Nature's Archive

My guest today is Danielle Husband. Danielle is a graduate student studying dragonflies and damselflies at the McIntyre Lab at Texas Tech University. In particular, she is studying the west Texas playas, salinas, and urban catchments, and their suitability for odonates.Today’s episode is full of great topics. We discuss the importance of wetlands in general, and drill down into the specifics of the semi-arid environment of west Texas. The playas and salinas of west Texas are fascinatingly unique, and also play a critical role in the groundwater system of the Ogallala Aquifer.The Ogallala Aquifer is one of the largest groundwater sources in the world, and critical for much of the United State’s agriculture. Aquifers are being drawn down throughout the world, and the Ogallala is no exception. Playas and other wetlands and waterways “recharge” these aquifers, but is it enough to offset the extraction? Danielle describes the challenges of recharge and aquifer depletion.We then dive into Danielle’s primary area of research - odonates. She covers the basics of odonata life history, including some differences between damselflies and dragonflies. And did you know some dragonfly species are migratory? Danielle also describes how she constructed the odonate surveying protocol she uses in her field research, some of the interesting discoveries she has made, and helpful tips for naturalists to find and identify dragonflies.It was a wide-ranging and fun discussion that I hope you enjoy as much as I did. Find Danielle on Instagram.People, Organizations, and WebsitesDragonfly Pond Watch Project - Monitoring program for migratory dragonflies that anyone with regular pond or wetland access can participate in.Dragonfly Society of the AmericasGolden Gate Raptor ObservatoryMcIntyre Lab at Texas Tech UniversityOdonata CentralBooks and Other ThingsIUCN Global Wetland Outlook Report - from 2018Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West by Dennis Paulson – one of the best field guides I’ve found - a bit large for the field but worth itDragonflies and Damselflies of the East by Dennis Paulson – the Eastern USA version of the aboveDragonflies and Damselflies: A Natural History - by Dennis PaulsonOgallala Blue: Water and Life on the Great Plains - by William AshworthPlayas of the Great Plains - by Loren Smith (University of Texas Press)Urban Areas Create Refugia for Odonates in a Semi-Arid Region - by Danielle M. Husband and Nancy E. McIntyre

"Just because it's a view you've seen your whole life doesn't mean it's a normal, healthy forest."See full show notes here, with links to all topics discussed.My guest today is Dr. Justin Angle, creator of the podcast series “Fireline”, which dives into the realities of wildfire in the western USA.Justin is Associate Professor of Marketing at The University of Montana in Missoula. He earned his Ph.D. and MBA from the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. Justin also produces his own interview podcast called A New Angle.Today we focus on the “Fireline” podcast series, released earlier this year through Montana Public Radio. If you haven’t heard it, the seven episodes cover different aspects of wildfire. The series presents multiple points of view with a goal to demonstrate that the topic is complicated and nuanced, and we all have a role to play in finding solutions.Today, we discuss many of Fireline's topics, including:- How wildfire impacts can be both positive and negative, depending on perspective and context. - The complexities of how years of wildfire policy and suppression have affected fire behavior, and how rising temperatures catalyzes more and larger fires. - The growth of the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) and how that creates more negative human impacts. - Relatively recent research showing that wind-blown embers can be a primary driver to fire spread and a primary risk to homes - not the towering flame front that we often envision. This changes how communities and homeowners need to prepare, which quickly turns into a sociology problem more than a science problem.Any discussion of wildfire is incomplete without investigating human history and influence on wildfire, and Fireline covers indigenous use of fire through the perspective of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes, as well as some fascinating anthropological research.We also review Justin’s atypical route to creating the show, and the process and partners he engaged to make it a reality. Fireline was produced at the peak of the pandemic, requiring Justin and his team to pivot multiple times. You may also be interested in my interview with Rick Halsey of the California Chaparral Institute, where we took a deep dive into wildfire behavior, especially in chaparral habitats.Catching Fire by Richard WranghamFire in Paradise - on NetflixLife with Fire - wildfire podcastFireline's Collaborators: Jeff Hull, Nick Mott, Victor Yvellez, Josh Burnham, Aj WilliamsCathy WhitlockJim SeeKimi Barrett Libby and Alex Metcalf Lily Clarke Richard WranghamSteve Pyne - fire historian with several excellent booksTony Incashola Jr and Sr - Father and Son Wildfire Adapted Miss

