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Pepperwood Podcast

Pepperwood Podcast

por Pepperwood Foundation

Educación Ciencia

Temporada 2

The Native Advisory Council at Pepperwood & Indigenous Californian Basketry, with Clint McKay

Clint McKay, Pepperwood's Indigenous Education Coordinator and founding member of the Native Advisory Council at Pepperwood, shares the story of how the Council was established. He also discusses a recent donation of Wappo and Pomo baskets from the Bedford family, which will soon be displayed at Pepperwood's Art Gallery. Clint highlights the cultural significance of Indigenous basketry from California and explains Pepperwood's goals for sharing this collection with the community. For more knowledge and Indigenous perspectives from Clint McKay, check out his video about Cultural Burning and his webinar on Pomo and Wappo Basketry on Pepperwood's YouTube channel. To register for an event led by Clint McKay, please visit Pepperwood's Classes and Events page. This episode features clips from the Nature Sound Guess Who Game (the mystery clip and the bonus example), which were used with permission from Dan Levitis of the Children's Museum of Sonoma County and Sarah E. Reid, a certified California Naturalist, instructor, and iNaturalist Ambassador. For more information on the mystery species, check out this article from the journal Mammalian Species.

Fires That Heal: The Story of a Broadcast Burn

Devyn Friedfel, Pepperwood’s Fire and Stewardship Manager and a California-certified Burn Boss, returns to the podcast to share the story of a 70-acre broadcast burn he coordinated in October 2025. In this episode, you'll learn about the various community partnerships that supported this project, the diverse research collaborations that studied the effects of the burn, and the initial impacts of this complex stewardship initiative. Visit Pepperwood’s Good Fire page to learn more about prescribed burning practices, access additional content from experienced practitioners, and discover opportunities for hands-on experience. This episode’s Nature Sound Guess Who Game clip, recorded by William R. Fish, was used courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.

Birdwatching Breakthroughs: How Volunteers are Transforming Bird Conservation

Since 2007, Pepperwood has actively engaged dedicated volunteers in monitoring the behavior of local bird populations. Science volunteer Sean Jeane shares his valuable experience of gathering critical data through careful listening, highlighting the skills he's honed along the way. Additionally, Ecology Research Manager Michelle Halbur provides insights into the significant findings we've uncovered about local bird populations by analyzing the data contributed by Sean and his fellow volunteers. Their combined efforts enhance our understanding of these vital ecosystems and contribute to conservation efforts. Links bonanza! Support long-term monitoring and our new Motus tower with a donation to the Pepperwood Foundation Cornell Lab links: Macaulay Library to access recorded bird vocalizations, All About Birds to learn more about bird species, Merlin Bird ID to download the smartphone application, and eBird to contribute bird observations Pepperwood also contributes breeding bird survey data to the Environmental Data Initiative and the Avian Knowledge Network Learn more (and join an annual birding event!) at the West Sonoma County Christmas Bird Count website Learn more about the movement to change eponymous bird names at Bird Names for Birds website and Bird Names for the 21st Century, an article from the American Birding Association. This episode’s bird vocalization clips were used courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library. Clips were recorded by Paul Marvin, Bob McGuire, Randolph Little, Thomas G. Sander, Paul Fenwick, Ed Pandolfino, Timothy Piranian, I'm Birding Right Now (Teresa & Miles Tuffli), and Bob Hasenick Send your guesses for this episode’s Mystery Nature Sound to podcast@pepperwoodpreserve.org!

Voices of TeenNat

Seven past participants of TeenNat, Pepperwood’s summer science institute for high school students, join us to share their experiences and encourage others to apply. For current information about the program and how to apply, visit the TeenNat page, and email us at teennat@pepperwoodpreserve.org for more details and bilingual support. We kindly ask you to consider supporting the TeenNat program by making a donation to the Pepperwood Foundation to help us keep it free for all participants. In this episode, we feature clips from the Nature Sound Guess Who Game, recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller and Thomas G. Sander, with permission from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library. Please send your guesses for this episode’s Mystery Nature Sound to podcast@pepperwoodpreserve.org!

Hunting & Conservation with Ryan Ferrell

Sentinel Site Manager Ryan Ferrell joins us for a conservation conversation (say that three times fast!) about the practice of hunting, its management for ecological sustainability, and its relationship to conservation. As a lifelong hunter and professional field scientist, Ryan’s understanding of the hunting community and the dynamics of local ecosystems provides unique insight into this topic. Learn more about Ryan’s work monitoring soils and hydrology at Pepperwood in the November 2024 article, Consulting with the Soil: Nature’s Oracle. This episode’s Nature Sound Guess Who Game clip, recorded by Bob Hasenick, was used courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.

