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 wreck my house? What do you have to do to acorns to make them edible? Why does it look like some oak trees are growing apples? How do oaks spread such heavy seeds? What kinds of variety is there among different oak species? What does any of this have to do with the Declaration of Independence?

And here's a handy list of the other podcasts participating in Critical Mast!

• Future Ecologies
• Jumpstart Nature
• Nature's Archive
• Learning from Nature: The Biomimicry Podcast
• Outside/In

Ok, get ready for a lot of links. Here you goooooo! 

The Declaration of Independence and the Hand of Time 

The Nature of Oaks, by Douglas Tallamy 

National Resources Conservation Service Resource on Grazing

Secrets of the Oak Woodlands, by Kate Marianchild 

Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer

City Nature Challenge 

Sacramento Tree Foundation 

Calscape (to help with planting natives!) 

Daniel Airola's research on bird diversity in urban forests 

The theme song is called "i dunno" by grapes, and it can be found here. 

Follow me on Instagram @goldenstatenaturalist

My website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com 

You can find me on Patreon here. 

Episode photo by Bendp

Can cities be good for wildlife? Or at least not so bad? What changes would we need to make to welcome more life into our cities? How would those changes impact humans? What are other cities already trying?

Come with me and Kat Superfisky to the largest city in California, where we discuss all of this and so much more.

Note: This interview was recorded in September of 2024, so any references to the Federal government are references to the government during the Biden Administration.

Helpful Links: 

Kat’s website 

Content Creation for Nature

Support Golden State Naturalist on ⁠Patreon⁠ and get perks starting at $4/month. 

Follow me on ⁠Instagram⁠. 

My website is ⁠goldenstatenaturalist.com⁠. 

Get podcast Merch. 
The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found ⁠here⁠.

Descend with me and LA's first ever urban ecologist into the concrete channel of the Los Angeles River as we discuss novel ecosystems, eminent domain, Greased Lightnin', flood prevention, Ice Cube, soft bottoms, emerald necklaces, and why the LA River is the perfect microcosm of everything LA was, is, and one day could be. 

Helpful Links: 

Kat’s website 

Jason Wise's website

Juan Crespi’s journal

CalMatters LAPD Helicopters article

Grease Filming Locations 

Support Golden State Naturalist on ⁠Patreon⁠ and get perks starting at $4/month. 

Follow me on ⁠Instagram⁠. 

My website is ⁠goldenstatenaturalist.com⁠. 

Get podcast Merch. 
The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found ⁠here⁠.

Chances are, you’ve never seen our state amphibian in the wild.

In this episode, find out how the California red-legged frog became so rare while also delving into international border crossings with endangered frog eggs, urban drool, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, things that can fit into a bullfrog’s mouth, and the essential mindset shift that might just change the world. 

Join me and Brad Hollingsworth from the San Diego Natural History Museum as we discuss all of this and so much more. 

Links: 

Trivia Night! Join me in-person on May 12th or online on May 27th for Quiz for a Cause, a fundraiser to help rebuild the Eaton Canyon Nature Center. And check out the silent auction here! 

Saving the California red-legged frog from extinction

FAUNO: Fanua del Noroeste. Learn more about the work in Mexico or sign up for a workshop. 

ECOS information on red-legged frog federal listing  

Support Golden State Naturalist on ⁠Patreon⁠ and get perks starting at $4/month. 

Follow me on ⁠Instagram⁠. 

My website is ⁠goldenstatenaturalist.com⁠. 

Get podcast Merch. 

The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found ⁠here⁠.

Episode cover photo courtesy of the San Diego Natural History Museum.

How can listening deepen our relationship with place? What do birds think about highway noise? Is that ice bridge safe to cross at this time of year? How can I learn to listen more closely?

Join me and Fil Corbitt as we snowshoe down the Eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in search of a handmade desk and a place to listen to flowing water, to birdsong, to each other, and to the ever-changing landscape itself.

