This is a very special episode of Unpacked by Afar. This week, we hosted Unpacked Live — a live version of the podcast — in partnership with Visit California in Dallas, Texas. The event celebrated California's extraordinary creative landscape, and today's guest is one of its most original voices.

Obi Kaufmann is a naturalist, writer, and illustrator whose California Field Atlas series has redefined what a nature book can be. His books — filled with hand-painted watercolor maps, poetry, and decades of ecological research — don't tell you where to go or what you're looking at. They ask why the landscape works the way it does, and what it means to truly belong to a place.

In this episode, Obi talks about growing up exploring Mount Diablo in Northern California, what makes a field atlas, and why he believes the future of California conservation depends on better poetry.

On this episode, you'll learn:

What a "field atlas" is — and why Obi had to invent the genre himself
How Indigenous stewardship and traditional ecological knowledge are reshaping conservation in California
Why Obi, one of California's great wilderness writers, is a proud city dweller in Oakland
What to expect from his next three books
Where to go right now to experience California's wildflower season at its peak

Travel Recommendations from Obi:

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park — Keep your eye on the California Native Plant Society or CalFlora for super bloom alerts; the window can be as short as a week
Death Valley National Park — Another prime super bloom destination; timing is everything
Big Sur — Highway 1 is open again; Obi recommends climbing a mountain and watching for California condors, which have rebounded from just 17 individuals in 1987 to over 500 today
Pinnacles National Park — The smallest and least visited national park in California, with condor sightings along the High Peaks Trail; Obi calls it "a beautiful gem of wilderness"
Mount Diablo — Obi's home mountain, 25 miles east of San Francisco; a lifelong study in ecological wonder

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction

00:02:00 Growing Up on Mount Diablo

00:05:00 Inventing the Field Atlas

00:10:00 Conservation and the Word "Wilderness"

00:30:00 Living as an Urban Naturalist

00:37:00 What's Next: Books 7 Through 10

00:41:00 Where to Experience California Now

Resources

Obi Kaufmann's website and books
Explore the Afar guide to California
Watch the live recording of our Dallas event on YouTube
Listen to our other Unpacked Live episodes featuring architect Barbara Bestor and landscape designer Roderick Wyllie

Be sure to subscribe to the show and sign up for our podcast newsletter, ⁠Behind the Mic⁠, where we share upcoming news and behind-the-scenes details of each episode. And explore our second podcast, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Travel Tales⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, which celebrates first-person narratives about the way travel changes us, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠View From Afar⁠⁠⁠⁠, where we spotlight the people and ideas shaping the future of travel.

Unpacked by Afar is part of ⁠Airwave Media⁠'s podcast network. Please contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠advertising@airwavemedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ if you would like to advertise on our podcast.

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The Naturalist Who's Been Decoding—and Painting—California's Wild Spaces for 30 Years