving past the era of 'restoring the past' and entering an era of 'designing for the future.' In some cases, it may mean accepting that ecosystems we hold dear may permanently change —but it also means we have the tools to ensure they don't lose their soul, their function, or their life-sustaining power.

Joining us today is Dr. Zac Cannizzo, a specialist in climate-informed conservation across both marine and terrestrial systems. Zac is here to pull back the curtain on how we manage hope in a warming world. He’ll explain why these shifts are so hard for us to accept, and more importantly, he’ll walk us through the practical framework he uses to help ecosystems thrive, even when the climate says they shouldn't.

From the bleaching heat of coral reefs to the migrating treelines of Alaska, Zac shows us that while we can’t stop the wind from changing, we can certainly change how we set the sails.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links

McHenry County Conservation District

Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Climate Vulnerability Assessments

Press release about the threatened fish translocation

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#123: A Look at Biodiversity

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0800

2025 has been an exciting and diverse year for Jumpstart Nature and Nature's Archive, and to celebrate, we're bringing you a special compilation centered on the critical theme of biodiversity. Today, we look back at two of our most fascinating episodes from the year, featuring species and habitats that are essential—yet often overlooked—components of the global ecosystem. From the subtle, but powerful, impact of a parasitic plant that acts as a keystone species in its habitat to the amazing, unseen diversity thriving in dynamic marine environments, prepare to explore the complex web of life.

To round things out, we offer a preview from an upcoming episode focused on the fascinating world of aphids. Often dismissed as simple garden pests, these tiny insects are sometimes called the "plankton of the land" due to their sheer numbers and critical role in the food chain. Join us as we re-listen to the stories of life’s intricate connections and get a tantalizing glimpse into the world of aphids, all through the lens of biodiversity.

And thanks so much for being part of our community, and a listener to our podcast! We're excited to share more with you in 2026, covering topics from climate-informed conservation, to exciting discoveries on the road to recovering the sunflower sea star, to incredible aphids (yes, you read that right!), and the ecology of salt lakes.

A big thank you to Amelia Heintz-Botz for helping to put today's episode together!

FULL SHOW NOTES

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#122: Leave the Leaves: Hidden Layers of Benefit with David Mizejewski

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 00:00:00 -0800

If you’ve been following Nature’s Archive for a while, you might be familiar with the idea of “leave the leaves”. It represents one simple act of omission - not raking, blowing, or mulching leaf fall - that is resoundingly positive for the environment.

But even if you think you know why leaving the leaves is helpful, I invite you to listen to today’s guest, National Wildlife Federation naturalist David Mizejewski.

If you are unfamiliar with David - let me just tell you his skill and enthusiasm for nature interpretation is second to none.

Today, David walks us through all the ways leaves help the environment - and how bagging them up and sending them to a landfill makes a bad situation much worse.

We also discuss useful tips for keeping leaves even if you have an HOA or difficult neighbors who might think you are neglecting your space.

So if you still have leaves in your yard, please listen and take NWF’s pledge to leave the leaves, and reap the rewards for years to come.

Be sure to follow David on instagram, and get David's Book "Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife".

FULL SHOW NOTES

People and Organizations

NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat

NWF’s Pledge to Leave the Leaves

Books and Other Things

Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife - by David Mizejewski

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Critical Mast: Acorn Woodpeckers and Oak Masting with Dr. Walt Koenig

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 00:00:00 -0700

As a nature lover, I’m often asked about my favorite plants, animals, and insects. And I always struggle to answer those questions, because I have so many favorites, and they are context dependent. But when it comes to birds, woodpeckers often come to mind first.

They’re often colorful, charismatic, and have such an amazing set of adaptations that let them drill into trees, excavate insects from bark, and some even fly catch on the wing.

Today’s guest is Dr. Walt Koenig, who has spent several decades studying these birds, in affiliation with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and UC Berkeley. Today we’ll learn about their behaviors, why you don’t find acorn woodpeckers in the east, despite a nice variety of oak trees, and get this - acorns aren’t even their preferred food!

Dr. Koenig has studied their breeding behaviors and group compositions, which is perhaps the most fascinating part of the interview, and I can’t do it justice in a short intro - so you’ll just have to listen.

And if one studies acorn woodpeckers, it follows that one studies acorns, too. So we also discuss the phenomenon of masting - that is, when oak trees produce bumper crops of acorns, in synchrony across wide geographic ranges! In fact, this past year was a mast year for some oak species in California. So if you are interested in what causes masting, you might want to jump to the last 23 minutes or so of the interview.

This re-release of our popular interview with Dr. Koenig is part of a playful exercise in community podcasting, with 6 different shows each producing their own stories about or inspired by the mystery of masting, and releasing them at (approximately) the same time.

For other masting stories, check out:

We’ll populate this Spotify playlist with all our stories as they come out!

FULL SHOW NOTES

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#121: Metamorphosis: The Actor Who Became a Butterfly Scientist - Liam O'Brien

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0700

Nearly every great story involves a transformation. In the butterfly world, we call it metamorphosis—the mysterious process where a caterpillar seemingly dissolves itself and is miraculously rebuilt into a creature that takes to the sky.

Our guest today is a living parallel to that transformation.

Liam O'Brien started his career far from the wild, under the bright lights of the stage as a professional actor. Yet, a shift was coming. At a pivotal time in his life, he traded the scripts and the spotlight for the quiet, meticulous study of winged beauty, stepping into the world of lepidoptery.

This pivot wasn't just a career change; it was a profound reawakening. In the precision and fragile beauty of the Bay Area's butterflies, Liam not only found a new scientific passion but he also re-discovered his dormant talent for art. He began documenting his observations with exquisite, original drawings, blending science and creativity in a way only he could.

The final form of this incredible journey is his beautifully illustrated Butterflies of the Bay Area - and slightly beyond.

Today, Liam discusses what makes butterflies so amazing. We discuss how no matter where you live, there are discoveries to be made. And this interview is so much more than just butterflies. You’ll have to listen to hear the raw, jaw dropping story of what led Liam to this life change.

And as you’d expect from a stage actor, Liam is full of charismatic and entertaining stories. And while we get into the details of some specific butterflies and places of the Bay Area, rest assured - there are parallels no matter where you live.

You can find Liam at robber_fly on instagram, and check out the show notes for links to Heyday Press and his book.

And thanks to Amelia Heintz-Botz for editing help with this episode!

FULL SHOW NOTES

Butterflies of the Bay Area and (Slightly) Beyond - Liam's beautiful new book

ADDITIONAL LINKS

Liam's public appearances

The Lepidopterists’ Society

Books

Dangerous World of Butterflies by Peter Laufer

Kaufman Field Guide To Butterflies Of North America

Related Podcast Episode

#46: Paul Johnson - Finding and Counting Butterflies

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#120: Just Listen: Amy Martin on the Unheard World Around Us

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0700

It was a surprisingly warm late February day. Needing to recharge, I drove to a park near Lincoln, Nebraska. When I arrived, I saw something new on the far side of the reservoir: what looked like massive white and gray boulders, lined up along the length of the dam.

Then, in one astonishing moment, all of these boulders lifted out of the water, taking flight simultaneously by the thousands. My mind couldn't make sense of what I was seeing, and then the sound hit me. It was thousands of snow geese, a deafening cacophony of honking and wing flapping that washed over me, cleansing my stress and reinvigorating my spirit.

Fast forward 20 years to today. Anytime I see snow geese take flight, I instinctively replay this experience, renewing me yet again.

And I have so many of these lived experiences. It’s the magic of sound.

Today's guest, Amy Martin, is the creator of the incredible Threshold podcast. The current season, Hark!, is an immersive experience all about listening to the natural world. As the podcast website says, "In this season of Threshold, we investigate what it means to listen to the nonhuman voices on our planet—and the cost if we don't."

Today, we'll dive into some of the highlights of the Hark season - ranging from dolphins to tree hopper insects. And we’ll explore how listening is a deeply personal and distinct experience for everyone.

I’m incredibly excited to share this episode with you today.

You can find the Peabody award winning Threshold podcast on any podcasting app or at thresholdpodcast.org. You can also follow @thresholdpodcast on instagram, Facebook, YouTube - and Amy on her Substack called Letters to Earthlings.

FULL SHOW NOTES (with pictures!)

Links

Find Threshold Podcast at thresholdpodcast.org and follow @thresholdpodcast on instagram

Letters to Earthlings - Amy's Substack newsletter

Evelyn Glennie

Rex Cocroft - the Treehopper acoustics researcher

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#119: Are Worms the Solution to Toxic Algal Blooms? Sam Baker from WriggleBrew.

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0700

Today's episode is one of the more encouraging and hopeful conversations I've had the pleasure of recording. My guest is Sam Baker, co-founder of WriggleBrew, a company on a mission to combat one of the most insidious environmental issues we face today: toxic algal blooms.

These blooms occur globally, devastating everything from our local inland lakes to the vast expanse of the Gulf of Mexico, and even here in the San Francisco Bay, right in my own backyard. They create vast "dead zones" that choke out life, and their leading cause is something you might not expect: synthetic fertilizers.

In this episode, Sam and I get into the details of why synthetic fertilizers leave a trail of destruction, and why they've become so deeply ingrained in large-scale farming. We'll explore how Wriggle Brew has developed a game-changing solution by figuring out how to scale up worm casting production into a stable liquid form—a critical breakthrough for sustainable agriculture.

And we don't stop there. Did you know that some insect larvae can break down plastics? Sam shares how he and his team are working to replicate that process in bioreactors. It's an inspiring look at how nature and innovation can come together to solve some of our biggest problems.

This is a truly fascinating and hopeful discussion, and I can't wait for you to hear it.

You can find WriggleBrew and learn more about their work at wrigglebrew.com, and at wrigglebrew on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

FULL SHOW NOTES (with photos!)

Related Episodes

Gabe Brown: https://naturesarchive.com/2023/06/19/regenerative/

Elaine Ingham: https://naturesarchive.com/2022/02/07/soil/

LINKS

WriggleBrew.com

The Soil Triangle (texture)

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#118: Does Science Communication Have Room for Emotion and Complexity? – Jocelyn Bosley's Approach

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 00:00:00 -0700

From the intricate dance of an ecosystem to the ripple effects of a warming planet, nature's stories are rarely simple. But in a world that craves quick, easy answers, how do we get people to lean in and listen to the full story? And how do we do that without glossing over the complexity and nuance of the situation?

Today, we're getting a masterclass in just that with Jocelyn Bosley, a science communicator and Research Impact Coordinator at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. She'll walk us through how to move beyond simple explanations and get people excited about the deeper stories in the natural world.

We’ll dig into specific examples, like how a warming Indian Ocean can affect asthma rates in the Caribbean, and we'll even challenge the idea that scientists must be objective and emotionless. This is an episode for anyone who wants to share their passion for nature and science—with anyone.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS

Born On A Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant, by Daniel Tammet

Consilience, by E.O. Wilson

Consilience Journal - science poetry

Entangled: a collaboration across time and space - Jocelyn's poetry appears in this book

Funsize Physics

Galactic Polymath SciJourneys

Rose Bear Don’t Walk, Ethnobotanist

Strange Days on Planet Earth - Learn more about the Indian Ocean story, or watch on YouTube

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#117: Angry Activist, Rural Landowner: Finding Common Ground for Nature

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0700

Have you ever found it tough to talk about big issues, especially when people already have strong ideas? In the world of nature and climate, we often see communication that feels more like telling people what to do, or how to think. It's easy for us all to dig in our heels, even if we're wrong, and shut down new ideas. Today, we're exploring a different path.

Griff: I was very radical and had really bad ecological depression because was from the Bay Area and watched all my favorite places get destroyed.

So I was, you know, really felt like the only thing left to do was to fight. And that's where I was at at 18, 19, 20. Pretty much all the way until 23, I was in a very radical mind state. Mostly angry and depressed.

--

That's Griff Griffith, someone many of you know as a passionate environmental communicator and a key collaborator with Jumpstart Nature. Like many, Griff once felt that fighting and lecturing were the only ways to defend the places he loved. But a surprising encounter on a work site with a farmer named Pops changed everything. Griff realized that truly saving biodiversity needed a different approach.

Today, Griff shares his remarkable personal transformation, revealing the power of nuance in communication and how embracing a different approach can yield incredible results for nature. It's a candid and thought-provoking conversation we can all learn from. We also dive into how even dandelions can have a surprising place in conservation—another vivid example of how our perspectives can evolve.

Because this conversation embodies the spirit of both our shows, I'm excited to release it on both the Nature's Archive and Jumpstart Nature feeds! If you're listening on Nature's Archive, know that Jumpstart Nature usually takes you on an immersive journey into thought-provoking topics that help you save biodiversity.

And if you're on the Jumpstart Nature feed, Nature's Archive brings you deep-dive interviews with top minds in ecology, biodiversity, and nature more broadly. Get ready, because this summer we're gearing up for many new episodes across both feeds! Our new team of volunteers is hard at work, and we already have several amazing interviews recorded that I can't wait to share with you.

For now, let’s lean in for Griff's truly inspirational story of personal transformation.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Bringing Nature Home – by Doug Tallamy

Homegrown National Park

Nature’s Best Hope – by Doug Tallamy, Dr. Tallamy’s 2020 release

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#116: Iconic Joshua Trees with Barret Baumgart

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0700

The Joshua Tree is perhaps only rivaled by the saguaro cactus as the icon of the desert southwest. Featured on U2’s classic album cover, and now the backdrop of countless instagram glamor shots, its unique, almost alien look is unmistakable.

But for decades the Joshua Tree was looked at with disdain - even loathing and hatred.

Today, our guest is Barret Baumgart, author of the new book, “Yuck: The Birth & Death of the Weird & Wondrous Joshua Tree”. Barret explores the history of the Joshua Tree, in a book that can be considered part history, part natural history, part cultural criticism, and part ecology.

Today, we delve into the strange and winding tail of the Joshua Tree and its history of evading human preconceptions and assumptions.

Living on the edge, it faces a potentially bleak future, but perhaps it will thwart us once again, against all odds.

Be sure to check out Barret on instagram, and on his Substack called Dumpster Fires.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS

Barret's Website, including speaking engagements

Buy YUCK - The Birth & Death of the Weird & Wondrous Joshua Tree, Yucca brevifolia from bookshop.org

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#115: Pollinator Friendly Yards with Leslie Inman

Tue, 27 May 2025 00:00:00 -0700

We love native plants and habit-friendly yards at Nature's Archive, and I have a few exciting updates from my yard: spoiler: native plants are working!

And stay tuned for a re-air of a classic episode with Leslie Inman from Pollinator Friendly Yards. There are plenty of useful insights for both habitat-friendly yard practices, and community building. Afterall, we need everyone to not only take action, but spread the word.

And we have new episodes around the corner, too. It's been incredibly busy these last couple of months, so thanks for your patience as we work to keep all of the proverbial plates spinning!

On to the episode...

I started Nature’s Archive podcast in an effort to understand the stories of people making a difference for the environment. I needed to be inspired, wanted to learn how they did it, and share that inspiration and knowledge with anyone willing to listen.

While we haven’t strayed too far from those initial aspirations, I do have many more topic-centric episodes than I did at the start.

Today’s episode is a “back to my roots” episode. My guest is Leslie Inman, the founder of the wildly popular Pollinator Friendly Yards group on Facebook. With 184,000 members, it is perhaps the top spot for people to discuss sustainable personal landscaping. And even if you are not on Facebook, it’s pretty likely you’ve seen her images and infographics.

Leslie’s story is an amazing example of how a little curiosity can be converted into a hugely impactful movement. Today, we discuss not only how the group formed, but the lessons that she has learned along the way. This includes how to “reach” people who may be skeptical about inviting insects to their yards, how to make it easy to get started, and more.

Leslie also has two books - Your Yard is Nature and The Butterfly Egg and the Little Tree.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links

Pollinator Friendly Yards
Dave Goulson
Doug Tallamy & Homegrown National Park (TikTok)
Doug Tallamy appeared on Nature's Archive Podcast Episode #26
Leslie’s Books - Your Yard is Nature and The Butterfly Egg and the Little Tree
Mary Reynolds, We Are The Ark
Nancy Lawson, The Humane Gardener [Book]
Travis Longcore (light pollution ecologist)
Wild Ones

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#114: Mistletoes Are Keystone Species - Dr. David Watson

Wed, 07 May 2025 20:00:00 -0700

Today’s episode is about one of the coolest plants that I can think of - both figuratively and literally!

Stick with me for a moment. When you think of a parasite, what comes to mind? Maybe mosquitoes, ticks, tapeworms. Probably nothing you want to invite into your house or property.

But there are parasites that are super beneficial to ecosystems.

The parasite I’m speaking of is also the cool plant I alluded to. Well, it’s actually a large category of parasitic plants. In fact, they’ve separately evolved on five different occasions. What are they?

Well, mistletoes, of course!

Dr. David Watson joins us all the way from Australia to talk about these spectacular plants. Today you’ll learn why mistletoes are beloved by birds, provide food for many other animals, are key to nutrient cycling, and why they are literally cool plants.

There are even mistletoes that grow on, get this, other mistletoes!

Find Dr. David Watson on Bluesky.

FULL SHOW NOTES including photos!

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#113: How Do Thunderstorms Form?

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0700

Have you ever wondered why some rainshowers turn into thunderstorms? Just what happens in the atmosphere to create these dynamic, exciting, and sometimes damaging storms?

I find it fascinating, because so many interesting principles are at play - things we often overlook. Like, did you know that the sun doesn’t actually directly warm the air? Yes, you heard that right.

Today we take a look at how thunderstorms develop, how they can turn tornadic, and of course, I tie this back to ecology. We discuss the three ingredients needed for thunderstorms - moisture, lift, and instability - and how sometimes even that is not enough. And then there is the fourth ingredient needed to create tornadic thunderstorms.

You may know that I’ve been a weather nut since I was a kid. Back in grade school, I was so obsessed with tornadoes that I decided I’d write a book about them. My mom would take me to the library so I could check out every weather book I could find. Then I’d head home, pull out my dad’s old typewriter, and create my own newsletter — Weather Extra. My subscriber list? Just me. But I was hooked.

So I hope you enjoy this topic, a bit different than our typical episodes!

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS

Example Forecast Discussion available on your National Weather Service website.

Soil Moisture and Convection: https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/apme/49/4/2009jamc2146.1.xml

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#112: Incredible Deep Sea and Tropical Marine Habitats - Dr. Judith Gobin

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0700

When we think about habitats, it’s easy to picture the rich diversity on land—vast prairies, scorching deserts, lush forests, and intricate wetlands. But what if I told you the ocean is just as diverse, filled with ecosystems as unique and vital as any on land? The only difference? We can’t see them as easily—but that doesn’t make them any less important.

Today’s guest is Dr. Judith Gobin, joining us all the way from Trinidad and Tobago. Judith is a recently retired professor of Marine Biology from the University of the West Indies.

And she’s here to tell us about tropical marine habitats, such as mangroves, sea grass, and coral reefs. She has a particular interest in deep sea habitats, such as cold methane seeps and even whale falls. It’s a bit morbid, but weighing up to 300,000 pounds, in the case of a blue whale, a dead whale literally creates its own habitat.

To my surprise, I learned that the ocean floor more than 200 kilometers away from national coast lines is basically a free-for-all for exploration and resource extraction. Judi tells us about a new treaty that aims to better control these operations, which can disproportionately harm island nations such as Trinidad and Tobago.

It’s a deep dive into ocean science, conservation, and awe-inspiring ecosystems.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links

Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty

Deep Sea Videos mentioned by Dr. Gobin

Dr. Diva Amon

Dr. Robert Ballard

The E/V Nautilus

Lamellibrachia judigobini

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#111: Earthquakes: Myths, Surprises, and Hidden Dangers with Dr. Wendy Bohon

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0800

Today’s guest is the brilliant Dr. Wendy Bohon, an earthquake geologist who has a passion for making the complexities of our planet accessible and engaging. Dr. Bohon is known for her dynamic science communication - in fact, you may have seen her viral videos through her Dr Wendy Rocks channels on YouTube and other social media.

Today, Dr. Bohon delves into the fascinating world of geology and earthquakes, exploring their impact on our environment and society.

In this episode, you'll discover how earthquakes occur, how earthquake geologists figure out how often faults rupture through fascinating paleoseismology, and what terms like magnitude and epicenter really mean, and how they can mislead us, too!

And did you know that the Richter Scale is actually no longer used? In fact, it began phasing out of use in the 1980s! What’s replaced it? Check in around 49 minutes to hear the story. In fact, it turns out that earthquake magnitude is a pretty poor way of understanding earthquake impacts. Dr. Bohon has some excellent metaphors to help us visualize what really happens to a fault during an earthquake rupture.

Dr. Bohon also tackles common myths about earthquakes, from breaking down the misconception of earthquake weather to clarifying the real risks of seismic events. For example, did you know that in some respects, people in the eastern United States face greater potential impacts from earthquakes? We discuss how you can prepare.

And can people cause earthquakes? The answer is a resounding yes. But can we use that power to release pressures in fault systems and avoid “the big one?” - well, you’ll have to listen to find out.

Today's episode was one of the most fun ones that I've done in a long time.

You can find Dr. Wendy Bohon at wendybohon.com, and DrWendyRocks on YouTube, Instagram, and BlueSky, and DrWendyRocksIt on TikTok. I promise you - her content is great, so check her out.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS

Earthquakes in All The States - Dr. Bohon's YouTube series

LESSONS FROM COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS WITH RASPBERRY SHAKES

Lisa Wald

My Shake App - free earthquake warning app

Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country - a great FREE resource for anyone with earthquake hazards (i.e. nearly everyone)

Raspberry Shake - make your own at-home seismometer

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#110: Why We Need Apex Predators - Coexistence with Dr. Jonny Hanson

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0800

Dr. Jonny Hanson is an environmental social scientist, conservationist, and former community farmer. He's also the author of Living with Lynx, Sharing Landscapes with Big Cats, Wolves, and Bears.

He spent months traveling Europe and the United States learning about the real-life challenges of reintroducing apex predators to landscapes, and how to make coexistence successful for everyone involved.

Today, we discuss Jonny’s travels, stories, and lessons learned. And of course, we begin with “why reintroduce apex predators in the first place”.

As an environmental social scientist, Jonny spends much of his time learning how to bridge the gaps in how different communities consider living with predators, and by the time we were done, I felt more confident than ever that we can and should allow these magnificent animals back into our landscapes.

This episode is full of amazing insights, and Jonny seems to be a quote machine. There were so many well stated tidbits throughout that I know I’m going to use in the future.

Not only that, but you’ll get to hear how Jonny actually bred mosquitos for money, and how that influenced him. And if you stick around to the end, you’ll also get to hear about his experience with concentrated bobcat urine.

If you can’t tell, this is a nutrient dense episode, but with plenty of fun stories, too.

Be sure to check out Jonny at jonnyhanson.com, and on facebook, instagram, youtube, and tiktok.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links:

Dr. Hanson's New Book - Living With Lynx

Coexisting with Carnivores - Dr. Hanson's TEDx Talk

Joanna Lambert

Trailer for Dr. Hanson's Snow Leopard documentary

Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network

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#109: Cultural Fire with Margo Robbins

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0800

Today’s episode is very timely. Our guest is Margo Robbins, cofounder and Executive Director of the Cultural Fire Management Council. Margo advocates for the return of cultural burning practices as a way to strengthen community, support biodiversity, and mitigate out of control fires that plague so many areas.

But before I get further into the details of today's episode, I want to note that it was recorded just a few days prior to the tragic and devastating wildfires that affected the Los Angeles area in January.

We’ve had numerous interviews on Nature’s Archive with wildfire and prescribed burning experts, so if you’ve heard any of those, you know that fire frequency, intensity, and management practices vary dramatically depending on what habitats and climates we’re talking about. Los Angeles is predominantly shrubland and chaparral, which has been invaded by numerous invasive grass species, further enhancing fire risk.

Today’s episode focuses largely on the forested lands of Northern California, specifically, Yurok tribal lands. So while the topics discussed here may apply to other habitats, the specifics will vary.

Despite all of the past episodes relating to wildfire, we’ve had a notable gap - that is, no one has been able to speak to traditional indigenous use of fire. That is, until today.

So today you’ll hear why cultural fire is so important across so many dimensions of life. You’ll hear how cultural fire can be safely practiced, and how it has strengthened the Yurok community.

If the idea of purposeful fire being beneficial to the land is new to you, I invite you to check out episode #89 with Lenya Quinn-Davidson - it’s one of our most popular and provides good baseline information for today’s episode. In fact, we have several other episodes that discuss wildfire, prescribed burning, and more - all are listed below.

I was incredibly grateful for Margo spending the time with us today. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links
Cultural Fire Management Council

Indigenous Peoples Burning Network (IPBN)

Tending the Wild by M. Kat Anderson

Related Nature's Archive Episodes

#89: Burning Questions: Understanding Fire Management with Lenya Quinn-Davidson

#82: Amanda Monthei – Life with Fire

#24: Justin Angle – On The Fireline -Wildfires in the Western USA

ENCORE: Rick Halsey – Wildfire Ecology in the Chaparral and the American West

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#108: Acorn Woodpeckers and Oak Masting with Dr. Walt Koenig

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0800

They’re often colorful, charismatic, and have such an amazing set of adaptations that let them drill into trees, excavate insects from bark, and some even fly catch on the wing.

One of the most interesting woodpecker species is the Acorn Woodpecker, found in much of the west and southwest. They live in large groups, are loud, have a clown face, and can store thousands of acorns in specially drilled holes that are just acorn sizes.

Today’s guest is Dr. Walt Koenig, who has spent several decades studying these birds, in affiliation with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and UC Berkeley. Today we’ll learn about their behaviors, why you don’t find acorn woodpeckers in the east, despite a nice variety of oak trees, and get this - acorns aren’t even their preferred food!

Dr. Koenig's Website

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Alison Pollack - Finding and Photographing Slime Molds

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

My guest today, Alison Pollack, is a renowned slime mold photographer and unabashed enthusiast of slime molds and their habitats. If you follow nature photographers on Instagram, perhaps you count yourself as one of her nearly 60,000 followers.

Today, Alison tells us what exactly a slime mold is - and no, it is not a mold or fungi. She tells us about their fascinating lifecycle, where they grow, and how to find them.

Alison then tells us about her astonishing macro photography of slime molds - both in the field and in her home studio. She walks through her process, technique, and equipment she uses to create her acclaimed photos. If you do nothing else, follow her on Instagram @marin_mushrooms, or check the photos below to get a hint of the beauty of the slime molds, and Alison's artistic skill in capturing them.

You can also find Alison on Facebook at AlisonKPollack, and on iNaturalist at alison_pollack.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links To Topics Discussed

From Macro to Micro: The Art of Fungi Photography with Alison Pollack

Damon Tighe - was on Episode 36 talking Fungi

Nikon Small World Master of Microscopy

Slime Mold Identification and Appreciation - Facebook Group

All the Rain Promises and More by David Arora

Laowa ultra macro lens - there are models for each major camera manufacturer.

Les Myxomycètes

Myxomycetes - A Handbook of Slime Molds by Steven Stephenson

NOVA Slime Mold episode

Olympus Tough TG-6 - this seems to be the most recommended pocket camera by naturalists of many types

Raynox DCR-250

Where the Slime Mould Creeps by Sarah Lloyd

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#107: The Best of Nature's Archive 2024

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0800

I spent several hours assembling the highlights of the 24 episodes we produced in 2024, all packaged in this nice short recap. It was a lot of work, so I hope you like it!

If you want to hear any of these episodes in their entirety, simply check our feed or naturesarchive.com. And for easy reference, the full year's episodes are listed below.