This episode is a special one that warrants a special introduction.Today, you are going to hear all about Wasps with award winning author Heather Holm. But rather than me interviewing Heather, this is actually an episode from the Backyard Ecology podcast. Shannon Trimboli, the creator of Backyard Ecology, and I have become fans of each other’s shows. We decided it would be fun, and hopefully valuable for our audiences, to share an episode of each other’s podcast. I love the concept of Backyard Ecology and want to promote the importance of backyard habitats, as I’m sure you all have picked up on. Shannon interviews authors and specialists on everything from fireflies to backyard vernal pools. Shannon is located in the eastern USA, so her guests often focus a bit more on eastern ecology, which compliments my guests which are often in the western USA.Shannon is also a beekeeper, author, public speaker, and owner of a native plant nursery. You can see her upcoming events and details on her public speaking on her website, https://shannontrimboli.com/. As for this episode, as I mentioned, Shannon interviewed Heather Holm, who recently published the book Wasps: Their Biology, Diversity, and Role as Beneficial Insects and Pollinators of Native Plants.  Wasps get a bad rap in many circles due to a few aggressive species. However, there are actually more species of wasps than bees, the majority are solitary, many are tiny, and they all have fascinating life histories.What I love about this episode is the deep dive into some of these fascinating life histories. You’ll learn about how they hunt, how they create and provision their nests, and much more.If you enjoy this crossover episode, please consider subscribing to Backyard Ecology. Also, check out the show notes naturesarchive.com for direct links to Shannon’s full show notes and her website. Find Shannon on Facebook, and Backyard Ecology on Facebook. People and Organizations DiscussedBackyard Ecology podcastShannon Trimboli - author, beekeeper, public speaker, native plant nursery owner, and creator of the Backyard ecology podcastBooks and Other ThingsWasps: Their Biology, Diversity, and Role as Beneficial Insects and Pollinators of Native Plants. 

My guests today are Scott Whittle and Mike Lanzone of Project Terra and Cellular Tracking Technologies. Scott is a bird expert and author. His passion for the natural world has led to co-authoring The Warbler Guide, the Warbler Guide App, and contributing to the Birdgenie bird song identification app.Mike is a Research Biologist turned technologist, and is the Founder and CEO of CTT - Cellular Tracking Technologies, a leading manufacturer and innovator of wildlife trackers using various cellular, satellite and radio technologies.We start off discussing CTT and their interesting origin story, attempting to identify if eastern Golden Eagles would be impacted by proposed wind power facilities. CTT has advanced the technology significantly, creating the “Internet of Wildlife”, allowing larger animals like eagles to be “repeaters” of data from smaller songbirds, overcoming limitations of how large of systems that these smaller birds can carry.We also discuss a few of CTT’s conservation success stories, such as Project SNOWstorm, which tracks Snowy Owls.Our primary topic is an exciting new project called Terra. Terra intends to dramatically expand wildlife tracking in the form of a system that you can place on your own property. Terra is intended to help people connect with nature, while simultaneously filling in crucial gaps in wildlife data, such as bird song variations, details about migratory flight paths, and even information about other animal vocalizations such as cicadas, crickets and frogs. Terra expects to use nocturnal flight calls (NFCs) to help identify migratory bird paths and volumes, so we spend some time talking about NFCs, and how important these unique, often single note calls are.Terra is in late stage development, and has launched a kickstarter to help get it over the finish line. We discuss how Terra works, the technology inside, what a corresponding app might look like, privacy, and speculate on many potential research topics that will result from a network of Terra devices.If you are interested in Terra, please check out the Kickstarter, which ends on July 1. We discuss exactly what a kickstarter is in the show, but the short story is kickstarter is basically how new ideas such as Terra get community funding, and are thus critically important for the success of projects such as this. And by backing projects on kickstarter, you get perks to help make it worth your while.Follow Nature's Archive on InstagramLinks To Topics DiscussedProject Terra Kickstarter Bringing Nature Home - by Doug Tallamy The Warbler Guide - Innovative field guide to warblers that includes spectrogram visualizations of vocalizations. Co-authored by Scott Whittle and Tom StephensonMacaulay Library - Cornell Lab's wildlife media archiveoldbird.org by Bill Evans, considered the resource for NFCs (Nocturnal Flight Calls)Andrew Farnsworth - ornithologist at Cornell Lab known for migration research and use of radar trackingCasey Halverson - Mike recruited Casey to help develop the first cell-based GPS trackers