What is a Sentinel Site for Nature?

Sentinel Sites for Nature are strategic locations, such as preserves or sanctuaries, where scientists conduct long-term and standardized monitoring of physical and biological conditions, including climate, wildlife, and water. This monitoring helps detect and understand environmental changes, providing crucial early warnings of impacts from climate change, pollution, and habitat loss. The data gathered enables better conservation decisions. Using consistent methods like camera monitoring, audio monitoring, meteorological, and soil sensor data, these sites track the pulse of the natural world across vast networks like California's Sentinel Site Network or NOAA's Marine Sanctuaries. These data help scientists establish baselines and track trends, supporting stewardship and public safety more effectively. Pepperwood is part of California's Sentinel Site Network and was among the first such sites established in the state. It is also one of the most highly instrumented of such sites, with more than 700 real-time data streams. Take a tour through our extensive collection of monitoring sensors with Ryan Ferrell, Pepperwood's Sentinel Site Manager. Ryan describes how collecting abiotic data can inform our adaptive management plan, and what that process is like in his day-to-day experience. You can read more about this, including additional projects within the Sentinel Site and links to our regional partners, in the April 2025 article What is a Sentinel Site. This episode's Nature Sound Guess Who Game clip, recorded by Geoffrey A. Keller, was used courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.

Celebrating 20 Years of Pepperwood: A Conversation with Steve and Linda Barnhart

To celebrate Pepperwood's 20th anniversary, we are joined by esteemed community members Steve and Linda Barnhart, who share their extensive involvement with Pepperwood over the years. Steve discusses the significance of oak woodlands and his academic research on local oak species, while Linda highlights the history of the Pepperwood Stewards training course, which led to the establishment of the California Naturalist (CalNat) certification course. To experience the CalNat course for yourself, visit the UC Environmental Stewards website or look for upcoming courses at Pepperwood’s Classes and Events page. This episode’s Nature Sound Guess Who Game clip, recorded by Andrew Spencer, was used courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library.

Temporada 1

Science in the Summer (and Beyond!) with TeenNat

In this episode, we hear the voices of Beatrix, Teagan, and Glenn, high school students who have participated in Pepperwood’s summer science institute and who continue to return to Pepperwood for more science, stewardship, art, and time with fellow nature lovers. Are you a high school student, or do you know a high school student who might want to spend a summer up in the beautiful landscape of Pepperwood? Here are some insights into what you might experience during TeenNat. Once you have listened, please visit the TeenNat page for more information and to apply for the program! SPOILER ALERT: Please check out this range map as well as this article from the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University to learn more about the ongoing discourse regarding this episode’s featured Nature Sound Guess Who Game species. Thanks again to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library for the use of their media and for their ongoing support, and to contributor Thomas G. Sander for recording and sharing the excellent sound clip whose identity is revealed in this episode.

Grazing for Stewardship (and Michael Gillogly's 30 Years at Pepperwood)

In this episode, Preserve Manager Michael Gillogly reflects on his three decades at the reserve and gives us an inside look at how cattle grazing can be managed to enhance biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Learn more about and support our grazing partners at Markegard Family Grass-Fed, and become a supporter of our stewardship work at Pepperwood. SPOILER ALERT: the Nature Sound Guess Who Game clip from the end of episode 4 can be viewed (and heard) here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/73798969. For the much more intense sound that I teased on this episode, check this out: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/13850035. Many thanks to Elliot Smeds for these (and many more) excellent iNaturalist observations!

Michelle Halbur and the Wonders of Grasslands

In this episode we talk to Pepperwood’s Ecology Research Manager Michelle Halbur, who walks us through the world of Californian grasslands and how they are monitored and managed at Pepperwood. To hear more on this subject from Michelle, check out her 2020 webinar: California Grasslands: The Forest Beneath Our Feet. For more about grassland birds like the ones Michelle mentions, check out the eBird website For more about grassland conservation, check out the California Native Grassland Association and the Milo Baker chapter of the California Native Plant Society To register for events, classes, workshops, or stewardship workdays at Pepperwood, visit our Classes & Events page This episode’s Nature Sound Guess Who Game clips were used courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library, and the contributors were Randolph Little, John Patterson, and Bob McGuire.

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