Nature's Archive

As you all know, I find wildfire to be fascinating. It’s complex, simultaneously necessary and at times devastating, and wildly misunderstood. And the landscape of fire is rapidly changing - literally and figuratively. So, I hope to continue to bring a variety of voices and perspectives on wildfire - including today.Have you ever wondered what it is like to be on the fire lines with a wildfire crew? Or what it takes to join a crew? Or the differences between crews, such as engine crews, hand crews, and hot shot crews? And how do they actually manage active wildfires? And where does prescribed and cultural burning fit into the picture? Today’s guest, Amanda Monthei, helps us get some answers. Amanda is a former wildland firefighter, having participated in a variety of crews, including a hot shot crew. She is now a writer, host of the Life with Fire podcast where she interviews a wide variety of people involved with wildfire, and she’s an occasional public information officer on wildfires.In addition to her podcast, you can find Amanda at lwf_pod on twitter, lifewithfirepodcast on Facebook, and lifewithfirepod on instagram.I hope you enjoy today’s episode - and be sure to check out the show notes on podcast.naturesarchive.com to see the video we referenced, and links to everything we discuss, including Amanda’s social media accounts!FULL SHOW NOTESLinks to Topics DiscussedLife with Fire Podcast (Amanda's Podcast)Good Fire PodcastHigh Country NewsRelated Nature's Archive PodcastsJustin Angle - On the Fireline Rick Halsey - Wildfire Ecology of the Chaparral and the American WestSupport 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!

Dr. Emma Greig is a behavioral ecologist who has been leading Project FeederWatch, a multi-decade community science effort led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada.Today's discussion could be broadly characterized as "how to take care of the birds that visit your yard" - and you might be surprised at some of the recommendations.Our discussion begins in Australia, where Dr. Greig did her dissertation. Her work studied the amazing behavior of the splendid fairywren, a small and colorful Australian bird, who literally sing in the shadows of a predator. From there, we get into Project FeederWatch and the practice of bird feeding in general. Project FeederWatch has collected an immense dataset that reveals a lot about birds that visit feeders and people's yards in general. We discuss some of the findings, and how you can participate. It's easy!It's a wide ranging discussion, including topics like - does feeding birds affect their migration routes or timing, or their geographic ranges? How to minimize pests getting into your feeders? Does widespread feeding birds impact populations or the composition of bird communities?We also talk about best practices for feeding birds. Yes, we're taking on a responsibility of caring for wild animals, so there are several important things we need to do, such as paying attention to disease spread.Dr. Greig gets into all of this and more. So if you feed birds or are considering feeding birds, this is an important episode to listen to.Find Project FeederWatch on Twitter.Check out Jumpstart Nature's podcast episode #2, "Plant Your Birdfeeder", for more from Dr. Greig and other experts on birds and their habitats.FULL SHOW NOTESLinks To Topics DiscussedFeederWatch Scientific DataKilling with kindness: Does widespread generalised provisioning of wildlife help or hinder biodiversity conservation efforts? - scientific paper by Jack Shutt and Alex LeesPreventing Window StrikesProject FeederWatch - Begins on November 1!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!

Have you heard of El Niño? Some people call it the single biggest influence on winter weather in North America. But what is it, and how does it work? And we're in an El Niño event this year, and it's going to affect our weather (and ecology!)There is always much confusion about El Niño, what it is, why it occurs, and how it might alter our weather in the coming seasons. Today's episode looks at El Niño, which is one part of the El Niño Southern Oscillation, or ENSO. Consider this a primer - an accessible look at some of the mechanisms and impacts of El Niño, and how and why it can impact weather from India to California and beyond. And we also include a few ecological tidbits here and there.In order to give El Niño its due, we also cover some of the basics of how oceans influence weather.I tried hard to pack a lot of information into 50 minutes, along with a lot of analogies to help reinforce some of the points. Let me know how I did! And of course, these are very complex systems, so there is much that I couldn't cover.Looking ahead, we will have an expert climatologist later this year, so this episode will serve as good background for some of that conversation. I also have interviews with a dendrochronologist (tree ring expert!), a wildfire episode with an ex-firefighter, and an episode on nocturnal animals. So be sure to subscribe to the podcast in your favorite app to ensure you don't miss future releases.FULL SHOW NOTESLinks To Topics DiscussedDaniel Swain - Weather West, YouTube Office HoursJet Steam BasicsJet Stream Alignment in ENSO ScenariosNational Weather Service CPC ENSO Report (PDF)Rossby WavesSupport 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!