And I'd love your feedback on Nature's Archive in general! I made a short survey (probably only takes 1 minute). Please fill it out:

https://naturesarchive.com/survey

#106: Why Ants Might Be the Most Interesting Creatures on Earth with Chloe Jelley
#105: From Fear to Fascination: Kevin Wiener on His Journey at All Bugs Go to Kevin
#104: Wasting Away: The Battle to Save Sunflower Sea Stars and Kelp Forests with the Sunflower Star Lab
#103: Exploring Wildlife Forensics with Ashley Bray
#102: Sophie Osborn – From the Brink: Reintroducing Endangered Birds
#101: Connecting Climate, Carbon, Tree Leaf Phenology and Genetics with Dr. Hanna Makowski
#100: The Biggest Nature Lesson I’ve Learned from 100 Nature’s Archive Episodes
#99: Into the Wild: Snow Leopards and Wildlife Photography with Jake Davis
#98: Ocean’s Green Giants: The Vital Role of Kelp with Tristin Anoush McHugh
#97: How to Love a Forest with Ethan Tapper
#96: From Rattles to Kings: Unraveling the Secrets of Snakes With Dr. Emily Taylor
#95: The Rare 2024 Cicada Double Emergence with Dr. Chris Simon
#94: Secrets of the Octopus with Sy Montgomery and Warren Carlyle
#93: Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant – Carnivore Ecology, Wild Life, and Environmental Justice
#92: Secrets of Beautifully Fuzzy Velvet Ants with Dr. Joseph Wilson (and a bit about native bees, too!)
#91: Examining Tree Physiology with Dr. Lucy Kerhoulas: Insights into Drought Adaptation and the Carbon Smoking Gun
#90: From Invasive Species to Allergenic Pollen with Allasandra Valdez (The Happy Botanist Podcast) and Dr. Daniel Katz

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#106: Why Ants Might Be the Most Interesting Creatures on Earth with Chloe Jelley

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 -0800

I love discovering overlooked plants and animals that play outsized roles in the environment. I’m also fascinated by complex systems, especially when they’re easy to observe.

And nothing ticks all three of those boxes better than ants.

One estimate says that for every human on earth, there may be as many as 2.5 million ants. And these ants form complex societies with unique roles. They communicate in mysteriously complex ways, and can range in size from almost microscopic to an inch and a half long.

Ants can build colonies in acorns, hollow twigs, leaf baskets, massive tree branches, and of course, in the ground. The largest super colonies stretch for hundreds of miles - and by the way, you can find such super colonies in California and in southern Europe. They can farm fungi, and ranch aphids.

My guest today helped unveil all of this and more. Chloe Jelly is a graduate researcher at Cornell University in the Moreau lab. She particularly enjoys outreach, which made her an ideal guest for today’s episode.

People sometimes say that viruses and microbes rule the world, but after today’s discussion, you’ll see that ants aren’t very far behind.

Find Chloe on her website, at the Moreau Lab, and on BlueSky.

Check our Full Show Notes for photos and videos that were discussed today.

Links Discussed In The Show
Chloe's website, and Chloe on BlueSky

Chloe Jelley's papers (Google Scholar)

In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall

Moreau Lab at Cornell

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#105: From Fear to Fascination: Kevin Wiener on His Journey at All Bugs Go to Kevin

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Do you love spiders and insects? Or perhaps you are more apprehensive of them - or even suffer from arachnophobia. In either case, today’s discussion is for you.

Join me for an enlightening journey into the world of insects and arachnids with Kevin Wiener. Kevin is an environmental educator and founder of the thriving 'All Bugs Go To Kevin' community. In this episode, Kevin shares his inspiring path from pest control to becoming a passionate advocate for arthropods. Explore the crucial roles insects play in our ecosystem, debunk common myths about animals like the Brown Recluse spider, and learn about sustainable pest control methods - including what you can do in your own home.

Kevin also discusses his experiences with arthropod pets, the importance of community support in overcoming fears, and the joys of integrating photography into environmental education and personal discovery. Whether you're a seasoned nature enthusiast or just curious, this episode offers fascinating insights and practical tips for fostering a balanced ecosystem in your own backyard. Don't miss this chance to transform fear into fascination and discover the often overlooked beauty of bugs.

You can find Kevin at allbugsgotokevin.com, and of course, if you’re on Facebook, consider joining the All Bugs Go to Kevin group. It’s one of the bright spots of social media.

FULL SHOW NOTES on jumpstartnature.com

LINKS
All Bugs Go To Kevin - website

All Bugs Go To Kevin - Facebook Group

Brown Recluse Spider by Richard Vetter

Travis McEnery’s Brown Recluse Documentary

Spiders of North America by Sarah Rose

Podcasts Mentioned
Kevin Wiener on the Bugs Need Heroes podcast
Jumpstart Nature's Cicada Episode (Kevin is featured)
Sarah Rose on Nature's Archive (spiders!)

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#104: Wasting Away: The Battle to Save Sunflower Sea Stars and Kelp Forests with the Sunflower Star Lab

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Today we’re discussing perhaps the most important 24 armed creature you quite possibly have never heard of before. Each arm has eyes, or more accurately, eyespots on the ends, and they have thousands of tube feet that they closely coordinate to move. It’s a keystone species which used to have populations around 6 billion. And in a matter of a couple of years, about 5 billion of those vanished, melting away, literally turning to goo. Or at least that’s how SCUBA divers and biologists described it. It almost sounds like an alien science fiction story, but I assure you, it’s real.

Maybe you’ve figured out what I’m talking about. And if you listened to my kelp forest interview with Tristin McHugh, we briefly mentioned this creature. It’s the Sunflower Sea Star, an amazing creature whose disappearance has caused havoc in marine systems.

I traveled 45 minutes from my house to meet with Reuven Bank and Andrew Kim from the inspiring and innovative Sunflower Star Laboratory in Moss Landing, California - right in the middle of the coast of the world famous Monterey Bay.

It’s a small bustling town full of marine research institutes, fishers, and ecotourism.

This episode has two parts rolled into one - it’s a sit-down interview, right on the Moss Landing Harbour. And then we go on a mini-field trip - a tour to learn how the Sunflower Star Lab is an important driver in recovering this incredible species.

As you’ll hear in the recording, we had a lot of…ambiance, from sea lions to raucous gulls patrolling the harbor, and the hums of pumps and water you’d expect in an aquaculture facility.

Yes, that’s my way of saying this was a bit of a challenging episode to record and edit. But despite a few rough spots, I think it turned out quite well.

Reuven is chairman of the board for the Sunflower Star Lab. He’s also an interpretive diving ranger for the National Park Service, though his work at the lab is independent from that. And Andrew is the lead aquaculture research technician at Moss Landing Marine Labs, a member of the Sunflower Star Lab board, offering his expertise on aquaculture to the lab. Oh, and we also had a brief discussion with Vincent Christian while he was working in the lab. As you’ll here, Vincent is the reason why the lab even exists.

Check the Sunflower Star Lab at sunflowerstarlab.org and on Facebook and Instagram.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Pycnopodia Recovery Working Group
Roadmap to Recovery for the Sunflower Sea Star
Sunflower Star Laboratory

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Saving a Valley: How Coyote Valley Inspires Conservation

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Have you ever thought about how or why natural areas, like state or county parks, open space, or wildlife refuges were set aside and saved? Sometimes it seems amazingly unlikely that these places exist.

And it’s too easy to assume that there is no land left to set aside. But today we’re telling the story of Coyote Valley, a land adjacent to the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley. I don’t want to spoil the story, but I will tell you it is inspiring and shows just what can happen with the right combination of ingredients. And it turns out those ingredients probably exist wherever you live, too.

This episode was actually aired on our Jumpstart Nature podcast last month.

The Jumpstart Nature podcast is a little different than Nature’s Archive. It’s an immersive narrative style, hosted by Griff Griffith. Our goal with Jumpstart Nature is to not only inspire existing nature lovers, but to reach beyond the choir, so to speak.

Here are the show notes from Jumpstart Nature:

On a 1983 morning, Steve Jobs scouted Coyote Valley for Apple’s new headquarters. Despite his plans, Coyote Valley remains one of the most important undeveloped landscapes near Silicon Valley.

This episode tells the story of its conservation through unexpected alliances, resilience, and the invaluable ecosystem services it provides. From critical wildlife connectivity to indigenous cultural significance, discover how perseverance and community action can protect cherished landscapes.

Join host Griff Griffith and our guests, Andrea Mackenzie, Amah Mutsun Chairman Valentin Lopez, Megan Fluke, Nick Perry, and Dr. Stuart Weiss as they provide unique and inspiring perspectives as they explore how to protect and steward unique lands like Coyote Valley, whether near Silicon Valley or your own backyard.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Amah Mutsun Land Trust
Amah Mutsun Tribal Band
Cars, Cows, Checkerspot Butterflies – Dr. Stuart Weiss’s paper
Creekside Science
Green Foothills
Obi Kaufmann
P-22, The Mountain Lion of Hollywood
Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority
Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing

RELATED PODCAST EPISODES
The Age of Connectivity
Dr. Stuart Weiss – Of Checkerspots, Cars, and Cows

Credits
This podcast episode was written and produced by Michael Hawk. Our host and co-writer is Griff Griffith.

The

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#103: Exploring Wildlife Forensics with Ashley Bray

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0700

I’ve been looking forward to today’s episode for a really long time - and for two great reasons. One, it’s about wildlife forensics, which is an immense field that requires knowledge of everything from wildlife behavior and morphology, to DNA, to crime scene investigation, to policy and the law. I’ve always been a bit of a generalist who likes to deep dive into topics on occasion…so this is a field true to my heart.

And the second reason I’ve been looking forward to it is the guest - forensic wildlife biologist Ashley Bray. As you’ll hear, Ashley - in addition to being a forensic wildlife biologist - is also a podcaster. And her podcast is a slant on human/wildlife conflict - with - as you might expect from a forensic biologist - with a true crime twist. Oh - it’s called Get Out Alive - be sure to check it out.

Today we take a broad look at what forensic wildlife biology entails, and the surprising connections it reveals, such as the connection between wildlife crimes and drug and human trafficking - and organized crime in general.

Ashley has a few nice case examples that we review. And hold tight - you’re going to learn about a super cute animal called a vaquita.

So, get ready for a wide ranging discussion with forensic wildlife biologist Ashley Bray. And you can find Ashley on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!

FULL SHOW NOTES (Includes Photos!)

LINKS
An Immense World by Ed Yong

CITES Treaty information

Sea of Shadows documentary

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

University of Florida's Wildlife Forensics Program

RELATED PODCAST EPISODES
#102: Sophie Osborn - From the Brink: Reintroducing Endangered Birds

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BONUS: Top 10 Favorite Species with Griff Griffith, Michelle Fullner, and Michael Hawk

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0700

What do parasitic plants, 600 year old oak trees, salmon, and hoverflies have in common? Well, they are some of Griff's, Michelle Fullner’s and my favorite wild organisms!

Today’s episode is a fun conversation with Michelle Fullner, Griff Griffith, and myself, Michael Hawk, where we advocate for our 10 favorite animals and plants. We each bring three species to the conversation…well, not physically. And we had a bit of a game to decide who got to pick the 10th one. All I’m saying is that I still think that aphids would be good at soccer, but you’ll have to listen to hear what that’s about.

This idea was all Michelle’s - and if you don’t know Michelle, she’s the host and producer of the Golden State Naturalist podcast, which is a fun and entertaining California-centric nature podcast. Her fourth season is about to launch, and she plans to cover topics that I know you’ll love - wildlife crossings, coastal wetlands, red-legged frogs, and much more. Be sure to check out her podcast and follow her social media, too.

And looking ahead, Jumpstart Nature is in the late stages of three new episodes for this fall, covering invasive species, outdoor cats, and an inspiring land conservation story that succeeded against all odds. And if you’re listening to this on the Nature’s Archive feed, well, we have plenty of fun episodes coming too - covering topics ranging from wildlife forensics to ants!

FULL SHOW NOTES (be sure to check it for some great photos!)

LINKS
Snakes with Emily Taylor - Nature's Archive
Newt Patrol

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#102: Sophie Osborn - From the Brink: Reintroducing Endangered Birds

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Have you ever wondered what it takes to bring a species back from the brink of extinction? Today, we’re diving into the front lines of one of the most challenging and inspiring conservation efforts of our time, with Sophie Osborn as our guide. This episode unravels the incredible stories of the Peregrine Falcon, Hawaiian Crow, and California Condor—three iconic birds with a common thread of survival against the odds.

We’ll explore the daunting threats these birds have faced, and surprisingly, how those same dangers continue to impact us all. Take lead ammunition, for instance—it’s a well-known hazard to wildlife like the Condor. But did you know that the tiny fragments left behind in game can be ingested by people, leading to serious health risks? You’ll find a striking X-ray image in our show notes that drives this point home.

But this isn’t just a tale of challenges—it’s also a story of hope. Sophie shares the hard-won successes and the relentless dedication of biologists who are making a difference. Sophie discussed all of this and much more in her new book, ‘Feather Trails’. It’s a beautifully crafted narrative that blends humor and suspense, along with Sophie’s personal journey alongside these remarkable species. Trust me, it’s well worth the read.

Be sure to check out Sophie’s work at wordsforbirds.net, and her Substack blog, ‘Words for Birds.’

FULL SHOW NOTES with photos

Links from Today's Episode
Feather Trails: A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds - Sophie Osborn's most recent book

School for Field Studies

Sophie's Substack Blog: Words for Birds

Sophie's website: wordsforbirds.net

Vocalizations of the Hawaiian Crow

Note: links to books are affiliate links to Bookshop.org. You can support independent bookstores AND Jumpstart Nature by purchasing through our affiliate links or our bookshop store.

Related Podcast Episodes

Plant Your Birdfeeder

Condors with Tiana Williams-Claussen (Golden State Naturalist Crossover!)

CREDITS:
Thanks to Kat Hill for editing help with this episode!

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#101: Connecting Climate, Carbon, Tree Leaf Phenology and Genetics with Dr. Hanna Makowski

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Have you ever wondered how biologists figure out how plants respond to drought, heat, cold, and other environmental factors?

One way is to study phenology. That’s a fancy word that accounts for seasonal and cyclical growth patterns of plants and animals. Researchers can look at various attributes, like when a plant flowers, leafs out, drops leaves, and more, and then see how that correlates to environmental factors, weather, climate, and genetics.

Today, our guest is Dr. Hanna Makowski, and she tells us all about her research at Black Rock Forest in New York - and why she’s had to become proficient with a shotgun!

Dr. Makowski shares her work on understanding the variations in leaf-out and leaf-drop phases among trees, the genetic and environmental factors driving these changes, and the broader implications for biodiversity and climate change adaptation.

Black Rock Forest is a special place for this kind of research, because it is at a transition zone where southern species and northern species meet. I know that I want to visit if I ever find myself in that part of New York.

Dr. Makowski’s findings could be helpful for tree conservation efforts and predicting forest resilience in the face of global climate shifts.

You can find Dr. Makowski on her website at www.hannamakowski.com, on twitter @hannamakowski, and on LinkedIn.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Black Rock Forest

Hillary Cooper - Dr. Makowski referenced Hillary Cooper’s study on Fremont Cottonwood phenology

Sarah Fitzpatrick of Michigan State

The Yard of the Future Podcast

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#100: The Biggest Nature Lesson I've Learned from 100 Nature's Archive Episodes

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Nature's Archive has published 100 episodes now. Well, actually over 100, because I normally don't count solo episodes.

This week, I wanted to share one of the most important lessons I've learned from these past four years and 100 episodes. Spoiler: it's an angle on how 'everything is connected', and a deeper, more profound understanding of ecosystem services.

Regular interview episodes return in two weeks, so stay tuned!

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner

Wildfire with Lenya Quinn-Davidson

Hydrology and Water Management with Sam Sandoval

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#99: Into the Wild: Snow Leopards and Wildlife Photography with Jake Davis

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Have you ever watched Planet Earth and wondered how they get that amazing footage of elusive and wild animals? Get ready to learn about that and much more.

Wildlife photographer Jake Davis shares his incredible journey from a 10-year-old with a disposable camera to capturing stunning footage for Planet Earth. Jake dives into the challenges and triumphs of filming elusive snow leopards in the Gobi Desert, including the technical intricacies of setting up camera traps. He also recounts dramatic encounters with Alaskan brown bears and the unique experience of placing a GoPro in a wolf den. Throughout, Jake emphasizes the importance of persistence, deep observation, the need to thoroughly understand wildlife behavior, and he even shares his connection between nature and mental health.

You can find Jake on instagram @revealedinnature, or on his website jakedavis.tv.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Find Jake on instagram revealedinnature, or on his website jakedavis.tv.

America’s National Parks on Disney Plus

Cognisys (camera traps)

Planet Earth 1

Planet Earth 3

Voyageurs Wolf Project

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Joro Spiders: Should You Be Concerned? And more Astounding Spiders with Dr. Sarah Rose

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Have you seen all of the scary headlines about massive venomous Joro spiders invading the eastern USA? Well, as you might imagine, these headlines are designed to drive clicks so that individuals and media can monetize their content.

Dr. Sarah Rose helps set the record straight, and also answers some questions about spider mating rituals, which turn out to be complex and fascinating!

And after that short Q&A, we play the full interview with Dr. Rose from Episode 58. Here is the introduction from that episode:

Today we’re going to discuss an animal that can make wind sails, cast nets, produce its own antifreeze, and is an A-list impersonator. Well, it’s not one animal, but a category of animals – spiders!

And my guest today, Dr. Sarah Rose, is here to tell us all about it. Dr. Rose is the author of a spectacular new field guide, Spiders of North America from Princeton University Press, is chair of the American Arachnological Society’s Common Names Committee, and has a PhD in Restoration Ecology from The Ohio State University.

We discuss Sarah’s journey to spiders, including her research into how spiders function as indicator species for habitats and ecosystems. Sarah tells us about the varied lifestyles of spiders, ranging from orb web weavers to sensing web weavers to ambush hunters, and more. We talk about different types of webs, spider guilds, profile some particularly interesting species such as the trash-line orb weaver, bolus spiders, and ant mimicking spiders, and much more.

And be sure to check Sarah’s YouTube for lots of fun spider videos.

Check the full show notes (link below) for some amazing spider photographs.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
All Bugs Go To Kevin – Facebook group
American Arachnological Society
Jack Pine Forests
Joro Spider Post by Dr. Rose
Lucas the Spider – a YouTube channel with a cute animated jumping spider
Spider Guilds – Cardoso et al

Books
Common Spiders of North America by Richard Bradley and Steve Buchanan (illustrator)
Spiders of North America, An Identification Manual, by Darrell Ubick (Editor), Pierre Paquin (Editor), Paula Cushing (Editor), Nadine Dupérré (Illustrator)
Spiders of North America, by Dr. Sarah Rose [Princeton University Press | Amazon]

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#98: Ocean’s Green Giants: The Vital Role of Kelp with Tristin Anoush McHugh

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 00:00:00 -0700

The ocean’s surface is a bit like the cover of a book. We have a title - the ocean - which gives us a hint about what it is. And we probably have some preconceived ideas about it based on the cover graphics or author.

But we can’t see inside to truly understand the stories it wants to tell.

One of those stories is about a forest - yes, an underwater forest that serves multiple critical purposes for life on earth. I’m talking about kelp forests, which generates oxygen, stores carbon, balances chemical cycles critical to life, and supports amazing biodiverse habitats.

But kelp are in trouble. In fact, 96% of the kelp forests in today’s guest’s region have disappeared in just a few years, and the reasons are multiple and solutions unclear.

And that guest is Tristin Anoush McHugh, the Kelp Project Director for The Nature Conservancy in California.

I knew I had to meet Tristin after seeing a wonderful short film called Forests Above and Forests Below, which was written and narrated by Tristin. It’s a powerful 6 minute film - check the show notes for a link.

And Tristin didn’t disappoint! Today Tristin helps us understand what kelp are and why they are in trouble. We discuss the complex relationships they have with sea otters, purple urchins, and sunflower sea stars.

We also discuss the dramatic impacts of sea star wasting disease, as well as how warming oceans might be disrupting kelps ability to reproduce.

I found the conversation to be incredibly enlightening, and extremely important. Oceans are disproportionately important to our climate and life in general, yet we all too often keep that book closed and on the shelf.

You can find Tristin at Tristin.McHugh(at)TNC(dot)org.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Forests Above and Forests Below

Friday Harbor Labs, Jason Hodin - an article about his research on sea star wasting disease

Reef Check is looking for diving volunteers

The Bay Foundation - restoring Santa Monica Bay

Kelp Forest Alliance

Thanks to Erica Zador for editing help!

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#97: How to Love a Forest with Ethan Tapper

Mon, 20 May 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Forestry is incredibly interesting and important, and it really speaks to me personally, because it’s one of these fields that is inherently interdisciplinary. You have to understand how things relate and connect to create a healthy, sustainable system.

But traditionally, forestry was all about resource extraction, which often is done at the expense of long term sustainability.

And my guest today, Ethan Tapper, is just the person to help us understand how forestry is changing. Ethan is a professional forester, and has incredibly unique personal experiences, which have helped him gain a compelling perspective on what makes for a “healthy” forest, and the trade-offs involved in getting there.

Ethan personally manages a tract of forest called Bear Island in Vermont, and has had to deal with expanses of invasive species, disease, mismanagement, and much more to turn the tides and make the forest healthier.

Today, we discuss exactly how Ethan defines what a healthy forest is, the trade-offs he considers when facing challenges such as invasive species and disease, the use of herbicides and forest thinning, and much more.

And by the way, Ethan has packaged his personal journey into a book, due out in September 2024 called How to Love a Forest. And you can find him on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Also find Ethan at ethantapper.com, and his new consultancy, Bear Island Forestry.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Bringing Nature Home – by Doug Tallamy
The Hidden Forest Biography of an Ecosystem by Jon R. Luoma [Amazon Link]
Nature’s Best Hope – by Doug Tallamy, Dr. Tallamy’s 2020 release
The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees – by Doug Tallamy, 2021
Runes of the North by Sigurd Olsen

Previous Podcast Episodes Mentioned
Doug Tallamy on Nature's Archive

People and Organizations
Griff Griffith TikTok / Facebook and Redwoods Rising TikTok / Facebook
Kyle Lybarger at The Native Habitat Project
Tom Groves

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#96: From Rattles to Kings: Unraveling the Secrets of Snakes With Dr. Emily Taylor

Mon, 06 May 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Snakes are the perfect topic for Nature’s Archive. They are often over-generalized to fit a worst-case stereotype, but they are critically important to our food webs and ecosystems. And like so much of what we discuss, once you start learning just a bit about them, you see how amazing and diverse they are.

And there are few better suited to guide us through the world of snakes than Dr. Emily Taylor. Dr. Taylor is a professor of biological sciences at California Poly San Luis Obispo and has been studying mating systems and physiology of rattlesnakes for 25 years. She’s also founder of Project RattleCam, which monitors a huge Prairie Rattlesnake rookery in Colorado, founder of Central Coast Snake Services, and an author. In fact, her latest book California Snakes and How to Find Them comes out on May 7 2024, which is literally tomorrow from the original release date of this podcast.

Today, we discuss the diversity of snakes across the United States - and I have to say, I kept saying United Snakes as I tried to read this the first time. And of course, how to find snakes, just like in the title of her book.

We discuss what different snakes eat, why the Kingsnake is named kingsnake, why live animals can’t simply claw their way out of a snake’s belly, and what it’s like to be surrounded by dozens of rattlesnakes all rattling at the same time.

Of course, we also discuss how snakes contribute to our ecosystems, and the threats that they face.

Dr. Taylor can be found on Instagram, Twitter, and Threads as @snakeymama

You can check emilytaylorscience.com for events she is attending and much more.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Advocates for Snake Preservation
California Snakes and How to Find Them - the NEW book!
Central Coast Snake Services
Dr. Christina Zdenek - Australian snake researcher, IG, Twitter
Free Snake Relocation Directory
Marissa Ishimatsu - major photographic contributor to Dr. Taylor's new book. Check Marissa's instagram for incredible snake and nature photography
Project RattleCam
Raptors Are The Solution - resources for dealing with rodents that don't harm snakes, birds, and pets
Save the Snakes

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#95: The Rare 2024 Cicada Double Emergence with Dr. Chris Simon

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0700

2024 is going to be another year of the cicada, with the emergence of two periodical cicada groups, or broods (Brood XIII and Brood XIX), at the same time, roughly in late April to early May.

Now, throughout much of the world, cicadas serenade us in summer afternoons - you might be familiar with that, and wonder “what’s the big deal”.

But in a few special locations, periodical cicadas emerge on a specific cycle, every 13 or 17 years. These emergences are like clockwork - somehow these insects know exactly when to emerge from the ground, in synchrony with each other, across a vast geography.

But it gets better still. Multiple species of cicada emerge together, sometimes in massive numbers approaching 1.5 million per acre of land.

And weirder still, these same species might emerge on a totally different schedule, offset by years, in areas a few hundred miles away.

What’s going on here? Well, this is just the start when it comes to the amazing aspects of cicadas. And today’s guest, Dr. Chris Simon, is perhaps the world’s expert on Cicadas. She joined me for an incredible wide-ranging discussion all the way from New Zealand.

Dr. Simon has been studying cicadas for decades. She is a Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and has a list of accolades so long that I could spend several minutes reading them.

So get ready to learn why these broods of cicadas emerge as they do, how glaciation influenced their locations, why 13 year cicadas tend to occur further south than 17 year cicadas, and of course, how you can see them too.

You can find more about Dr. Simon at cicadas.uconn.edu. And if you are interested in helping contribute to research on cicadas, download the cicada safari app from Apple or Google. More on that in the episode.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS

University of Connecticut Cicada Website that includes the recordings heard in today's episode.

Cicada Mania has more information on cicadas!
Cicada Safari App
Gene Kritsky's book "A Tale of Two Broods: The 2024 Emergence of Periodical Cicada Broods XIII and XIX"
Scissors Grinder (an annual cicada we mentioned)
The Queen of Trees Documentary
Tumble Science Podcast for Kids has an episode with Dr. Simon

Thanks to Kat Hill for editing help this week.

Thanks to the University of Connecticut and Dr. John Cooley for use of the cicada recordings heard in today's episode, found on cicadas.uconn.edu.

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#94: Secrets of the Octopus with Sy Montgomery and Warren Carlyle

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0700

When it comes to understanding nature, it often seems like the ocean surface - that undulating reflective layer of water - is more like an impenetrable curtain than just a layer of water.

There is just so much we don’t know about, and are too quick to dismiss, all because we can’t easily observe what’s going on down there.

Thankfully, octopuses are having a renaissance in popular culture, and as a result, serve as sort of an ambassador to the oceans. And this is in no small part due to the efforts of my guests today, Sy Montgomery and Warren Carlyle.

Sy Montgomery is the author of Soul of the Octopus and Secrets of the Octopus, among her many works.

And Warren Carlyle is the founder of OctoNation, a nonprofit octopus fan club boasting over a million members, and they have information on and photos and videos of nearly every octopus species on Earth.

Today we discuss just how incredible octopuses - and I admit, standard words like amazing and incredible just seem to fall short when describing these creatures.

They can contort and fit through tiny holes, change their color and texture in the blink of an eye, they can reason, some can use tools, and they are incredibly strong. They range in size from a kernel of corn to 300 pounds.

We cover a range of topics, but we delve deepest into exploring their intelligence. This, coupled with their distinctive lifestyle, physiology, and abilities, often leaves us humans astounded.

Sy and Warren had a new book, Secrets of the Octopus, released on March 19 2024, and are contributing to an exciting three part National Geographic TV series coming out on Earth Day 2024.

You can find Sy at symontgomery.com, and check out Warren’s efforts at octonation.com and @octonation on most social media platforms.