My guest today is John Griffith, or better known as Griff.Griff is a Natural and Cultural Resources Interpreter for California State Parks, and host of the Animal Planet show “Wild Jobs”. Prior to that, Griff was a long time crew supervisor in the California Conservation Corps, where he and his crew restored habitat throughout Northern California.Griff’s love of nature and infectious personality make him a natural educator. He immerses himself in his projects and parks he supports, learning the ecology and history, and encouraging diversity in his programs. You have to check out his Facebook Live weekly videos from Humboldt Redwoods State Park to see how charismatic and on-point he is.Griff joined me from some of the last remaining in-tact old growth redwood forest. And note, that while he works for California State Parks, in this episode he is off duty, not representing state parks. In our wide-ranging conversation, we discuss what makes old growth redwoods so magical. If you haven’t seen redwoods before, just think "Star Wars Return of the Jedi Forest Moon of Endor", which was filmed in this area!Our discussion of giant trees takes a surprising turn to prairies - yes, there are productive prairies in the redwoods. Griff tells of an exciting elk encounter he had at one of them, that thankfully we can laugh about.We spend a lot of time talking about Griff’s approach to conservation content creation, including specific approaches that you and I can use. We get into details about Griff’s Animal Planet show, “Wild Jobs”, which is a must-see!We wrap up discussing the importance of treating our properties like habitat. In typical Griff style, he uniquely and entertainingly makes this point.If you haven't seen Griff before, I promise that you'll walk away a fan. Be sure to check out his Facebook and YouTube!FULL SHOW NOTESBooks, Places - Book links are affiliate linksBefore the Wilderness: Environmental Management By Native Californians, Kat AndersonBald HillsNature's Best Hope - by Doug Tallamy. Also Bringing Nature HomeMattole Road - "The Most Epic Road on the Planet"Wild Jobs. Griff hosted this show, and recommends Wounded Reptile Rehab with the Phoenix Herpetological Society to startPeople, OrganizationsAnimal Tracks - from Wild Jobs Episode 1California Conservation CorpsChris Wilmers UC Santa Cruz Lab - famous for their Puma projectGibbon Conservation CenterGriff on the Kelly Clarkson ShowHumboldt Redwoods State ParkJose Gonzalez, Latino OutdoorsOjai Raptor CenterReed Noss, whom Griff will be interviewingWood River Wolf Project

My guest in this episode is Dr. Yiwei Wang. Yiwei is the Executive Director at the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, or SFBBO for short (find SFBBO on FB and IG). Yiwei grew up in the South Bay (San Francisco Bay Area) and has called that area home for most of her life. She attended Cornell University and double majored in Biology and Psychology. Returning to the west coast, she worked for a variety of organizations that focused on birds and mammals, including an internship with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory and a season as a field technician in SFBBO's Snowy Plover Program. ​She then attended UC Santa Cruz and received her PhD in Environmental Studies. Her dissertation focused on learning how human development impacts mountain lions and their relationships with other smaller carnivores. In this episode we discuss the mission and projects of SFBBO, and what it means to be a “bird observatory”. Yiwei reveals some of the inner workings of such an organization, including what it is like to run an environmental organization, SFBBO’s volunteer program, how they engage with science advisors, some new and future projects, and a deep dive into the bird banding operation. Since we jump into the topic of bird banding, a little background. Bird banding is the process of collecting detailed scientific measurements of individual birds by temporarily capturing birds using nearly invisible mist nets. These measurements are used to create datasets that track bird populations, morphologies, migration patterns, and more. Additionally, a small band is added to the leg of the bird to facilitate future tracking. Doing this in a way that is safe for the birds and scientifically rigorous is a fascinating subject, and requires thorough training.We also discuss Yiwei’s and SFBBO’s commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and equity, and how they embody it.Additionally, we get to hear about some of Yiwei’s other interesting projects, including her PhD project documenting the energetics of mountain lions around human habitation, and her eye opening experiences in Australia that redirected her career path to the one she is on today.Find Yiwei on Twitter. And be sure to follow SFBBO - they have many 40th anniversary events planned!LINKSCenter for Excellence in NonprofitsCornell Lab of OrnithologyMarshmallow MindsNational Science Foundation (NSF) grant to SFBBO, Stanford University, San Jose State University, Santa Clara University, and West Valley College to create a research coordination network include Coyote Creek and Jasper Ridge Field StationsSanta Cruz Puma Project South Bay Salt Pond Restoration ProjectBooks and MoreBirdy Hour Talks - SFBBO series Invisible Women - Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez - Yiwei recommends this book to give perspective about how society inherently biases against women Salt Marsh Harvest MiceRidgway's RailSnowy Plover

