Golden State Naturalist

Latest Episodes:

Conglomerate Mesa (Joshua Trees! Desert Ecosystems! Gold Mining!) with Wendy Schneider Jul 21, 2022

Show notes

When I first heard about Conglomerate Mesa, located on BLM land right outside of Death Valley, I had no idea how much ground a single episode could cover. This one's got everything, including what makes a place a desert, a little bit of geology, Joshua trees, the General Mining Act of 1872, juniper pinyon ecosystems, the rain shadow effect, a very lovable, fuzzy-tailed rodent, a daisy that is only found on about one square mile of the entire planet, soil that is alive, the historic and contemporary importance of this mesa to Native people, and the fight to keep a Canadian gold mining company from quite literally digging the whole place up and spraying cyanide all over it.

Some useful links:

Friends of the Inyo

Center for Biological Diversity on Conglomerate Mesa

Cyanide Use in Gold Mining

National Geographic on Deserts

1961 UC Berkeley Video on Native People Processing Pine Nuts

What is the Great Basin?

Smithsonian Article on Joshua Trees

Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands

"Big Four" American Deserts

Conglomerate (Rock)

Sierra Club on Conglomerate Mesa

Inyo Rock Daisy LA Times Article

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

Follow me on Instagram or TikTok @goldenstatenaturalist

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

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

Giant Sequoias (World's Largest Trees!) with Wendy Harrison Jul 07, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever looked up at something much larger than yourself and felt teeny tiny, but in a good way? That's the feeling I get when I walk among giant sequoias. It is pure wonderment. Join me as I learn more about this spectacular species from Wendy Harrison, who spent 30 years as an interpreter at Calaveras Big Trees State Park and now leads the park's California Naturalist program. In our conversation, we discuss the ancient origins of these trees, what kinds of plants and animals live around them and depend on them, something called “sequoia blood,” how they spread their seeds, what’s going on waaaaay up high in their branches, their relationship with fire, the heartbreaking story of the mother of the forest, and where they can be found today so you can go experience them for yourself.

Here are some relevant links from the episode:

National Parks Service--"Giant Sequoias and Fire"

Save the Redwoods--"Giant Sequoia and Fire"

Seed Viability

Calaveras Big Trees State Park Website

Canopy Soils

UCANR Page on Giant Sequoia Mycorrhiza

Mother of the Forest Wikipedia page with photos

You can find me on Instagram or Tiktok @goldenstatenaturalist.

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

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

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

Entomology (Bugs!) with Ralph Washington Jr. Jun 23, 2022

Show notes

If you're here and you're like "ehhhhh, maybe I'll skip this one," don't! It's seriously so good even if bugs aren't usually your thing. Ralph Washington Jr. is not only a bug genius with a Master's in Entomology from UC Davis and more accolades than you can shake a stick at, but he's also insightful, passionate, and easy to listen to. You'll learn so much from him and may even walk away with new perspective on more than insects.

What do we talk about in the episode? Here's an incomplete list: cultivating curiosity, an insect that can see above and below the surface of the water at the same time, the limitations of the scientific method, a fire-detecting California native beetle, how racial justice and insects are related, mosquitoes' role in ecosystems, the very unfair bad wrap urban insects get, bug myths, a very self-compassionate approach to overcoming a fear of insects, how to help native bees, and how caring about things that are so very different us helps cultivate empathy.

Here are some links mentioned in the episode:

Smithsonian Video on Arthropods

History of Oak Park

"Climate Justice Can't Happen without Racial Justice" TED Talk

California Pitcher Plant (looks like a cobra!)

Ground Sloths

My Instagram is @goldenstatenaturalist

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

You can support me on Patreon and get lots of extras at www.patreon.com/michellefullner

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

Coyotes with Sara Tabatabai Jun 09, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever been out hiking and heard an eerie chorus of barks, yips, and howls somewhere off in the distance? Or seen some scat that looked more like a bunch of smooshed up seeds and fur? You might have had a near brush with a coyote (or several!).

In this episode, I interview Sara Tabatabai from Effie Yeaw Nature Center, located right on the American River in Carmichael, California. Sara shows me around the nature preserve and helps me answer so many coyote questions, including these: How similar are they to wolves? Is one going to eat me? How can I tell if coyotes are living in an area where I’m hiking? Do they subsist on seed bits and hairballs? Did I see one downtown last week? What’s a coyote’s love life like? Can I have one as a pet? What is all this about coyotes and badgers being friends? How can you tell a coyote’s tracks from a dog’s?

Here are some links/resources:

Effie Yeaw Nature Center

Coyote Yipps website

Coyotes as Neighbors Video

Smithsonian Article on Dog Domestication

Cats and Birds

Wolf-Dog-Coyote Hybrids

Coyote/Badger Relationship

My Patreon is www.patreon.com/michellefullner

You can find me on Instagram or TikTok @goldenstatenaturalist

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

Guerrilla (Not Gorilla) Conservation with Shalaco from SFinBloom May 26, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever wanted to do something for the environment but gotten discouraged because the problems just seem too big and insurmountable? This happens to me ALL. THE. TIME. Shalaco from SF in Bloom, though? Undaunted. When he and his partner, Phoenix, realized that pollinators were struggling and how much native plants could help, he got himself a bee suit, a parmesan cheese shaker, and some native wildflower seeds and hit the streets of San Francisco on his one-wheel, spreading future blooms wherever he zoomed.

Join Shalaco and me as we discuss the impact this kind of direct action has had, how the message has spread around the globe, and what you can do to join in the fun.

