Golden State Naturalist

Latest Episodes:

Growth Mindset with John Muir Laws (BONUS Minisode!) Jan 19, 2023

Show notes

How useful is IQ? What exactly is a growth mindset, and how is it different from a fixed mindset? What shifts can we make in our thinking that will allow us to learn and grow in new ways? Should you take Swahili lessons? How does all of this apply to being a naturalist and nature journaler?

In this cute tiny bonus episode, come with me and John Muir Laws as we discuss all of this and more.

Links:

John Muir Laws Website

John Muir Laws Books

Neuroplasticity

Carol Dweck's Scientific American Article

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

My Patreon is www.patreon.com/michellefullner

You can find me on Instagram or TikTok @goldenstatenaturalist

Imbodhi (actual best and coziest onesies for everything). Use code GoldenStateNaturalist15 to get $15 off your first order.

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

Nature Journaling with John Muir Laws Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

Did you know that no pretty pictures or artistic talent are required to create a highly effective nature journal? Rather, as John Muir Laws explains in this episode, nature journaling is about paying attention, presence in the moment, and thinking more effectively about the natural world all around you.

Join Jack and I on a nature journaling adventure beside the San Francisco Bay, and find out what six things should be included in a nature journal, which art supplies to use (not a specific brand!), how to experience more of the beauty and wonder all around you, what love has to do with it, and so much more.

Links:

John Muir Laws Website

Wild Wonder Foundation

Books by John Muir Laws

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

You can find me @goldenstatenaturalist on both Instagram and TikTok

The theme song is called "i dunno" by grapes and can be found here.

Imbodhi sustainable activewear. Code: GoldenStateNaturalist15

7 Ways to Connect with Nature This Year Jan 01, 2023

Show notes

Happy New Year! Are you hoping to spend more time outdoors this year? This episode is for you! In it, I'm sharing seven of my favorite ways to connect more deeply with the natural world this year and beyond.

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

Support Golden State Naturalist on Patreon.

You can find me on Instagram and TikTok @goldenstatenaturalist.

The theme song is called "i dunno" by grapes. You can see the Creative Commons license here.

California Native Plants with Naomi Fraga Dec 15, 2022

Show notes

California is home to 6,500 native plant species, including some that are truly iconic, like coast redwoods, giant sequoias, bristlecone pines, and California poppies. If you're like me, you have a lot of questions about this wide variety of plants, like: What is it that makes native plants so important? What's the difference between a native plant and an endemic one? Why are some plants more beneficial for wildlife than others? How many rare plants do we have in California? What's important to know about gardening with natives? How can we each help increase biodiversity in our own neighborhoods and beyond?

In this episode, join me and botanist Naomi Fraga from the California Botanic Garden as we discuss native plants, Global Biodiversity Hotspots, why some parts of the Mojave Desert are so wet, how to survive fieldwork in Death Valley, the swampy past of Los Angeles, and what each of us can do to ensure that the botanical richness of our state continues for generations to come.

Rare plants mentioned by Naomi:

Amargosa Niterwort

Tecopa Bird's-Beak

Aphyllon Validum (rock creek broomrape)

Kelso Creek Monkeyflower

Links:

California Botanic Garden

California Native Plant Society

Calflora

Calscape

CNPS Inventory of Rare Plants

Seven Forms of Rarity

Springs and Seeps (Mojave Wetlands)

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

Native Plant Societies in North America

Home Grown National Park (about) (map)

Los Angeles and Palm Trees

Outdoor Equity Groups

Disparities in Nature Loss and Access to Nature

Biodiversity Hotspots

Kids Outdoors

Support GSN on Patreon!

My Instagram and TikTok are both @goldenstatenaturalist

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

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

2022 California Naturalist Conference Highlights with José González, Rhiana Jones, Obi Kaufmann, and more! Dec 01, 2022

Show notes

Do you want to know what some of the most experienced, most insightful naturalists in California have on their minds? You’ve come to the right place! This episode is jammed full of brilliant professors, authors, environmental directors, outdoor equity advocates, and science communicators, and they cover topics from traditional ecological knowledge and storytelling to fire on the landscape to the ethical questions around ecosystem restoration to how healing happens.

