TALATERRA

Since launching the podcast, I've had the opportunity to learn from 43 wonderful guests. Along the way, I started asking guests questions about their earliest experiences with nature. I also started to ask guests when it was that nature became important to them. These became the show's signature questions.

In this episode, we reflect on themes emerging from guest responses to the question:

What is your earliest memory of enjoying nature?

LINKS

Kate Field

Dr. Kathayoon Khalil

Katura Reynolds

Crystal Mandica

Bethan Burton

John Muir Laws

Talaterra on Twitter (@Talaterra)

____________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE:

On September 2, 2026, the TALATERRA website merged with Transferable Solutions. Conversations can be accessed through the interactive map. You can also explore the podcast's catalog of episodes on Simplecast, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

CREDITS:

• Producer: Tania Marien
• Music: So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License;
• SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.
• Subscribe to Transferable Solutions, a newsletter about reimagining environmental skills
• Contact Us
• Talaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. Learn More
• © 2019 - 2026 Talaterra Inc

ABOUT:

TALATERRA combines "tala" (Icelandic for "to speak" and "to talk") with "terra" (Earth)—because speaking for our planet and telling its stories is what environmental educators do.

TALATERRA: to speak Earth.

Nicole Felts is a biologist and ecologist by training and has a Bachelor's degree in biology and a Master's degree in geography and environmental systems. Nicole is also the co-founder and principal educator at Felts Family Farmette, a suburban farm she founded with her parents just as the pandemic began to change our lives. Nicole shares how she navigated her first year in business and talks about what she needs to learn next.

If you've ever thought about starting an urban farm, bringing fresh and nutritious food to your community, and serving as an educational resource, you'll want to listen to Nicole's story.

How did Nicole position herself for success?

How did she decide on which farmer's market to join?

What does five-star customer service look like to her?

Let's find out.

LINKS

Felts Family Farmette on Instagram (@feltsfamilyfarmette)

Felts Family Farmette on Facebook (@feltsfamilyfarmette)

Do you have questions about starting your own small urban farm? Nicole has generously offered to respond to questions from listeners.

Overlea Farmers Market

Maryland Farmers Market Association

Maryland Department of Natural Resources

____________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE:

On September 2, 2026, the TALATERRA website merged with Transferable Solutions. Conversations can be accessed through the interactive map. You can also explore the podcast's catalog of episodes on Simplecast, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

CREDITS:

• Producer: Tania Marien
• Music: So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License;
• SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.
• Subscribe to Transferable Solutions, a newsletter about reimagining environmental skills
• Contact Us
• Talaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. Learn More
• © 2019 - 2026 Talaterra Inc

ABOUT:

TALATERRA combines "tala" (Icelandic for "to speak" and "to talk") with "terra" (Earth)—because speaking for our planet and telling its stories is what environmental educators do.

TALATERRA: to speak Earth.

Dr. Lee Ann Woolery is a researcher, naturalist, educator, and artist. She is also the founder of EcoArt Expeditions and the Citizen Artist project. In this episode, Dr. Woolery and I discuss her interdisciplinary approach to ecological field research and the Train-the-Trainer pilot program that will launch in the new year.

LINKS

EcoArts Expeditions

Art-Based Perceptual Ecology

Knowing the Language of Place Through the Arts

Dr. Woolery's publications on ResearchGate

Contact Dr. Woolery

Maria Sibylla Merian, Smithsonian Institution

____________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE:

On September 2, 2026, the TALATERRA website merged with Transferable Solutions. Conversations can be accessed through the interactive map. You can also explore the podcast's catalog of episodes on Simplecast, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

CREDITS:

• Producer: Tania Marien
• Music: So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License;
• SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.
• Subscribe to Transferable Solutions, a newsletter about reimagining environmental skills
• Contact Us
• Talaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. Learn More
• © 2019 - 2026 Talaterra Inc

ABOUT:

TALATERRA combines "tala" (Icelandic for "to speak" and "to talk") with "terra" (Earth)—because speaking for our planet and telling its stories is what environmental educators do.

TALATERRA: to speak Earth.

Students in the United States like studying animals more than plants.

People tend not to pay attention to the plants in their surroundings.

These are only two factors contributing to a condition described as "plant blindness" in the botany and science education literature. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Elisabeth Schussler, one of the two botanists who coined the phrase in 1999. I also speak with Kathryn Parsley, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Memphis, whose specialty is botanical literacy. In a paper written for the journal "Plants People Planet," Kathryn makes a case for replacing the phrase "plant blindness" with Plant Awareness Disparity. Find out why formal and informal educators should consider doing the same.

