#37: Dr. Stuart Weiss – Of Checkerspots, Cars, and Cows

January 10, 2022

Summary Today, my guest Dr. Stuart Weiss tells us about an amazing and unexpected series of discoveries that connect cows, cars, and conservation, all triggered by the study of the threatened Bay Checkerspot butterfly. These discoveries have had reverberations across ecological circles and have led to amazing conservation successes, despite a senior US Air Force … More #37: Dr. Stuart Weiss – Of Checkerspots, Cars, and Cows

Happy New Year! And Big Changes for Nature’s Archive!

January 2, 2022

Note: it sometimes takes WordPress a few hours to update the podcast player to the latest episode. Apologies for the delay. You can, however, hear the latest episode on all the usual podcast players, even if the link above is still showing the previous episode. Summary Regular episodes return next Monday with a fascinating interview … More Happy New Year! And Big Changes for Nature’s Archive!

#36: Damon Tighe – Mycology (Fungi and Mushrooms)

December 21, 2021

Summary Finally…a deep dive into the Fungi Kingdom. It took me 36 episodes, but we’re finally here thanks to fungi expert Damon Tighe (instagram and iNaturalist). Damon is also a skilled naturalist, photographer and science communicator, biotech educator, and prolific iNaturalist contributor. He has a biology and chemistry degree from Saint Mary’s college, and has … More #36: Damon Tighe – Mycology (Fungi and Mushrooms)

#35: Ben Goldfarb – Eager Beavers, The Quintessential Keystone Species

December 6, 2021

Summary Today you’ll become a Beaver Believer thanks to my guest, Ben Goldfarb. Ben is the author of the book Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter, winner of the 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award. Aside from being an author, Ben is an environmental journalist, with writing appearing in … More #35: Ben Goldfarb – Eager Beavers, The Quintessential Keystone Species

Every Book and Product Recommended by my Podcast Guests

November 24, 2021

Since it is the time of the year where people struggle to come up with useful gifts for their naturalist and birder friends, I thought I’d lend a hand. This is a list of every book, documentary, and product recommended or mentioned by my podcast guests. And full disclosure – yes, many of these are … More Every Book and Product Recommended by my Podcast Guests

#34: Chloe and Trevor Van Loon – Finding More in Nature

November 22, 2021

Summary My guests today are Chloe and Trevor Van Loon. Chloe has a background in ecology and environmental science, and while Trevor’s educational background is in math and computer science, he’s also become a fanatical amateur naturalist. In fact, both Chloe and Trevor are highly skilled naturalists and prolific iNaturalist contributors. No biome or habitat … More #34: Chloe and Trevor Van Loon – Finding More in Nature

#33: Dr. Andrew Farnsworth – Predicting Bird Migrations with BirdCast

November 8, 2021

Summary My guest in this episode is Dr. Andrew Farnsworth.  Andrew is a Senior Research Associate in the Center for Avian Population Studies at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and has a BS in Natural Resources from Cornell University, MS in Zoology from Clemson University, and PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell. Andrew … More #33: Dr. Andrew Farnsworth – Predicting Bird Migrations with BirdCast

ENCORE: Rick Halsey – Wildfire Ecology in the Chaparral and the American West

October 25, 2021

Summary This is an encore of my popular wildfire in the west interview with Rick Halsey of the California Chaparral Institute. Don’t worry, more great new episodes are coming.  Do you want to learn about bird migration forecasting? I’ve got you covered. And how about maximizing your nature observations when in the field? Covered again. … More ENCORE: Rick Halsey – Wildfire Ecology in the Chaparral and the American West

#32: Cricket Raspet on Dockfouling – finding amazing sea creatures the easy way

October 11, 2021

Summary My guest today is Cricket Raspet (@chilipossum on Instagram). Cricket is a Curatorial Assistant at the California Academy of Sciences, specializing in marine mammals.  She’s a passionate community scientist, a raptor bander with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory and a rescue and animal care volunteer at the Marine Mammal Center.   An interest (obsession?) … More #32: Cricket Raspet on Dockfouling – finding amazing sea creatures the easy way

#31: BONUS: Gall Week 2021 with Dr. Merav Vonshak

September 29, 2021

Summary Dr. Merav Vonshak is a former guest on the podcast from episode 7. Merav is an ecologist, naturalist, and citizen science organizer (see BioBlitz.club) located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Merav volunteers as a curator on iNaturalist, and has an astounding 42800 observations on iNaturalist. She has also lead a project to document … More #31: BONUS: Gall Week 2021 with Dr. Merav Vonshak