Golden State Naturalist

Latest Episodes:

Redwood Trees with Griff Griffith Sep 21, 2023

Show notes

Coast redwood trees reside in a category all their own. Not only are these the tallest trees in the world, but they grow in unique ecosystems–quiet, foggy places with ferns and redwood sorrel spilling everywhere you look onto the trail.

In these forests, the sound of running water is never far away, and the redwoods themselves are by far the most prominent tree species, the warm hue of their bark dominating the landscape as they tower over the evergreen huckleberries and red-flowering currants below.

In this episode, join me and edutainer and lifelong conservationist Griff Griffith as we discuss marbled murrelets, the overstory and the understory, dinosaurs in the redwoods, stump sprouting, surprising historical champions of the redwoods, the wood wide web, and of course these iconic trees of California themselves.

Links:

Find Griff on Facebook or TikTok @Griffwild, and find his work for Redwoods Rising @RedwoodsRising on the same platforms.

Go for a walk with Griff!

You can find me @goldenstatenaturalist on Instagram and TikTok.

My website is goldenstatenaturalist.com

GSN Merch

The theme song is called "i dunno" by grapes. You can find the link to that song and the creative commons license here.

Art of Nature/Nature of Art with Jane Kim Sep 07, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever looked at a piece of art that altered your perspective? Or one that challenged your thinking? Or maybe you’ve studied a piece that taught you something new.

How can art impact conservation efforts? How can it help break generational cycles of disconnectedness from the natural world? Why does art matter in a time of rapidly changing climate and habitat loss?

Join me and artist/scientific illustrator Jane Kim in the Ink Dwell Studio as we discuss nature blindness, the importance of place-based art, western monarch butterflies, endangered frogs, the purpose of murals, intergenerational relationships with the earth, and how both viewing and creating art can change the way we look at the world and the kinds of choices we make going forward.

Ink Dwell (You can also find Jane on Instagram @inkdwell)

Why Diverse Teams Are Smarter

Golden State Naturalist (my website)

Podcast Merch

You can find me @goldenstatenaturalist on Instagram and TikTok

Podcast art by Danza Davis, @danzadavis on Instagram.

The song is called "i dunno" by grapes. You can find it here.

Foraging with Mia Andler Jul 12, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever wondered if the plants growing along your favorite trail or outside your door are edible? Or what kinds of flavors might not be available at the grocery store?

Many of us aren't familiar with the tastes of the places where we live, even though there are wild foods growing all around us. Join me and author, educator, and forager Mia Andler on a walk beside the Truckee River to learn about the wild foods of California and beyond.

Links:

Mia's website

Mia's Books

California's Forgotten Pine Nuts

Pine Needle Tea

Support Golden State Naturalist on Patreon!

My website is goldenstatenaturalist.com

You can find me @goldenstatenaturalist on Instagram and TikTok.

The theme song is called "i dunno" by grapes. You can find the song and creative commons license here.

Urban Ecology with Miguel Ordeñana (Part 2: Bats, Inclusive Urban Nature and Community Science) May 05, 2023

Show notes

Do bats live close to my house? Why are they important? Do they have rabies? How can people help take care of urban wildlife? How can we involve more people in conservation and community science, particularly people from historically excluded groups? Come with me and Miguel Ordeñana to Griffith Park in Los Angeles, where we discuss all of this and so much more.

Links:

Bat Motherhood

Benefits of Bats

CDC Page on Human Rabies

National Science Foundation STEM Diversity Report

NHMLA's Community Science Projects

LA Times article on lead removal project

Jaguars and Obsession for Men

My website is goldenstatenaturalist.com

Merch

You can find me @goldenstatenaturalist on Instagram and TikTok

The theme song is called "i dunno" by grapes, and you can find it here.

Urban Ecology with Miguel Ordeñana (Part 1: P-22 Mountain Lion, Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, and Other Urban Carnivores) Apr 20, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever wondered what kind of wildlife lives right in the middle of your city? Or why some animals thrive in cities while others don't? And how did a mountain lion end up in Los Angeles, anyway? Join me and Miguel Ordeñana, the scientist who discovered mountain lion P-22 living in Griffith Park in LA as we discuss these questions and so many more.

Links:

Keeping Cats Indoors

Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing

Safety in Mountain Lion Habitat

P-22 sightings during my visit to LA

P-22 Eulogy by Beth Pratt

Friends of Griffith Park

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

Podcast merch!

You can find me @goldenstatenaturalist on Instagram or TikTok

The theme song is called "i dunno" by grapes.

Growing Native Plants from Seed with Julia Michaels Mar 23, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever wanted to grow your own native plants? Where can you get California native seeds? Should you sow them directly in the ground or start them in pots? Is there anything you should do to the seeds before planting them? What time of year should they be planted? How should the soil be prepared? What are some common mistakes to avoid? What are some good plants to start with? Is this the end of the lawn as we know it?