Get ready for a jaw-dropping and mind bending discussion about octopuses with Sy Montgomery and Warren Carlyle.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links

Big Eye Jellyhead video ballooning like a parachute
OctoNation (and Octopedia) - Instagram , Facebook, TikTok
secretsoftheoctopus.com - The new book!
www.symontgomery.com
Dr. Alex Schnell
Warren on Social Media: IG
Sy on Social Media: IG

Related Episode: Kelp with Tristin McHugh

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#93: Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant - Carnivore Ecology, Wild Life, and Environmental Justice

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0700

My guest today is Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant. Dr. Wynn-Grant is the co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, is a wildlife ecologist and affiliated researcher at the UC Santa Barbara Bren School of Environmental and Science Management.

She’s also an author, with her new memoir entitled “Wild Life” coming out on April 2.

Today we discuss Dr. Wynn-Grant’s unique and inspiring personal journey into wildlife ecology, her awakening to the world of environmental justice, triggered by Hurricane Katrina, as well as some of her active research pursuits, including her work with bears and mountain lions that seem to have a propensity for visiting the beach.

I really enjoyed both the book and the conversation today, because Dr. Wynn-Grant has so many facets of her story that I can relate to, and that I find inspiring, and I think you will too.

Find Dr. Wynn-Grant on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, or her website.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Dangermond Preserve
Going Wild Podcast
Mapping Environmental Justice
Wild Life - Finding My Purpose in an Untamed World - by Rae Wynn-Grant

Thanks to Kat Hill for editing help on this episode.

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#92: Secrets of Beautifully Fuzzy Velvet Ants with Dr. Joseph Wilson (and a bit about native bees, too!)

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0700

Have you ever seen a fuzzy looking ant? Maybe it looked like a little pipe cleaner with fuzzy red or yellow hair?

If so, you probably saw a velvet ant. And here’s the thing - it’s not even an ant at all. They’re wingless wasps, and they often turn up along hiking trails, roadsides, and sometimes even in your backyard! And if you haven’t seen one, hit pause and check out the show notes on naturesarchive.com for a few photos.

What’s more, these wasps have quite the reputation and an amazing natural history.

With me today is Dr. Joseph Wilson, an evolutionary ecologist and associate professor of biology at Utah State University. Dr. Wilson is also the co-author of the new book, Velvet Ants of North America, as well as the wildly popular The Bees in Your Backyard.

I reached out to Dr. Wilson because I’ve always been fascinated with velvet ants, but found precious little information about them. I purchased the book and reached out to Dr. Wilson, and he graciously agreed to share some of his knowledge.

For example, did you know that some velvet ants have an auditory warning? And half of velvet ants are nocturnal? We discuss why we seem to usually see velvet ants deterministically wandering near trails, why they are often - and inaccurately - called cow killers, and more.

But I couldn’t have a chat with Dr. Wilson and not talk bees, so we kick things off with some discussion of bees, buzz pollination and more before transitioning to velvet ants.

Find Dr. Wilson on The Bees in Your Backyard, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

FULL SHOW NOTES

MORE LINKS
Also check out our interview with Krystle Hickman (episode #66) - about finding and photographing native bees.

The Bees in Your Backyard by Olivia Messinger Carril and Joseph Wilson
Common Bees of Western North America
Common Bees of Eastern North America
Velvet Ants of North America by Williams, Pan, and Wilson

Note: books are affiliate links to Bookshop.org. Support independent bookstores AND Jumpstart Nature by purchasing through these links or our bookshop store.

Other Insect-oriented Podcasts

Just Bugs
Bug Banter
Bugs Need Heroes

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#91: Examining Tree Physiology with Dr. Lucy Kerhoulas: Insights into Drought Adaptation and the Carbon Smoking Gun

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0800

In nature, tree physiology is like the engine that keeps forests running smoothly, similar to how human physiology keeps our bodies going. Just as we study how our bodies' metabolism, respiratory systems, and other systems work to keep us healthy, biologists can look at tree physiology to understand how trees grow, use energy, and cope with challenges in their environment.

Today’s guest, Dr. Lucy Kerhoulas, is an Associate Professor of Forest Ecophysiology at Cal-Poly Humboldt. She specializes in the forest physiology of northwestern California, which includes redwoods, Douglas fir, oaks, and more.

Today Dr. Kerhoulas explores various aspects of forest physiology including how they adapt to different conditions such as fire and drought. She delves into the scientific tools used to study how trees respond to environmental changes, including measuring carbon isotopes in tree tissues to assess impacts of drought. And this understanding of carbon isotope preferences provides interesting insights into historical atmospheric carbon levels, dating back hundreds of years. In fact, this is sometimes called “the smoking gun”, because it provides strong evidence of fossil fuel contributions to atmospheric carbon.

Dr. Kerhoulas also discusses how trees can share resources and signal each other during times of stress, possibly creating a cooperative environment within a forest.

This was a jam-packed discussion, and I hope you enjoy it.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links to Topics Mentioned
Bigfoot Trail Alliance
CDFW
CNPS
CZU Complex Fire Map
Kerhoulas Forest Physiology Lab
Michael Kauffmann in Nature’s Archive Episode #41 discusses conifer trees and the Klamath Mountains

Thanks to Kat Hill for editing help in today's episode.

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#90: From Invasive Species to Allergenic Pollen with Allasandra Valdez (The Happy Botanist Podcast) and Dr. Daniel Katz

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0800

You’re in for a treat today - it’s like two episodes in one.

My guest today is Allasandra Valdez, a botanist working on her PhD in plant physiology in Cornell University’s Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department. Allasandra also has a background studying invasive species, and is the creator and host of The Happy Botanist podcast.

Today’s wide-ranging discussion touches on everything from studying plants' response to climate change through looking at carbon 13 isotopes, to invasive species including the Hemlock wooly adelgid, to the surprising behaviors of an invasive grass called Johnson Grass.

We also discuss Allasandra’s work in science communication and her podcast, The Happy Botanist.

As you know, my Jumpstart Nature organization seeks to amplify great work being done by others, and after meeting Allasandra and learning about her work and her vision, I felt that she fit the bill. So the last 30 minutes or so of today’s episode is a re-share of one of her episodes with Dr. Dan Katz. Dr. Katz studies airborne pollen - specifically allergenic pollen. If you’ve ever wondered why some pollen causes so much havoc, or if those pollen forecasts you sometimes see on the local weather are accurate, stay tuned to learn more.

Find Allasandra on Instagram and TikTok, and her podcast is on all of the usual podcast services, and the web at The Happy Botanist podcast.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links
Daniel Katz: https://www.thekatzlab.com/
The Happy Botanist podcast

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#89: Burning Questions: Understanding Fire Management with Lenya Quinn-Davidson

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Many of you might recall the dramatic 2020 fire season in the western USA. In California alone, close to 4 million acres burned. Cities were clouded with smoke and unhealthy air for many weeks. I had ash fall at my home in San Jose, CA on several occasions.

But did you know that based on pre-colonial historical estimates, 4 million acres burned would be considered “below average”. How can that be? Does that mean that every summer in the 1700’s had smoke filled air and devastating fires? Spoiler alert: the answer is no.

In today’s episode, we reconcile how it was possible for more acres of land to burn every year, but with less dramatic impact. In fact, that historical fire was largely beneficial to the land.

Our guest today, who helps us decipher historical fire and how we can add more beneficial fire back to the landscape is Lenya Quinn-Davidson.

And when you have a guest who’s first name literally means “firewood” in Spanish (alternative spelling), you know you’ve found the right person to discuss wildfire management.

But Lenya Quinn-Davidson’s qualifications extend well beyond her name. She’s the Director of the FIRE network for the University of California’s Agriculture and Natural Resources organization. She focuses on the various ways humans connect with fire, including the use of prescribed fire for habitat restoration, invasive species control, and ecosystem and community resiliency. She’s actively engaged in local and national prescribed fire communities, and is an advocate for increasing diversity in the world of wildfire.

A quick aside before we get into the interview. Obviously, climate change is a huge component for why we see bigger fires. Heat has a disproportionate impact on fire intensity. So while we don’t talk about climate change much today, it is absolutely an amplifying factor in wildfire intensity and frequency.

You can find Lenya at LenyaQD on twitter.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links
California Prescribed Burn Associations
Dixie Fire
Scott Stephens - wildfire reconstructions from UC Berkeley
UCANR Fire Advisors
WTREX - Women-in-Fire Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges

Thanks to Kat Hill for editing help in this episode.

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#88: BLM Unveiled: A Journey with Josh Jackson into our Forgotten Lands

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0800

I bet you’ve heard of the National Park Service. Or the US Forest Service which manages all of our National Forests.

But did you know that there is another land management agency that manages more public land than either the National Parks or National Forests? This overlooked agency is the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM.

Josh Jackson has become one of the BLM’s top enthusiasts, with a huge following on his forgottenlandscalifornia instagram. He’s also a writer and conservationist, and is working on a new book all about BLM lands.

Today we dig into what turned Josh on to these fascinating places. He gives us a nice overview of what they’re like, the amazing sites and plants and animals you may see, and how you can enjoy them too.

We also learn about his upcoming book, to be published with Heyday Books. It sounds intriguing , and aims to fill a major gap in the literature. You can find volumes about national and state parks and national forests - but try to find similar literature on BLM lands. Good luck on that!

I strongly suggest you follow Josh on his forgottenlandscalifornia instagram to see and hear about some of these amazing places.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
People and Organizations
Baba Dioum
Bureau of Land Management's visitors website
Heyday Books
Obi Kaufmann

Books and Other Things
California Desert Plants, by Kauffmann, Rundel, and Gustafson
Federal Land Policy and Management Act
In Defense of Public Lands, by Steven Davis
Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold
These American Lands: Parks, Wilderness, and the Public Lands, by Zaslowsky and Watkins
The Trouble With Wilderness - William Cronon's essay

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#87: California Condors with Tiana Williams-Claussen (Golden State Naturalist Crossover!)

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0800

Today’s episode is all about California Condors with Tiana Williams-Claussen, the director of the Yurok Tribe’s wildlife department. This episode is actually from my friend Michelle Fullner of the Golden State Naturalist podcast. If you don’t know Golden State Naturalist, I think this episode is pretty indicative of Michelle’s work. She travels around California to meet and interview interesting people in the field. There is a definite advantage to in-person interviews, and I wish I could do more.

Even though this episode is about California Condors, and the podcast is California-centric, today’s episode is still broadly applicable. California Condors historically lived in a large chunk of the western North America, from southern Canada to northern Mexico. And the challenges facing Condors, and the efforts to reintroduce and sustain them have many parallels.

Now, I don’t want to take away from Michelle’s introduction for this episode coming shortly. But I do want to tell you why I wanted to cover Condors on Nature’s Archive.

Right off the bat, condors are huge - boasting a 9 foot wingspan. They’re also critically endangered, which is why Tiana Williams-Claussen is such a great guest - she’s leading a reintroduction program with the Yurok Tribe in northern California.

As long time listeners know, I particularly enjoy covering overlooked and misrepresented flora and fauna. And for today, I’m going to lump condors and vultures together. In fact, in North America, vultures and condors are in the same family of birds, and occupy similar ecological roles.

And what role is that? Well, the textbooks say “scavengers”. And if you are like most people, you might have an unconscious negative bias towards scavengers. Why? So much of our human-centric perspective is based on how we live, and casts a negative light towards other evolved lifestyles, such as parasitism, or in this case, scavenging.

To scavenge - that is, eat already dead animals - one must have some pretty amazing adaptations. Afterall, the moment an animal dies, bacteria starts to take over. And the fact the animal died in the first place might indicate that it was already diseased, especially if it didn’t die as roadkill.

If a diseased carcass remains on the landscape for an extended period of time, it can become a disease vector. But vultures and condors are special. Their acidic stomachs and unique immune systems help protect them.

I heard a great reframing of the role condors and vultures play - instead of scavengers, they are nature’s immune system. By rapidly clearing dead animals, they prevent and halt disease spread. And there are examples around the world where vultures had died off for various, usually human-caused reasons, and this resulted in significant increases in diseases in other animals - including rabies.

FULL SHOW NOTES

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#86: Double Feature! The Yard of the Future and We Live in a 10% World

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Double the nature content in the same amount of time as a typical Nature's Archive? Well, I think we've come close today, and no, we're not playing an interview at double speed.

Here's your chance to hear two episodes of the Jumpstart Nature podcast from our pilot season, covering the topics of treating your yard like a habitat (The Yard of the Future Full Show Notes), and how shifting baseline syndrome affects our perception of the health of the environment (We Live in a 10% World Full Show Notes).

You might recognize bits and pieces of these episodes, because I aired a couple of the interviews in their entirety on Nature's Archive. But there is lots of new content that hasn't aired here.

I hope you enjoy this format! Jumpstart Nature brings multiple perspectives to topics we cover, and ties it together with an entertaining and inspiring narrative from Griff Griffith.

Let me know what you think! And if you like it, please subscribe to Jumpstart Nature on your favorite podcast app.

Guests in this double feature include Dr. Doug Tallamy, Mary Phillips, Leslie Inman, Dr. Loren McClenachan, Dr. Alison Whipple, Ben Goldfarb, and Francisco Saavedra Jr.

And regular Nature's Archive interview podcasts will be back in two weeks!

Links
The Yard of the Future Full Show Notes
We Live in a 10% World Full Show Notes

Subscribe to the Jumpstart Nature Podcast
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#85: Life After Dark (Nocturnalia!) with Charles Hood and Dr. José Martínez-Fonseca

Mon, 04 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Let’s dive into the enchanting world of hidden wonders that come to life after dark!

Our guests today are Charles Hood and José Martínez-Fonseca, authors of the new book “Nocturnalia: Nighttime Life of the Western USA" from Heyday Books.

Charles is an author, poet, birder, and world traveler, and as you’ll hear, an exceptional naturalist, too. Jose has a PhD in Bat Ecology, and as a result, has extensive experienced studying animals of the night.

Today we uncover the intriguing behaviors of nocturnal creatures such as nectar-feeding bats and vampire bats, scorpions that glow under UV light, and the often ignored but fascinating small owls - we’re talking owls the size of a American Robin - or even smaller! Observe how even the familiar environment of urban backyards transform into arenas of ecological discovery when the sun goes down.

Tailored for nature enthusiasts and curious minds alike, this conversation is a gateway to a world less explored - the intriguing and overlooked world of nocturnal nature.

FULL SHOW NOTES (with photos!)

LINKS
A Salad Only The Devil Would Eat, by Charles Hood
Charles Hood's Website
Jose Martinez-Fonseca on Instagram, and his photography website
Nature's Archive episode about Bats with Dr. Dave Johnston

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#84: Dr. Marshall Shepherd - Weather is Your Mood, Climate is Your Personality

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Weather is like your mood, and climate is like your personality. Those are the words of today’s guest, Dr. Marshall Shepherd (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram).

Despite the clear differences between these two concepts, there are many topics of confusion that persist. For example, is El Nino, which we discussed a few weeks ago on this podcast, a climate condition or a weather condition? And how can forecasters be confident in their long term climate predictions when it is so hard to predict weather 10 days out?

Dr. Shepherd is just the person to help us understand these concepts. He is the Director of the Atmospheric Sciences program at the University of Georgia. He’s also host of the Weather Channel series Weather Geeks, previously a research meteorologist for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and has had multiple popular TED talks.

Today we talk about climate and weather and how they are predicted. We discuss the computer models used for both, how they differ, how they've improved, and where they still need improvement.

He also shares some of his research on how urban areas affect and change weather, and several other fascinating topics.

This episode might sound different than a typical Nature’s Archive interview. That’s because we were planning to use this conversation in an upcoming Jumpstart Nature podcast. So, you might hear a few terms and concepts mentioned without explanation - but stick with it, because we end up defining everything later.

Check these past episodes for more information on topics discussed today: episode #80 on oceans and El Nino and episode #62 on snowflake and precipitation genesis

FULL SHOW NOTES

Dr. Shepherd's Publications
Ed Lorenz and Chaos Theory
Example Forecast Discussion available from the National Weather Service
Hurricane Otis
Six America’s Study
TED Talks: 3 kinds of bias that shape your worldview (2018); Slaying the "zombies" of climate science (2013)

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#83: If Trees Could Talk with Dr. Grant Harley

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 00:00:00 -0800

There are living trees in the United States that are approaching 5000 years old - and I’m not talking about trees that clone (I’m looking at you, aspen). Imagine if those trees could talk! Well, in a way, they can!

That’s where dendrochronologists like Dr. Grant Harley come in.

And it turns out that the science of dendrochronology is so much more far reaching than I ever imagined. Dr. Harley tells us how he reads the trees, inferring things like climate patterns, wildfire history, and community ecology. But this unique science even allows for dating artifacts, such as coffins, cabins, shipwrecks, and other wooden objects.

We cover all of this and more, including how tree rings are assessed without killing the tree. And how technology is used to make these assessments. Dr. Harley also answers why trees in the western US make better specimens for assessing historical climate. And just what is the medieval climate anomaly and why is it important to us today?

I feel like Dr. Harley could make a series of podcasts out of dendrochronology, the history it tells us, and the mysteries it helps us solve. Find Dr. Harley on Twitter @dendrotrog.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links To Topics Discussed
Note: links to books are affiliate links
Fundamentals of Tree Ring Research by James Speer
The Fellowship of the Tree Rings RadioLab episode that Dr. Harley appeared on
North American Dendroecological Fieldweek

Thanks for Michelle Balderston for editing help this week

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#82: Amanda Monthei - Life with Fire

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0700

As you all know, I find wildfire to be fascinating. It’s complex, simultaneously necessary and at times devastating, and wildly misunderstood. And the landscape of fire is rapidly changing - literally and figuratively. So, I hope to continue to bring a variety of voices and perspectives on wildfire - including today.

Have you ever wondered what it is like to be on the fire lines with a wildfire crew? Or what it takes to join a crew? Or the differences between crews, such as engine crews, hand crews, and hot shot crews? And how do they actually manage active wildfires? And where does prescribed and cultural burning fit into the picture?

Today’s guest, Amanda Monthei, helps us get some answers. Amanda is a former wildland firefighter, having participated in a variety of crews, including a hot shot crew. She is now a writer, host of the Life with Fire podcast where she interviews a wide variety of people involved with wildfire, and she’s an occasional public information officer on wildfires.

In addition to her podcast, you can find Amanda at lwf_pod on twitter, lifewithfirepodcast on Facebook, and lifewithfirepod on instagram.

I hope you enjoy today’s episode - and be sure to check out the show notes on podcast.naturesarchive.com to see the video we referenced, and links to everything we discuss, including Amanda’s social media accounts!

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links to Topics Discussed
Life with Fire Podcast (Amanda's Podcast)
Good Fire Podcast
High Country News

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#81: Dr. Emma Greig - From Fairywrens to FeederWatch

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:00:00 -0700

Dr. Emma Greig is a behavioral ecologist who has been leading Project FeederWatch, a multi-decade community science effort led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada.

Today's discussion could be broadly characterized as "how to take care of the birds that visit your yard" - and you might be surprised at some of the recommendations.

Our discussion begins in Australia, where Dr. Greig did her dissertation. Her work studied the amazing behavior of the splendid fairywren, a small and colorful Australian bird, who literally sing in the shadows of a predator.

From there, we get into Project FeederWatch and the practice of bird feeding in general. Project FeederWatch has collected an immense dataset that reveals a lot about birds that visit feeders and people's yards in general. We discuss some of the findings, and how you can participate. It's easy!

It's a wide ranging discussion, including topics like - does feeding birds affect their migration routes or timing, or their geographic ranges? How to minimize pests getting into your feeders? Does widespread feeding birds impact populations or the composition of bird communities?

We also talk about best practices for feeding birds. Yes, we're taking on a responsibility of caring for wild animals, so there are several important things we need to do, such as paying attention to disease spread.

Dr. Greig gets into all of this and more. So if you feed birds or are considering feeding birds, this is an important episode to listen to.

Find Project FeederWatch on Twitter.

Check out Jumpstart Nature's podcast episode #2, "Plant Your Birdfeeder", for more from Dr. Greig and other experts on birds and their habitats.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links To Topics Discussed

FeederWatch Scientific Data
Killing with kindness: Does widespread generalised provisioning of wildlife help or hinder biodiversity conservation efforts? - scientific paper by Jack Shutt and Alex Lees
Preventing Window Strikes
Project FeederWatch - Begins on November 1!

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#80: El Niño (ENSO) and Ocean Temperatures

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0700

Have you heard of El Niño? Some people call it the single biggest influence on winter weather in North America. But what is it, and how does it work? And we're in an El Niño event this year, and it's going to affect our weather (and ecology!)

There is always much confusion about El Niño, what it is, why it occurs, and how it might alter our weather in the coming seasons.

Today's episode looks at El Niño, which is one part of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, or ENSO. Consider this a primer - an accessible look at some of the mechanisms and impacts of El Niño, and how and why it can impact weather from India to California and beyond. And we also include a few ecological tidbits here and there.

In order to give El Niño its due, we also cover some of the basics of how oceans influence weather.

I tried hard to pack a lot of information into 50 minutes, along with a lot of analogies to help reinforce some of the points. Let me know how I did! And of course, these are very complex systems, so there is much that I couldn't cover.

Looking ahead, we will have an expert climatologist later this year, so this episode will serve as good background for some of that conversation. I also have interviews with a dendrochronologist (tree ring expert!), a wildfire episode with an ex-firefighter, and an episode on nocturnal animals. So be sure to subscribe to the podcast in your favorite app to ensure you don't miss future releases.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links To Topics Discussed
Daniel Swain - Weather West, YouTube Office Hours
Jet Steam Basics
Jet Stream Alignment in ENSO Scenarios
National Weather Service CPC ENSO Report (PDF)
Rossby Waves

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#79: Pollinator Friendly Yards with Leslie Inman

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0700

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I started Nature’s Archive podcast in an effort to understand the stories of people making a difference for the environment. I needed to be inspired, wanted to learn how they did it, and share that inspiration and knowledge with anyone willing to listen.

While we haven’t strayed too far from those initial aspirations, I do have many more topic-centric episodes than I did at the start.

So today’s episode is a “back to my roots” episode. My guest is Leslie Inman, the founder of the wildly popular Pollinator Friendly Yards group on Facebook. With 184,000 members, it is perhaps the top spot for people to discuss sustainable personal landscaping. And even if you are not on Facebook, it’s pretty likely you’ve seen her images and infographics.

Oh, and Leslie also has two books - Your Yard is Nature and The Butterfly Egg and the Little Tree.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links To Topics Discussed

Pollinator Friendly Yards
Dave Goulson
Doug Tallamy & Homegrown National Park (TikTok)
Doug Tallamy appeared on Nature's Archive Podcast Episode #26
Leslie’s Books - Your Yard is Nature and The Butterfly Egg and the Little Tree
Mary Reynolds, We Are The Ark
Nancy Lawson, The Humane Gardener [Book]
Travis Longcore (light pollution ecologist)
Wild Ones - Wild Ones promotes environmentally friendly, sound landscaping to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration, and establishment of native plant communities

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#78: Pirates, Trophy Fish, and Shifting Baselines: Unveiling Ecological Mysteries With Dr. Loren McClenachan

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 00:00:00 -0700

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Ever wondered how scientists unravel the ecological mysteries of bygone eras, long before systematic record-keeping? Believe it or not, one part of the answer is in pirate journals.

And no, I'm not joking.

Today, I have the privilege of hosting Dr. Loren McClenachan, an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and History, and a Canada Research Chair in Ocean History and Sustainability at the University of Victoria. Throughout her career, Dr. McClenachan has been delving deep into historical marine ecology, unearthing ingenious ways to examine past ecosystems.

Our focus today? The intriguing concept of shifting baseline syndrome, a topic that we've only grazed the surface of in previous Nature's Archive conversations. In 2009, Dr. McClenachan authored a pivotal paper examining the dwindling sizes of recreational trophy fish off the Florida Keys. This study unveiled what seasoned anglers had long grasped—the once-plentiful colossal fish had become elusive.

Shifting Baseline Syndrome arises when your first interaction with an environment establishes your baseline—a perceived "natural" or "normal" state. Yet, this baseline could markedly differ from your grandparents'. And here's where the surprise sets in: the implications span conservation and society alike.

Dr. McClenachan helps explain these implications through a variety of eye-opening examples. And yes, you'll even discover how pirates play a part in this narrative.

FULL SHOW NOTES

People, Papers, and Organizations
3 billion birds lost
All of Dr. McClenachan’s publications
Anecdotes and the Shifting Baseline Syndrome of Fisheries (Pauly)
Daniel Pauly’s TED Talk
Documenting Loss of Large Trophy Fish from the Florida Keys with Historical Photographs (McClenachan)
Dr. McClenachan's Website
Ecology. Globalization, roving bandits, and marine resources
University of Victoria – history website; environmental studies website

Books and Podcasts
Nature’s Archive #57: Allen Fish – Raptor Migration from Hawk Hill

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#77: Unraveling the Secrets of Road Ecology with Ben Goldfarb

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 00:00:00 -0700

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It's hard to imagine a time without roads that connect us, facilitate commerce, allow us to reach hospital schools, family, and friends. And in plain sight, they grow in width, link density and traffic volume slowly and continually.

Amidst to the sprawling network that shapes our lives. There's a realm often overlooked, but equally profound. A domain where the intersection between humanity and nature takes an unforeseen twist.

Our guest today has Ben Goldfarb, author of the new book "Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet". You might remember Ben from a past episode where he discussed his book on beavers appropriately titled eager. And in typical Ben form, he reveals a hidden world in plain sight, full of surprises. From rapid adaptation by some animals to the intractable ways that 70 mile per hour traffic hack many animal's ability to cope. Ben's book will be released on September 12th. You can find more details at bengoldfarb.com.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Ben Online: bengoldfarb.com, Instagram, Twitter
Crossings by Ben Goldfarb - Ben's new book
Nature’s Archive #30: Dr. Jaret Daniels – Butterflies, Creating Habitat in Overlooked Landscapes, and Leveraging Creative Outreach
Nature’s Archive #35: Ben Goldfarb – Eager Beavers, The Quintessential Keystone Species
Nature’s Archive #38: Beth Pratt – The Age of Wildlife Crossings
Sandra Jacobson - A behavior-based framework for assessing barrier effects to wildlife from vehicle traffic volume
Ware et al. - A phantom road experiment reveals traffic noise is an invisible source of habitat degradation
Marcel Hauser - Dutch road ecologist

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#76: Nature Unleashed: Inspiring Passion for Nature with Griff Griffith

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 00:00:00 -0700

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Griff Griffith is former host of Animal Planet’s Wild Jobs, current spokesperson for Redwoods Rising, and he’s a volunteer for Jumpstart Nature.

Griff has dedicated his career to honing his expertise in effectively communicating and motivating people to care about the environment. From the youth he led in the California Conservation Corps, to people he engaged with at State Parks, to the 4 million people that watch his videos on TikTok. He’s also been on CNN, NBC Nightly News, Kelly Clarkson, and more, so he knows a thing or two about engaging people.

And if you are like me, you care for nature, and want to share your love of nature with others.

So today, Griff shares his secrets to success in ways that can work for anyone, regardless of your personality or approach.

One of Griff’s messages is that you have to always make things relevant to your audience, so we try to do that today by including lots of specific examples, including stories like you just heard, discussion of goose pen trees (what? Yes goose pen, like goose like the honking bird), invasive clams, and the magic of photosynthesis.

You’ll learn about analyzing an audience, being authentic, dealing with doubters, and more.

So if you talk about nature with family and friends, lead walks or trips, or want to talk nature on Tik Tok or Instagram, we’ve got you covered.

Follow Griff on TikTok and Facebook, or Redwoods Rising on TikTok or Facebook.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links To Topics Discussed
Griff's Past Appearance on Nature's Archive
Keith Williams talking river snorkeling on Nature's Archive
Alexis Nicole Nelson (The Black Forager)
Native Habitat Project (Kyle Lybarger)

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#75: Birding Under the Influence with Dorian Anderson

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 00:00:00 -0700

Today we hear from Dorian Anderson, who you might recognize from episode #1 of Nature’s Archive.

