The Wandering Naturalist

Three Rivers Park District wants everybody, of any abilities, to participate in programs and enjoy experiences in a natural resourced based park setting. Sam and Tracy Tabaka from Outdoor Recreation talk to us about adapted programming and equipment in the Park District. Learn how programs are adapted to meet people's abilities, why this is important, and some etiquette on the trail when someone i...

Join us to discuss how Three Rivers Parks and The Autism Society of Minnesota have partnered to provide programing specifically designed for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Eric Ringgenberg, Director of Education Services for the Autism Society of Minnesota, discusses what autism is and how programming can be done differently to help participants with autism feel more welcome in our parks. C...

Perspective from a retired biologist and current Three Rivers volunteer, Mike Sweet, shares his goal to get outdoors every day to enjoy the benefits of interacting with nature.  He describes the welcomed surprises that evoke both feelings of relaxation and energization.  As a member of Minnesota Rovers, an outdoor club, there are many opportunities to join with others in outdoor activities. 

Silverwood Park of Three Rivers has an exciting first in Minnesota to share and Angela and Brandon immerse themselves in forest bathing with a certified ANFT Shinrin Yoku guide.  Guests David Donovan, Silverwood Program Coordinator, and David Motzenbecker, Landscape Architect, provide further insight on healing in nature. 

Joining Angela and Brandon from the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Brent A. Bauer shares the science behind parks and greenspaces improving both physical health and emotional well-being.  You can now be prescribed nature, listen to learn more. 

Why do we give roses on Valentine's day? It has something to do with the Language of Flowers. A tradition at least as old as Shakespeare where the flowers people sent carried specific messages. Learn about the history of this tradition and a few flowers you can send messages with from Jayne Becker, Cultural Heritage Interpreter.

Wander through the Plant Kingdom as Missy Anderson, Propagation Specialist at Three Rivers Park District Nursery, joins us to discuss the love life of plants. Do trees really alternate their forms every generation like ferns do? How does plant reproduction cause you to sneeze and are humans making it worse? Join us and find out!

Join us as we give tribute to the most romantic month of the year by exploring the weird, at least to us, mating habits of the animal kingdom. From flatworms that fence to snails that shoot love darts, explore some of Brandon and Angela's favorite reproductive strategies among animals.

What does it take to interpret a historic village? Cooperation between education and natural resource management. Join us as Bill Walker, Historical Programs Supervisor, and Steven Hogg , Natural Resources Supervisor, discuss how nature and history are managed at The Landing and how working together leads to a better park.  

Join us as we talk to Anne Ketz, co-founder of 106 Group, an archeology consultation group that has worked in and around The Landing-Minnesota River Heritage Park. She discusses how archeology has revealed human use in the area of The Landing going back 3,000 years, talks about the award-winning archeology project 106 Group did in partnership with the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community on the vi...

Gain perspective from a Three Rivers volunteer, Allison Weyer, who is making a difference with a Minnesota threatened species the Blanding's turtle.  Hear how efforts of monitoring during nesting season can lead to late night adventures to protect nests from predators.  Differences can be made even in the smallest actions of environmental stewardship.

The metropolitan Twin Cities area is home to more than half the citizens of Minnesota.  Despite this factor wildlife is still diverse partly thanks to progressive open space planning.  Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Nongame Specialist, Erica Hoaglund, joins to share what makes this central region unique and the challenges of conservation. 

Wildlife supervisor of Three Rivers, Steven Hogg, joins hosts Brandon and Angela to discover at risk species that call our parks home.  Learn which species have found their own way to restored habitat and those that were reintroduced such as the Regal Fritillary butterfly.

Take a journey out of our own local restored prairies of Three Rivers and expand to the entire state of Minnesota.  To think big picture guest Megan Benage with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources shares her connection to the prairie and how it's all about balance and diversity.

Wildlife staff from Three Rivers, Brian Fredlund and Mitch Haag, join to talk about using prescribed fire on restored prairies. Learn more on how managed fires help a prairie ecosystem and whether or not you can bring marshmallows.

Minnesota once was home to 18 million acres of prairie habitat but today only a little over 1 percent of native prairie remains.  Protecting and recreating grassland is one of the most critical environmental challenges facing Minnesota.  To highlight this unique habitat hosts Brandon and Angela take listeners through the seasons of the most endangered ecosystem, the tallgrass prairie.

How many species of spider are in Minnesota? Chad Heins, Professor at Bethany Lutheran college can answer that question, now thanks to help from citizen scientists and iNaturalist. Learn how you can help with his research using your smart phone. 

Larry Weber, author of multiple books including "A Guide to Webs and the Spiders that Make Them", joins us to discuss his love of spiders, their webs, and even ones that stay alive and active under the snow. Dr. Anthony Aletta talks to us about his research on spider brains and why his knowledge of spider intelligence might not make him the best guest at a baby shower. 

Angela and Brandon share stories of getting up close and personal with spiders.  Monica Rauchwater from Richardson Nature Center joins to cover spider basics and to clear up their scary misunderstandings.

Join us as Susan Storck from Gale Woods Farm talks about why they have a mushroom forest. She gives tips on how to start growing your own mushrooms to eat at home.

Angie Smith, Director of Natural Resources, and Dan Commerford, Forestry Supervisor, join us to talk about why harvesting wild mushrooms in our parks is discouraged, fungi with negative impacts on our parks, and how they are combatting Oak Wilt and Dutch Elm Disease.

Aside from an amazing musical rendition by Brandon, we explore what makes fungi so unique. From acting as recyclers in nature to infecting hosts, and even connecting trees in a Wood Wide Web, we explore how fungus affects our natural world.

Gain cultural perspective on monarchs as Chicana Professor Karen Mary Davalos, Chair of the Chicano and Latino Studies Department at the University of Minnesota, shares how Chicano/Chicana/ChicanX artists are inspired by this powerful butterfly. Jesus Ramirez shares how his Chicano culture and the monarch helped him go through a metamorphosis in life, from gang member to an educator, now working w...

Naturalist Jim Gilbert joins us to tell the story of how a monarch his students tagged confirmed for scientists where Minnesota's monarchs migrated. Arla Carmichael, Horticulture Operations Supervisor for Three Rivers Park District, discusses what you can plant in your garden to help monarchs and other pollinators.

One of the most recognized insects in the world sparks curiosity of its great multi-generational migration, the Monarch butterfly.  Join Angela and Brandon to learn how and why this mighty flyer make the trips back and forth between Mexico and Minnesota.