Subscribe to the Jumpstart Nature Podcast!I started Nature’s Archive podcast in an effort to understand the stories of people making a difference for the environment. I needed to be inspired, wanted to learn how they did it, and share that inspiration and knowledge with anyone willing to listen.While we haven’t strayed too far from those initial aspirations, I do have many more topic-centric episodes than I did at the start.So today’s episode is a “back to my roots” episode. My guest is Leslie Inman, the founder of the wildly popular Pollinator Friendly Yards group on Facebook. With 184,000 members, it is perhaps the top spot for people to discuss sustainable personal landscaping. And even if you are not on Facebook, it’s pretty likely you’ve seen her images and infographics. Leslie’s story is an amazing example of how a little curiosity can be converted into a hugely impactful movement. Today, we discuss not only how the group formed, but the lessons that she has learned along the way. This includes how to “reach” people who may be skeptical about inviting insects to their yards, how to make it easy to get started, and more.Oh, and Leslie also has two books - Your Yard is Nature and The Butterfly Egg and the Little Tree.FULL SHOW NOTESLinks To Topics DiscussedPollinator Friendly YardsDave GoulsonDoug Tallamy & Homegrown National Park (TikTok)Doug Tallamy appeared on Nature's Archive Podcast Episode #26Leslie’s Books - Your Yard is Nature and The Butterfly Egg and the Little TreeMary Reynolds, We Are The ArkNancy Lawson, The Humane Gardener [Book]Travis Longcore (light pollution ecologist)Wild Ones - Wild Ones promotes environmentally friendly, sound landscaping to preserve biodiversity through the preservation, restoration, and establishment of native plant communitiesSupport 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!

Subscribe to the Jumpstart Nature Podcast!Ever wondered how scientists unravel the ecological mysteries of bygone eras, long before systematic record-keeping? Believe it or not, one part of the answer is in pirate journals.And no, I'm not joking.Today, I have the privilege of hosting Dr. Loren McClenachan, an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and History, and a Canada Research Chair in Ocean History and Sustainability at the University of Victoria. Throughout her career, Dr. McClenachan has been delving deep into historical marine ecology, unearthing ingenious ways to examine past ecosystems.Our focus today? The intriguing concept of shifting baseline syndrome, a topic that we've only grazed the surface of in previous Nature's Archive conversations. In 2009, Dr. McClenachan authored a pivotal paper examining the dwindling sizes of recreational trophy fish off the Florida Keys. This study unveiled what seasoned anglers had long grasped—the once-plentiful colossal fish had become elusive.Shifting Baseline Syndrome arises when your first interaction with an environment establishes your baseline—a perceived "natural" or "normal" state. Yet, this baseline could markedly differ from your grandparents'. And here's where the surprise sets in: the implications span conservation and society alike.Dr. McClenachan helps explain these implications through a variety of eye-opening examples. And yes, you'll even discover how pirates play a part in this narrative.FULL SHOW NOTESPeople, Papers, and Organizations3 billion birds lostAll of Dr. McClenachan’s publicationsAnecdotes and the Shifting Baseline Syndrome of Fisheries (Pauly)Daniel Pauly’s TED TalkDocumenting Loss of Large Trophy Fish from the Florida Keys with Historical Photographs (McClenachan)Dr. McClenachan's WebsiteEcology. Globalization, roving bandits, and marine resourcesUniversity of Victoria – history website; environmental studies websiteBooks and PodcastsNature’s Archive #57: Allen Fish – Raptor Migration from Hawk HillSupport 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!