Dorian has been a prominent figure in the birding world since 2014, when he bicycled nearly 18000 miles across the USA in what is known as a Big Year - an attempt to see as many bird species as possible.

Dorian loves a challenge, so his Big Year was much more than just trying to find lots of birds. His was a bicycle powered trip that didn’t use fossil fuels. He maintained a strict budget, built community as he went, and continued his personal journey of overcoming substance abuse. Amidst the trials of essentially being an extreme endurance athlete, Dorian also faced the inherent safety challenges of cycling on roads not necessarily designed with bicyclists in mind.

And today we have some exciting news - Dorian’s memoir, weaved into the story of the Big Year, is about to be released as a book titled “Birding Under the Influence”, which by the way is available for pre-sale now.

So in this episode we recap the Big Year, discuss the book and all that went into that, and how the Big Year launched a new career for Dorian as an international birding guide.

Dorian has some new stories to share. And if you aspire to be a bird guide, or just want to get some productive birding in on your next vacation, Dorian has some excellent advice and practical tips.

As for the Big Year itself, we chronicled much of this exciting story in episode 1, and the last 40 minutes or so of this episode are excerpts from that first discussion so that you can get the full story.

Find Dorian on Instagram or his photography website.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links
People, Websites, Organizations
Chelsea Green Publishing
Dorian Anderson Photography - Dorian's photographic website.
The Speckled Hatchback - Dorian's Blog
Tropical Birding

Books
Note: links to books are affiliate links
Birding Under the Influence: Cycling Across America in Search of Birds and Recovery by Dorian Anderson [Bookshop.org link]
Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by Dacher Keltner

Podcasts
Episode #1 of Nature's Archive, with Dorian! Notes that most of episode 1 is appended to this episode.

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#74: Just What is the Anthropocene? With Dr. Anya Gruber

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 00:00:00 -0700

Have you heard about the Anthropocene? Well, we're living in it right now, but that's not necessarily a good thing.

Joining us is paleoethnobotanist, Dr. Anya Gruber, whose expertise uniquely positions her to guide us through the human relationship with the environment. We begin by learning about Dr. Gruber's world, where she skillfully utilizes plant remains to reconstruct the environments of bygone eras and decipher human interactions with nature.

Building on this foundation, our conversation shifts towards the Anthropocene—the epoch that places humanity under scrutiny for its pervasive and often detrimental impact on the Earth. Dr. Gruber helps us understand the concept's essence, its definition, and the methodologies employed to assess its effects.

Within the context of the Anthropocene, we confront the uncomfortable reality of our collective responsibility for the environmental challenges we face. We also explore the nuances of distributional impacts, acknowledging that the burden is not evenly shared across all individuals.

I hope today's episode serves as a good introduction to the Anthropocene, and that by comprehending the profound implications of the Anthropocene, we can ignite a transformative drive towards a more harmonious relationship with our planet.

You can find Dr. Gruber on Instagram @anyagruber, or on her website at anyaegruber.com.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
People and Organizations
SAPIENS Anthropology Magazine – https://www.sapiens.org/
Atlas Obscura – https://www.atlasobscura.com/

Upcoming article about the queer history of the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow house.

Books and Other Things
Note: links to books are affiliate links
Finding Mrs. Jackson Sapiens Podcast Episode
Two of Dr. Gruber’s recent articles

SAPIENS | Can Digitizing Gravestones Save History?
Atlas Obscura | Burial Hill’s Historic Gravestones Are Coming to Your Screen

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#73: From Dirt to Life: How Regenerative Agriculture Rebuilds Biodiversity with Gabe Brown

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 00:00:00 -0700

I’ve been really lucky to have some amazing guests on Nature’s Archive. Guests who open my eyes, and hopefully yours as well, to new ways of seeing nature. Today’s guest opens our eyes to agricultural practices that work in harmony with our ecosystems.

Why is this important? Well, by some estimates, as much as 44% of the land in the United States is used for some form of agriculture. And the principles of regenerative agriculture serve as a great primer for understanding important aspects of soil health and the carbon and nitrogen cycles.

We discuss the impacts of soil disturbance on soil biology, the importance of fungi and microorganisms, nitrogen fixing, and much more.

Our guest and guide today is Gabe Brown, author of Dirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture, which by the way has 1500 Amazon reviews, and not one below 3 stars. Gabe has been called a pioneer of the soil health movement, and his personal story of migrating his 5000 acre property to regenerative practices is both inspiring and a great education tool.

Today we discuss Gabe’s story, and dig into the 6 principles of soil health, and how they drive four ecosystem processes.

Gabe’s also working to spread regenerative farming to more people, and he’s working to make it easier for consumers to locate and purchase foods grown with regenerative practices. You can even apply these practices in your own garden.

You can find more about Gabe and his work at UnderstandingAg.com and soilhealthacademy.org. And you can find UnderstandingAg on Twitter.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Related Podcast Episodes
Dr. Elaine Ingham - The Soil Food Web
Tom Biebighauser - Wetlands

People and Organizations
Regenified
Soil Health Academy
Understand Ag

Books and Other Things
Note: links to books are affiliate links
Dirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture by Gabe Brown

Thanks to Michelle Balderston for editing assistance.
Thanks to Jess Hasenplaugh for production assistance this episode

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#72: The Nature of Viruses with Dr. Robert David Siegel

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 00:00:00 -0700

Have you ever been surprised to discover that something you thought you knew, like a milkweed or a bumblebee, actually encompasses a vast array of distinct species? Well, today we're diving into a world that's equally diverse and captivating: viruses. They may not be as readily observable as plants and animals, but they're an essential part of our natural world.

Joining us today is Dr. Robert David Siegel, a renowned professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University. With his extensive expertise in virology, Dr. Siegel sheds light on how viruses fit into the broader ecological landscape. We'll explore their types, diversity, and the intriguing ways they infect their hosts and evolve.

Ever wondered why some viruses have the ability to infect multiple species or make astonishing jumps from one species to another? We'll delve into this topic, with a focus on well-known examples like influenza and coronaviruses.

And let's not forget our own immune system, the incredible shield protecting us from viral invaders. Dr. Siegel takes us on a journey through the basics of our immune response, including insights into the innate and adaptive systems. And did you know that the reaction we get from poison oak and poison ivy is actually an immune response? If you think you are immune to these plants, I suggest you listen.

And of course, we can't conclude our discussion without addressing the promises and myths surrounding mRNA vaccines—a vital aspect of virus control.

But that's not all! Dr. Siegel, a nature lover and accomplished photographer, shares his tales of chasing and photographing every order of birds in the world. Prepare to be inspired by his remarkable nature endeavors, which he graciously recounts during the final part of our conversation.

Get ready to embark on an enlightening and awe-inspiring journey into the world of viruses, their ecological significance, and the wonders of our immune system.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Websites
iNaturalist
ViralZone Website

Books and Other Things
Note: links to books are affiliate links
An Immense World - by Ed Yong
Breathless: The Scientific Race to Defeat a Deadly Virus - by David Quamman
Darwin: The Origin of Species | The Voyage of the Beagle
The Demon in the Freezer: A True Story - by Richard Preston
The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus - by Richard Preston
Microbe Hunters: The Story of the Microscopic Discoveries that Changed the World - by Paul de Kruif
Some of Dr. Siegel's nature photography and writing in Punch M

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#71: Wetlands Rediscovered - Exploring Nature's Hidden Gems and Restoring Their Glory with Tom Biebighauser

Mon, 22 May 2023 00:00:00 -0700

Wetlands are phenomenally important to biodiversity, water quality, and flood control. Yet they are often overlooked and dismissed.

Today's guest is Tom Biebighauser. Tom is perhaps the most enthusiastic wetland advocate that you’ll ever encounter. He’s been restoring and designing wetlands since 1979, and is widely regarded as one of the worlds experts in these endeavors.

Today Tom sets the record straight for wetlands. We discuss the many types of wetlands that naturally occur, including my personal favorite, vernal pools, and what makes each of them distinct, including the plant and animal communities they support.

Tom tells us about the benefits of wetlands, and why so many wetlands were drained over the years.

The good news is that many land managers are recognizing the critical importance of wetlands, and are now working to restore them. But there is much more work to be done. Tom and his organizations offer books, training, and support for individuals and for organizations considering building or restoring wetlands. Did you know you can even create one in your own yard? And no, they won’t be mosquito magnets.

It was a pleasure to speak with Tom, and I hope you enjoy this discussion as much as I did.

FULL SHOW NOTES

People and Organizations
Sheltowee Environmental Education Coalition
Wetland Restoration and Training LLC

Books
Note: links to books are affiliate links

Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter - Ben Goldfarb
Wetland Restoration and Construction A Technical Guide - Tom Biebighauser
Wetland Drainage, Restoration, and Repair - Tom Biebighauser

Podcast Episodes We Referenced
Beavers with Ben Goldfarb
Save the Frogs with Dr. Kerry Kriger

Thanks to Michelle Balderston for editing help in this episode.

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#70: Talaterra Crossover - Michael Hawk on Tech and Jumpstart Nature

Mon, 08 May 2023 00:00:00 -0700

Today's episode is a crossover episode from the Talaterra feed. Talaterra is a podcast for and about environmental educators, and host Tania Marien recently interviewed me about my tech background and how I've transitioned to form Jumpstart Nature.

Jumpstart Nature is forming its first board of directors, just launched It's All Connected, our bi-weekly newsletter, and now has 10+ volunteers helping in a variety of ways. And we're hard at work on our inspiring short-form narrative podcast!

Thanks to Tania for hosting me, and be sure to check out Talaterra on your podcast apps!

And be sure to stay tuned for upcoming episodes on viruses in nature, wetlands and wetland restoration, and even the Harpy Eagle!

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#69: Behind the Scenes of Bird Banding with Dr. Katie LaBarbera of the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0700

Have you ever wondered how bird banding works? How the birds are captured, safely handled, and released? And why is it done at all?

Thanks to Dr. Katie LaBarbera, Science Director for the Land Bird Program at the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO), we have you covered.

Banding is specifically the scientific technique used to study bird behavior, migration, and populations. By safely capturing and placing bands on birds' legs, researchers can track their movements and gain valuable insights for conservation efforts.

Today’s episode is a unique one - it’s part field recordings and part traditional Nature’s Archive interview. We’ll jump into the entire banding process, from capture and extraction to the measurements taken and placing the band on it.

We’ll then discuss the outcomes and observations from this long term monitoring effort, along with some fascinating observations about birds ranging from American Goldfinch to Bewicks Wrens.

Katie also tells us about MOTUS, an exciting telemetry technology that will help create a network of automated observation stations to further advance bird migration monitoring. This technology promises to augment and amplify the work performed by banding stations.

And just one more thing. This was a really fun episode to produce, though challenging at times. A big thanks to Katie for allowing these visits despite a challenging season of weather disruptions, and having to re-record parts of it. Thank you to Wendy Gibbons, who walked us through the netting and extraction processes, as well as several other SFBBO volunteers who provided insights and information on my first visit in February.

See the FULL Show Notes for some amazing photos from the banding station!

Also find SFBBO on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Thanks to Emily Smith for production assistance in this episode.

Links To Topics Discussed
Wendy Gibbons - an SFBBO volunteer who walked me through the capture and extraction process in today's episode.
The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner
MOTUS Wildlife Tracking System

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#68: Spring Galls: Nature's Master Geneticists, a conversation with Adam Kranz

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 00:00:00 -0700

If you're a long-time listener, you're already familiar with the remarkable world of galls and the “Gall Week” community science events that have taken place in the past. But today, we're taking a fresh look at galls with a specific focus on the importance of spring galls, which our guest Adam Kranz of gallformers.org, describes as the most scientifically interesting galls!

OK, for those who haven’t heard those past episodes - that’s OK. The first 31 minutes of today’s episode is entirely new content, and I’ve appended our first conversation with Adam at the end.

Plant galls are unique organs induced by a variety of organisms, ranging from wasps to moths to midges to mites to fungi. These organisms have figured out how to modify a plant’s genetic expression for the benefit of its own lifecycle. It really is magical.

Today, Adam tells us why spring galls are, perhaps the most scientifically interesting, and have the most opportunity for new discoveries - possibly even by you. And I really enjoyed how our conversation strays into broader ecology and phenology topics, too. Galls have a lot to teach us!

Spring Gall Week is from April 15th to 23rd, yes, there is a bonus weekend added to it. During that time be sure to get out and look at your oaks, hackberries, hickories, and other plants and document the galls you find on iNaturalist. Here's the link to the iNaturalist project to make it easy for you to get involved.

And a big thanks to Dr. Merav Vonshak and Adam for continuing to coordinate these events.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Organizations and Tools
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Gallformers
Gall Phenology Tool
Gall Week Spring 2023 iNaturalist Project

Books and Articles

Plant Galls of the Western United States, by Ronald Russo
Rearing Insects by Charley Eiseman
Tracks and Signs of Insects and Other Invertebrates by Charley Eiseman
Undescribed Gall FAQ
Weld Cynipid Books: Free via the Biodiversity Heritage Library and Hathitrust

Related Podcasts

Dr. Merav Vonshak - Gall Week 2021

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#67: Ancient Birds and Modern Migrations - Sandhill and Whooping Cranes with Bethany Ostrom

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0700

Today we dive into the captivating world of Sandhill and Whooping Cranes with wildlife biologist Bethany Ostrom from the Crane Trust.

These majestic birds have a rich history, with fossil records showing them to be some of the oldest modern birds. Today, they continue to amaze us by congregating in massive numbers along their ancient migration route through Nebraska.

In this episode, Bethany helps us understand the unique phenomenon of crane migration, and why the Platte River in Nebraska is such an important stopover for over 1 million cranes each spring.

Bethany also provides a broader perspective on Sandhill Cranes and Whooping Cranes, helping us to understand how these birds live, from their diets, to their unique dancing displays. She also helps us understand why Sandhill Cranes are generally increasing in numbers despite massive changes to their environment.

However, Whooping Cranes have not been as fortunate, with populations dropping to only 15 individuals at one point. Bethany helps us understand how this occurred, and how recent conservation efforts have helped to increase their populations.

These magnificent birds are truly a wonder to behold, and we encourage you to seek them out if you have an opportunity. Sandhill Cranes can be found in nearly every state at various times of the year.

You can find the Crane Trust on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, as well as at their website.

Check out the FULL SHOW NOTES for photos and more.

Links From Today's Show
People and Organizations
Crane Trust
Rowe Sanctuary

Books, Documentaries, and Other Things
PBS Nature "Flight School" Episode
The Nature Makers documentary

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#66: Krystle Hickman's Quest to Raise Awareness about Native Bees

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0700

Today’s guest is Krystle Hickman. Krystle is a TEDx speaker, artist, photographer, and community scientist. However, it is her passion for native bees that has led her to appear on Nature’s Archive today.

Krystle has combined her tenacity and photographic talent to make a number of discoveries about native bees. She’s determined to raise awareness about the decline of native bees and their habitats, and she was recently profiled in the LA Times for these efforts.

Today, we embark on a journey of discovery with Krystle as she introduces us to our native bees.

We will explore several genera of bees and delve into their habits and remarkable life histories. Krystle will also share her expertise on photographic techniques for bees and how to find them in the wild.

Also, Krystle has just launched a Kickstarter campaign for a new project featuring photographic flashcards of 40 of the most common native bees, complete with interesting facts and identification techniques.

To stay connected with Krystle and her work, you can find her at beesip.com, or follow @beesip on Instagram, or @beesiponline on Facebook and Twitter.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Additional Links
BugGuide - one of the original online communities for insect enthusiasts to share, learn, and identify insects
Discover Life - resource for learning about bees (and other organisms)

Books and Other Things
Note: links to books are affiliate links

Bees of the World by Charles Michener
Bumble Bees of North America: An Identification Guide
Krystle's Kickstarter campaign for her native bee flashcards
My Garden of a Thousand Bees - documentary
The Bees in Your Backyard: A Guide to North America's Bees by Wilson and Carril

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#65: Winged Wonders: Uncovering the Secrets of Bats with Wildlife Ecologist Dr. Dave Johnston

Tue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Are you ready to uncover the mysterious world of bats? Join us on an exciting journey as we explore the secrets of these enigmatic creatures with renowned wildlife ecologist and bat expert, Dr. Dave Johnston. Hailing all the way from Costa Rica, Dr. Johnston will guide us through the incredible diversity of bats, from tiny dragonfly-sized species to those with wingspans as large as eagles.

But that's just the beginning! We'll discover astonishing bat behaviors, from echolocation to singing bats to altruistic behavior. With so many different species filling various niches worldwide, we'll learn about the challenges bats face, from urbanization to wind turbines and the devastating white-nose syndrome. So, buckle up and get ready to unravel the mysteries of these extraordinary creatures on this captivating episode with Dr. Dave Johnston.

You can find some of Dr. Johnston's work on research gate.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS TO TOPICS DISCUSSED

Bat Conservation International
Bernal Rodriguez-Herrera
Brock Fenton - Bat Biologist
California Bat Working Group
Corky Quirk
High frequency hearing test - the YouTube video I mentioned
North American Society for Bat Research (nasbr.org)
Western Bat Working Group
Youth Science Institute (YSI)

Recommended Books
Bats of British Columbia by Cori Lausen, Mark Brigham, et al. 2022.
A Miscellany of Bats. M. Brock Fenton and Jens Rydell. 2023.

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#64: Keith Williams - Deep Discoveries in Shallow Water

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Snorkeling can be a life changing endeavor for those who take it up. A new world of aquatic life is revealed before your eyes - sometimes colorful, sometimes cryptic, and always changing.

I’ll forgive you if you are thinking about ocean snorkeling, because as you’ll hear today, there’s magic waiting just beneath the surface of your nearby freshwater streams and rivers.

Keith is a freshwater underwater naturalist, educator, writer and photographer. He has a BS in Environmental Biology and MS in Ecological Teaching and Learning. He is the author of multiple books, most recently “Snorkeling Rivers and Streams: An Aquatic Guide to Underwater Discovery and Adventure”, and is the owner of Freshwater Journeys, which organizes snorkeling trips to show people the amazing life in freshwater systems close to home.

Today we discuss Keith’s own journey into freshwater systems, and then get into the ecology of these environments. If you are like me, this will serve as a great primer for the basics of these systems. And even if you are more advanced, Keith’s descriptions of river herring, trout, chubs, salmon, caddisflies, and more will have you longing to get into a nearby stream.

And if you do decide to take the plunge, Keith tells us what equipment is needed and how to do it safely - both for you and for the ecosystem you are observing.

What a fun conversation - you’ll hear Keith’s enthusiasm shine through. You can find Keith at freshwaterjourneys.com, and also on Facebook at freshwaterjourneys.

FULL SHOW NOTES

People and Organizations
Jeremy Monroe, Freshwaters Illustrated
Shannon White PhD - brook trout research [twitter]
Dr. Shigeru Nakano
Freshwater Journeys

Books and Other Things
Note: links to books are affiliate links
Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey
Down the River, by Edward Abbey
RiverWebs movie
Snorkeling Rivers and Streams: An Aquatic Guide to Underwater Discovery and Adventure, by Keith Williams

Credits
Emily Smith provided rough cut editing for this episode.

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#63: Connecting Habitats and Hearts: The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative with Kelly Zenkewich

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Are you ready for an in-depth look at the challenges and solutions of wildlife connectivity? The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, or Y2Y, is working on a grand scale to connect and protect habitats from Yellowstone to the Yukon, for the benefit of both people and nature.

Today, we're joined by Kelly Zenkewich, Senior Communications and Digital Engagement Manager at Y2Y. We delve into the unique challenges of both the region and the scale of Y2Y’s vision.

As you’ll hear, even if thinking about this area conjures up images of vast open spaces, there are still numerous highways, cities, fences, railroads, ranches, farms, and other human infrastructure that fragments the landscape.

We discuss the charismatic animals of the area - from grizzly bears and wolverines to caribou and pronghorn - the diverse challenges faced by these animals, and the ways Y2Y is working to conserve them.

We'll also learn about the unique approach of Y2Y, which works across 5 states, and 4 Canadian provinces and territories, as well as the territories of at least 75 indigenous groups. Kelly describes how they positively engage people across these communities using communication techniques such as asset framing and community-based social marketing.

You can find more about Y2Y at y2y.net, and find them on instagram and facebook.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
People, Animals, and Organizations
Anat Shenker-Osorio - created approach similar to "Asset Framing"
COP15 - recent biodiversity agreement was announced at COP15
Doug McKenzie-Mohr - creator of community-based social marketing
Jodi Hilty, PhD - corridor ecology and connectivity expert
Mark Hebblewhite, PhD - studies ungulates including mountain caribou
Michael Proctor, PhD - studying grizzly bear movements in BC
Pluie The Wolf
Stoney Nakoda Nations
Tony Clevenger, PhD - wolverine researcher
Trabian Shorters - creator of Asset Framing

Books and Resources
Note: links to books are affiliate links
Article about the new Trans-Canada Highway wildlife overpass that Kelly mentions
Beth Pratt discussing P-22 and Wildlife Crossings (Nature's Archive Episode 38)

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#62: Dr. Kenneth Libbrecht - Exploring the Fascinating World of Snowflake Physics

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0800

If you're listening to this, chances are that you have seen a snowflake, or perhaps a few billion covering the streets or ski slopes. Maybe you’ve even caught one on your tongue. But despite being such a common part of nature, until recently, snowflake formation largely remained a mystery.

Today, I’m thrilled to be joined by Dr. Kenneth Libbrecht, a renowned expert in the field of snowflake physics.

Dr. Libbrecht is a professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology, where he has been studying the mysteries of snowflakes for more than two decades. His research has helped to demystify some of the longstanding questions surrounding these complex and beautiful crystals.

Dr. Libbrecht and his work has been featured on NPR, Scientific American, The New York Times, and many other publications. In addition to his work as a physicist, Dr. Libbrecht has authored multiple books about snowflakes, had his photos featured on US Postal Service stamps, and even served as a snowflake consultant for the popular Disney movie Frozen.

In my conversation with Dr. Libbrecht, we explore the world of snowflake crystals, learn how they form and why they usually have 6 sides. Dr. Libbrecht discusses his discoveries and his innovative lab, and provides a primer for finding and photographing snowflakes. We also talk about snow in general, such as why some snow is light and fluffy, while other snow is heavy and dense, why a particular bacterium plays a role in artificial snow production at ski resorts, and what "diamond dust" is.

And if you do nothing else, check out Dr. Libbrecht and his lab in the Veritasium video called “Why are snowflakes like this?” - it’s fascinating. You can find it on YouTube, or linked in the show notes.

And if you are a naturalist stuck inside in the winter, or visiting somewhere cold, take a moment and go outside, catch some flakes, and see what you've been missing. And be sure to check Dr. Libbrecht’s website, snowcrystals.com, for photos, facts, science, projects and more!

Get ready to learn about stellar dendrites!

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
People and Organizations
Snowcrystals.com - Dr. Libbrecht's website
USPS Snowflake Stamps featuring Dr. Libbrecht's photos
Veritasium Episode with Dr. Libbrecht - a must see!

Books and Other Things
Kenneth Libbrecht's books on Amazon

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#61: Strange By Nature Crossover!

Mon, 02 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0800

Today’s episode is a special one. A few weeks ago I had the wonderful opportunity to fill in on the Strange By Nature podcast, and I’m cross-posting that episode here.

Nature is amazing, and often a bit strange. And Strange By Nature presents curated stories of the weird and unbelievable side of nature.

Kirk, Rachel, and Victoria, the hosts of Strange By Nature, are a ton of fun, and it shows in their production. In this episode, we cover such diverse topics as the demon core, poisonous birds, and nature’s genetic engineers.

So be sure to check out their podcast on any podcast app, on their website, and on twitter.

And the more traditional Nature’s Archive episodes will be back in two weeks! We have topics ranging from bats to snowflakes to landscape-scale connectivity coming soon!

And one more thing. Nature’s Archive and Jumpstart Nature are starting work on a new podcast concept, and we need your help!

We’re looking for stories about people who have had a sudden and unexpected connection with nature.

In particular, we’d like to hear about turning points, where someone was disconnected from nature - perhaps ignoring it, unaware, or simply taking it for granted. But then there was an event that suddenly opened their eyes.

Perhaps it was a wildlife encounter, a career change, a health event, or meeting a particularly charismatic nature advocate.

Whatever it was, we’d like to hear about these “a ha” moments that caused people to shift and become nature advocates.

Maybe it is your story. Or maybe you’d like to connect us to someone you know. If you can help, please email podcast@jumpstartnature.com with a summary of the story. We’ll read every submission, and we may be in touch to interview you! Thank you!

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Note: links to books are affiliate links
Book: Russo’s Western Galls book
Webinar: Plant Galls for the Curious Naturalist – Presented by Dr. Merav Vonshak and Michael Hawk
Webinar: Finding and Appreciating Bay Area Plant Galls – Presented by Dr. Merav Vonshak and Michael Hawk
Podcast: Dr. Doug Tallamy discussed incredible oak trees – Episode #26
Podcast: Adam Kranz discussed plant galls – Episode #29

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#60: Dr. Sam Sandoval - Hydrology and Water Management

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0800

No matter who you are or where you live, you depend on water. Often, water access is so reliable and ubiquitous that many of us rarely stop to consider the natural and human-made systems that capture, store, and transport water to where it is needed. But climate change and decades of growing consumption are forcing us to reconsider the ways of the past.

Water management and hydrology are huge topics, and I couldn't have found a better guest than Dr. Sam Sandoval Solis to help us understand it. Sam is an assistant professor and cooperative extension specialist at UC Davis, and is involved in many water management education and outreach efforts.

Today, Sam helps us understand landscape-scale water management. We discuss water storage and transport, including natural systems such as snowpack and rivers, and human made systems such as reservoirs and aqueducts. We discuss the importance of groundwater, and the dramatic subsidence, or land sinking, caused by overuse of groundwater.

Sam also helps us understand why building more reservoirs is disproportionately costly and ineffective, and gives us insights into how and where our water is used.

Despite our challenges, Sam is an optimist, and also provides solutions we can pursue, and helps us bust some water management myths.

Water management could easily be a series of podcasts - and in fact, Sam and some colleagues host a podcast called Water Talk, so please check that out. Also, Sam's website, watermanagement.ucdavis.edu, is full of wonderful resources and webinars that anyone wishing to learn about hydrology will love.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links

Human Right to Sanitation (no website yet)
latinosforwater.org
watermanagement.ucdavis.edu - Dr. Sandoval's website. Be sure to check out the cooperative extension section for numerous videos and resources!
eflows.ucsdavis.edu - an interactive exploration of California's hydrology
Water Talk Podcast

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#59: Alison Pollack - Finding and Photographing Slime Molds

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0800

Slime molds (Myxomycetes) are beautiful, weird, and amazing organisms. Often mistaken for fungi, they are actually single celled, yet they grow and efficiently move in search of food, can start and stop their life cycle based on environmental conditions, and even change colors several times during their brief life. They can be beautifully colored, frequently iridescent, and can be ornately shaped. And better still, they can be found in much of the world - maybe even in your yard.

My guest today, Alison Pollack, is a renowned slime mold photographer and unabashed enthusiast of slime molds and their habitats. If you follow nature photographers on Instagram, perhaps you count yourself as one of her 50,000 followers.

Today Alison tells us what a slime mold is - and no, it is not a mold or fungi. She describes a typical lifecycle, where they grow, and how to find them.

Alison then tells us about her astonishing macro photography of slime molds - both in the field and in her home studio. She walks through her process, technique, and equipment she uses to create her acclaimed photos. If you do nothing else, follow her on Instagram @marin_mushrooms, or check the photos below to get a hint of the beauty of the slime molds, and Alison's artistic skill in capturing them.

Find Alison on Facebook, and on iNaturalist.

