Episodes

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...

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 contempor...

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...

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...

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...

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 w...

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...

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 wrec...

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...

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 d...

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 ...

Ever wondered how California was formed? Or why there's a mountain range on each side of the state with a big, flat valley in the middle? Or what makes the San Andreas fault so unique and so infamous? This episode will answer all of those questions and SO MANY MORE. Join Nate and I on a hike around Folsom Lake, where we checked out some very odd granodiorite and discussed everything from plate tectonics to earthquakes to the best places to see great geology all across the state. This page ...

Golden State Naturalist is a different kind of nature podcast. It's one that invites you out onto the landscape for a closer look, that engages your senses, and that helps you connect more deeply with the land. It's a podcast that challenges you to reconsider the relationship between humans and this planet we call home. Tune in every other week to learn about geology, California native plants, beavers, giant sequoias, insects, nature journaling, urban ecology, oak trees, and so much mor...