Subscribe to the Jumpstart Nature Podcast!It's hard to imagine a time without roads that connect us, facilitate commerce, allow us to reach hospital schools, family, and friends. And in plain sight, they grow in width, link density and traffic volume slowly and continually. Amidst to the sprawling network that shapes our lives. There's a realm often overlooked, but equally profound. A domain where the intersection between humanity and nature takes an unforeseen twist. Our guest today has Ben Goldfarb, author of the new book "Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet". You might remember Ben from a past episode where he discussed his book on beavers appropriately titled eager. And in typical Ben form, he reveals a hidden world in plain sight, full of surprises. From rapid adaptation by some animals to the intractable ways that 70 mile per hour traffic hack many animal's ability to cope. Ben's book will be released on September 12th. You can find more details at bengoldfarb.com.FULL SHOW NOTESLINKSBen Online: bengoldfarb.com,  Instagram, TwitterCrossings by Ben Goldfarb - Ben's new bookNature’s Archive #30: Dr. Jaret Daniels – Butterflies, Creating Habitat in Overlooked Landscapes, and Leveraging Creative OutreachNature’s Archive #35: Ben Goldfarb – Eager Beavers, The Quintessential Keystone SpeciesNature’s Archive #38: Beth Pratt – The Age of Wildlife CrossingsSandra Jacobson - A behavior-based framework for assessing barrier effects to wildlife from vehicle traffic volumeWare et al. - A phantom road experiment reveals traffic noise is an invisible source of habitat degradationMarcel Hauser - Dutch road ecologistSupport 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!

Subscribe to the Jumpstart Nature Podcast!Griff Griffith is former host of Animal Planet’s Wild Jobs, current spokesperson for Redwoods Rising, and he’s a volunteer for Jumpstart Nature. Griff has dedicated his career to honing his expertise in effectively communicating and motivating people to care about the environment. From the youth he led in the California Conservation Corps, to people he engaged with at State Parks, to the 4 million people that watch his videos on TikTok. He’s also been on CNN, NBC Nightly News, Kelly Clarkson, and more, so he knows a thing or two about engaging people.And if you are like me, you care for nature, and want to share your love of nature with others.So today, Griff shares his secrets to success in ways that can work for anyone, regardless of your personality or approach.One of Griff’s messages is that you have to always make things relevant to your audience, so we try to do that today by including lots of specific examples, including stories like you just heard, discussion of goose pen trees (what? Yes goose pen, like goose like the honking bird), invasive clams, and the magic of photosynthesis. You’ll learn about analyzing an audience, being authentic, dealing with doubters, and more.So if you talk about nature with family and friends, lead walks or trips, or want to talk nature on Tik Tok or Instagram, we’ve got you covered.Follow Griff on TikTok and Facebook, or Redwoods Rising on TikTok or Facebook.FULL SHOW NOTESLinks To Topics DiscussedGriff's Past Appearance on Nature's ArchiveKeith Williams talking river snorkeling on Nature's ArchiveAlexis Nicole Nelson (The Black Forager)Native Habitat Project (Kyle Lybarger)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!

Today we hear from Dorian Anderson, who you might recognize from episode #1 of Nature’s Archive.Dorian has been a prominent figure in the birding world since 2014, when he bicycled nearly 18000 miles across the USA in what is known as a Big Year - an attempt to see as many bird species as possible.Dorian loves a challenge, so his Big Year was much more than just trying to find lots of birds. His was a bicycle powered trip that didn’t use fossil fuels. He maintained a strict budget, built community as he went, and continued his personal journey of overcoming substance abuse. Amidst the trials of essentially being an extreme endurance athlete, Dorian also faced the inherent safety challenges of cycling on roads not necessarily designed with bicyclists in mind.And today we have some exciting news - Dorian’s memoir, weaved into the story of the Big Year, is about to be released as a book titled “Birding Under the Influence”, which by the way is available for pre-sale now.So in this episode we recap the Big Year, discuss the book and all that went into that, and how the Big Year launched a new career for Dorian as an international birding guide.Dorian has some new stories to share. And if you aspire to be a bird guide, or just want to get some productive birding in on your next vacation, Dorian has some excellent advice and practical tips.As for the Big Year itself, we chronicled much of this exciting story in episode 1, and the last 40 minutes or so of this episode are excerpts from that first discussion so that you can get the full story.Find Dorian on Instagram or his photography website.FULL SHOW NOTESLinksPeople, Websites, OrganizationsChelsea Green PublishingDorian Anderson Photography - Dorian's photographic website.The Speckled Hatchback - Dorian's BlogTropical BirdingBooksNote: links to books are affiliate linksBirding Under the Influence: Cycling Across America in Search of Birds and Recovery by Dorian Anderson [Bookshop.org link]Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life by Dacher KeltnerPodcastsEpisode #1 of Nature's Archive, with Dorian! Notes that most of episode 1 is appended to this episode.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!