Complete List of Guests:

Greg Ira, Director of the UC California Naturalist Program

José González, Keynote Speaker

Rhiana Jones, Keynote Speaker

Obi Kaufmann, Keynote Speaker

Don Hankins, Speaker

Brenda Kyle, Naturalist and lightning-round speaker

Maribel Garcia, Naturalist and Participant

Justan Torres, Naturalist and Participant

Jason Fareira, Naturalist and Participant

Bruce De Terra, Naturalist and Participant

Links:

California Naturalist Conference Website: https://ucanr.edu/sites/2022CalNatCon/

California Naturalist Main Website: https://calnat.ucanr.edu/

Don Hankin's CSU Chico State Page (with listed publications!): https://www.csuchico.edu/geop/department/dhankins.shtml

Information on Milpas

Washoe Tribe Website: https://washoetribe.us/

José González's Website: http://www.josegagonzalez.com/

Obi Kaufmann's Website: https://coyoteandthunder.com/

Place & Purpose Podcast https://www.placeandpurpose.live/

My website: www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

Become a Patron! www.patreon.com/michellefullner

I'm @goldenstatenaturalist on both Instagram and TikTok

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

Ice Age California with Sean Campbell Nov 17, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever wondered what was going on in California, oh, ten or fifty thousand years ago? About, perhaps, the social lives of saber-toothed cats, just how big giant ground sloths actually were, or the difference between a mammoth and a mastodon? Join me and Sean Campbell, Senior Paleontological Preparator at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California, as we explore what California and the world were like at the last glacial maximum.

Handy Links:

La Brea Tar Pits: https://tarpits.org/

Island Living Can Shrink Humans: https://www.science.org/content/article/island-living-can-shrink-humans

Saber-toothed animals: https://www.livescience.com/54130-saber-toothed-animals.html

Extremophile Microbes: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070510151916.htm

Diatoms: https://diatoms.org/what-are-diatoms

You can find me on Instagram or Tiktok @goldenstatenaturalist

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

My Patreon page is www.patreon.com/michellefullner

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

Monarch Butterflies with Natalie Johnston Nov 03, 2022

Show notes

What makes butterflies so magical? They are a wonder and a delight, and I’m so excited to be diving into a full episode about what is possibly the most iconic species of butterfly in the world: Monarchs. Have you ever wondered why they’re bright orange, how far they migrate, or why they capture our collective imagination? I have! Come with me to the Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary to find out more about these creatures that are as graceful as they are legendary.

Links:

Monarch Joint Venture

Monarchs and The Day of the Dead

Xerces Society

Western Scrubjays are Capable of Metacognition

Store-Bought Milkweed and Pesticides

Interview with Dr. Richard Stringer

Monarchs on Eucalyptus Trees

Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History

Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary

You can find me @goldenstatenaturalist on both Instagram and TikTok

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

You can support the show on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/michellefullner

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

Fire Ecology with Robin Lee Carlson Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

Hi there! It's season two now! Have you ever wondered what makes a "good fire" different from a "bad fire"? ME TOO. How about these: Which ecosystem needs fire more frequently--oak woodland or chaparral? What happens to animals during and after a wildfire? Are there any plants or animals with truly insane relationships with fire? (I'm going to spoil that one right now. Yes. Yes, there are.)

Join me and biologist, illustrator, and author Robin Lee Carlson as we hike Stebbins Cold Canyon, a UC Natural Reserve that's burned not once but TWICE in the past ten years. Robin spent years observing and documenting this place after both fires, eventually turning her sketches and observations into a beautiful book called The Cold Canyon Fire Journals. Listen to find out about fire-following beetles, foaming newts, the tragic lives of wood rats, flowers that ONLY bloom after fires, and so much more, including how Robin's whole perspective on fire changed after witnessing the abundance of life that follows the inferno.

