Nature Nuggets

We take a journey to the extraordinary Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion of Southwest Oregon and Northwest California. This special bioregion includes many millions of acres of public land full of old growth forests and wild rivers. A natural legacy of the United States. And! KS Wild's appreciation for this gorgeous landscape and the stories of their fight to defend this home has many lessons for us here...

Today's episode features a conversation with Matt Putnam of the Stockbridge-Munsee and Chris Bowser with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and highlights an amazing event called the New Netherland Marketplace: Living History Event 2025, happening in New Paltz this weekend. Matt is a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican American Indians and a leader in a series of program...

We are joined by Julie Noble, sustainability coordinator for the City of Kingston, for a wide-ranging discussion about the impressive array of municipal initiatives she helps shape and direct for Kingston. From projects related to energy, land use, transportation, education and citizen outreach, Julie is a powerhouse advocate for our community who brings both a long term vision and a pragmatic get...

Today we explore the impressive and inspiring work of the 50-year old Open Space Institute, which has protected more than 2.5 million acres, with a special focus on New York State and the Hudson Valley! We are joined by Peter Karis, OSI's VP of Parks & Stewardship and Matt Decker, OSI Land Project Manager. We had a heartening, wide-ranging conversation about many of OSI's remarkable conservati...

Today we talk about the amazingly central role oyster reefs have played in the human and more-than-human worlds, from pre-colonial times, through the development of NYC and the promise they hold for the future - ecologically, culturally and even infrastructurally! Today's guest Tanasia Swift is an urban environmental leader, SCUBA diver, and proud Brooklyn native working at the intersection of cli...

Our planned live broadcast from the field for the newly opened section of Scenic Hudson's Black Creek Preserve was rained out, so we brought Scenic Hudson's Director of Parks and Community Engagement Rita Shaheen and Senior Park Planner Heather Blaikie into the studio! We talked all about this amazing new addition to this much beloved park and as well as many other local protected areas, and we ex...

This week Chris fills in for Laurel with a wonderful conversation with Catskills-based forager, craftsperson and educator Renee Baumann ( @renee_makes_things ). We discuss the bounty of the season, from invasive-but-delicious black locust blossoms to the banner morel season we're having in the region. Between exploring the novel flavors of wild foods as a chef, to acquainting herself with dozens o...

Today we celebrate the verdant emergence of spring and then dig into scientific storytelling of the deep earth history that has shaped the land forms, ecology, culture and economics we see around us today through a mind-bending bit of master storytelling with geology professor Steven Schimmrich. Steven Schimmrich has been a Professor of Geology and Earth Sciences at SUNY Ulster County Community Co...

Chris is in for Laurel this week (Happy Birthday to Laurel!!) kicking off the very nascent mushroom season here with none other than Luke Sarrantonio of  Mycophilic , mushroom cultivator, educator, and community-minded organizer. Among many FUNgi topics, we discuss Luke and Kaya's newest Eat More Mushrooms project, which includes a free-to-all shiitake garden which will be fruiting this year at  R...

As spring explodes in vibrant emergence all around us we talk today about the incredible work of the Woodstock Land Conservancy with Miranda Javid! Miranda’s role at WLC includes curating their educational programs, coordinating volunteers, which includes the awesome Land Stewards program, and, on a good week she gets to assist the Stewardship Manager with actual fieldwork. The Woodstock Land Cons...

Join us for a fun and insightful conversation with progressive forester, naturalist and author Ethan Tapper! Ethan Tapper is a forester, author, birder, hunter, and natural historian from Vermont and the author of the recently published book  ​​ How to Love A Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World. He has been recognized as a thought-leader and a disruptor in the forestry and con...

Join us for the special one-year anniversary episode of Nature Nuggets as we chronicle the many signs of spring's emergence and engage in an insightful conversation with Phil Greene, Environmental Specialist with the City of Kingston. We explore the impressive array of sustainability initiatives and environmental education programs being conducted by the City of Kingston, spanning from the highly...