FULL SHOW NOTES

People, Groups, Organizations
Alison's interview with Allan Walls and Rik Littlefield
The Art of Mushroom Photography - Madeline Island School of the Arts photography class Alison co-taught with Alan Rockefeller
Damon Tighe - Episode 36 talking Fungi
Nikon Small World 2022 Winners
Slime Mold Identification and Appreciation - Facebook Group

Books, Camera Equipment, and More
links may be affiliate links
All the Rain Promises and More by David Arora
Laowa ultra macro lens - there are models for each major camera manufacturer.
Les Myxomycètes
Myxomycetes - A Handbook of Slime Molds by Steven Stephenson
NOVA Slime Mold episode
Olympus Tough TG-6 - highly recommended pocket camera for naturalists
Raynox DCR-250
W

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#58: Dr. Sarah Rose - Astounding Spiders!

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 00:00:00 -0800

Today we're going to discuss an animal that can make wind sails, cast nets, produce its own antifreeze, and is an A-list impersonator. Well, it's not one animal, but a category of animals - spiders!

And my guest today, Dr. Sarah Rose, is here to tell us all about it. Dr. Rose is the author of a spectacular new field guide, Spiders of North America from Princeton University Press, is chair of the American Arachnological Society's Common Names Committee, and has a PhD in Restoration Ecology from The Ohio State University.

Today we discuss Sarah's journey to spiders, including her research into how spiders function as indicator species for habitats and ecosystems. Sarah tells us about the varied lifestyles of spiders, ranging from orb web weavers to sensing web weavers to ambush hunters, and more. We talk about different types of webs, spider guilds, profile some particularly interesting species such as the trash-line orb weaver, bolus spiders, and ant mimicking spiders, and much more.

There is so much more that we could have discussed, so please let me know what else you'd like to hear, and perhaps we can have a part two!

And be sure to check the full show notes on naturesarchive.com for links to what we discussed as well as Sarah's YouTube channel, which has lots of fun spider videos.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links
All Bugs Go To Kevin - Facebook group
American Arachnological Society
Jack Pine Forests
Lucas the Spider - a YouTube channel with a cute animated jumping spider. 3.5 Million subscribers!
Spider Guilds - Cardoso et al
Spiders of North America, An Identification Manual, by Darrell Ubick (Editor), Pierre Paquin (Editor), Paula Cushing (Editor), Nadine Dupérré (Illustrator)
Spiders of North America, by Dr. Sarah Rose [Princeton University Press | Amazon]

Note: links to books are affiliate links

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#57: Allen Fish - Raptor Migration from Hawk Hill

Mon, 07 Nov 2022 00:00:00 -0800

There are probably few better ways to learn about raptors, raptor behavior and migration, and identification than a hawk count!

My guest, Allen Fish, Director of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, tells us all about their hawk count and banding operation, as well as some of the fascinating projects and partners that connect to this community science effort. These are things like satellite and radio telemetry and DNA barcoding.

The GGRO is a long-term, community-science program of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, in cooperation with the National Park Service. The GGRO is the longest-running single-location community science program in any National Park.

Allen has been with GGRO since its inception - nearly 38 years. He has a wealth of knowledge on raptor behaviors, habitats, and of course migration. Today, recorded from atop Hawk Hill just north of San Francisco, Allen tells us about many of the raptors they observe, why they migrate, and helps provide a broader context of migrations as they relate to geography and topography, weather, and climate. For example, did you know there are some east/west migrants? And get ready to brush up on zuhgunrohe and umwelt! It's fascinating!

You might recognize Allen from the field guides episode back in May. He's a lot of fun to talk to, and you can tell that he lives raptors and nature with his deep insights. And Hawk Hill itself is also a wonderful character. Located in the famous Marin Headlands, which is in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (a unit of the National Park Service), Hawk Hill offers wonderful panoramic views, unique topography, and unique history that Allen helps decipher. And while it was a foggy day - abnormal even for notoriously foggy San Francisco - we still had some close encounters with birds that we caught on the recording.

Check the full show notes for a few pictures from the area, and things we saw during the recording. Find the GGRO @goldengateraptors on instagram, or at ggro.org.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links Discussed
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Golden Gate Raptor Observatory
Hull Lab at UC-Davis
Veracruz Rio de Rapaces

Books
Links may be affiliate links
An Immense World by Ed Yong
Hawks from Every Angle by Jerry Liguori
Hawks at a Distance by Jerry Liguori
A Field Guide to Hawks of North America (Peterson Guide) by William Clark and Brian Wheeler

Related Podcasts
My interview with Scott Whittle and Mike Lanzone

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BONUS: Wildfire Ecology, DNA Barcoding Research, Nitrogen Deposition, Nature Conferences, and more!

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 16:00:00 -0700

Hi everyone!

This week's episode is not a traditional interview episode, but rather more of an update. But I still tried to pack some great nature content in it. Regular episodes return in two weeks,

So what's on tap today? I have some fascinating updates and topics that I picked up from two nature conferences I attended over the last two weeks. This includes:

- Complexities of nitrogen deposition and their impacts on land and water
- Wildfire ecology including using burn scars to measure fire history
- DNA Barcoding revealing raptor prey
- Summaries of the CNPS and California Naturalist conferences
- Preview of upcoming podcast guests

As I said, we'll be back to normal interview episodes in two weeks, with Allen Fish of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory talking raptor migrations and raptor biology, counting, and banding. And I have some other wonderful guests with interviews in various stages of production, covering spiders, slime molds, and hydrology and water management.

I also have a question for you all. What would you think if I changed to a "seasonal" release schedule? I explain my thought process in the episode, but the short story is I think I can increase my annual episodes released from 26 to 30 while providing more flexibility for scheduling challenges and I inevitably run into.

As always, please send feedback to naturesarchivepodcast [at] gmail.com, and consider checking out @naturesarchive on the various social media platforms. Thank you!

Links Mentioned in This Episode
Nature's Archive interview with Dr. Stu Weiss
Field Guide Episode with Allen Fish and Cricket Raspet

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
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Artist website: https://brianholtzmusic.com

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#56: Deb Kramer - Starting and Leading Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 00:00:00 -0700

My guest today is Deb Kramer, founder and executive director of Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful.

I’ve come to know Deb and her organization over the past couple of years, and I can’t believe it has taken me this long to have her on the podcast! Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, in my opinion, is a model for how to start and grow a conservation organization.

Today you’ll hear about Coyote Creek - a river that traverses open space, agriculture, and urban areas. In the San Jose area it is often overshadowed by more prominent rivers, and as a result, has been under appreciated and under used. Like so many waterways, it faces pollution, invasive species, and impacts from damming and other management practices. We discuss the specific challenges facing Coyote Creek. I’m sure you have a waterway near where you live with similar challenges.

Naturally, Deb and KCCB are changing this, advocating for the creek and making tangible improvements. As you’ll hear, there is thoughtfulness and purpose behind every decision they’ve made and activity they facilitate - from the organization's name, to their three pronged approach to engaging the public, to partnership development, and embracing fun and enthusiasm throughout. They’ve removed 272 tons of trash and have engaged over 9,000 volunteers, many of whom are regulars.

There are so many useful insights and transferable lessons today that I hope you find useful, whether you are a volunteer, conservation leader, or someone who simply enjoys their local rivers and creeks.

Connect with Deb and KCCB on instagram, facebook, and twitter @coyotecreeksj.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Cadillac Desert by Reisner
Garbology by Humes
Podcast with Dr. Merav Vonshak
BeautifySJ
Bioblitz.club
Kelley Park (San Jose)
Mothers Out Front
Our City Forest
Pathways for Wildlife
Paul J. Gonzalez
San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
San Jose Conservation Corps
Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
Valley Water
VolunteerMatch

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#55: Denise Lewis - Raptors of the Raptor Woodland Refuge

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 00:00:00 -0700

My guest today is Denise Lewis, Director of Programs and resident raptor expert at Fontenelle Forest in Bellevue, Nebraska. Today Denise gives me a tour of the Raptor Woodland Refuge, which is an incredible public facility at the forest. Just envision this - a densely wooded hillside with an elevated boardwalk. But every 10 or 20 meters, there is a structure, almost like a cabin, each housing incredible owls, hawks, vultures, and eagles!

Denise and I discuss each of the species of birds at the refuge, including Swainson's Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures, Gyrfalcon, Peregrine Falcon, Eastern Screech Owl, and more. You'll learn a bit about the natural history of each of these species, and get some behind-the-scenes insights into how they are cared for.

All of these incredible raptors have been deemed un-releasable due to the injuries they sustained. But the wonderful people at Fontenelle Forest have given these birds a second chance through this wonderful education space.

This is the second episode I recorded "in the field" at Fontenelle Forest . So as we walk through the raptor refuge you'll hear some wonderful vocalizations of these birds. You may also hear some vocalizations of some of the visitors, especially early in the episode.

I hope you enjoy this tour as much as I did! I'm posting some photos and videos in the show notes at podcast.naturesarchive.com, as well as in my stories on my instagram, so please check them out!

And be sure to follow Fontenelle Forest on twitter, instagram, and facebook.

And if you missed it, check out episode 53, where Michelle Foss and I walk the forest and discuss the habitats, management and stewardship practices, and some of the species and ecologies on the western extent of this eastern deciduous habitat.

So without further delay, Denise Lewis and the incredible educational raptors of the Raptor Woodland Refuge.

FULL SHOW NOTES

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LINKS
Cornell's All About Birds - comprehensive and free resource covering all of the birds of North America
Diane Guinn - Educator at the Woodland Raptor Refuge who made an appearance in the podcast.
Fontenelle Forest
My Podcast Episode with Michelle Foss - all about Fontenelle Forest's habitats and land management

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#54: Parker McMullen Bushman - Reaching New Audiences + The Inclusive Guide

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 00:00:00 -0700

I love getting feedback about the podcast, and within days of each other, I received some interesting and overlapping suggestions. One said "I enjoy the deep dives into different taxa or environments, but I also really enjoyed some of your earlier episodes where you had people with different ways of engaging with nature, such as the standup paddleboard guest". And a former guest gave me similar feedback, along the lines of wanting to hear from guests with "different relationships with nature".

My guest today will make those listeners happy, and hopefully you, too. She's inspiring, she has a wealth of knowledge in environmental education and natural sciences, and has charted a unique path. My guest is none other than Parker McMullen Bushman, also known as Kweenwerk on social media!

Today's discussion is very wide ranging. Parker tells us about her unique journey that led to getting a Master's degree of science and natural resources, focused on environmental education/interpretation. She's worked in marine sciences and was Vice President of Community Engagement, Education, and Inclusivity at the famous Butterfly Pavilion.

Parker gives many examples of how she and her organizations reached people that had been thought to be difficult to reach. If you are a nature communicator - and I think nearly all of us are, even if only with our family and friends - you'll walk away from this episode with some new tools in your toolkit.

After 25 years in environmental education, Parker's personal and life experience led her to a bigger calling - founding The Inclusive Guide. It's an online crowdsourced review service, like Yelp, but focusing on safety, accessibility, and inclusion. The guide is for everyone, regardless of race or identity, and covers not only businesses but also parks, outdoor spaces, nature centers, and more.

Check The Inclusive Guide, consider contributing to their gofundme. Reach the Inclusive Guide at hello@inclusiveguide.com, instagram or twitter.

Parker's on TikTok, IG, Twitter and LinkedIn.

And stay tuned until the end to hear about a roly poly the size of a football (video here)
FULL SHOW NOTES

Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry by Dungy
Butterfly Pavilion
Crystal Egli Inclus

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#53: Michelle Foss on Forest Stewardship at Fontenelle Forest

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Today's episode is really exciting and was a new experience for me - a field interview! And I couldn't have asked for a better guest than Michelle Foss, Director of Resource Stewardship at Fontenelle Forest in Bellevue, Nebraska.

Fontenelle Forest is not what most people would typically think of if they envisioned Nebraska. It is 2100 acres, with a mosaic of habitats. It's largely wooded, and much of it heavily forested. It is hilly, and also includes riparian spans, flood plains and hilltop prairies when considering the Neale Woods portion of the properties.

For this episode, Michelle and I took a walk in the forest, with my goal to learn more about the ecology of this system and the stewardship that Michelle and the team at Fontenelle Forest oversee. You'll hear our footsteps, singing birds, and even evidence of the hills we were walking in the form of our occasional heavy breathing. And in a way this is like many of the nature hikes I lead, where we have a hike theme, but we give ourselves leeway to discuss and interpret fun things we happen upon along the way.

So be prepared to learn about Bur Oaks, Loess soil and the Loess Hills, American Redstarts, the natural fire regime of this more eastern North America forest, how the team is working to restore more of the natural habitats, and much more.

You can follow Fontenelle Forest on twitter, instagram, and facebook.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links To Topics Discussed
Biological "Rules" - interesting relationships seen in nature.
Fontenelle Forest Nature Search (ffnaturesearch) - excellent catalog of living things found at Fontenelle Forest
Nebraska Natural Legacy Project - map showing Nebraska's 35 unique biological landscapes

Other Nature's Archive Episodes You Might Like
If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like these:

Today we spoke a bit about prairies and wildfire. Check out my interview with Chris Helzer, The Prairie Naturalist, to learn more about prairie management. And check my interview with Rick Halsey on wildfires in the western USA.
Today I pointed out leafminers and plant galls. Check out my interview with Charley Eiseman where leaf miners are covered extensively, or Adam Kranz for plant galls.

Episode Ideas?
Do you have an idea for an episode or a guest? Maybe it's you? Please contact me at naturesarch

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#52: The Golden State Naturalist Michelle Fullner, and Nature's Archive at 2 Years Old!

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Today's episode is a bit unique. As I mentioned in my monthly newsletter a couple months ago, I've been very impressed with a new podcast called Golden State Naturalist. I've had the pleasure of speaking with its creator, Michelle Fullner, a couple of times, and thought it would be fun to discuss her rapid success, and expose more people to her work. One of my goals with Nature's Archive was to find inspiring people charting unique ways to help the environment, and Michelle fits the bill!

And at the same time I'm at a moment of transition. I hit 50 episodes and two years of Nature's Archive over the last few months, and I'm working hard to get my new nonprofit, Jumpstart Nature, launched. I also wanted to share more about this journey with all of you, too. I hope this gives you all insight into what makes me tick, and what I have in my pipeline.

So Michelle and I agreed to interview each other about our podcasts, some of the fun, surprising, and dreadful things we've encountered, and what's next in our plans and metaphorical journeys.

If you haven't listened to Golden State Naturalist, Michelle gets out in the field with experts to discuss unique parts of California's nature. She's covered geology, giant sequoias, beavers, oak trees, and more. It's authentic, entertaining, and educational.

And the more traditional Nature's Archive episodes continue in two weeks. I have a great set of topics recorded or in the queue, ranging from forest management to raptors to slime molds. What fun!

You can find Golden State Naturalist on any podcast app, or by going to the website. Michelle is also on instagram, so be sure to check her out!

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links To Topics Discussed
California Naturalist Program information
Effie Yeaw Nature Center, Sacramento, CA [instagram]
Golden State Naturalist Podcast
Sacramento Tree Foundation

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#51: Dr. Karlisa Callwood - The Combined Ecology of Parrotfish, Spiny Lobsters, and People in Coral Reef Systems

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0700

My guest today is Dr. Karlisa Callwood. Dr. Callwood is the director of the community conservation education and action program for the Perry Institute for Marine Science, and an expert on the coral reef fisheries of the Bahamas, and has a PhD in Ecosystem Science and Policy from the University of Miami in Florida.

Today we talk about about the coral reef systems of the Bahamas, how they function, their overall health, and a couple important species that call the reefs home - spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) and parrot fish.

In fact, Dr. Callwood's research and expertise goes well beyond these animals and their ecology, and into the social and cultural impacts of policy and fishing at the reefs. Dr. Callwood tells us how an emerging Parrotfish fishery adds new pressures to the coral ecosystem. And how the spiny lobster fishery, driven partly by few regulations for Bahamian citizens, has evolved to include new forms of fishing that are more productive for the fishers, but also put fishers in conflict with each other. And these new methods have unknown long term ecological impacts, as Dr. Callwood explains.

As you'll hear, Dr. Callwood combines ecological knowledge with building trusting relationships with the people on the islands, allowing her to deeply understand the motivations and rationale of the fishers. This understanding allows her to assess and recommend policy responses that strike a balance between reef health and the needs and motivations of the people on the islands.

You can find Dr. Callwood on twitter @Sci_in_Color and instagram @science_in_color.

It's a fascinating set of topics today - please enjoy!

FULL SHOW NOTES

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#50: Dr. Brian Brown - Phenomenal Phorid Flies, Hyperdiversity, DNA Barcoding, and more

Mon, 18 Jul 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Today's guest is Dr. Brian Brown, Curator of Entomology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. A native of Toronto, Canada, Dr. Brown did his undergraduate and masters work at the University of Guelph. During the latter, under the tutelage of well known entomologist Steve Marshall, Dr. Brown took up the study of the fly family Phoridae. This is a phenomenally diverse family of extremely interesting flies that, of course, we discuss at length today.

In 1990, Dr. Brown obtained his doctorate at the University of Alberta in Canada, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution and University of Maryland. In 1993 he took up his current position in Los Angeles.

Today we discuss Dr. Brown’s work at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - in particular, the scale and diversity of the collections, and the implications of that on the work that he does.

We pretty quickly delve into the aforementioned phorid flies. There are potentially as many as one million species of these flies, but to give you an idea of the diversity and scale of the work, only 4,500 have been described to date. Yes, you heard that right! Dr. Brown discusses the challenges of having so few people studying such an immense diversity of species, and approaches involved such as DNA barcoding.

Even among the 4500 described species, there are many amazing natural history stories that we get into, ranging from the aptly named “Coffin Fly” to ant-decapitating phorids.

We weave in and out of many fascinating subjects, from research in the Amazon canopy, to surprising discoveries in Los Angeles, to invasive ant species.

You can find Dr. Brown through the museum’s website at nhm.org, on his blog at flyobsession.net, or his Phorid fly site at phorid.net.

This discussion was full of surprises and a lot of fun, and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links To Topics Discussed
Dan Janzen, ecologist cataloging Costa Rican biodiversity
flyobsession.net - Dr. Brown's blog
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
The Nature Conservancy - conservation charity recommended by Dr. Brown
Phorid.net - Dr. Brown's Phorid resource
Rainforest Trust - conservation charity recommended by Dr. Brown

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The Ladder of Environmental Care

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 01:00:00 -0700

It’s mid-summer here in the northern hemisphere, and that means vacation season. So this week’s episode is a solo one, to give me a little space for my vacation.

Don’t worry, regular episodes return next time, including topics such as Caribbean coral reef systems, the incredible diversity of flies (yes, flies are more incredible than even the experts know!), raptor ecology, and eastern North American deciduous forests. And that just covers episodes in various stages of development during the month of July!

Before the main topic, be sure to check out my latest blog post that has more field guide recommendations from Cricket, Allen, and I. If you don't know what I'm talking about, listen to Episode 47 for an amazing discussion about an eclectic mix of field guides.

The main topic today is Jumpstart Nature, my new non-profit! I'm making progress, and even have a new logo. See the FULL SHOW NOTES for a preview!

Today's episode gives a few glimpses into my plans, and reveals a core element - The Ladder of Environmental Care.

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#49: Jessica Wolff - Coexisting With Urban Wildlife

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0700

As cities grow further into wildlands and natural habitats, and as animals attempt to adapt to these urban environments, it is inevitable that people and wildlife will come into more contact.

My guest today, Jessica Wolff, works to help people and wildlife when these interactions occur. She is an Urban Wildlife Coordinator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. As an Urban Wildlife Coordinator, Jessica educates the public and fields calls from the public. These calls include questions about unexpected animals in people's yards and houses and reports of sick or injured wildlife in the city. And occasionally Jessica is dispatched to assess, capture, move, or otherwise help animals in distress.

Today we discuss the most common wildlife encounters that Jessica handles, ranging from coyotes, to bats, to raccoons, to fledgling birds. And this allowed us to get into some of the natural history and urban adaptations that these animals have..

Jessica also answers listener questions about bat boxes and fox burrows, and adds some insights into some of my own backyard wildlife.

I know that I'm coming away from this conversation with a better perspective on what it means to offer resources - intentionally or unintentionally - to wild animals.

You can find Jessica at jawolff93 on instagram, and the Nevada Department of Wildlife on Facebook or their website.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links To Topics Discussed
The Accidental Ecosystem, People and Wildlife in American Cities, Dr. Peter Alagona. See my podcast episode with him, too.
BatCon International Bat House Resources
Bats and Insecticides from BatCon International
How do pesticides affect bats? – A brief review of recent publications, J. M. Oliveira, A. L. F. Destro, M. B. Freitas, L. L. Oliveira - from the Brazilian Journal of Biology
Merlin Tuttle's Bat Conservation
Nevada Department of Wildlife
PBS "Nature" Coywolf Infographic
Smithsonian Magazine article on "Coywolves" - Coyote and Wolf hybrids in Eastern North America

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#48: Dr. Kerry Kriger Saves the Frogs!

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Did you know that as a group, amphibians are the most threatened vertebrates on Earth? As many as 1/3 are considered threatened.

As a result of this, my guest, Dr. Kerry Kriger, has devoted his education and career to amphibian research and protection. Dr. Kriger has a PhD in Environmental Science from Griffith University, and in 2008 founded of Save The Frogs! - the first global organization devoted to protecting amphibian populations.

As is often the case, we covered a lot of ground in today's discussion! We start with Dr. Kriger's research into the devastating Chytrid fungus and its impact on amphibians. Dr. Kriger points out that Chytridial mycosis is the worst disease in history in terms of biodiversity loss.

We take a few steps back and discuss amphibian diversity and lifecycles, the impact of hydro-periods ranging from permanent water to seasonal pools, frog dispersal and mobility, vocalizations, and more. And did you know that frogs are called gape-limited predators? Meaning, if it fits in their mouth, it's fair game. I just love that concept and term!

Dr. Kriger also discusses other treats to amphibians, including habitat loss, climate change, and the challenges with American Bullfrog importation and their spreading to non-native locations. For example, American Bullfrogs are not native to the American West, and have had a huge impact on western amphibian populations.

Dr. Kriger fills us in on a huge variety of projects, outreach, tours, and more that Save The Frogs! offers. If you want to create habitat, go on an ecotour, or simply get inspired by amphibians, check out savethefrogs.com. Dr. Kriger has personally developed many educational resources as well, and offers 28 days of free access to his deep-dive content in the Frog Academy.

You can also find Save the Frogs on instagram, facebook, twitter, youtube, Pinterest, and more!

FULL SHOW NOTES

People, Organizations, and More

Save the Frogs Day: April 28, 2023. It's an annual event!
Save the Frogs! Academy - get 28 days free access

Books and Resources

Frogs: The Thin Green Line - documentary from PBS Nature
Cosmos - by Carl Sagan. A Classic.
Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness - by Edward Abbey
On the Origin of Species - by Charles Darwin

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#47: Field Guide to Field Guides with Cricket Raspet, Allen Fish, and Michael Hawk

Mon, 30 May 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Warning - listen to this episode at your own risk! If you aren't careful, you may find yourself out a few hundred dollars. Why? Today we're talking field guides - the books and apps that help you identify, find and learn about all kinds of amazing creatures.

Joining me are Allen Fish, of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy as Director of the Raptor Observatory and as Associate Director of community science, and Cricket Raspet of the California Academy of Sciences.

We discuss what makes a great field guide, share some stories about our first and favorites, and start with a lively discussion of our first field guides, which transitions into all sorts of interesting guides - everything from bumblebees to fungi to plant galls to lichen to desert holes! We also discuss apps and other technology that can assist, or dare I say, replace physical field guides. That's just the start!

We didn't have time to cover everything in our stacks of favorites, so check our blog for more.

Follow Cricket on IG and iNat, and check Allen's organization, Golden Gate Raptor Observatory @goldengateraptors, or ggro.org.

LINKS - See FULL SHOW NOTES for more links
All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms
Beached Marine Birds and Mammals of the North American West Coast
Bumblebees of North America
Crossley ID Guides
Field Guide to Desert Holes
Field Guide to Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets of the United States
Field Guide to Manzanitas
Horned Lizards of North America
Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada
National Geographic Field Guide to Birds of North America
Natural History of Vacant Lots
Plant Galls of the Western USA
Plants of the California Desert
Sibley Field Guide to Birds
The Coasts of California
Tracks and Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates

Podcasts
Adam Kranz Plant Galls
Charley Eiseman Leafminers and more
Michael Kauffmann

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#46: Paul Johnson - Finding and Counting Butterflies

Mon, 16 May 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Do you want to find more butterflies? Paul Johnson can help. Paul is a Wildlife Biologist at Pinnacles National Park, and a long time lepidopterist, or one who studies butterflies and moths. Paul also leads several North American Butterfly Association (NABA) counts in California, which is how I got connected with Paul in the first place, and a primary focus of this episode.

Today, we discuss Paul's path to wildlife biology and butterflies. Being a wildlife biologist at a National Park sounds like a dream job to me, so I also probed a bit about that, and what makes Pinnacles National Park such a unique place. As a hint, Pinnacles is named for geologically unique spires of volcanic origin.

We then turn our attention to butterflies and butterfly counts - North American Butterfly Association, or NABA, Fourth of July counts. Despite the name, these counts are held over the months of June and July.

We discuss the structure and goals of the counts and how to participate. With 450 counts across North America, and most skill levels needed, there might be an opportunity for you!

Paul also discusses butterfly behavior, which aside from being fascinating, is also helpful for finding them. This includes behaviors such as hilltopping, mudpuddling, and larval food plant associations.

You can find Paul on iNaturalist as euproserpinus (you-pro-serpinus). If you are interested in participating in a NABA count, check out naba.org for the count circles and count leaders (or this link for additional details for Northern California counts).

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links
Art Shapiro
Jerry Powell
Liam O'Brien - (instagram)
Xerces Society
Handbook for Butterfly Watchers - Robert Michael Pyle
The Butterflies of North America - A Natural History and Field Guide - James Scott
Checklist of Butterflies at Pinnacles National Park

Related Podcast Episodes
#28 - Milkweeds - Dr. Carrie Olson-Manning and Sydney Kreutzmann
#30 - Dr. Jaret Daniels Butterflies, Creating Habitat in Overlooked Landscapes, Creative Outreach
#37 - Dr. Stuart Weiss – Checkerspots, Cars, and Cows

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#45: Siena Mckim - The Wild World of Sea Sponges

Mon, 02 May 2022 00:00:00 -0700

My guest today is Siena Mckim. Siena is a PhD student at UC Santa Barbara studying sponges in the kelp forest, which is arguably one of the most iconic marine communities. In particular, she's looking at sponge symbionts - basically, the tiny marine organisms that use sponges as a habitat.

Today we hear about Siena's unique path to marine biology, developed in part from an unlikely interest in algae while at the University of Michigan, and accelerated by a love of SCUBA diving.

We then quickly transition to the wild diversity of sponges, including glass sponges the size of a minivan, to sponges that sneeze, and even carnivorous sponges! As mentioned, Siena is looking at sponge symbionts, so we discuss that research and some of the discoveries and mysteries that she is tracking.

Siena shares tons of fun facts in this episode, too. For example, I had to ask a cliché SpongeBob SquarePants question that might also be on your minds, but I was surprised at the answer! I'll just say that you'll have to listen to find out the reality of sponge fashion choices. And PLEASE read on below to see photos of some of these amazing creatures!

And of course, Siena offers tips for locating sponges yourself, whether on docks, in tidepools, snorkeling, SCUBA diving, or even in freshwater.

This interview was a lot of fun, and Siena's enthusiasm really shows. You can find Siena on Instagram as imlichentoday, and on iNaturalist with the same handle.

See the FULL SHOW NOTES for photos of many of the subjects discussed today!