My guest in this episode is Chris Helzer. When I started this podcast nearly a year ago, Chris was on my short list of people I wanted to interview, so I’m very happy that the day has come.Chris is The Nature Conservancy’s Director of Science in Nebraska, where his main role is to evaluate, capture, and share lessons from the Conservancy’s land management and restoration work. Chris is the creator of the popular blog called The Prairie Ecologist, where he combines his knowledge and insights with his photography to raise awareness about the value of prairies and prairie conservation. He is also the author of two books –  “The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States” and “Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter”.You can also find Chris’ photography of prairies and their inhabitants in a variety of publications, including NEBRASKAland magazine and Wildflower magazine. You can also find Chris on Instagram @prairieecologist.In this episode we discuss what a prairie is, and dispel common myths about prairies. We get a quick lesson on ecological succession, and how drought and fire play important roles in sustaining prairies. Chris also describes the framework that is used when making land management decisions.We also discuss how Chris combines his scientific background with his photographic and storytelling skills to create a very successful outreach portfolio through his blog and instagram.Chris is a highly skilled environmental educator, so I took the opportunity to ask him about his approach of “meeting people where they are at” to connect with people at any interest level. We also dove into how he’s used photography and his “One Square Meter” book and project to demonstrate the beauty and biodiversity of the prairie, enabling him to connect with many more people.LinksMichael Forsberg - award winning photographer famous for his work in the Great Plains, among many topics The Nature Conservancy, and in Nebraska specifically. Chris oversees the Hubbard Fellowship program A Field Guide to Roadside Wildflowers at Full Speed - humorous field guide of blurry photos - check it out! Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter The Ecology and Management of Prairies in the Central United States - by Chris HelzerMeeting People Where They Are - video University of Nebraska State Museum - Morrill Hall - Chris had an exhibit in the fall of 2021. Support Us On Patreon!Buy our Merch!Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz MusicLicense (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseArtist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!

You’re gonna be liken this episode. Well, let me rephrase that - you’re going to like this episode about lichen.What’s a lichen? If you’ve hiked just about anywhere, you’ve probably seen one. They are colorful organisms that grow on rocks, tree branches, and even fence posts. Around where I live, I see lichens growing on people’s roofs, too!I called them organisms because they are complicated. Sometimes they are characterized as symbiotic relationships between a fungi and an algae. But it’s much more interesting than that.And there are few people better to help us learn about lichens and how to find them than Kerry Knudsen, a lichenologist at the University of Life Sciences in Prague.Kerry’s personal story is equally fascinating as lichens themselves. Kerry got started in lichens later in life after a health condition derailed a long career in construction. And he’s gone on to discover over 60 new lichen species that were previously undescribed, founded the lichen collection at the University of California, Riverside, and has 161 peer reviewed publications on ResearchGate and more elsewhere.So get ready to learn about lichens, how they live, what they do, how they propagate, how wildfire impacts them, and much more. So, as Allie Ward likes to say in her Entertaining Ologies podcast, despite my preparation and research, I had a lot of freedom to ask a smart person stupid questions, and I thank Kerry for his patience and detail in his answers. SHOW NOTESLinksAndre Breton - the founder of Surrealism kept a lichen collection just for the beauty and inspirationCalifornia Lichen SocietyRick Halsey of the California Chaparral Institute. See my past interview with Rick.Steven Levitt - University of Chicago economist who analyzed the ranching use of the Amazon rainforest. He had a podcast episode with his solution.Theodore Payne Foundation - Kerry mentioned working here for a periodUniv. of California Riverside HerbariumBooksA Field Guide to California Lichens - Stephen SharnoffMacrolichens of the Pacific Northwest - Bruce McCuneUsnea is a genus with over 600 species, and is difficult to identify in the fieldSupport Us On Patreon!Buy our Merch!Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz MusicLicense (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseArtist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!