Links:

Robin's Website: https://robinleecarlson.com/

Cold Canyon (Go for a hike! Just look out for poison oak!): https://naturalreserves.ucdavis.edu/stebbins-cold-canyon

UC Natural Reserve System: https://ucnrs.org/

NPR Article on Tribes’ fire knowledge in California: https://www.npr.org/2020/08/24/899422710/to-manage-wildfire-california-looks-to-what-tribes-have-known-all-along

Info on Fire Ecology from the National Parks Service: https://www.nps.gov/articles/learning-about-fire-ecology-basics.htm

Whispering Bells (fire-following flowers) from CalScape: https://calscape.org/Emmenanthe-penduliflora-()

UCANR Blog on Buckeyes: https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=13272

NatGeo article on fire-chasing beetles: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/fire-chasing-beetles-sense-infrared-radiation-from-fires-hundreds-of-kilometres-away

Nature Conservancy Fire Training Program (Trex): https://www.conservationgateway.org/CONSERVATIONPRACTICES/FIRELANDSCAPES/HABITATPROTECTIONANDRESTORATION/TRAINING/TRAININGEXCHANGES/Pages/fire-training-exchanges.aspx

CalFire page on defensible space: https://www.fire.ca.gov/programs/communications/defensible-space-prc-4291/

CalFire Guide to Prescribed Fire: https://www.fire.ca.gov/media/2qlel0gn/cal-fire-prescribed-fire-guidebook.pdf

You can find me @goldenstatenaturalist on both Instagram and Tiktok. You can find Robin @anthropocenesketchbook on Instagram.

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

The theme song is called "i dunno" by grapes, and you can find it and the Creative Commons license here: http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/grapes/16626

Mid-Break Updates AND Conversation with Michael Hawk on Nature's Archive Sep 13, 2022

Show notes

If you've been wondering what I've been up to or when I'll be back, this episode has your answers!

PLUS, just as a bonus because I love you, here's an intro to an amazing podcaster named Michael Hawk, who is the creator of both Nature's Archive podcast and a new nonprofit called Jumpstart Nature. In the episode, we discuss both of our podcasting journeys so far (with me at 10 episodes at the time of recording, and Michael a little past 50!), where we'd like to go next, and some behind-the-scenes info on what making a podcast is like.

Enjoy, and don't forget to check out Nature's Archive!

As always, some links!

Nature's Archive website: https://podcast.naturesarchive.com/blog/

Jumpstart Nature website: https://jumpstartnature.com/

My website: www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

You can find me on Instagram or TikTok @goldenstatenaturalist

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

Beavers (Drought and Wildfire Superheroes!) with Emily Fairfax Aug 04, 2022

Show notes

Scale a beaver dam with me and Dr. Emily Fairfax, beaver researcher, ecohydrologist, assistant professor at CSU Channel Islands, and science communicator extraordinaire who has been featured on NPR's Science Friday and All Things Considered. In this episode, you'll hear us discuss ecosystem engineers, what beavers eat, the best time of year to look for beaver dams, the North American Fur Trade, how beavers can permanently change landscapes, rodents of unusual size, what it means to be a keystone species, dam building, the fish that live in beaver ponds, what beavers do with those flat tails, natural infinity pools, the difference between a dam and a lodge, and why beavers are drought and wildfire superheroes.

Here are some helpful resources:

Emily's amazing stop-motion video on beavers and wildfire

Bay Nature article on human-beaver interactions in California

USDA Factsheet on invasive nutria

WorldAtlas on how beavers build dams

Leave it to Beaver

Emily's talk for California Naturalist's CONES speaker series

You can find me on Instagram or TikTok @goldenstatenaturalist

You can support me on Patreon at www.patreon.com/michellefullner

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

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