Links To Topics Discussed
People and Organizations
George Matsumoto - MBARI researcher
Tom Turner's Lab at UCSB - and Tom on iNaturalist
Ologies episode w/ Cal Academy of Sciences' Rich Mooi about Echinology (Michael mentioned this episode during the interview)
Dockfouling w/ Cricket Raspett - past Nature's Archive episode with all of the ins and outs of finding cool marine creatures on docks.

Books and Videos
EVNautilus - YouTube channel that Siena recommends
MBARI - The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute has an amazing YouTube channel - and look for them on social media, too!
YouTube Video of sponges filtering dye - Jonathan Bird's Blue World

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#44: Eric Eaton - Insectpedia, Insect Ecology, Wasps, and the Future of Entomology

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Eric Eaton is an entomologist and the well known author of Wasps: The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect, and co-author of the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America. We discuss his most recent work, Insectpedia. Insectpedia is a fascinating and non-traditional look at insects, the people who study them, and their role in history and society.

Today, learn about Eric's non-traditional path to entomology and writing, and the lasting impact of one of his kindergarten teachers.

And soon enough we get into some amazing entomological facts. For example, do you know what the fly belt is? As a hint, I'll tell you it's not a leather strip used to keep a fly's pants from falling off. Joking aside, you will hear exactly what the fly belt is and how the tsetse fly is filling a preservationist role. You'll also learn about parasitoids - and specifically, the differences between parasites and parasitoids. You'll hear how a wasp targets yellow jacket wasps, but only indirectly through a third party caterpillar. Prepare to have your mind blown.

And Eric tells us why aphids are actually really important to our food web. And as frequent listeners know, I love aphids for that reason!

Eric also gives us some perspective on how we, as individuals, can help make societal-level shifts to help our environment. And stick around to the end - Eric has plenty of fine book recommendations, too (all listed in the full show notes).

You can find Eric on Twitter, iNaturalist, and Facebook. You can also find him on his blog.

People, Organizations, Websites
Arthro-pod Podcast
Birdability
Bird Names for Birds
Eric's Interview on the Ologies podcast with Allie Ward
Mike Houck - Portland Audubon Society
Oregon Entomological Society
senseofmisplaced.blogspot.com - Eric's social commentary blog

Books (affiliate links)
Insects Did It First, by Greg Paulson and Eric Eaton
Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony Lewis Thomas
Lives of a Cell Lewis Thomas
Mariposa Road Robert Michael Pyle
Thunder Tree: Lessons from an Urban Wildland Robert Michael Pyle
What Are People For? by Wendell Berry

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#43: Alison Young - The City Nature Challenge

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0700

Today’s guest is Alison Young, Co-Director of the Center for Biodiversity and Community Science at the California Academy of Sciences. Alison has a background in marine biology, including a MA in Marine Biology from Humboldt State University and a BA in Biology from Swarthmore College.

At the Cal Academy, Alison is a driving force behind the City Nature Challenge, which is a 4 day global BioBlitz event that had over 1.25 million nature observations in 2021 across 400 different global locations. Mark your calendars! This year it runs from April 29 to May 2 local time, and I hope all of you plan to participate! I know my calendar is full of fun and unique events all four days!

Today Alison and I discuss the community, science, and fun that is the City Nature Challenge, and how you can participate in this year’s event. Whether you live in a city or not, in northern or southern latitudes, or are stuck at home, you can participate, and Alison offers wonderful insights for all of those scenarios.

We discuss the goals of the challenge, and of course, exactly what it is. Alison also tells us how the City Nature Challenge grew from what was initially thought to be a one-time competition between two rival cities - Los Angeles and San Francisco, to the massive annual event that it is today.

And Alison offers several tips for making useful observations in iNaturalist, taking good photos, and how to make the City Nature Challenge a fun and enticing event even if the season or weather isn’t what you’d consider optimal for your area.

You can get more information at citynaturechallenge.org, and follow the city nature challenge at citnatchallenge on both twitter and instagram. And follow Alison at alisonkestrel on Twitter and Instagram, or just kestrel on iNaturalist.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links
People, Events, Organizations
Great Southern BioBlitz - an event for the Southern Hemisphere
Julia Butterfly Hill - lived in a Redwood tree for 738 days to draw attention and prevent cutting of rare old growth redwoods
Lila Higgins, Senior Manager, Community Science at Natural History Museum of LA County
Snapshot Cal Coast - A California Coast bioblitz event

Books
The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinction by David Quammen. This 1997 book was influential to Alison.

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#42: Dr. Peter Alagona - Cities: The Accidental Ecosystem

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0700

I live in a city of 1 million people that is part of a metropolitan area of close to 8 million people. Yet, at my suburban home I often hear Coyotes howling at night, turkeys gobbling in the morning, and great-horned owls hooting. There are Bald Eagles that nest near a school not too far away. And San Francisco is famous for its Sea Lions. These stories of urban wildlife are quite common across much of the United States and the world. And just a few decades ago, this wasn't the case.

Why the change? My guest today provides a fascinating history and explanation of this phenomenon. Dr. Peter Alagona is an environmental historian and professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He's also the author of the new book, The Accidental Ecosystem, People and Wildlife in American Cities, which I've had the pleasure of previewing, and will be released on April 19.

In our discussion, Dr. Alagona provides a deep perspective, highlighting that even animals such as the Eastern Grey Squirrel were once considered exotic, and white tailed dear were a threatened species in much of the first half of the 20th century. He describes how things became so bleak in cities, and some of the reasons that some animals find success in cities today.

To help explain this, Dr. Alagona provides a framework for thinking about urban ecology and the creatures living in urban environments. We talk raccoons, squirrels, deer, mountain lions, bald eagles, wolves, and more. And even learn a bit about Dr. Alagona's other passion - grizzly bears.

You can find Dr. Alagona at PeterAlagona.com, and you can learn about his grizzly bear project at calgrizzly.com.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links To Topics Discussed
People and Organizations
The California Grizzly Research Network

Books and Other Things
The Accidental Ecosystem, People and Wildlife in American Cities, Dr. Peter Alagona's latest book
After the Grizzly: Endangered Species and the Politics of Place in California, Dr. Alagona's previous book
Coming into the Country by John McPhee - a wonderful account of Alaska and the Brooks Range

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#41: Michael Kauffmann: Conifers - Extreme Survivors

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0800

You know conifers, right? They are those wonderful trees that include some of the tallest, widest, and oldest living trees on Earth. Think Giant Sequoia, Coast Redwood, and Bristlecone Pines. Conifers are also the oldest lineage of trees on earth. This is just a small taste of what conifers have to offer.

My guest today is Michael Kaufmann, a lifelong educator, ecologist and author, and also the founder of Backcountry Press. He’s also an expert in conifers.

Today we discuss the many things that make conifers such an amazing group of plants. Michael walks us through their evolutionary history, what makes them different from other trees, and gives us a special look at the amazing diversity of conifers in his area - the Klamath region of far northern California. This deep dive reveals many interesting ecological processes that likely can be generalized to other regions and other plants. It's truly fascinating.

Michael also discusses how he turned his love of conifers into two amazing projects. With the creation of his first book, Conifer Country, Michael established Backcountry Press. It has since grown to produce several wonderful natural history books, and he gives us a preview of some new ones due out soon. And the second project is his establishment of the 360 mile Bigfoot Trail. It's a playful name for a truly serious trail if you are in to backpacking or botanizing, and it boasts 32 conifer species.

You can find Michael at MichaelKauffmann.net, on Instagram, or on iNaturalist.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links To Topics Discussed

Griff Griffith - past podcast guest that introduced Michael and I
The Miracle Mile - the species Michael documented in the famed 1 square mile of the Klamath.

Books Mentioned
California Desert Plants
Conifer Country by Michael Kauffmann
Conifers of California by Ronald Lanner
Conifers of the Pacific Slope, by Michael Kauffmann
The Klamath Knot by David Rains Wallace
The Klamath Mountains: A Natural History Tour
Field Guide to Manzanitas, by Michael Kauffmann, Tom Parker, and Michael Vasey
Northwest Trees by Stephen Arno

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#40: The Crazy World of Wild Green Ecological Memes - Rhett Barker and Curtis Sarkin

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0800

My guests today are Rhett Barker and Curtis Sarkin of the incredibly popular Wild Green Memes for Ecological Fiends.

If you don’t know Wild Green Memes, it’s a Facebook group of over 475,000 members. And it’s quite possibly the most enjoyable place I’ve found on social media.

Before I go any further, yes, today’s episode is a bit different than my typical episodes. But you’re still going to learn some fascinating ecology! You’ll hear about spiders that keep frogs as pets, the amazing nomadic steller’s sea eagle, a tree that has exploding seed pods, lungless salamanders, and more.

But the focus of today’s episode is how the humble meme has turned into an amazing tool for fun, education, and even nonprofit fundraising! In case you’re wondering what the heck a meme is, I found this nice succinct definition. A meme is a virally transmitted image embellished with text, usually sharing pointed commentary or humor about cultural symbols, social ideas, or current events.

Today Rhett and Curtis discuss how Wild Green Memes came to be, and the clever ways that they manage the group, facilitating its insanely rapid growth while maintaining the group’s culture. You’ll hear how they turned a trend of wildlife “gang” memes into a basis for highly successful nonprofit fundraising.

And of course, we talk about the funniest memes and meme trends that they’ve seen.

As Curtis, says, we’re only scratching the surface of the potential of memes.

You can find Wild Green Memes for Ecological Fiends on Facebook, and they also have a presence on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, as well as a podcast called Wild Green Streams.

FULL SHOW NOTES

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#39: Dr. Elaine Ingham - The Ecology of the Soil Food Web

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0800

One common theme of my podcasts is that everything in nature is interconnected in multiple ways. And today’s episode demonstrates that in some mind bending ways.

What’s the topic? Well, it’s an often overlooked subject. If it is handled well, it will sequester carbon, reduce the impacts of droughts, improve our water quality, and probably save you money. And if you need another hint, when it is healthy it also makes your food more nutritious. By now you probably guessed the topic - soil ecology and the soil food web.

My guest is Dr. Elaine Ingham. Dr. Ingham has over four decades of experience in soil biology, and is generally recognized as the foremost expert in the field. She is the primary author of the USDA Soil Biology Primer, and founder of Soil Food Web Inc, a group dedicated to empowering ordinary people to bring healthy soils back to life. Dr. Ingham has a B.A. in biology and chemistry from St. Olaf College, an M.S. in microbiology from Texas A&M University, and a Ph.D. in microbiology from Colorado State University.

Our wide-ranging conversation only scratched the surface of soil ecology. As I said, everything is interconnected, so it makes conversations like these somewhat challenging since everything inter-relates.

So what did we cover? Well, we talked about the difference between dirt and soil, which is an ecosystem unto itself, consisting of varying amounts of fungi, bacteria, predators, and parasites such as protozoa and nematodes.

Dr. Elaine discusses the entire process of how fungi, bacteria, and other organisms convert soil nutrients to forms readily available to plants, and how plants actually induce this behavior through chemical signaling. She discusses how plants trade sugars for nutrients from fungi, and how these trades are constantly adjusting.

We dig deep into how to measure soil health, and surfaced from our microscopy deep dive to discuss shortcuts you can use to assess your own soil health and compost health without a microscope.

And we touched on many other topics, such as the impact of soil compaction, and the negative impacts of inorganic fertilizers.

Be sure to check out the show notes because some of the topics really require some visual aides. I’ve included a graphic provided by Dr. Elaine that summarizes the importance of soil health, as well as some videos showing Dr. Elaine’ technique for mixing your soil solution for the microscope, and a video of some spirilla bacteria - they’re pretty wild!

FULL SHOW NOTES

People and Organizations
Soil Food Web School - look for the resources and classes mentioned today
Soil Regen Summit 2022

Books and Other Things
Teaming with Microbes, The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis
USDA Soil Biology P

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#38: Beth Pratt - P-22 And The Age of Wildlife Crossings

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 01:00:00 -0800

Highways, roadways, and railways isolate animals, prevent them from reaching needed food and water, causing genetic isolation, and make populations vulnerable to natural disasters. And as you’ll hear today, the impacts go much deeper, and sometimes in surprising directions.

My guest Beth Pratt of the National Wildlife Federation and Save LA Cougars tells the astonishing story of how a Los Angeles mountain lion named P-22 triggered a cascade of support leading to one of the most ambitious wildlife crossings ever conceived - the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing.

Beth tells how P-22 helped the second largest city in the USA wake up to the fact that we need to find ways to coexist with nature. We discuss some of the details of wildlife crossing design such as pros and cons of overpass crossings vs tunnels and culverts, and how design can be used to influence animals to use the crossings.

Beth also describes many surprising ways that wildlife crossings help improve ecosystems and the food web. Even plants need connectivity, and even some bird species are negatively impacted by highways.

Beth also authored the book “When Mountain Lions are Neighbors”, which was influential in my progression as a nature advocate.

You can find Beth online at bethpratt.com, Twitter, and Facebook. And of course, you can also find P-22, the talented mountain lion that he is, on Twitter and Facebook.

More links and photos in the FULL SHOW NOTES

Related Episodes and Content
#20 Dr. Yiwei Wang
#35 Ben Goldfarb
#37 Dr. Stuart Weiss
Dr. Merav Vonshak's newt roadkill awareness efforts

Books
Cougar: Ecology and Conservation by Maurice Hornocker, Sharon Negri
Heart of a Lion: A Lone Cat's Walk Across America by William Stolzenburg
When Mountain Lions are Neighbors by Beth Pratt

Other
Annenberg Foundation
Puma Profiles
SaveLACougers.org
The Badger and Coyote Video

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#37: Dr. Stuart Weiss - Checkerspot Butterflies, Cars, and Cows

Mon, 10 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0800

Today, Dr. Stuart Weiss unravels an amazing and unexpected series of discoveries that connect cows, cars, and conservation, all triggered by the study of the threatened Bay Checkerspot butterfly. These discoveries have had reverberations across ecological circles and have led to amazing conservation successes, despite a senior US Air Force official calling the tiny butterfly a national security threat.

Dr. Weiss has a PhD in Biological Sciences from Stanford University, and is the Founder and Chief Scientist at Creekside Science. He has 29 peer reviewed publications and has wide-ranging research experience in conservation and population biology, microclimate characterization, and statistical analysis.

To understand the checkerspot, we must understand the uniqueness of the land, so that's where we begin. The checkerspot had been in decline for decades, first due to direct reduction of habitat due to development and invasive non-native plants. But Dr. Weiss’s systematic study showed that something else was happening, leading him to unravel the mystery, revealing an unexpected relationship between cars, cows, and the checkerspot that we discuss today.

Dr. Weiss’s work also showed that landscape and population connectivity was a critical, and missing, component. This was at a time where connectivity was not well understood - and even today policymakers and the general public is often unaware of how important it is.

Ultimately, the story of the Bay Checkerspot and the cascade of conservation discoveries and actions is an amazing success story that continues to grow.

I hope you enjoy the discussion. I promise you’ll learn a bit about not only the checkerspot, but also soil ecology, the nitrogen cycle, the nuance of land management and grazing, tule elk, and much more.

Note that there was a bit of scratchy audio at a few spots, but stick with it because we did get it worked out.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links
Bay Checkerspot
Bay Area Conservation Lands Network (CLN)
California Native Plant Society
California Rangeland Conservation Coalition
Committee for Green Foothills (now just Green Foothills)
Cows, Cars, and Checkerspot Butterflies - Dr. Weiss' 1999 Research Publication
Edith Allen at UC-Riverside
Howard Baker and the Snail Darter Controversy - wikipedia
The Moore Foundation
Valley Habitat Agency

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#36: Damon Tighe - Fungi, Mushrooms, and Community Science (Mycology)

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 01:00:00 -0800

Finally - a deep dive into the Fungi Kingdom thanks to Damon Tighe (instagram, iNaturalist)! Damon is a skilled naturalist, photographer, science communicator, and biotech educator. He has a biology and chemistry degree from Saint Mary’s college, and has years of professional experience in genomics and DNA sequencing, including with the Human Genome Project at the National Lab’s Joint Genome Institute.

Today, Damon describes the basics of fungi - what they are, and how they reproduce. Damon covers the three primary lifestyles that fungi take on - saprophytic, which like to eat dead stuff, parasitic, and mycorrhizal, where they team up with something else.

We discuss fungi and mushrooms that one might encounter, seasonality, how to read the landscape to find mushrooms, and how to identify them. Damon covers some common mushroom myths and whether it is OK to pick mushrooms for ID or general foraging.

He also tells us about some fascinating mushroom behaviors, such as how chicken of the woods fruit in anticipation of rain, and the story of the notorious Deathcap mushroom.

We wrap up with a discussion of DNA sequencing, which is achievable at home relatively inexpensively, and community scientists are driving new discoveries.

FULL SHOW NOTES - check for photos of species discussed today! The chanterelle is must-see!

Referenced Episodes
Magic of Lichens - Knudsen
Amazing World of Plant Galls - Kranz
Links
Entangled Life - Sheldrake
Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast - Siegel and Schwarz
Alan Rockefeller
Barcode the Lake at Lake Merritt
California Center for Natural History
How Many Fungal Spores Do We Breathe In? Source, Source2
SOMA Camp

Fungal DNA Barcoding Links
EverymanBio
Sigrid Jakob
Damon's overview of DNA sequencing
William Padilla-Brown - uses O

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#35: Ben Goldfarb - Beavers, The Quintessential Keystone Species

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 01:00:00 -0800

Today you'll become a Beaver Believer thanks to my guest, Ben Goldfarb. Ben is the author of the book Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. Aside from being an author, Ben is an environmental journalist, with writing appearing in The Atlantic, Science, The Washington Post, and many other esteemed publications. Ben holds a Masters of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Beavers truly are ecosystem engineers, capable of creating a series of habitats just by living their semi-aquatic lives. But did you know that not all beavers build dams and lodges? And in order to spend so much time in water, they have many amazing adaptations, such a a second set of lips behind their teeth that acts like a valve sealing off water.

And this is just the tip of the beaver lodge, so to speak. Ben tells us so many great facts about beavers and their ecology that I'm sure you'll walk away with an expanded respect for these animals. Ben tells us why beavers are perhaps the quintessential keystone species, creating a disproportionate impact on the land. For example, beavers may actually help salmon populations, reduce and slow wildfires, recharge groundwater supplies, and much more. They create ponds, dig creek channels, and trigger ecological succession. We also discuss how beavers fit into the classic Yellowstone trophic cascade. Maybe I could have had a shorter interview if I just asked Ben what beavers don't do?

Find Ben on his website, or on twitter.

FULL SHOW NOTES

People and Organizations
Emily Fairfax, PhD - Ecohydrologist who has researched how beavers make landscapes more fire resilient
Joe Wheaton - Fluvial Geomorphologist who has studied how beavers are restorative, and can be used like a restoration tool.
Sarah Koenigsberg - filmmaker for The Beaver Believers

Books and Other Things
Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter - by Ben Goldfarb

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#34: Chloe and Trevor Van Loon - Finding More in Nature

Mon, 22 Nov 2021 02:00:00 -0800

Today's episode could be broadly described as “how to maximize your time in the field”, whether it be casual hikes, random walks in nature, goal-driven hikes, or BioBlitzes.

And our guests are Chloe and Trevor Van Loon. Chloe has a background in ecology and environmental science, and while Trevor’s educational background is in math and computer science, he’s also become a fanatical amateur naturalist. In fact, both Chloe and Trevor are highly skilled naturalists and prolific iNaturalist contributors. No biome or habitat is off limits for them, and they have an insatiable drive to learn more.

Chloe and Trevor offer tips and techniques to identify the plants, fungi, and insects you find, regardless of whether you are a budding nature lover or a seasoned naturalist. We discuss approaches to making new personal discoveries, using iNaturalist to locate nearby and interesting taxa, and many specific techniques, including using UV lights at night, using a sweep net, and challenging your own assumptions about where to find interesting things. Who knows - maybe you too can observe a nival aeolian fallout! Listen to learn exactly what that is!

There are so many actionable suggestions and ideas that I really just gave up on the idea that this intro would do the episode justice. And be sure to check the show notes at naturesarchive.com for links to the resources mentioned today. And find Chloe and Trevor on iNaturalist, instagram, or on Chloe's blog.

FULL SHOW NOTES

People and Organizations
Damon Tighe's Instagram and iNat
Marin Mushrooms (Alison Pollack) on Instagram

Books and Apps
Jepson Manual - classic for California plants
ROCKD app
Sibley Guide to Birds of the Western North America
Chloe's recent review of The Cougar Conundrum

Other Naturalist Tools Mentioned
Hand lens or loupe
Insect aspirator (aka pooter) - here's an example
Phone macro lenses - Make sure the lens you buy is compatible with your phone and case!
UV Lights: USB UV Kit for backpacking; High powered for general use; the "Gold Standard" LepiLED

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#33: Dr. Andrew Farnsworth - Predicting Bird Migrations with BirdCast

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 02:00:00 -0800

My guest in this episode is Dr. Andrew Farnsworth.

Andrew is a Senior Research Associate in the Center for Avian Population Studies at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and has a BS in Natural Resources from Cornell University, MS in Zoology from Clemson University, and PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell.

Andrew started birding at age 5 and quickly developed a fascination with bird migration, which continues to this day. His research advances the use and application of multiple technologies to study bird movements on continental scales. This includes the use of weather surveillance radar, audio and video recording and monitoring tools, citizen science datasets, and machine learning techniques.

Today we discuss one of his primary projects, BirdCast. BirdCast presents near real time bird migration status, provides migration forecasts up to three days out, and provides local migration alerts to inform conservation action.

Creating BirdCast has required decades of research and a combination of many disciplines. Andrew discusses how ground-truth observations, acoustics, and radar data are correlated to weather data to produce a predictive model that accurately forecasts migration days in advance. Andrew discusses how advances in computing technology and machine learning have dramatically advanced model accuracy and accelerated progress.

We get into the details of the model, including why temperature is the most important factor in bird migration prediction, how tropical storms impact migration, and why migration and monitoring in the western USA is different from the eastern USA.

We also discuss how birders can use BirdCast for their interests, and the many ways that migration prediction helps with conservation efforts, such as Lights Out Texas.

You can see the forecasts and a lot of research and technical data at birdcast.info, or follow the team @DrBirdCast, on twitter.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links to People and Topics Discussed
The Academy of Natural Sciences
Adriaan Doktor, Benjamin Van Doren and Kyle Horton from the birdcast team
Dr. Sidney Gauthreaux - Dr. Farnsworth's advisor at Clemson University, and a pioneer in the field.
How radar detects birds (from birdcast.info)
Lights Out Texas from Texan By Nature
WSR 88D (aka NexRAD) - the US National Weather Service overview of the technology

Links to Related Episodes
Brian Sullivan - Brian is a former project lead for eBird, also from the Cornell Lab. This episode discusses that, as well are many technological opportunities to better understand birds
Project Terra - learn more about bird telemetry, nocturnal flight calls, and associated tracking technologies

Encore: Rick Halsey on Wildfire in the West and California's Chaparral

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 02:00:00 -0700

This is an encore of my popular wildfire in the west interview with Rick Halsey of the California Chaparral Institute.

Don't worry, more great new episodes are coming. Do you want to learn about bird migration forecasting? I’ve got you covered. And how about maximizing your nature observations when in the field? Covered again. And I have a bunch of other episodes and new projects in the works, too, from wild memes to beavers to mycelium - that confirms it! I’m really a fungi!

Onto the encore of episode 9. And if you enjoy the topic of wildfire, also check episode #24 with Justin Angle.

Rick Halsey is the author of “Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California”, and has a background in Environmental Studies, Anthropology, and Education, with degrees from University of California Santa Barbara and Cal State San Diego and UC Berkeley.

He is the founder and director of the California Chaparral Institute, dedicated to preserving California’s chaparral through scientific research, nature education, and activism. Chaparral habitats are expansive and the most important habitat at the wildland/urban interface in California’s major cities.

In this episode we discuss the myths and realities of wildfire. There are many eye opening insights that often get lost in our desire to have single, simple answers. That’s the theme of the episode - nuance. Causes and solutions vary by habitat and condition. And while we focus a lot on California, the principles apply to much of the west.

We discuss the ecosystems of the west, their historical fire behaviors and how that history was determined through charcoal records and tree ring analysis. We discuss the fact that huge, hot fires are not necessarily unnatural, and why the “fuel build up” narrative is often untrue, and when it makes sense. And the dramatic increase in human caused ignitions, which often occur at the more unnatural and dangerous times of the season. We discuss indigenous fire management and application and simple solutions for people living in the wildland-urban interface.

We also delve into Rick’s insights as an educator. His skill and dedication led to him receiving the McAuliffe Fellowship. Over the years he’s fine-tuned his delivery and we discuss his wonderful essay on his transformation from lecturer to the engage model.

Full Notes
Jack Cohen
Keith Lombardo
Rick's Book
Camp Fire Paradise, CA disaster
Santa Rosa’s Coffey Park disaster
Study shows improved hospital recovery for park-facing patients
Santa Monica NRA wildfire chaparral resources
ABA Podcast Steve Maguire’s high school ornithology class
The Nature Fix – Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative – Florence Williams
WASP sprinklers

#32: Cricket Raspet on Dockfouling - Finding Amazing Sea Creatures the Easy Way

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 02:00:00 -0700

My guest today is Cricket Raspet. Cricket is a Curatorial Assistant at the California Academy of Sciences, specializing in marine mammals. She’s a passionate community scientist, raptor bander with GGRO and a rescue and animal care volunteer at the Marine Mammal Center.

An interest (obsession?) with the colorful sea slugs of the pacific coast led her from the tidepools to the strange community of creatures that make floating docks their home. With a handful of like-minded explorers, she founded the Dockfoulers Union to educate people about this unique ecosystem and document its inhabitants through photography and iNaturalist observations.

Dockfouling is like "biofouling", where marine organisms collect on submerged items. But with docks, you can easily observe this amazing array of organisms. Think of it like tidepooling, but with some distinct advantages. Unique and colorful creatures can be readily seen, and these areas are ripe for personal and scientific discovery. Simply put, dockfouling can be both a crash course and a masters course in marine ecology.

We discuss Cricket's amazing finds in these floating dock biomes, the emergence of a dock fouling community, and how you can observe these magnificent creatures next time you are near a floating dock. It turns out it is easy to get started - no equipment necessary! But if you want to start taking photos, Cricket offers suggestions as well.

Find Cricket on Instagram at chilipossum, dockfoulersunion, glamourslugs, and iNaturalist.

Full Show Notes

Links
Dock Fouling in California
Dock Fouling in Washington State
Doctober
Nature Lookings
Olympus TG-6 Waterproof Camera- recommended for underwater and terrestrial macro. And a tutorial to use the TG-6 for Tidepool Photography
The Light and Smith Manual: Intertidal Invertebrates from Central California to Oregon, by James T. Carlton
Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific, by Eugene Kozloff

People and Organizations Discussed
California Academy of Sciences
Damon Tighe - presentations on YouTube at Lake Merritt
Dockfoulers Union (instagram)
Luan Roberts (instagram)

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#31: BONUS: Gall Week 2021 with Dr. Merav Vonshak

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 02:00:00 -0700

Dr. Merav Vonshak is a former guest on the podcast from episode 7. Merav is an ecologist, naturalist, and citizen science organizer (see BioBlitz.club) located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Merav volunteers as a curator on iNaturalist, and has an astounding 42800 observations on iNaturalist. She has also lead a project to document and raise awareness about the tragically high roadkill mortality of pacific newts along Lexington reservoir in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Merav is one of those people who has many fascinating projects and nature observations. But today, we’re talking about her latest idea - Gall Week 2021, which is planned from October 2 to October 10 (yes, it is a week PLUS a bonus weekend!).The idea is to get everyone, regardless of naturalist ability, to get out and observe these fascinating creatures.