LINKS

Links to Kathryn Parsley's websites and projects

Dr. Elisabeth Schussler, University of Tennessee

Article - Plant Awareness Disparity: A Case for Renaming Plant Blindness

Article - Preventing Plant Blindness

Botanical Society of America

American Society of Plant Biologists

Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary (Harris & Harris)

Ed Yong, Science Journalist

Besley Framework

Episode 47: Kathryn Parsley, Plant Blindness

____________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE:

On September 2, 2026, the TALATERRA website merged with Transferable Solutions. Conversations can be accessed through the interactive map. You can also explore the podcast's catalog of episodes on Simplecast, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

CREDITS:

• Producer: Tania Marien
• Music: So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License;
• SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.
• Subscribe to Transferable Solutions, a newsletter about reimagining environmental skills
• Contact Us
• Talaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. Learn More
• © 2019 - 2026 Talaterra Inc

ABOUT:

TALATERRA combines "tala" (Icelandic for "to speak" and "to talk") with "terra" (Earth)—because speaking for our planet and telling its stories is what environmental educators do.

TALATERRA: to speak Earth.

The Trailhead is the newest initiative by Talaterra. It is an open forum for independent professionals working in environmental education. Learn more about this initiative and The Freelance Condition and Lifelong Learning in Communities project.

LINKS

The Trailhead

Talaterra

Share Your Story

____________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE:

On September 2, 2026, the TALATERRA website merged with Transferable Solutions. Conversations can be accessed through the interactive map. You can also explore the podcast's catalog of episodes on Simplecast, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

CREDITS:

• Producer: Tania Marien
• Music: So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License;
• SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.
• Subscribe to Transferable Solutions, a newsletter about reimagining environmental skills
• Contact Us
• Talaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. Learn More
• © 2019 - 2026 Talaterra Inc

ABOUT:

TALATERRA combines "tala" (Icelandic for "to speak" and "to talk") with "terra" (Earth)—because speaking for our planet and telling its stories is what environmental educators do.

TALATERRA: to speak Earth.

Today my guest is Dr. Kathayoon Khalil, conservation and education professional and the Conservation Impact Manager at the Oregon Zoo. Dr. Kahlil is all the co-author of "Practical Evaluation for Conservation Education and Outreach: Assessing Impacts and Enhancing Effectiveness."

In my conversation with Dr. Khalil, we discuss why conservation is a people problem and not an animal problem. We talk about sociology, biology, anthropomorphism, and teaching in informal learning environments.

What role does empathy play in environmental education?

Let’s find out.

LINKS

Kathayoon Kahlil on LinkedIn

Society for Conservation Biology

Effective Practices for Fostering Empathy Towards Marine Life

Measuring Empathy: Collaborative Assessment Project

Plants as Persons: A Philosophical Botany*

Practical Evaluation for Conservation Education and Outreach*

The People Problem: Including Social Sciences in Wildlife Conservation

Lightning Talk at Seattle Aquarium (Death of Tahlequah)

*Talaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org

Social media image of octopus by Jeahn Laffitte on Unsplash

____________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE:

On September 2, 2026, the TALATERRA website merged with Transferable Solutions. Conversations can be accessed through the interactive map. You can also explore the podcast's catalog of episodes on Simplecast, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

CREDITS:

• Producer: Tania Marien
• Music: So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License;
• SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.
• Subscribe to Transferable Solutions, a newsletter about reimagining environmental skills
• Contact Us
• Talaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. Learn More
• © 2019 - 2026 Talaterra Inc

ABOUT:

TALATERRA combines "tala" (Icelandic for "to speak" and "to talk") with "terra" (Earth)—because speaking for our planet and telling its stories is what environmental educators do.

TALATERRA: to speak Earth.

Rayma Peterson is a botanist, artist, and author. Her new book, "Very Fine Art Projects for Artists and Educators," features 29 projects perfect for classroom teachers, educators working in informal learning environments, and parents leading homeschool programs.

Why did Rayma create this book of projects?

How did she establish herself as a freelance artist and educator?

How does she hope to guide people’s understanding of the outdoors with this book and  upcoming books?

Let’s find out.

LINKS

Rayma Peterson's website

American Society of Botanical Artists

Rayma's Studio

Alberta Native Plant Council

Very Fine Art Projects for Artists and Educators

Treaty Six

Albrecht Durer’s “Great Piece of Turf”

Contact Rayma

____________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE:

On September 2, 2026, the TALATERRA website merged with Transferable Solutions. Conversations can be accessed through the interactive map. You can also explore the podcast's catalog of episodes on Simplecast, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

CREDITS:

• Producer: Tania Marien
• Music: So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License;
• SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.
• Subscribe to Transferable Solutions, a newsletter about reimagining environmental skills
• Contact Us
• Talaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. Learn More
• © 2019 - 2026 Talaterra Inc

ABOUT:

TALATERRA combines "tala" (Icelandic for "to speak" and "to talk") with "terra" (Earth)—because speaking for our planet and telling its stories is what environmental educators do.

