Golden State Naturalist Michelle Fullner

How do sea stars move around? Why am I jealous of giant green anemones? When's the best time to go tide pooling? Why is life so hard in the in the place where the ocean meets the land? How have so many creatures adapted to thrive in this strange place where two worlds meet?

Join me and Michelle Kunst as we explore the intertidal zone on the Northern California coast and discuss the incredible diversity of life that can be found there.



Links:

Trinidad Coastal Land Trust

Seaweed with Allison Poklemba

Orange Cup Coral

California Deep-Sea Corals

Southern California Tide Pools

My website is goldenstatenaturalist.com

Follow me @goldenstatenaturalist on Instagram and TikTok

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

Indigenous people have lived in the place now known as California since time immemorial and are still here today.



In this episode, join me and Frank Lake as we discuss mutualistic relationships between Indigenous Californians and the land, traditional burning, oak orchards, the powerful ways Indigenous and Western knowledges can come together, common misconceptions about pre-colonial California, reciprocity, and how we can move from a mental model of scarcity to cultivating a shared abundance that leaves no one behind. 





Frank Lake

California Indian History Curriculum

Sue-Meg State Park

Slavery in California

Lightning safety tips

My website is goldenstatenaturalist.com

Support GSN on Patreon

Follow me on Instagram

Have you ever noticed a bee that looked a little…different? Maybe it was a bit fuzzier than a typical honey bee, or maybe it was obsidian black, bright orange, startlingly large, or as tiny as a gnat. Chances are, if you’ve seen a bee meeting any of these descriptions, you observed one of Earth’s 20,000 species of native bees (with around 1,600 of those species living in California). 

Join me and National Geographic Explorer, TEDx speaker, and community scientist Krystle Hickman as we head outside to find native bees and discuss the widely varied social lives of bees, bee architecture, whether or not honeybees are an invasive species, buzz pollination, where to find native bees near you, the potential of native bees in agriculture, and the importance of these beings not just to humans, but to entire ecosystems.



Follow Krystle @beesip on Instagram

Krystle's website

Native Bees of the Western United States (cards)

♥️ ⁠Valentines (including a native bee by Krystle)⁠ ♥️

My website is goldenstatenaturalist.com

Find me on Instagram @goldenstatenaturalist

⁠Article⁠ on honey bee pollination outcomes compared with native bees.

The song is called "i dunno" by grapes, and the Creative Commons license can be found here.

Author, artist, poet, and eco-philosopher Obi Kaufmann doesn't want to craft a better argument.

He wants to tell a better story.

But what does that kind of story look like? How do we begin to convey the incredible complexity of a place like California? How do we avoid unproductive divisiveness, embrace a better worldview, and move forward together in healing the land?

Join me and Obi in a field of wildflowers on Mt. Diablo as we discuss humanity’s relationship with the earth, Mt. Diablo daisies, ways in which meaning is co-constructed, biodiversity, what a myth really is, very quiet lions, how we relate to place, and how telling a better story about this land we love, this place now known as California, might just help humans come together to care for it.



Links:

Obi's website

The California Field Atlas

See Obi speak

Heyday Membership (add the word GOLDEN to the "How did you find us" section to receive a free bandana designed by Obi!)

Valentine Set + Mini Art Collection by GSN. Check out Obi's card! 10% of profit donated directly to CalWild.

My website

Follow me on Instagram and Tiktok @goldenstatenaturalist

The song is called "i dunno" by grapes. The Creative Commons license can be found here.

Happy New Year! 🎉

This episode has a great story, so I added a new intro to tell you about it.

Here are the links mentioned in the new intro!

7 Ways to Connect with Nature zine by Kate Rutter

Find Kate on Instagram @katerutter.

VALENTINES (Sorry for shouting. I'm SO excited about these.) Collab with six wonderful CA artists. Thank you for supporting me and CalWild by purchasing Valentines!

Patreon. This is another great way to support your local indie podcaster, and patrons get 10% off of Valentines!

Find me on Instagram @goldenstatenaturalist.

My website is goldenstatenaturalist.com.

Have you ever wondered why we bring a toxic, parasitic plant indoors during the holidays...and then kiss under it? Or what ecological role this plant plays?



Come with me and Dr. Joshua Der as we discuss the ecological importance of mistletoe, its evolution, the vast array of wildlife it supports, and of course, the ancient folklore that led to all those stolen smooches.



Helpful Links:

Dr. Der's Publications

Mistletoe Folklore

My website is goldenstatenaturalist.com

Support GSN on Patreon.

Find me on Instagram and TikTok @goldenstatenaturalist