What is this place— an abandoned rock quarry? A neighborhood park? Is that pond natural? Were those trees planted? These questions ran through my mind as I first stumbled upon this ”natural” space...

Welcome to Kalkar Quarry: a piece of land that has taken on a variety of identities throughout the past 200 years. As I got to know this place, I questioned and analyzed the definition of nature through the eyes of residents to the quarry, local mineralogy records, and even children’s outdoor education programs. Join me as I piece together the evolution of this space, and why it is so important to our past, present, and future community.

Check out https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8570621/kalkar-quarry-purchase/ for a few more things not mentioned in the podcast.

Special thanks to Ron Goodman, Kate Jaffe of Santa Cruz Kids in Nature, and Maddie's grandpa.

Episode written and produced by Maddie Pyorre