Podcast
Golden State Naturalist
Hosted by Michelle Fullner · EN
Golden State Naturalist is a love letter to California's ecological past, present, and future.
Come with Michelle Fullner as she climbs to the top of a beaver dam, descends into a tar pit, peers into the canopy of a giant sequoia, and basks in the glow of the Milky Way under the eerie silhouettes of Joshua trees.
Each episode, Michelle interviews captivating experts in their natural habitats across California to find out how the unique plants, animals, geology, and hydrology of this biodiversity hotspot make this state Golden.
15episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Seeds with Cheryl Birker
3d ago01:08:56Tap to summarizeSeeds are far more present in our lives than most of us realize. They compose everything from our morning coffee to our favorite chocolates and have helped shape the world as we know it. California native seeds are just as vital, and protecting them is a way of safeguarding our very future. Join me and Cheryl Birker at the California Botanic Garden as we explore the hidden world of seeds. In this episode, we take a deeper look into the difference between spores and seeds, seeds that require fire to germinate, seeds that survived for 2,000 years in the Judean Desert, and how safeguarding seeds is a way of safeguarding life as we know it. Links: Get 15% off your order of California native seeds from the California Collection by Nature’s Seed when you use the code GOLDEN15 at checkout. Speak up for California’s public lands with CalWild.Cacao Seeds as Currency California Plant RescueSeed Germination DataSeed photos by John Macdonald Seed Savers Exchange (the catalogue mentioned at the end of the episode)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.Photo: Prickly poppy seeds by Michelle Fullner, taken at the California Botanic Garden.
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Forgotten Lands with Josh Jackson
3w ago01:31:21Tap to summarizeCalifornia is home to 15 million acres of a kind of land most people have never heard of. These lands span deserts, grasslands, oak woodlands, and coastal rainforests. They’re free or very inexpensive to visit, and they’re almost never crowded. But what are these mythical wonderlands? These are the largely overlooked lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, and you can go and see them. Josh Jackson, author of The Enduring Wild: A Journey Into California’s Public Lands, took me to see one of these places he refers to as Forgotten Lands. While we were there, we discussed the history of BLM lands, nature behind a velvet rope and not behind a velvet rope, current threats to the land, how we can find and access BLM lands, and how connecting with these places can change not only how we look at nature far from home, but also how we see the living world in our own backyards. Links: Get Josh’s book, The Enduring Wild. Speak up for California’s public lands with CalWild.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.Tidy tips photo by Josh Jackson
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Did someone say season 5?
3w ago00:02:19Tap to summarizeWhat do California lizards and tiny foxes have in common? Check out this special announcement episode to find out. More soon, friends!Michelle Kayleigh Shawn McCollum
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Resolutions with Anders Reynolds and Bill Hodge
Dec 3000:31:57Tap to summarizeAre you making New Year's resolutions this year? Mine are a little unconventional. Find out what they are and get to know two incredible advocates for public land, Anders Reynolds and Bill Hodge of The Wild Idea Podcast, on this special bonus episode. And of course remember to check out The Wild Idea Podcast as soon as you're done listening here. Happy New Year, friends!
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Critical Mast: Oak Trees with Zarah Wyly
Oct 2801:12:59Tap to summarizeWe 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 EcologiesJumpstart Nature Nature's Archive Learning from Nature: The Biomimicry PodcastOutside/InOk, 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 GrazingSecrets of the Oak Woodlands, by Kate Marianchild Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall KimmererCity 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 @goldenstatenaturalistMy website is www.goldenstatenaturalist.com You can find me on Patreon here. Episode photo by Bendp
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Symbiotic Cities with Kat Superfisky
Sep 2601:17:32Tap to summarizeCan 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 NatureSupport 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.
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Saving California: How 30x30 Is Growing the Conservation Movement in the Golden State
Sep 1100:43:56Tap to summarizeCalifornia is one of only 36 Global Biodiversity Hotspots. This means that we have incredible species richness with at least 1,500 endemic vascular plant species. But here's the bummer. In order to be considered a Global Biodiversity hotspot, a place must also be threatened. So threatened, in fact, that it must have only 30% or less of its original natural vegetation remaining. Oof. Thankfully, Californians are not sitting idly by waiting for the rest of our biodiversity to disappear. Across the state, conservation leaders, on both small and large scales, are pulling together and protecting the places that matter to us most. In this special episode, come with me behind the scenes of this year's 30x30 Partnership Summit to talk with those leaders, hear about some of today's most inspiring conservation success stories, and discover how you can be part of the movement to protect California for generations to come. Helpful Links: 30x30 Official Website Valérie Courtois's TED Talk Carr Lake in Salinas 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. Otter photo by Kedar Gadge on Unsplash.
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The LA River with Kat Superfisky
Sep 300:45:30Tap to summarizeDescend 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 websiteJuan 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.
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California Red-Legged Frogs with Brad Hollingsworth
May 6, 202501:11:53Tap to summarizeChances 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 extinctionFAUNO: 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.
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Listening in Nature with Fil Corbitt
Mar 13, 202501:03:24Tap to summarizeHow 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.
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