Join me and restoration ecologist Dr. Julia Michaels as we explore Hedgerow Farms, which grows native wildflower and grass seed for ecological restoration projects. In the first half of the episode, learn how native seed is produced on a large scale at the farm, and in the second half, find out how you can use native seeds to grow thriving native plants and increase the biodiversity of your own backyard.

Special thanks to Alejandro Garcia, Jeff Quiter, and Manolo Sanchez for taking the time to show me around the farm!

Links:

Hedgerow Farms: So much California native seed!

Bloom California: Find a local native plant nursery.

Calscape: California native plant landscaping tool.

Calflora: Database providing information on California native plants in the wild.

Research on wild seeds becoming domesticated over time.

Lost Beneath Lake Berryessa: More information on the Monticello Dam and the town of Monticello! Also photos by Dorothea Lange.

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

You can find me on Instagram and TikTok @goldenstatenaturalist.

Patreon support helps a ton! Check out the perks here: www.patreon.com/michellefullner

The theme song is called "i dunno" by grapes, and you can find it here.

Amphibians with Gary Bucciarelli Mar 09, 2023

Show notes

What is an amphibian, anyway? Are they leading double lives? What's the difference between a newt and a salamander? A frog and a toad? What kinds of amphibians live in California? Why are California newts so toxic? How do they always, always find their way home?

Join me and Gary Bucciarelli as we explore a stream in the Santa Monica Mountains, finding plentiful frogs and newts as we discuss the questions above and many more.

Links:

Map of Amphibian Diversity

Arboreal Salamanders

California Herps

Gary's Website

Gary's email address is garyb@ucdavis.edu

You can find me @goldenstatenaturalist on Instagram and TikTok.

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

Your support on Patreon is so appreciated!

The theme song is called "i dunno" by grapes, and you can find the Creative Commons License here.

Central Valley Water and Wetlands with Ellen Wehr Feb 23, 2023

Show notes

Did you know that California's Central Valley once contained a vast inland sea and was home to camels, 400 lb. saber-toothed salmon, and tiny four-tusked mastodons? Or that, just a couple of hundred years ago, it was a network of wetlands, peat bogs, riparian forests, and shallow lakes? So how did this place that was once so defined by an abundance of water become somewhere marked by water-related controversy?

Come along with me and Ellen Wehr as we discuss the history of this remarkable Valley, the wetlands that remain, and what we can do to both protect and coexist with the many species that still call the Central Valley home today.

Links:

Fossils!

NatGeo on Estuaries

NOAA Life in an Estuary

Native Tules

Nisenan Tribe

Sinking Central Valley

Wetlands of California's Central Valley (cool interactive map)

You can find me on Instagram and Tiktok @goldenstatenaturalist

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

MERCH

The theme song is called "i dunno" by grapes, and you can find it and the Creative Commons License here.

Ecological Restoration with Billy Sale Feb 09, 2023

Show notes

What's the problem with yellow hills? How do you trick a seed? What are the neighbors angry about? Where do restorationists get all those seeds? What's the difference between ecological restoration and restoration ecology? What does reconciliation have to do with it? How can we keep the world brimming with strange and beautiful creatures?
Join me and Billy Sale, Restoration Project Manager at the California Botanic Garden, as we poke around a native plant nursery and discuss all of these questions and more.

Useful Links:

California Botanic Garden

Society for Ecological Restoration

Sac Valley Restoration Days

Hedgerow Article

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

You can find me on Instagram and TikTok @goldenstatenaturalist

Imbodhi amazingly cozy and cute onesies. Use code GoldenStateNaturalist15 to get $15 off your first order.

The theme song is called "i dunno" by grapes. You can find the song and the Creative Commons License here.

Dark Skies with Kayla Browne and Dan Duriscoe Jan 26, 2023

Show notes

Most of us live in places where we can only see a few of the brightest stars in the sky at night, but what if that didn't have to be the case? Come with me and guests Kayla Browne and Dan Duriscoe to Death Valley, where we sit under a sky full of stars to discuss light pollution, bats, migrating birds, why dark skies are important, astronomy, places you can go to see a truly dark sky, and what can be done to bring stars back to our cities and our lives.

Links:

Friends of the Inyo

Dan Duriscoe Bio

International Dark-Sky Association

Just. Do yourself a favor and look at this photo of Death Valley at night by Dan Duriscoe.

NPS Light Pollution Map (Look for Dan Duriscoe!)

NPS Page on Where to Stargaze

International Dark Sky Places

Outdoor Lighting Basics

Tucson success story

Los Angeles Sea Turtles

Kratts' Creatures infamous baby sea turtle scene