If you aren’t sure what a plant gall is, I can point back just two episodes ago to my interview with Adam Kranz covering all things galls. But the short answer is these are beautiful and sometimes bizarre growths on plant tissues induced by another organism, such as a wasp, midge, or many others. They often develop vivid colors and evocative shapes, and all have fascinating natural histories. These growths occur specifically to support the life cycle of the inducer, and are often induced in amazingly precise ways.

Today Merav tells us about the project, how to participate, and has a few tips and tricks for documenting your observations.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links To Topics Discussed
Gall Week 2021 iNaturalist Project - join this project so you can add it to your gall observations

Books and Gall Resources
Gallformers.org - searchable (by host plant or gall) website with detailed descriptions of galls
Plant Galls of the Western United States, by Ronald Russo – HIGHLY recommended
iNaturalist Gall Projects:

Merav has a pamphlet of San Francisco Bay Area galls

#30: Dr. Jaret Daniels - Butterflies, Creating Habitat in Overlooked Landscapes, and Leveraging Creative Outreach

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 02:00:00 -0700

My guest today is Dr. Jaret Daniels. Dr. Daniels is a professor specializing in lepidoptera research and insect conservation at the University of Florida, and is curator of Lepidoptera at the Florida Museum of Natural History. In addition to that, Dr. Daniels is the author of over a dozen books that help connect the general public to butterflies, insects, and gardening for wildlife. These include titles such as Backyard Bugs, Insects and Bugs for Kids, and Native Plant Gardening for Birds, Bees and Butterflies, which is a series of regionally-specific books.

In this episode we dive into Dr. Daniels ability to connect with the public, and how he “flips the switch” between academic endeavors and authoring for the general public. We discuss some of his specific books (links in the show notes). And he outlines why creativity is so important for public outreach. Along those lines, he tells us about the butterfly themed beer partnership with First Magnitude Brewing, which even used yeast from a butterfly!

Dr. Daniels also discusses some of his conservation activities and successes, including helping to restore the federally listed Schaus’ Swallowtail, which only lives in tropical hardwood hammock habitats in southeast Florida. This restoration also involved important efforts from community science (or citizen science) doing hard work monitoring populations in very challenging environments. This butterfly occupies a limited geographic range, meaning it is vulnerable to both habitat loss and storms such as hurricanes. Dr. Daniels discusses the recovery plan and how they intend to make Schaus' Swallowtail populations more resilient.

As you know, I love to highlight ways we can make non-traditional spaces more wildlife friendly, and this is a specialty of Dr. Daniels. We hear about how Dr. Daniels worked with the Florida Dept. of Transportation to demonstrate that reduced roadside mowing frequency was a win-win-win for drivers, the department, and insects.

And to support homeowners looking to make better plant choices, Dr. Daniels is collaborating to create a wildlife-friendly plant certification program. Additionally, Dr. Daniels reveals some surprising findings from studying attractiveness of various home landscapes in Florida. The short story: plant larger quantities of fewer "good" plants, and you'll create a better habitat than lots of variety, but with only one specimen of each species.

You can also find Dr. Daniels on twitter.

This was an enlightening discussion on a number of fronts, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Dr. Daniel's Books
Backyard Bugs: An Identification Guide to Common Insects, Spiders, and More
Insects & Bugs for Kids: An Introduction to Entomology
Native Plant Gardening for Birds, Bees & Butterflies: A series covering the Upper Midwest, Southeast, South (coming soon)

Other Links
Plasterer Bees of the Southeast - an iNaturalist project started by the Florida Museum of Natural History looking to gather knowledge and observations about these rare bees. And more about the Plasterer Bee Project from the museum.
The Florida Museum of Natural History
The Xerces Society

#29: Adam Kranz - The Amazing World of Plant Galls

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 02:00:00 -0700

Galls are beautiful and sometimes bizarre growths on plant tissues induced by another organism, such as a wasp, midge, or others. They often develop vivid colors and evocative shapes, and have fascinating natural histories.

And Adam Kranz is here to help us understand what a gall is, their lifecycles, how to find them, and about Gallformers.org, a website designed to be the authoritative resource for all USA/Canada plant galls.

Adam has a BA in Environmental Studies from Lawrence University in Wisconsin, and a Masters of Science in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

We also discuss some particularly amazing galls that you’ll have to hear to believe. For example, Adam explains how the larvae inside the gall may steer the plant response throughout their lifespan! Check the full show notes for photos.

We discuss techniques for identifying galls in the field, including their attributes and how to differentiate them from other plant growths. Galls are common worldwide and provide ample opportunities for discovering and describing new species.

Adam also gives a nice overview of three extremely interesting galls that are among his favorites.

Each of these have fascinating natural histories, including peculiarities like hollow centers with free-rolling cells, and what might be considered a gall threesome, where a second cynipid wasp comes along and entirely changes the gall’s developmental trajectory.

You can find Adam on twitter @gallformers, and on iNaturalist @megachile.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links
Biodiversity Heritage Library
Bugguide
Eiseman’s blog BugTracks
iNaturalist Gall Projects: California | North America

Books
Plant Galls of the Western United States, by Ronald Russo - HIGHLY recommended
Tracks and Signs of Insects and Other Invertebrates by Charley Eiseman - HIGHLY recommended
Weld Cynipid Books: Free! See the full show notes

Podcasts
Charley Eiseman
Dr. Doug Tallamy

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
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#28: Milkweeds with Dr. Carrie Olson-Manning and Sydney Kreutzmann

Tue, 07 Sep 2021 02:00:00 -0700

My guests in this episode are Dr. Carrie Olson-Manning and Sydney Kreutzmann. Dr. Olson-Manning is an Assistant Professor at Augustana University, has a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Genetics from Duke University, and leads the Olson-Manning Lab which focuses on understanding how biochemical pathways evolve.

Sydney Kreutzmann is a Research Technician in Dr. Olson-Manning's lab, working on a number of research and outreach efforts.

In today’s episode, we focus on milkweed, and in particular, the Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, of the eastern United States, and the Showy Milkweed, Asclepias speciosa, of the arid west. Dr. Olson-Manning’s lab is studying how these two species hybridize in the transition zone in the Great Plains, where humid eastern climates give way to arid western climates. They discuss some of their initial findings, but as is often the case, each discovery opens up many new questions.

But to do milkweeds justice, we also get deep into many broader aspects of milkweed, discussing their diversity, speciation, and ranges. No discussion of milkweed is complete without coverage of milkweed toxicity, and the unique animals that rely on it despite this toxicity. And of course, this means some Monarch butterfly talk. But did you know that there are at least 10 other species that rely on milkweed as part of their lifecycle?

And one other amazing fact - milkweed produce dopamine. Yes, the same dopamine that you and I rely on. You’ll have to listen to hear how it is put to use.

Be sure to check out Dr. Olson-Manning's lab, milkweedflower.org for more details on the common and showy milkweed hybridization research, and their instagram. You can also follow the Olson-Manning lab on iNaturalist, and join their iNaturalist project that tracks observations of the Showy and Common milkweeds and their hybrids.

Full Show Notes Here

Links and References
Past Episodes Mentioned

Books and Resources
Monarchs and Milkweed by Anurag Agrawal, also available as an audiobook!
Monarch Joint Venture - a resource mentioned by Dr. Olson-Manning
What Milkweed To Plant - PDF showing which species to plan by region of the USA

People, Organizations, and Other Things
Dr. Steven Matzner - collaborator
iNaturalist - anyone can use this wonderful resource to learn about the plants, animals, fungi, and other things living in their area.
Mead's Milkweed - a milkweed species that is threatened
Tropical Milkweed - is NOT recommended by Xerces Society. We discuss this briefly in the episode.

Note: links to books are affiliate links

#27: Brandon Kong - California Tiger Salamanders, Rattlesnakes, and How To Herp

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 02:00:00 -0700

My guest today is Brandon Kong. Brandon is a conservation field technician at Stanford University, is studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Santa Cruz, and has a particular passion for “herping” , which is looking for and studying the nature of reptiles and amphibians. Brandon’s studies and field work give him plenty of hands-on herping experience, and he shares many of his amazing finds on his YouTube and Instagram channels.

We had two primary goals for today - discuss what herping is and how to do it, and dive deeper into the California Tiger Salamander, which is the subject of Brandon’s conservation efforts and studies.

The topic of herping is immense. After all, it covers snakes, lizards, newts, salamanders, frogs, toads, and more. And species diversity and behaviors vary dramatically across habitats.

Despite the enormity of the topic, I think we pulled it off! In this episode you’ll learn about how to find herps and where to look, weather dependencies, and the ethics and etiquette of herping. These are sensitive animals with fragile habitats, so this is particularly important.

Along the way we also discuss Brandon’s experiences with the Prairie Rattlesnake and Project RattleCam, Next we move into the amazing world of the California Tiger Salamander, and learn about what makes them so unique. Brandon offers some tricks of the trade in tracking and identifying unique individuals, as well as discusses the challenges of road mortality.

Brandon also offers great resources for would-be herpers looking to learn more.

And one note about today’s recording - I’m trying very hard to maintain my episode release schedule on top of my day job and family demands. To that end, I purchased some new audio editing software that promises to save a lot of time. I used the software for the first time for this episode, and yes, there is a learning curve. There were some things it did well that I couldn’t have done previously, but there were also some things that I learned to do differently in the future. Thanks for your patience as I work to sustain and scale the show.

FULL SHOW NOTES

People, Organizations and Things
Chytrid Fungus - article about this destructive pathogen that threatens global amphibians
Enormous congregations of garter snakes in Manitoba, and a video
Life in Cold Blood - David Attenborough 5 episode series
Project RattleCam citizen science project to help scientists learn about rattlesnake behavior led by Dr. Emily Taylor and Dr. Scott Boback

Books and Resources
California Herps - website for herps in California
Field Guides by Robert Stebbins and Samuel McGinnis: Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians is a good guide for the western USA, and Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of California goes into depth for California.
The Field Herping Guide by Mike Pingleton and Joshua Holbrook
i3s Spot - Software Brandon uses to identify specific individual tiger salamanders by photo

#26: Dr. Doug Tallamy on What Makes Oaks the Most Important Tree

Tue, 10 Aug 2021 02:00:00 -0700

Today's guest is Dr. Doug Tallamy, and let me say up-front that the episode title doesn't really do justice to our wide ranging discussion!

Doug Tallamy is the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored over 100 research publications and has taught insect related courses for 40 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His book Bringing Nature Home was published by Timber Press in 2007 and was awarded the 2008 Silver Medal by the Garden Writers' Association. Nature’s Best Hope (2020) a New York Times Best Seller, and his latest book The Nature of Oaks was released by Timber Press in 2021. Dr. Tallamy is the recipient of numerous awards for his conservation and communication efforts.

Today we discuss the aforementioned The Nature of Oaks.

Oaks aren't just a little important, but stand well above others in terms of the number of insects they support. Why is this important? As you'll hear, the majority of birds require insects to raise young, and not only that, but immense numbers of caterpillars. And this is just scratching the surface of the food web impacts. We also talk about gall-making wasps that use oaks, and the parasitoid wasps that rely on those gall-making wasps! Dr. Tallamy gives a great introduction into gall maker life histories.

We discuss some basic ecological concepts in relation to oaks, including keystone species, trophic levels and energy transfer. We consider the roles oaks played back when our forests were more diverse, before the American Chestnut was wiped out, before Dutch Elm Disease wiped out 75% of mature elms, and before the current die-off of eastern Ash trees.

Doug discussing semi-random acorn masting, and reviews the four fascinating hypothesis as to why this is.

Doug started Homegrown National Park (instagram) that helps people understand the critical connection they have with functional food webs and ecosystems. We discuss how Homegrown National Park came to be, how to help people make yards more ecologically functional, and some tips and suggestions for connecting with people if you too want to advocate for this good cause.

FULL SHOW NOTES

MORE LINKS
California Native Plant Society CalScape native plant finder
Kenneth V. Rosenberg - lead author of study showing 3 billion birds have been lost
Michelle Alfandari - Partnered with Doug to create Homegrown National Park
Sudden Oak Death
Tammany Baumgarten - advocate for the "1

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#25: Danielle Husband - Wetland Systems, Playas, and Dragonflies!

Tue, 27 Jul 2021 02:00:00 -0700

My guest today is Danielle Husband. Danielle is a graduate student studying dragonflies and damselflies at the McIntyre Lab at Texas Tech University. In particular, she is studying the west Texas playas, salinas, and urban catchments, and their suitability for odonates.

Today’s episode is full of great topics. We discuss the importance of wetlands in general, and drill down into the specifics of the semi-arid environment of west Texas. The playas and salinas of west Texas are fascinatingly unique, and also play a critical role in the groundwater system of the Ogallala Aquifer.

The Ogallala Aquifer is one of the largest groundwater sources in the world, and critical for much of the United State’s agriculture. Aquifers are being drawn down throughout the world, and the Ogallala is no exception. Playas and other wetlands and waterways “recharge” these aquifers, but is it enough to offset the extraction? Danielle describes the challenges of recharge and aquifer depletion.

We then dive into Danielle’s primary area of research - odonates. She covers the basics of odonata life history, including some differences between damselflies and dragonflies. And did you know some dragonfly species are migratory? Danielle also describes how she constructed the odonate surveying protocol she uses in her field research, some of the interesting discoveries she has made, and helpful tips for naturalists to find and identify dragonflies.

It was a wide-ranging and fun discussion that I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

Find Danielle on Instagram.

People, Organizations, and Websites
Dragonfly Pond Watch Project - Monitoring program for migratory dragonflies that anyone with regular pond or wetland access can participate in.
Dragonfly Society of the Americas
Golden Gate Raptor Observatory
McIntyre Lab at Texas Tech University
Odonata Central

Books and Other Things
IUCN Global Wetland Outlook Report - from 2018
Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West by Dennis Paulson – one of the best field guides I’ve found - a bit large for the field but worth it
Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East by Dennis Paulson – the Eastern USA version of the above
Dragonflies and Damselflies: A Natural History - by Dennis Paulson
Ogallala Blue: Water and Life on the Great Plains - by William Ashworth
Playas of the Great Plains - by Loren Smith (University of Texas Press)
Urban Areas Create Refugia for Odonates in a Semi-Arid Region - by Danielle M. Husband and Nancy E. McIntyre

#24: Justin Angle - On The Fireline - Wildfires in the Western USA

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 02:00:00 -0700

"Just because it's a view you've seen your whole life doesn't mean it's a normal, healthy forest."

See full show notes here, with links to all topics discussed.

My guest today is Dr. Justin Angle, creator of the podcast series “Fireline”, which dives into the realities of wildfire in the western USA.

Justin is Associate Professor of Marketing at The University of Montana in Missoula. He earned his Ph.D. and MBA from the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. Justin also produces his own interview podcast called A New Angle.

Today we focus on the “Fireline” podcast series, released earlier this year through Montana Public Radio. If you haven’t heard it, the seven episodes cover different aspects of wildfire. The series presents multiple points of view with a goal to demonstrate that the topic is complicated and nuanced, and we all have a role to play in finding solutions.

Today, we discuss many of Fireline's topics, including:
- How wildfire impacts can be both positive and negative, depending on perspective and context.
- The complexities of how years of wildfire policy and suppression have affected fire behavior, and how rising temperatures catalyzes more and larger fires.
- The growth of the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) and how that creates more negative human impacts.
- Relatively recent research showing that wind-blown embers can be a primary driver to fire spread and a primary risk to homes - not the towering flame front that we often envision. This changes how communities and homeowners need to prepare, which quickly turns into a sociology problem more than a science problem.

Any discussion of wildfire is incomplete without investigating human history and influence on wildfire, and Fireline covers indigenous use of fire through the perspective of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes, as well as some fascinating anthropological research.

We also review Justin’s atypical route to creating the show, and the process and partners he engaged to make it a reality. Fireline was produced at the peak of the pandemic, requiring Justin and his team to pivot multiple times.

You may also be interested in my interview with Rick Halsey of the California Chaparral Institute, where we took a deep dive into wildfire behavior, especially in chaparral habitats.

Catching Fire by Richard Wrangham
Fire in Paradise - on Netflix
Life with Fire - wildfire podcast
Fireline's Collaborators: Jeff Hull, Nick Mott, Victor Yvellez, Josh Burnham, Aj Williams
Cathy Whitlock
Jim See
Kimi Barrett
Libby and Alex Metcalf
Lily Clarke
Richard Wrangham
Steve Pyne - fire historian with several excellent books
Tony Incashola Jr and Sr - Father and Son
Wildfire Adapted Miss

#23: Crossover! Wasp Ecology with Heather Holm, from the Backyard Ecology Podcast

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 02:00:00 -0700

This episode is a special one that warrants a special introduction.

Today, you are going to hear all about Wasps with award winning author Heather Holm. But rather than me interviewing Heather, this is actually an episode from the Backyard Ecology podcast. Shannon Trimboli, the creator of Backyard Ecology, and I have become fans of each other’s shows. We decided it would be fun, and hopefully valuable for our audiences, to share an episode of each other’s podcast.

I love the concept of Backyard Ecology and want to promote the importance of backyard habitats, as I’m sure you all have picked up on. Shannon interviews authors and specialists on everything from fireflies to backyard vernal pools. Shannon is located in the eastern USA, so her guests often focus a bit more on eastern ecology, which compliments my guests which are often in the western USA.

Shannon is also a beekeeper, author, public speaker, and owner of a native plant nursery. You can see her upcoming events and details on her public speaking on her website, https://shannontrimboli.com/.

As for this episode, as I mentioned, Shannon interviewed Heather Holm, who recently published the book Wasps: Their Biology, Diversity, and Role as Beneficial Insects and Pollinators of Native Plants.

Wasps get a bad rap in many circles due to a few aggressive species. However, there are actually more species of wasps than bees, the majority are solitary, many are tiny, and they all have fascinating life histories.

What I love about this episode is the deep dive into some of these fascinating life histories. You’ll learn about how they hunt, how they create and provision their nests, and much more.

If you enjoy this crossover episode, please consider subscribing to Backyard Ecology. Also, check out the show notes naturesarchive.com for direct links to Shannon’s full show notes and her website.

Find Shannon on Facebook, and Backyard Ecology on Facebook.

People and Organizations Discussed
Backyard Ecology podcast
Shannon Trimboli - author, beekeeper, public speaker, native plant nursery owner, and creator of the Backyard ecology podcast

Books and Other Things
Wasps: Their Biology, Diversity, and Role as Beneficial Insects and Pollinators of Native Plants.

#22: Project Terra - Wildlife Tracking in Your Own Backyard with Scott Whittle and Mike Lanzone

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 02:00:00 -0700

My guests today are Scott Whittle and Mike Lanzone of Project Terra and Cellular Tracking Technologies.

Scott is a bird expert and author. His passion for the natural world has led to co-authoring The Warbler Guide, the Warbler Guide App, and contributing to the Birdgenie bird song identification app.

Mike is a Research Biologist turned technologist, and is the Founder and CEO of CTT - Cellular Tracking Technologies, a leading manufacturer and innovator of wildlife trackers using various cellular, satellite and radio technologies.

We start off discussing CTT and their interesting origin story, attempting to identify if eastern Golden Eagles would be impacted by proposed wind power facilities. CTT has advanced the technology significantly, creating the “Internet of Wildlife”, allowing larger animals like eagles to be “repeaters” of data from smaller songbirds, overcoming limitations of how large of systems that these smaller birds can carry.

We also discuss a few of CTT’s conservation success stories, such as Project SNOWstorm, which tracks Snowy Owls.

Our primary topic is an exciting new project called Terra. Terra intends to dramatically expand wildlife tracking in the form of a system that you can place on your own property.

Terra is intended to help people connect with nature, while simultaneously filling in crucial gaps in wildlife data, such as bird song variations, details about migratory flight paths, and even information about other animal vocalizations such as cicadas, crickets and frogs.

Terra expects to use nocturnal flight calls (NFCs) to help identify migratory bird paths and volumes, so we spend some time talking about NFCs, and how important these unique, often single note calls are.

Terra is in late stage development, and has launched a kickstarter to help get it over the finish line. We discuss how Terra works, the technology inside, what a corresponding app might look like, privacy, and speculate on many potential research topics that will result from a network of Terra devices.

If you are interested in Terra, please check out the Kickstarter, which ends on July 1. We discuss exactly what a kickstarter is in the show, but the short story is kickstarter is basically how new ideas such as Terra get community funding, and are thus critically important for the success of projects such as this. And by backing projects on kickstarter, you get perks to help make it worth your while.

Follow Nature's Archive on Instagram

Links To Topics Discussed
Project Terra Kickstarter

Bringing Nature Home - by Doug Tallamy

The Warbler Guide - Innovative field guide to warblers that includes spectrogram visualizations of vocalizations. Co-authored by Scott Whittle and Tom Stephenson

Macaulay Library - Cornell Lab's wildlife media archive

oldbird.org by Bill Evans, considered the resource for NFCs (Nocturnal Flight Calls)

Andrew Farnsworth - ornithologist at Cornell Lab known for migration research and use of radar tracking

Casey Halverson - Mike recruited Casey to help develop the first cell-based GPS trackers

#21: John "Griff" Griffith on Redwood Ecosystems, Hosting Animal Planet's Wild Jobs, and Being a "Solutionary"

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 02:00:00 -0700

My guest today is John Griffith, or better known as Griff.

Griff is a Natural and Cultural Resources Interpreter for California State Parks, and host of the Animal Planet show “Wild Jobs”. Prior to that, Griff was a long time crew supervisor in the California Conservation Corps, where he and his crew restored habitat throughout Northern California.

Griff’s love of nature and infectious personality make him a natural educator. He immerses himself in his projects and parks he supports, learning the ecology and history, and encouraging diversity in his programs. You have to check out his Facebook Live weekly videos from Humboldt Redwoods State Park to see how charismatic and on-point he is.

Griff joined me from some of the last remaining in-tact old growth redwood forest. And note, that while he works for California State Parks, in this episode he is off duty, not representing state parks.

In our wide-ranging conversation, we discuss what makes old growth redwoods so magical. If you haven’t seen redwoods before, just think "Star Wars Return of the Jedi Forest Moon of Endor", which was filmed in this area!

Our discussion of giant trees takes a surprising turn to prairies - yes, there are productive prairies in the redwoods. Griff tells of an exciting elk encounter he had at one of them, that thankfully we can laugh about.

We spend a lot of time talking about Griff’s approach to conservation content creation, including specific approaches that you and I can use. We get into details about Griff’s Animal Planet show, “Wild Jobs”, which is a must-see!

We wrap up discussing the importance of treating our properties like habitat. In typical Griff style, he uniquely and entertainingly makes this point.

If you haven't seen Griff before, I promise that you'll walk away a fan. Be sure to check out his Facebook and YouTube!

FULL SHOW NOTES

Books, Places - Book links are affiliate links
Before the Wilderness: Environmental Management By Native Californians, Kat Anderson
Bald Hills
Nature's Best Hope - by Doug Tallamy. Also Bringing Nature Home
Mattole Road - "The Most Epic Road on the Planet"
Wild Jobs. Griff hosted this show, and recommends Wounded Reptile Rehab with the Phoenix Herpetological Society to start

People, Organizations
Animal Tracks - from Wild Jobs Episode 1
California Conservation Corps
Chris Wilmers UC Santa Cruz Lab - famous for their Puma project
Gibbon Conservation Center
Griff on the Kelly Clarkson Show
Humboldt Redwoods State Park
Jose Gonzalez, Latino Outdoors
Ojai Raptor Center
Reed Noss, whom Griff will be interviewing
Wood River Wolf Project

#20: Dr. Yiwei Wang - Bird Observatories, Plovers, and Pumas, Oh My!

Mon, 24 May 2021 02:00:00 -0700

My guest in this episode is Dr. Yiwei Wang.

Yiwei is the Executive Director at the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, or SFBBO for short (find SFBBO on FB and IG). Yiwei grew up in the South Bay (San Francisco Bay Area) and has called that area home for most of her life. She attended Cornell University and double majored in Biology and Psychology. Returning to the west coast, she worked for a variety of organizations that focused on birds and mammals, including an internship with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory and a season as a field technician in SFBBO's Snowy Plover Program. She then attended UC Santa Cruz and received her PhD in Environmental Studies. Her dissertation focused on learning how human development impacts mountain lions and their relationships with other smaller carnivores.

In this episode we discuss the mission and projects of SFBBO, and what it means to be a “bird observatory”. Yiwei reveals some of the inner workings of such an organization, including what it is like to run an environmental organization, SFBBO’s volunteer program, how they engage with science advisors, some new and future projects, and a deep dive into the bird banding operation.

Since we jump into the topic of bird banding, a little background. Bird banding is the process of collecting detailed scientific measurements of individual birds by temporarily capturing birds using nearly invisible mist nets. These measurements are used to create datasets that track bird populations, morphologies, migration patterns, and more. Additionally, a small band is added to the leg of the bird to facilitate future tracking. Doing this in a way that is safe for the birds and scientifically rigorous is a fascinating subject, and requires thorough training.

We also discuss Yiwei’s and SFBBO’s commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and equity, and how they embody it.

Additionally, we get to hear about some of Yiwei’s other interesting projects, including her PhD project documenting the energetics of mountain lions around human habitation, and her eye opening experiences in Australia that redirected her career path to the one she is on today.

Find Yiwei on Twitter. And be sure to follow SFBBO - they have many 40th anniversary events planned!

LINKS
Center for Excellence in Nonprofits
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Marshmallow Minds
National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to SFBBO, Stanford University, San Jose State University, Santa Clara University, and West Valley College to create a research coordination network include Coyote Creek and Jasper Ridge Field Stations
Santa Cruz Puma Project
South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project

Books and More
Birdy Hour Talks - SFBBO series
Invisible Women - Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez - Yiwei recommends this book to give perspective about how society inherently biases against women
Salt Marsh Harvest Mice
Ridgway's Rail
Snowy Plover

#19: Chris Helzer - The Prairie Ecologist

Mon, 03 May 2021 02:00:00 -0700

My guest in this episode is Chris Helzer. When I started this podcast nearly a year ago, Chris was on my short list of people I wanted to interview, so I’m very happy that the day has come.

Chris is The Nature Conservancy’s Director of Science in Nebraska, where his main role is to evaluate, capture, and share lessons from the Conservancy’s land management and restoration work.

Chris is the creator of the popular blog called The Prairie Ecologist, where he combines his knowledge and insights with his photography to raise awareness about the value of prairies and prairie conservation. He is also the author of two books – “The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States” and “Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter”.

You can also find Chris’ photography of prairies and their inhabitants in a variety of publications, including NEBRASKAland magazine and Wildflower magazine. You can also find Chris on Instagram @prairieecologist.

In this episode we discuss what a prairie is, and dispel common myths about prairies. We get a quick lesson on ecological succession, and how drought and fire play important roles in sustaining prairies. Chris also describes the framework that is used when making land management decisions.

We also discuss how Chris combines his scientific background with his photographic and storytelling skills to create a very successful outreach portfolio through his blog and instagram.

Chris is a highly skilled environmental educator, so I took the opportunity to ask him about his approach of “meeting people where they are at” to connect with people at any interest level. We also dove into how he’s used photography and his “One Square Meter” book and project to demonstrate the beauty and biodiversity of the prairie, enabling him to connect with many more people.

Links
Michael Forsberg - award winning photographer famous for his work in the Great Plains, among many topics
The Nature Conservancy, and in Nebraska specifically. Chris oversees the Hubbard Fellowship program
A Field Guide to Roadside Wildflowers at Full Speed - humorous field guide of blurry photos - check it out!
Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter
The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States - by Chris Helzer
Meeting People Where They Are - video
University of Nebraska State Museum - Morrill Hall - Chris had an exhibit in the fall of 2021.

