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#9: Rick Halsey - Wildfire Ecology in the Chaparral and the American West Nov 10, 2020

Show notes

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 Oct 28, 2020

Show notes

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 Aug 12, 2020

Show notes

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! Jul 06, 2020

Show notes

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 Jul 06, 2020

Show notes

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 Jul 06, 2020

Show notes

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 Jul 06, 2020

Show notes

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.

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

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!

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