Have you heard about the Anthropocene? Well, we're living in it right now, but that's not necessarily a good thing. Joining us is paleoethnobotanist, Dr. Anya Gruber, whose expertise uniquely positions her to guide us through the human relationship with the environment. We begin by learning about Dr. Gruber's world, where she skillfully utilizes plant remains to reconstruct the environments of bygone eras and decipher human interactions with nature. Building on this foundation, our conversation shifts towards the Anthropocene—the epoch that places humanity under scrutiny for its pervasive and often detrimental impact on the Earth. Dr. Gruber helps us understand the concept's essence, its definition, and the methodologies employed to assess its effects. Within the context of the Anthropocene, we confront the uncomfortable reality of our collective responsibility for the environmental challenges we face. We also explore the nuances of distributional impacts, acknowledging that the burden is not evenly shared across all individuals. I hope today's episode serves as a good introduction to the Anthropocene, and that by comprehending the profound implications of the Anthropocene, we can ignite a transformative drive towards a more harmonious relationship with our planet. You can find Dr. Gruber on Instagram @anyagruber, or on her website at anyaegruber.com. FULL SHOW NOTESLINKSPeople and Organizations SAPIENS Anthropology Magazine – https://www.sapiens.org/ Atlas Obscura – https://www.atlasobscura.com/ Upcoming article about the queer history of the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow house.Books and Other ThingsNote: links to books are affiliate links Finding Mrs. Jackson Sapiens Podcast Episode Two of Dr. Gruber’s recent articlesSAPIENS | Can Digitizing Gravestones Save History?Atlas Obscura | Burial Hill’s Historic Gravestones Are Coming to Your ScreenSupport 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!

I’ve been really lucky to have some amazing guests on Nature’s Archive. Guests who open my eyes, and hopefully yours as well, to new ways of seeing nature. Today’s guest opens our eyes to agricultural practices that work in harmony with our ecosystems.Why is this important? Well, by some estimates, as much as 44% of the land in the United States is used for some form of agriculture. And the principles of regenerative agriculture serve as a great primer for understanding important aspects of soil health and the carbon and nitrogen cycles.We discuss the impacts of soil disturbance on soil biology, the importance of fungi and microorganisms, nitrogen fixing, and much more.Our guest and guide today is Gabe Brown, author of Dirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture, which by the way has 1500 Amazon reviews, and not one below 3 stars. Gabe has been called a pioneer of the soil health movement, and his personal story of migrating his 5000 acre property to regenerative practices is both inspiring and a great education tool.Today we discuss Gabe’s story, and dig into the 6 principles of soil health, and how they drive four ecosystem processes. Gabe’s also working to spread regenerative farming to more people, and he’s working to make it easier for consumers to locate and purchase foods grown with regenerative practices. You can even apply these practices in your own garden.You can find more about Gabe and his work at UnderstandingAg.com and soilhealthacademy.org. And you can find UnderstandingAg on Twitter.FULL SHOW NOTESLINKSRelated Podcast EpisodesDr. Elaine Ingham - The Soil Food WebTom Biebighauser - WetlandsPeople and OrganizationsRegenifiedSoil Health AcademyUnderstand Ag Books and Other ThingsNote: links to books are affiliate linksDirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture by Gabe BrownThanks to Michelle Balderston for editing assistance.Thanks to Jess Hasenplaugh for production assistance this episodeSupport 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!