Join us for a spring-filled, wide-ranging conversation with Marist University Environmental Science professor, and outdoor educator extraordinaire, Dr. Zion Klos about the transformative importance of immersive outdoor experiences for young people as well as the dynamic intersections of earth sciences like hydrology and geology with human psychology and decision making around community responses t...

Today we talk with local author of Love Story with Birds, Bard literature professor and bird admirer Derek Furr about how bringing attention to the natural world can open up new realms of insight and understanding. Derek Furr grew up in rural North Carolina, taught public school in Charlottesville, Virginia, and lives now with his family in the Hudson Valley. He is a literature professor and Dean...

Join us for a rich conversation with  Wild Earth  Executive Director Omari Washington as we highlight their inspiring offerings for environmental education experiences and 'earth living skills' available for kids of all ages in the Hudson Valley. Also we talk out our firsthand observations of the active emergence of spring exploding all around us this week!

This week features a great conversation with local birder, science teacher, cyclist and nature walk leader Chrissy Guarino! Chrissy leads day trips with the John Burroughs Natural History Society ( JBNHS ), including a popular annual visit to the Shawangunk Grasslands to check out the bizarre and wonderful early spring phenomenon that is the American Woodcock's dramatic courtship display. This sho...

Co-hosts Duane Martinez and Laurel Sutherlin explore recent seasonal happenings in the natural world from around the Hudson Valley and across the world, including experiences Laurel brings back from nature excursions in the mountains of Thailand.    

Don't miss Chris's conversation with bryophile Julia Palmer this week, who takes us on a trip to the tiny, wonderful world of mosses. We learn how mosses differ from vascular plants, introduces us to some of her favorite mosses and moss names, and helps explain the special properties of the boundary layer where mosses and lichens live. Julia fell in love with mosses at SUNY ESF studying with renow...

This week Chris has Kate Rose Weiner in to talk about her work with Loam, the publishing branch of the Weaving Earth Center for Relational Education. Among other topics, we discuss the mostly invisible, unsung, heart work that is editing, taking authentic joy in our naturalist passions, the reasons behind Loam's decision to divest from social media, and the challenges of doing the deep, slow work...

Chris sits down with Sefra Alexandra, aka the Seed Huntress, for a lively conversation about seed conservation. We talk about seed saving from the small community to global levels, from local seed libraries to the Global Seed Vault. Sefra helps demystify a lot of seed terminology, and explains how planting truly native plant ecotypes suited to our region supports pollinators and other wildlife, an...

Chris Baker fills in for Laurel this week talking with Mark DeDea, longtime President of the John Burroughs Natural History Society and caretaker of the Forsyth Nature Center. Our conversation ranges from wild goose chases (literally!) to learning in intergenerational community to the Great Backyard Bird Count coming up February 14th-17th. A full schedule of events for the weekend can be found her...

Today we talk about many fascinating strands of forest science from lightning and disturbance ecology to chasing down and studying the world's largest tropical trees with Evan Gora, a forest ecologist and Staff Scientist with the  Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies . Evan grew up on a small farm in central Pennsylvania where he became interested in ecology and started exploring forests.  His rese...

In this episode we talk about the history and role of mountain lions in our region and current efforts to rehabilitate this iconic top predator to the Northeast of the U.S., where they have been absent now for almost a century. Christopher Spatz , inspired by Dave Foreman announcing the birth of Earth First! on the  Today Show  in the early ’80s, procured a copy of  Eco Defense  and began his peri...

This week we talk all things Hudson Valley herps - amphibians and reptiles - with local expert Alex Wolf! Alex Wolf, Conservation Scientist at Scenic Hudson, conducts research and analyses pertaining to Hudson Valley natural resources, with a focus on climate change adaptation, mitigation, and resilience, as well as the ecology and conservation of local flora and fauna. Prior to joining Scenic Hud...

In this episode we dig into local forest ecology and management across Scenic Hudson's 40+ parks and preserves throughout the Hudson Valley with lifetime local Pia Ruisi-Besares, including little known gems and scientific approaches to increasing climate resiliency and biodiversity values through thoughtful landscape interventions! Pia Ruisi-Besares is a forest ecologist and natural resource manag...