My guest today is Alvaro Jaramillo. Alvaro is a highly regarded ornithologist and birder with a long list of authored books and published papers. Born in Chile, raised in Canada, he’s lived in California for the last several years where he operates “Alvaro’s Adventures”, a birding-centric tour company that specializes in combining birding with local cultures across the globe.Alvaro has a BS in Zoology and a masters in Evolutionary Biology, and is an affiliated senior biologist with the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory. Alvaro has a wealth of world-wide birding knowledge, is a contributor to Bird Watcher’s Digest, and actively engages in many birding forums. He even helped to identify a new bird species, Oceanites pincoyae (Pincoya Storm-Petrel), found in Chile.In today’s episode we discuss how Alvaro developed his interest in birds. From authoring his guide to New World Blackbirds, to a fortuitous encounter in Canada that led him to the world of arranging and guiding tours, it is clear the avian adventures were a calling for Alvaro.We discuss the origins of Alvaro’s Adventures, and some of his amazing global trips, such as his annual journey to Bhutan. And check out his Birds and Wine trip to Chile and Argentina as another great example. We also talk about pelagic birding - he leads numerous pelagic trips in Northern California each year. If you are unaware of pelagic voyages, they take you far offshore onto the ocean to look for bird species that are next to impossible to see from land. And if that weren’t fun enough, you’ll often encounter whales, porpoises, sunfish, and many other amazing oceanic creatures.We discuss the groundbreaking impact his Birds of Chile guide had on accelerating Chile’s birding evolution.After a couple decades of engaging with the public in these capacities, he also has a lot of insight into helping people interpret, enjoy, and see the value of nature - and he offers a few tips and approaches that we can all use.And while COVID-19 has been challenging, he has turned it into an opportunity to increase his outreach. In addition to many in-depth online workshops, he’s launching a new subscription based online birding community, called “Birding Your Best Life”. Its primary goal is to help people enjoy birds more, regardless of their circumstances and goals. It will include discussion communities, equipment reviews, video tutorials, and much more. As you’ll hear, he has big plans - you can sign up here to be notified of progress.Other Links/Mentions Alvaro's FacebookBirds of Chile - field guide Alvaro, Peter Burke, David Beadle created that helped accelerate Chilean birdingBirdwatchers Digest - Alvaro has written for this publications for many yearsNational Audubon SocietyNew World Blackbirds - Alvaro's distraction from his PhDColombian AudubonDebi Shearwater - Alvaro was a spotter with Debi Shearwater, the well known pelagic leaderEagle Eye Tours - Canadian tour company Alvaro helped startField Guides - the larger tour company Alvaro joined after Eagle Eye Tours

Today’s guests are Tora Rocha and Terry Smith, founders of the Oakland, California based Pollinator Posse. The Pollinator Posse creates pollinator-friendly landscaping and fosters appreciation of local ecosystems through outreach, education and direct action. They engage with municipalities, land owners, golf courses, garden groups, and the general public to help people become better stewards of the land.In Part 1 we discussed Tora and Terry’s background and what the Pollinator Posse does. We also got deep into the frightening collapse of the Western Monarch Butterfly population, including a lot of background on Monarch’s life history and what people across the USA can do to support these charismatic creatures. So, if you’re interested in creative ways to engage the public to take better care of the land, or want to learn more about Monarch Butterflies, be sure to go back and give it a listen.In Part 2, we get deeper into what homeowners and landowners can do to support their habitats. This is a critical and undervalued part of conservation efforts. Pollinators and insects in general are foundational to the health of our ecocystems, whether for their services pollinating fruits and vegetables, or as a foundational food source for animals higher up the food chain. From an ecosystem perspective, all of our properties are connected. Consider how easily insects, birds, squirrels, and other animals travel from yard to yard. With that in mind, just one yard unknowingly contaminated with systemic pesticides can result in an outsized blast radius.I was surprised to learn from Tora and Terry that most plants purchased from the big box stores are pre-treated with systemic pesticides called neonicotinoids, and these have long term devastating effects. They offer tips on avoiding these pesticides. We also discuss BT plants, the impact of fungicides, and more.They also discuss easy steps to add habitat to your yard - and the good news is much of the approach is to just be lazy! I think you’ll be excited to hear what they have to say.You can find out more at pollinatorposse.org or their Facebook group. People and OrganizationsArt Shapiro - University of California Davis Professor with longest continuously monitored study sites. See Art's work here. This Bay Nature article discusses Shapiro's work and the insect apocalypse.Journey North - a 25 year citizen science program tracking migrations, now associated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison ArboretumKaren Overhauser - Professor and Director of the University of Wisconsin Arboretum. Her study about Monarch diapause triggers was mentioned in Part 1Monarch Joint Venture - a partnership of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses and academic programs working together to protect the monarch migration across the USAPlant Lists - The Pollinator Posse has some plant lists to help California gardeners with bees and pollinatorsWestern Monarch Advocates - an overarching entity that connects groups and individuals who share a common goal of saving the western MonarchsXerces Society - one of the largest invertebrate conservation groups. They have many resources about monarchs and habitat creation and habitat gardening