Links:

Fil's podcast is called The Wind.

Check out their Coyote episode.

"Birdsongs alleviate anxiety and paranoia in healthy participants"

Support Golden State Naturalist on ⁠Patreon⁠ and get perks starting at $4/month. 

Follow me on ⁠Instagram⁠. 

My website is ⁠goldenstatenaturalist.com⁠. 

Get podcast Merch. 

The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found ⁠here⁠.

What do cacti and rare pines have in common? What’s a paleoendemic? Do pinecones have teeth? Why do so many different plant species live in Mediterranean climates? 

Join me and Jon Rebman as we go behind the scenes of the San Diego Natural History Museum, explore the herbarium, and discuss the rarest pine species in North America. 

Links: 

San Diego Natural History Museum

University of California Museum of Paleontology

Cool study about redwood leaves

Info about Torrey pines and bark beetles

Support Golden State Naturalist on ⁠Patreon⁠ and get perks starting at $4/month. 

Follow me on ⁠Instagram⁠. 

My website is ⁠goldenstatenaturalist.com⁠. 

Get podcast Merch. 

The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found ⁠here⁠.

Have you ever wondered what little-known and mysterious beings are living among us, just out of sight? This episode is about one such creature that most Californians have no idea even exists.  

Join me, Dave Wyatt, and Kristyn Schulte as we discuss clever little foxes, oak mistletoe, the floor is lava, dissolved poop, the smallest mountain range in the world, tasty taxidermy, classroom design, convergent evolution, weasel lemurs, and a whole lot more. 

Links: 

The California Ringtail Project

Mistletoe toxicity

Support Golden State Naturalist on ⁠Patreon⁠ and get perks starting at $4/month. 

Follow me on ⁠Instagram⁠. 

My website is ⁠goldenstatenaturalist.com⁠. 

Get podcast Merch. 

Subscribe to the GSN email newsletter.

Episode cover photo by Dave Wyatt.

The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found ⁠here⁠.

Join me and Dr. Alexandra Syphard as we discuss what makes some neighborhoods more fire prone than others, the Santa Ana Winds, defensible space, the massive differences between fires in forested Northern California and shrubby Southern California, the pendulum swing of public opinion, ways that climate change does and doesn’t contribute to wildfires, the WUI, positive uses of abandoned Fry's electronics buildings, waxy leaves, invasive plants, and so much more.

This episode is an attempt to add context for everyone struggling to comprehend the scale of the fires in Los Angeles, especially those impacted. I hope it helps. Sending love.

Links:

California Fire Hazard Severity Zones

Support Golden State Naturalist on ⁠Patreon⁠ and get perks starting at $4/month. 

Follow me on ⁠Instagram⁠. 

My website is ⁠goldenstatenaturalist.com⁠. 

Get podcast Merch. 

The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found ⁠here⁠.

Cover art by Raquel Raclette.

Flying over San Diego, you can see them: Fingers of green extending through neighborhoods all across the city. 

San Diego’s urban canyon’s serve as refuges for people and wildlife alike, but they’re also often isolated islands of habitat. This can keep animals from accessing the resources they need to survive. And human neighbors aren’t always able to access these spaces, either. 

In this episode, join me and Michelle Thompson as we search for reptiles in one of San Diego’s urban canyons, discuss what makes canyons special, and explore how the San Diego Natural History Museum is setting the foundation for the long-term health of these spaces. 

Links:

Healthy Canyons Initiative

Go on a FREE hike with the Canyoneers 

Want to help SD canyons? Email Michelle Thompson at: [email protected] 

1988 Michael Soulé Study 

Support Golden State Naturalist on ⁠Patreon⁠ and get perks starting at $4/month. 

Follow me on ⁠Instagram⁠. 

My website is ⁠goldenstatenaturalist.com⁠. 

Get podcast Merch. 

The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found ⁠here⁠.

Episode cover photo provided by The San Diego Natural History Museum.