TALATERRA: to speak Earth.

Sometimes I have the good fortune to visit with a past guest to find out how they are doing. Recently I had the opportunity to visit with Bethan Burton. Bethan and I spoke earlier this year when she was busy preparing for International Nature Journaling Week. It was March and global state-at-home orders were just beginning to be implemented. I reached out to Bethan to find out how things were going for her.

How did International Nature Journaling Week go?

What is Bethan working on now?

Let’s find out.

LINKS

Journaling with Nature (Bethan’s website)

Journaling with Nature Podcast

Wild Wonder Virtual Nature Journal Conference (Oct. 7-11, 2020)

Brisbane Nature Journal Club

Amy Kirkbright, Melbourne Nature Journal Club

Art & Fear* 

*Talaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org.

____________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE:

On September 2, 2026, the TALATERRA website merged with Transferable Solutions. Conversations can be accessed through the interactive map. You can also explore the podcast's catalog of episodes on Simplecast, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

CREDITS:

• Producer: Tania Marien
• Music: So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License;
• SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.
• Subscribe to Transferable Solutions, a newsletter about reimagining environmental skills
• Contact Us
• Talaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. Learn More
• © 2019 - 2026 Talaterra Inc

ABOUT:

TALATERRA combines "tala" (Icelandic for "to speak" and "to talk") with "terra" (Earth)—because speaking for our planet and telling its stories is what environmental educators do.

TALATERRA: to speak Earth.

Today, my guest is Darrel Griffin. Darrel is a LinkedIn strategist who helps business owners and freelance professionals attract new clients. I had the opportunity to learn from Darrel last year and reached out to him to see if he had time to discuss how freelance environmental educators can use LinkedIn during this time. 

How should environmental education professionals present themselves on LinkedIn?

Let's find out.

LINKS

Policy Brief: A Field at Risk

Darrel Griffin on LinkedIn

Darrel’s website

Request Darrel’s LinkedIn Handbook

View transcript while listening

____________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE:

On September 2, 2026, the TALATERRA website merged with Transferable Solutions. Conversations can be accessed through the interactive map. You can also explore the podcast's catalog of episodes on Simplecast, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

CREDITS:

• Producer: Tania Marien
• Music: So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License;
• SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.
• Subscribe to Transferable Solutions, a newsletter about reimagining environmental skills
• Contact Us
• Talaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. Learn More
• © 2019 - 2026 Talaterra Inc

ABOUT:

TALATERRA combines "tala" (Icelandic for "to speak" and "to talk") with "terra" (Earth)—because speaking for our planet and telling its stories is what environmental educators do.

TALATERRA: to speak Earth.

Kathryn Owen is an independent evaluator who helps zoos, aquariums, nature centers, and conservation groups assess the effectiveness of their exhibitions, programs, and initiatives. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 20 years.

I reached out to Kathryn because I wanted to speak with her about doing evaluation in the kind of community settings where freelance educators often work — settings such as an environmental education fair, a neighborhood conference, or some other community event.

How many ways are there to evaluate the impact of brief interactions at community events?

Let’s find out.

LINKS

Email Kathryn Owen

Kathryn Owen (LinkedIn)

Kathryn offers free one-hour phone consultations and is happy to provide feedback and suggestions for evaluating your programs.

Helpful resources for those seeking more about evaluation include:

My Environmental Education Evaluation Resource Assistant is an online tool that guides you step by step through the process of designing and implementing your own evaluation.

The Visitor Studies Association is a professional organization for anyone engaged in or interested in visitor research and evaluation.

Informalscience.org offers a large archive of current and past evaluation reports from projects in the field of informal learning. Skim through the reports in the Evaluation section, and you’ll see what kinds of evaluation tools and approaches others have used to measure the outcomes you’re interested in.

North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)

Practitioner Guide to Assessing Connections to Nature

Institute for Learning Innovation

American Evaluation Association

Poll Everywhere

____________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE:

On September 2, 2026, the TALATERRA website merged with Transferable Solutions. Conversations can be accessed through the interactive map. You can also explore the podcast's catalog of episodes on Simplecast, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

CREDITS:

• Producer: Tania Marien
• Music: So Far So Close by Jahzzar is licensed under a Attribution-ShareAlike License;
• SOLO ACOUSTIC GUITAR by Jason Shaw is licensed under a Attribution 3.0 United States License.
• Subscribe to Transferable Solutions, a newsletter about reimagining environmental skills
• Contact Us
• Talaterra is an affiliate of Bookshop.org. Learn More
• © 2019 - 2026 Talaterra Inc

ABOUT:

TALATERRA combines "tala" (Icelandic for "to speak" and "to talk") with "terra" (Earth)—because speaking for our planet and telling its stories is what environmental educators do.

TALATERRA: to speak Earth.