Golden State Naturalist
Golden State Naturalist
This is a podcast about asking questions and experiencing wonder. It’s a place to bring your curiosity about the natural world in California.
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Urban Ecology Part 2 with Miguel Ordeñana (Bats, Inclusive Urban Nature and Community Science)
May 5, 2023
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 his…
Urban Ecology with Miguel Ordeñana (Part 1: P-22 Mountain Lion, Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, and Other Urban Carnivores)
April 20, 2023
Have you ever wondered what kinds of wildlife live 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 Orde…
Growing Native Plants from Seed with Julia Michaels
March 23, 2023
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 t…
Amphibians with Gary Bucciarelli
March 9, 2023
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 th…
Central Valley Water and Wetlands with Ellen Wehr
Feb. 23, 2023
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 netw…
Ecological Restoration with Billy Sale
Feb. 9, 2023
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? W…
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Recent Blog Posts
Best Nature Journaling Supplies for People with Too Many Hobbies
If you’re anything like me, you can’t actually put a number on the wide array of hobbies you’ve accumulated over the years. If I listed all of mine here, we'd be here all day, and we'd still never get to talk about nature journal…
For Hazel (age 3)
All morning, you tugged on my nerves and ran around the corner to hide, giggling to yourself at my red face and lumbering gait. You scattered library books across the floor, toppled the laundry, bit the fleshy part of my arms th…
About the Host
Michelle Fullner
Host
Michelle is an English teacher, California Naturalist, mom to two kids, nature podcaster, pursuer of too many hobbies, and generally curious, adventurous type. Childhood dream jobs included: tiger trainer, marine biologist, and being on SNL. Hobbies include: having more plants than she can take proper care of, intermittently practicing Spanish, following drawing tutorials on Youtube, hiking short distances with regular stops to flip over logs, travel, iPhone photography, and creative writing.