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License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

#18: Kerry Knudsen - The Magic of Lichen

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 02:00:00 -0700

You’re gonna be liken this episode. Well, let me rephrase that - you’re going to like this episode about lichen.

What’s a lichen? If you’ve hiked just about anywhere, you’ve probably seen one. They are colorful organisms that grow on rocks, tree branches, and even fence posts. Around where I live, I see lichens growing on people’s roofs, too!

I called them organisms because they are complicated. Sometimes they are characterized as symbiotic relationships between a fungi and an algae. But it’s much more interesting than that.

And there are few people better to help us learn about lichens and how to find them than Kerry Knudsen, a lichenologist at the University of Life Sciences in Prague.

Kerry’s personal story is equally fascinating as lichens themselves. Kerry got started in lichens later in life after a health condition derailed a long career in construction. And he’s gone on to discover over 60 new lichen species that were previously undescribed, founded the lichen collection at the University of California, Riverside, and has 161 peer reviewed publications on ResearchGate and more elsewhere.

So get ready to learn about lichens, how they live, what they do, how they propagate, how wildfire impacts them, and much more.

So, as Allie Ward likes to say in her Entertaining Ologies podcast, despite my preparation and research, I had a lot of freedom to ask a smart person stupid questions, and I thank Kerry for his patience and detail in his answers.

SHOW NOTES

Links
Andre Breton - the founder of Surrealism kept a lichen collection just for the beauty and inspiration
California Lichen Society
Rick Halsey of the California Chaparral Institute. See my past interview with Rick.
Steven Levitt - University of Chicago economist who analyzed the ranching use of the Amazon rainforest. He had a podcast episode with his solution.
Theodore Payne Foundation - Kerry mentioned working here for a period
Univ. of California Riverside Herbarium

Books
A Field Guide to California Lichens - Stephen Sharnoff
Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest - Bruce McCune
Usnea is a genus with over 600 species, and is difficult to identify in the field

Support Us On Patreon!
Buy our Merch!

Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

#17: Alvaro Jaramillo - Birding Your Best Life

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 02:00:00 -0700

My guest today is Alvaro Jaramillo. Alvaro is a highly regarded ornithologist and birder with a long list of authored books and published papers. Born in Chile, raised in Canada, he’s lived in California for the last several years where he operates “Alvaro’s Adventures”, a birding-centric tour company that specializes in combining birding with local cultures across the globe.

Alvaro has a BS in Zoology and a masters in Evolutionary Biology, and is an affiliated senior biologist with the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory. Alvaro has a wealth of world-wide birding knowledge, is a contributor to Bird Watcher’s Digest, and actively engages in many birding forums. He even helped to identify a new bird species, Oceanites pincoyae (Pincoya Storm-Petrel), found in Chile.

In today’s episode we discuss how Alvaro developed his interest in birds. From authoring his guide to New World Blackbirds, to a fortuitous encounter in Canada that led him to the world of arranging and guiding tours, it is clear the avian adventures were a calling for Alvaro.

We discuss the origins of Alvaro’s Adventures, and some of his amazing global trips, such as his annual journey to Bhutan. And check out his Birds and Wine trip to Chile and Argentina as another great example.

We also talk about pelagic birding - he leads numerous pelagic trips in Northern California each year. If you are unaware of pelagic voyages, they take you far offshore onto the ocean to look for bird species that are next to impossible to see from land. And if that weren’t fun enough, you’ll often encounter whales, porpoises, sunfish, and many other amazing oceanic creatures.

We discuss the groundbreaking impact his Birds of Chile guide had on accelerating Chile’s birding evolution.

After a couple decades of engaging with the public in these capacities, he also has a lot of insight into helping people interpret, enjoy, and see the value of nature - and he offers a few tips and approaches that we can all use.

And while COVID-19 has been challenging, he has turned it into an opportunity to increase his outreach. In addition to many in-depth online workshops, he’s launching a new subscription based online birding community, called “Birding Your Best Life”. Its primary goal is to help people enjoy birds more, regardless of their circumstances and goals. It will include discussion communities, equipment reviews, video tutorials, and much more. As you’ll hear, he has big plans - you can sign up here to be notified of progress.

Other Links/Mentions
Alvaro's Facebook
Birds of Chile - field guide Alvaro, Peter Burke, David Beadle created that helped accelerate Chilean birding
Birdwatchers Digest - Alvaro has written for this publications for many years
National Audubon Society
New World Blackbirds - Alvaro's distraction from his PhD
Colombian Audubon
Debi Shearwater - Alvaro was a spotter with Debi Shearwater, the well known pelagic leader
Eagle Eye Tours - Canadian tour company Alvaro helped start
Field Guides - the larger tour company Alvaro joined after Eagle Eye Tours

#16: Tora Rocha and Terry Smith - The Pollinator Posse Part 2 - What Landowners Can Do to Create Habitat

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 02:00:00 -0800

Today’s guests are Tora Rocha and Terry Smith, founders of the Oakland, California based Pollinator Posse. The Pollinator Posse creates pollinator-friendly landscaping and fosters appreciation of local ecosystems through outreach, education and direct action. They engage with municipalities, land owners, golf courses, garden groups, and the general public to help people become better stewards of the land.

In Part 1 we discussed Tora and Terry’s background and what the Pollinator Posse does. We also got deep into the frightening collapse of the Western Monarch Butterfly population, including a lot of background on Monarch’s life history and what people across the USA can do to support these charismatic creatures. So, if you’re interested in creative ways to engage the public to take better care of the land, or want to learn more about Monarch Butterflies, be sure to go back and give it a listen.

In Part 2, we get deeper into what homeowners and landowners can do to support their habitats. This is a critical and undervalued part of conservation efforts. Pollinators and insects in general are foundational to the health of our ecocystems, whether for their services pollinating fruits and vegetables, or as a foundational food source for animals higher up the food chain.

From an ecosystem perspective, all of our properties are connected. Consider how easily insects, birds, squirrels, and other animals travel from yard to yard. With that in mind, just one yard unknowingly contaminated with systemic pesticides can result in an outsized blast radius.

I was surprised to learn from Tora and Terry that most plants purchased from the big box stores are pre-treated with systemic pesticides called neonicotinoids, and these have long term devastating effects. They offer tips on avoiding these pesticides. We also discuss BT plants, the impact of fungicides, and more.

They also discuss easy steps to add habitat to your yard - and the good news is much of the approach is to just be lazy! I think you’ll be excited to hear what they have to say.

You can find out more at pollinatorposse.org or their Facebook group.

People and Organizations
Art Shapiro - University of California Davis Professor with longest continuously monitored study sites. See Art's work here. This Bay Nature article discusses Shapiro's work and the insect apocalypse.
Journey North - a 25 year citizen science program tracking migrations, now associated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum
Karen Overhauser - Professor and Director of the University of Wisconsin Arboretum. Her study about Monarch diapause triggers was mentioned in Part 1
Monarch Joint Venture - a partnership of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses and academic programs working together to protect the monarch migration across the USA
Plant Lists - The Pollinator Posse has some plant lists to help California gardeners with bees and pollinators
Western Monarch Advocates - an overarching entity that connects groups and individuals who share a common goal of saving the western Monarchs
Xerces Society - one of the largest invertebrate conservation groups. They have many resources about monarchs and habitat creation and habitat gardening

#15: Tora Rocha and Terry Smith - The Pollinator Posse on Monarchs, their Amazing Lifecycle, and Their Frightening Decline in the West - Part 1

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 02:00:00 -0800

Today’s guests are Tora Rocha and Terry Smith, founders of the Oakland, California based Pollinator Posse. The Pollinator Posse creates pollinator-friendly landscaping and fosters appreciation of local ecosystems through outreach, education and direct action. They engage with municipalities, land owners, golf courses, garden groups, and the general public to help people become better stewards of the land.

Terry and Tora make a wonderful team, and have made a huge impact in northern California on a number of fronts. So much so that Tora was recently awarded the Jefferson Award.

Our conversation was wide ranging - and as a result I decided to divide it into two episodes! Today we discuss the origin of the Pollinator Posse and the good fortune that brought Tora and Terry together. We discuss a few of the Posse’s current areas of focus and how they engage the public, including their creative Tees for Bees program that raises awareness about the importance of sustainable landscape practices at golf courses.

Much of today’s episode focuses on the dire situation with the western population of the Monarch butterfly. Western monarchs have distinct behaviors from those seen in the eastern United States, and their population has crashed to frightening lows, well below what is thought to be sustainable. This crash has corresponded with surprising behavioral changes that the Posse is working to better document, along with their conservation partners.

We discuss the Monarch’s life cycle including their mind-blowing metamorphosis, what distinguishes the western population from the eastern population (east of the Rocky Mountains), how populations are even measured in the first place, why they migrate, and the odd behavioral changes suddenly observed in 2020. We also discuss what individuals and land owners can do to help, such as managing the divisive Tropical Milkweed

Next week’s part two continues the discussion of the dramatic decline of insects and what homeowners can do to create better habitat. We discuss the impact of systemic pesticides such as neonicotinoids and how to avoid purchasing plants that are pre-treated with these long lasting pesticides.

We also discuss how healthy habitat gardening is actually less work than maintaining a lawn or traditional garden, and the importance of leaving “messy” areas - which are important for the lifecycle of insects.

You can find out more at pollinatorposse.org or their Facebook group.

People and Organizations
Art Shapiro - University of California Davis Professor with longest continuously monitored study sites. See Art's work here.
Journey North - a 25 year citizen science program tracking migrations, now associated with the University of Wisconsin Arboretum
Karen Overhauser - Professor and Director of the University of Wisconsin Arboretum. Her study about Monarch diapause triggers was mentioned in Part 1
Monarch Joint Venture - a partnership of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses and academic programs working together to protect the monarch migration across the USA
Plant Lists - The Pollinator Posse has plant lists to help California gardeners with bees and pollinators
Western Monarch Advocates - an overarching entity that connects groups and individuals who share a common goal of saving the western Monarchs
Xerces Society - one of the largest invertebrate conservation groups. They have many resources about monarchs and habitat creation and habitat gardening

#14: Brian Sullivan - eBird, Birds of the World, and the Intersection of Technology with Birding and Ornithological Media

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 02:00:00 -0800

My guest in this episode is Brian Sullivan.

Brian is a long-time leader at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, where he currently serves as Digital Publications Lead, managing the Birds of the World project, and he has previously served as project leader for eBird from 2005 to 2017.

Brian has conducted fieldwork on birds throughout North America for the past 25 years. Birding travels, photography, and field projects have taken him around the world, and he has written or coauthored several books and scientific papers including: Better Birding—Tips, Tools, and Concepts for the Field; The Crossley ID Guide: Raptors; and the forthcoming Princeton Guide to North American Birds. He is co-creator of the groundbreaking Raptor Id app for mobile devices, and he also served as photographic editor for the American Birding Association’s journal North American Birds from 2005-2013.

Today we discuss many of these topics, including the transformation of eBird into a global ornithological resource, developing and launching the Birds of the World project, which is the definitive resource for all 10721 bird species and has an exciting future roadmap ahead. We also discuss the forthcoming Princeton Guide to North American Birds, which is a project 15 years in the making.

Brian’s experiences in print media and cutting-edge online media give him a visionary’s perspective for the future of online resources for scientists and birders alike. We spend time discussing how remote sensing, phone sensing, and augmented reality might accelerate community awareness of and engagement with the environment. And this may come about sooner than one might think.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links and References from the Episode:
Chris Wood - an early partner of Brian's at eBird
Derby Hill Hawk Watch
Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania
Jack Conner - taught a college Biology of Birds course that helped re-ignite Brian's interest
Paul Lehman - editor of Birding Magazine when Brian published his first article
Birds of the World - Cornell's comprehensive resource for all 10,721 of the world's birds
Birding Magazine - The American Birding Association's (ABA) magazine
BirdNET App - identify birds by sound
The Australian Bird Guide
Collins Birds of Europe (link to the USA publication)
Crossley Guides - Richard Crossley's series of photo collage guides that Brian references (and co-author of the Raptor ID Guide)
eBird
Merlin Bird ID - free app and part of the Cornell Lab's ecosystem of resources
National Geographic's Birds of North America
Princeton University Press - A leader in quality nature and field guides
Raptor ID App - created and published by Brian and Jerry Liguori
Season at the Point: The Birds and Birders of Cape May - by Thomas Connor
The Sibley Guide to Birds [East] [West]

#13: Ashley Ahearn - Creator of the Podcast Series "Grouse" on the Art of Storytelling and Science Communication

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 02:00:00 -0800

My guest in this episode is Ashley Ahearn. Ashley is an award winning public radio and podcast journalist. She recently created and published the critically acclaimed podcast series called “Grouse”. Grouse explores life in rural America through the lens of the controversial Greater Sage-Grouse. The series also delves into Ashley’s own unique journey to sagebrush country, and tackles many of the competing interests that threaten the grouse.

You may also know Ashley from her work on the podcast “Terrestrial” - a show that explored personal choices in the face of climate change, and her many varied works for PRI and NPR. She currently runs Ahearn Productions, where she freelances for NPR and other clients, creates original shows such as Grouse, and helps others create quality podcasts.

In this episode we speak extensively about Grouse and the art of developing and telling nuanced stories. We get into the weeds of the production process, including how to gain the trust of people who may be skeptical and initially unwilling to share their stories. We also discuss how to tell a story that stays true to multiple perspectives, and how to engage and connect people using audio as a format.

We also talk about Ashley's journey from NPR to freelance productions and consultations. We have a great discussion about loaded terms such as "environmentalist", and what fairness and bias means in the world of journalism.

Ashley also gives a sneak peek into her next podcast series.

I thoroughly enjoyed this discussion and learned a lot of useful nuggets to improve my ability to engage and communicate environmental stories, and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

Find Ashley @ashleyreports on Instagram and @aahearn on Twitter, or on her website at https://www.ahearnproductions.com.

FULL SHOW NOTES at http://naturesarchive.com

References from the show:
People and Organizations
Ashley Ahearn - creator of the Grouse series.
Liza Yeager - audio producer and sound designer for Grouse
Michael Schroeder - Greater Sage-Grouse expert featured extensively in the Grouse series
Whitney Henry-Lester - Ashley's editor for Grouse

Books and Other Things
Bundyville - podcast series from OPB that Ashley enjoyed
Death, Sex, and Money - Anna Sale's podcast that Ashley enjoys
Grouse - The podcast series Ashley created, which led me to reach out to her for this interview
Home of the Brave - another podcast Ashley likes, by Scott Carrier

#12: Tony Iwane - Outreach and Community at iNaturalist

Wed, 13 Jan 2021 02:00:00 -0800

My guest in this episode is Tony Iwane. Tony is Outreach and Community Coordinator for iNaturalist, an environmental educator, contributor to Bay Nature Magazine, photographer, and just an all around interesting and knowledgeable naturalist.

As a key staff member for iNaturalist and one of its earliest members, Tony gives us an insider’s view of iNaturalist, what it is, and how it is used. Tony has also curated iNaturalist’s “Observation of the Day” for the past 5 years, and shared a selection of some of the most noteworthy observations from that catalog, including a serendipitous identification of an uncommon southern hemisphere hoodwinker sunfish in California, and an elusive Columbian Weasel photographed sitting on an outhouse toilet - still the only recorded observation of this species on iNaturalist.

Tony describes iNaturalist as both a social network for those interested in nature, and also a platform for community science. As a platform, we discuss how easy it is to engage with experts, and some of the creative and unique projects that people have created - and that you can view and contribute to! In fact, a couple past guests have successfully used iNaturalist to raise awareness for specific ecological concerns - Merav Vonshak and the Newt roadkill problem at Lexington Reservoir in California, and Charley Eiseman raising awareness of leaf mining insects.

We also discuss how iNaturalist has been an important discovery for many people to help them with purpose and focus during the pandemic.

And of course, we also learn about Tony’s personal journey that led him from counseling to the world of nature.

Be sure to check Tony's photos and follow him on iNaturalist. If you are new to iNaturalist, check out the getting started resources here.

Full show notes and links at podcast.naturesarchive.com

#11: Charley Eiseman - Naturalist, Author, Innovator, and Leaf Mining Insect Specialist

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 02:00:00 -0800

My guest today is Charley Eiseman. Charley is the lead author of the innovative and fascinating “Tracks and Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates”, which digs deep into the details of insect identification through the clues they leave, such as egg masses, cocoons, galls, burrows, leaf mines and more.

This initial treatment of leaf miners led him to his current 10 year obsession, learning about and documenting these specialist insects. Leaf miners are insects whose larvae live part of their lives in between the epidermal layers of leaves, each with fascinating life histories and survival strategies. There are thousands of leaf mining species of moths, flies, beetles, and sawflies. Despite being so prevalent, there was very little readily available information about them, that is, until Charley turned his sights on them. Over the last decade, Charley has turned himself into the foremost expert of North American leaf miners and created an 1800 page guide to the leaf miners, which is also referenced against their host plants.

This is a truly fascinating subject - leaf miners are literally everywhere, and serve as a creative "hook" to open people’s eyes to incredible nature that is easily overlooked. I’ve included several fascinating photos in the show notes that you have to see to believe.

In this episode we discuss Charley’s background, the unique University of Vermont Field Naturalist Masters program, the challenges of breaking new ground in publishing Tracks and Signs of Insects, how he has identified and described 50+ previously undescribed leaf miner species, the process of documenting those discoveries, the process of rearing leaf miners at home to identify the species, and much more. Charley offers a few pearls of wisdom as well, including approaches to continuous learning and developing structure and deadlines for audacious goals like his 1800 page leaf miner guide.

Charley offers occasional webinars and online courses, so be sure to check out his bugtracks blog, or charleyeiseman.com to see his upcoming schedule.

LINKS
Tracks and Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates - a wonderful guide book to insect behavior
Mammal Tracks and Sign - A Guide to North American Species - by Mark Elbroch, and Bird Tracks and Sign by Mark Elbroch were inspirations for Charley's Tracks and Sign of Insects
Leafminers of North America - by Charley Eiseman, a PDF guide
bugguide.net
A Hard-Won Moth - story of Charley's mystery viburnum leafminer, previously undescribed - and ultimately named Marmara viburnella
Bugs In Winter - Charley's upcoming online class
Noah Charney - co-author of Tracks and Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates
John Carlson, MD - entomologist who contributed a chapter on "sign of insects on vertebrates" such as stings and bites
Paul Rezendes - his mammal tracking class helped cement Charley's "follow the trail of things you don't know well" approach
Owen Lonsdale - PhD who helps Charley document new species
Dave Smith - Smithsonian sawfly expert

Music: Kevin MacLoed

#9: Rick Halsey - Wildfire Ecology in the Chaparral and the American West

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 02:00:00 -0800

My guest today is noted wildfire and chaparral ecologist Rick Halsey.

Rick authored the book “Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California”, and has given countless talks on the subject.

Rick has a background in Environmental Studies, Anthropology, and Education, with degrees from University of California Santa Barbara and Cal State San Diego and UC Berkeley.

In this episode we discuss the myths and realities of wildfire. There are many eye opening insights that, even today, get lost in the political rhetoric. We discuss the ecosystems of the west and their natural fire behaviors and how those were determined through charcoal records and tree ring analysis, the surprising negative impacts of fuel removal and prescribed burns, how indigenous fire management techniques fit into the discussion, simple solutions at the wildland-urban interface (WUI) such as exterior sprinkler systems, and much more.

In particular, we discuss the causes and factors leading to the Camp Fire that destroyed the town of Paradise, CA in 2018, the Yosemite Rim Fire, Oakland Hills Firestorm of 1991, and more.

While we focus extensively on California, the principles discussed apply to much of the west.

We take a few tangents in the discussion, including an insightful view of Rick’s education experience and approaches.

As an educator, Rick was the recipient of the Christa McAuliffe Fellowship. Over the years he’s fine-tuned his delivery and has a wonderful essay on his transformation from lecturer to the engage model.

Through the years, Rick has combined his educational skills and knowledge of ecology to focus on chaparral habitats - the most important habitat at the wildland/urban interface in California’s major cities.

He is the founder and director of the California Chaparral Institute, which is dedicated to preserving what remains of California’s chaparral through scientific research, nature education, and activism. One of his quotes that really reflects his approach to nature education is "Our job as educators is not to convince everyone how smart we are. Our job is to convince people how smart they are.

See Full Shows Notes at podcast.naturesarchive.com

Links to People, Events, and Resources Discussed:
Keith Lombardo, Ph. D.
Jack Cohen, Ph. D.
California Chaparral Institute
WASP exterior sprinklers
Santa Monica National Recreation Area wildfire and chaparral resources
Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California - by Rick Halsey
Santa Rosa's Coffey Park - a community burned by the Tubbs Fire
The Rim Fire at Yosemite National Park
The Nature Fix - Why Nature Makes us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative - by Florence Williams

Music
Fearless First and Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLoed, obtained from https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/

#7: Merav Vonshak - Outreach and Education with BioBlitzes

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 03:00:00 -0700

My guest in this episode is Merav Vonshak. Merav is an ecologist, naturalist, and citizen science organizer located in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Merav is the founder of BioBlitz Club, a group that organizes BioBlitzes to raise awareness for environmental causes, often partnering with specific organizations, or simply to raise community awareness of nature that is nearby.

If you’re unaware of what a BioBlitz is - they are focused efforts to document all living organisms within a defined location and period of time. I’ve participated in a couple of these events now, and must say that I’m hooked. BioBlitzes provide a sense of exploration and discovery, they get you out in nature, and have a wonderfully enthusiastic community to learn from.

Back to Merav...prior to founding BioBlitz club, she received a Doctorate in Ecology at Tel Aviv University, and had postdoctoral fellowships at Tel Aviv University and Stanford University. She is an expert in ant biology, having studied impacts of alien ant species and human disturbance on ant communities.

Merav has a wealth of ecological information, and also a curator on iNaturalist.

In this episode we discuss the story of Merav’s formation of BioBlitz Club, some of the surprising discoveries from these events - including in highly urban areas, how to get people engaged and caring about nature, her ant research and how you can even identify ant species by smell (some smell like Banana Cream Pie!), using BioBlitzes and Citizen Science as part of a broader conservation awareness playbook, and much more.

Show notes at https://naturesarchive.com/2020/10/28/merav/

#5: Eddie Dunbar on Getting People Excited about Insects, and Building an Online Community

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 02:00:00 -0700

Eddie Dunbar is an entomologist, the Founder and President of the Insect Sciences Museum of California and Adjunct Professor at Merritt College. With 38,000 species of insects in California alone, we need people like Eddie to help make sense of it all.

Eddie’s passion is to engage the public with insects so they can understand how they fit in our environment. Through the Insect Sciences Museum of California, Eddie promotes this engagement through numerous events such as “Bug Camps” and bioblitzes, and online through a popular Facebook group. The museum has portable displays, a large insect collection, and provides thorough field guides to parks of the Bay Area at bugpeople.org. In fact, Eddie and his volunteers have embarked on an immense project - creating an Insects of the San Francisco Bay Area virtual field guide.

Eddie’s unique background, including working with the UC Berkeley cooperative extension and researching pesticides, allows him to uniquely engage the public, who often see insects through the lens of pest control. Eddie has years of experience helping people change their views and understand the wide array of ecosystem services insects provide.

In this episode we talk about Eddie’s unique journey that led to the founding of the museum, his methods and tactics for engaging people online and in person, methods to create virtual field trips using Google Earth, ISMC’s projects, and how others can participate in ISMC or launch similar projects of their own.

Full show notes are on naturesarchive.com

Music Credits:
Opening: Fearless First by Kevin MacLoed
Closing: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLoed
https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/

#0: Welcome to Nature's Archive!

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 18:00:00 -0700

Ever wondered how you can make a difference for nature, with or without a university degree? Or do you just want to learn about and be inspired by amazing plants, animals, people and nature in general?

I'm Michael Hawk, and I used to be a tech engineer and manager. I've always been a curious soul, asking great questions and eager to learn and share.

So, I started Nature's Archive Podcast, a journey deep into the heart of the natural world. Join me for captivating interviews featuring ecologists, renowned authors, passionate amateurs, and seasoned professionals, each sharing their remarkable stories and areas of expertise. Together, we explore the incredible complexity of nature, challenge old beliefs, and uncover unique perspectives.

From bird migration to wildfire ecology, from fungi to oak trees, and from the secret lives of spiders to the power of native plants in your backyard, we cover it all.

Visit podcast.naturesarchive.com to explore our most popular episodes and detailed show notes.

Nature's Archive is part of my lifelong commitment to nature conservation through Jumpstart Nature. I've left the tech world behind to dedicate 100% of my time to this cause.

But I can't do it alone. Join me on this journey to make a real difference for our planet. Subscribe to Nature's Archive Podcast today.

#3: Jan Hintermeister - Volunteering to Grow Your Impact

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 14:00:00 -0700

Jan Hintermeister is a prolific volunteer in many environmental causes and organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Jan has been a long time field volunteer and served multiple terms as the Board Chair for the non-profit San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory. He's been a County Parks Commissioner, a member of the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority Citizen Advisory Committee, was instrumental in establishing a unique 40 acre open space preserve in what is now the shadow of Levi Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49’ers, and banded at the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, and much more.

Jan also has many years of experience as a field trip leader and open space docent, too.

Jan shows us that you can maintain your day job and still drive meaningful change through volunteering. We discuss this balance between Jan's Silicon Valley engineering career and his volunteering - how he started and grew his engagement and impact in both direct environmental efforts, and through engaging in the political side. Jan offers a lot of very practical advice for engaging locally and making an impact.

Music Credits
Opening - Fearless First by Kevin MacLoed
Closing - Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLoed
Both can be obtained from https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/

#2: Matthew Dodder - From Silicon Valley to Audubon Chapter Director

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 14:00:00 -0700

Matthew Dodder is the Executive Director of the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society - but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Matthew's journey into the world of nature conservation and education began with a blizzard in Massachusetts. Matthew's journey took him through seminary school and into a career in graphic design and marketing in Silicon Valley.

He never lost his interest in birds and ecology, spending his free time teaching birding and ornithology, and creating fantastic art work and bird-oriented products. Eventually, the preparation met opportunity, and Matthew was able to transition his career and take on the challenge of leading one of the largest Audubon chapters in California.

This episode covers all of that, how COVID-19 is causing Audubon to change and adapt, and much more, including how to use a melon to avoid a deadly bird encounter. Yes, you read that correctly - be sure to stay tuned for that!

Find Matthew's artwork on his website, and learn more about the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society.

Music Credits:
Opening: Fearless First by Kevin MacLoed
Closing: Beauty Flow by Kevin MacLoed
https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/

#1: Dorian Anderson - 17830 Miles of Biking for Birds

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 13:00:00 -0700

You may already know Dorian Anderson from his epic 2014 Biking for Birds adventure - 17830 miles over 365 days, through blizzards, heat waves and crazy drivers. The goal of this trip was to see as many bird species as possible (called a Big Year) in order to reset his life and simultaneously raise money and awareness for the environment and "green" ways to enjoy it.

Dorian has a fascinating back story including a high stakes academic career including a post-doctorate at Massachusetts General and Harvard Medical School, a battle with alcoholism and drugs, an early love of nature, and is quite a photographer, too.

This episode covers all of that and more, including Dorian's approach to risk taking and discussion of his upcoming projects.

Find Dorian on Instagram and on his photography site.

FULL SHOW NOTES

Links
People and Organizations
Listed in order of mention on the podcast.
Mark Kudrav, who had a California bicycle Big Year in 2013
Noah Stryker, who performed an International Big Year, and his book Birding Without Borders
The American Birding Association
The Conservation Fund
Victor Emanual Nature Tours
Christian Hagenlocher – The Birding Project, a funds-limited Big Year
The Speckled Hatchback, Dorian’s blog

Books
Note: links to books are affiliate links
Birding Without Borders, Noah Strycker’s wonderful book about an International Big Year.

Support Us On Patreon!
Buy our Merch!

Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com