Golden State Naturalist
A love letter to California's ecological past, present, and future.
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Saving California: How 30x30 Is Growing the Conservation Movement in the Golden State
The LA River with Kat Superfisky
California Red-Legged Frogs with Brad Hollingsworth
Listening in Nature with Fil Corbitt
Torrey Pines with Jon Rebman
Ringtails with Dave Wyatt and Kristyn Schulte
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Recent Blog Posts
How Otters Came Back to Monterey Bay
If you want to see something interesting in nature, it’s always a good idea to look where the people with big, fancy binoculars are looking. At least, this is how I spotted my first sea otter one sunny fall day on the Monterey Peninsula. …
This is more complicated than I expected
Dogbane: Apocynum Cannabinum. Photo by Stan Shebs. Copyright note. A closer look at a plant with many stories I can think of a half dozen reasons to despise dogbane. Its milky sap causes blisters, it can kill dogs and sicken livestock, every part…
🦋 The bad news that might be good news
How saving the monarch could help save us, too When I walked into the Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary one fall day two years ago, I didn’t see a single butterfly. At least not at first. The low wooden fence, Monterey pines, towering euc…
About the Host
Michelle Fullner
Host
Michelle Fullner is an educator, California Naturalist, parent of two woodland sprite daughters, and host of the Golden State Naturalist podcast, which is now ranked in the top 1% of podcasts globally. Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Comparative Literature from San Jose State University and a Master’s in English: Composition and Rhetoric, from California State University, Sacramento. As an educator, she taught middle and high school English in California public schools for ten years before transitioning to her life as a full-time admirer of acorns, California newts, redwood sorrel, and tide pools.
Michelle has reached millions of people with her content (social media and podcast) and is available for public speaking engagements and consultation regarding science communication and social media optimization for nature-related organizations. Please use the website contact form to reach out.