Here are some links/sources mentioned in the episode:

SF in Bloom's website (you can also follow them on TikTok or Instagram @sfinbloom)

Larner Seeds

Tuscon Rainwater Harvesting

Native, Invasive, and Other Plant-Related Definitions

A couple of GREAT social media accounts mentioned in this episode include: @blackforager on Instagram/@alexisnikole on TikTok, @sacramentofoodforest on both Instagram and TikTok, and @crime_pays_but_botany_doesnt on Instagram/ @crimepaysbutbotanydoesnt on TikTok. Check them out!

You can find me @goldenstatenaturalist on both Instagram and TikTok

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

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

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

The Sutter Buttes (World's Smallest Mountain Range!) with Steve Roddy May 12, 2022

Show notes

Did you know that Northern California is home to the smallest mountain range in the world? It lies smack in the middle of the Sacramento Valley, and it is a hotbed for unexpected creatures and unexpected stories alike. Join me with California Naturalist, Sutter Buttes guide, and educator Steve Roddy, as we explore the heart of the Buttes and discuss what makes the place so special.

How were the Buttes formed? What kinds of plants and animals live there? What was the significance of this place to California Native People? Who lives in the Buttes? Can I visit them? If it's a mountain range on land in the middle of a valley, why is it sometimes called the inland island?

Links:

Mosses and Lichens

Bay Nature on Acorn Woodpeckers

Middle Mountain Interpretive Hikes

LA Times on Feral Pigs

Maidu History

Ringtail Infrared Video

FInd me on Instagram @goldenstatenaturalist

TikTok @goldenstatenaturalist

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

My Patreon is www.patreon.com/michellefullner

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

Oak Trees with Zarah Wyly Apr 28, 2022

Show notes

We need every single species of native tree here in California, but our 20+ varieties of native oaks are the most crucial of all. In this episode, join me and my guest, Zarah Wyly, on a walk through a relatively new oak woodland in Folsom dotted with two ancient, magnificent oak trees. Learn the story of how this unusual woodland came to be, find out why oaks are my all-time favorite trees, and explore such questions as: What kinds of life are supported by oak trees? If I plant one, will it wreck my house? What do you have to do to acorns to make them edible? Why does it look like some oak trees are growing apples? How do oaks spread such heavy seeds? What kinds of variety is there among different oak species? What does any of this have to do with the Declaration of Independence? Ok, get ready for a lot of links. Here you goooooo! The Declaration of Independence and the Hand of Time The Nature of Oaks, by Douglas Tallamy National Resources Conservation Service Resource on Grazing Secrets of the Oak Woodlands, by Kate Marianchild Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer City Nature Challenge Sacramento Tree Foundation Calscape (to help with planting natives!) Daniel Airola's research on bird diversity in urban forests The theme song is called "i dunno" by grapes, and it can be found here. Follow me on Instagram @goldenstatenaturalist My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com You can find me on Patreon here. Thanks for listening!

Vernal Pools (Ephemeral Wetlands) with David Rosen Apr 14, 2022

Show notes

Did you ever catch tadpoles in a pond when you were a kid? Or watch insects glide just under the surface of a creek? Recording this episode brought me back to the magic of those childhood moments, AND I got sooo many vernal pool questions answered.

Here are a few of them: What is a vernal pool, and how is it different from other bodies of water? What kinds of creatures live in and around vernal pools? What the heck is a flower phase? When's the best time of year to see vernal pools? Where can these pools be found (both inside and outside of California)? What is that squiggly thing in the water? What do flatworms have to do with Pink Floyd, and how are solitary bees like hobbits?

Here are a few resources I mention in the episode:

Sacramento Splash Website

San Diego Vernal Pools

Sea Turtle Sex Determination

Two Ways to Purify Water

Follow me on Instagram @goldenstatenaturalist.

Support Golden State Naturalist on Patreon here.

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

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

Salmon with Jason Fareira (Part 2 of 2) Mar 31, 2022

Show notes

Why are salmon important enough to merit two whole episodes? What are they up to when they're out in the ocean? What exactly is a keystone species? Should we bring grizzly bears back to California? What is a hatchery, and why are they so controversial? What does the gold rush have to do with salmon, and why does it still matter almost 200 years later?

Join me and Jason Fareira for the second part of our outing along the American River as we discuss all of these questions and more. Let Jason draw you in and share his expertise in the same way he draws a crowd everywhere he goes when he's out at the river! You're going to love this one.

Here are some related links mentioned in the episode:

KQED: Time to Bring the Grizzly Bear Back to California

How Wolves Change Rivers

Britannica: Trophic Cascade

Native Fish Society--Science Page

National Geographic: Keystone Species

You can find me on Patreon here.

You can hear updates on the podcast, see my outdoor adventures, and add your questions for future interviews by following me on Instagram @goldenstatenaturalist

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com

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

Salmon with Jason Fareira (Part 1 of 2) Mar 17, 2022

Show notes

Ok, what's the deal with salmon? Why are they so vital to almost all of the organisms that live near their nesting grounds? What is a hatchery? Why are dams so controversial? What kinds of conditions do salmon need to thrive? How do these fish find their way back to the very rivers where they first hatched?

In this episode, I take a walk with naturalist and Fish and Wildlife employee Jason Fareira along the American River near the Nimbus Hatchery in Folsom, California. Jason introduces me to the basics of salmon reproduction, shows me how to look for signs of salmon nests (known as redds), points out the varied and beautiful birds along the river, and so much more.

The next episode will contain the full interview with Jason, and it's SO GOOD. Stay tuned for that in two weeks!

In the meantime, explore these links to learn more about salmon and their importance in riparian (river adjacent) ecosystems as well as other mentions from the episode:

You can find me on Patreon here.

You can hear updates on the podcast and see my outdoor adventures by following me on Instagram @goldenstatenaturalist

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