Libsyn Directory

15. The Wild World of Birds: A Naturalist Walk at San Elijo Lagoon w/ Alex Wild (Part 2)

Release Date: 05/07/2025

36. College of the Desert: A Class on Desert Birds, Energy Solutions, and Living a Sustainable Life w/ Kurt Leuschner

Planet People Podcast

In this discussion, we interview Kurt Leuschner, a Professor of Natural Resources at the College of the Desert, a public community college serving the diverse Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California. College of the Desert enrolls approximately 12,500 students and is federally recognized as a Hispanic-serving institution, reflecting its commitment to educational accessibility in the region. Through his role at College of the Desert, Professor Leuschner is helping to educate the next generation of environmental stewards while contributing to our understanding of the remarkable...

35. Desert Tortoise Council: Training the Next Generation of Desert Tortoise Biologists w/ Mary Lane Poe

Planet People Podcast

Join us for an in-depth conversation about Mojave desert tortoise conservation efforts, from the original endangered species designation to current threats and protection strategies. In this interview with Mary Lane Poe of the Desert Tortoise Council, we review the many threats facing the desert tortoise, as well as meaningful ways for people to take action and even start a career in desert tortoise conservation. RAY OF HOPE: Here's something incredible: Desert tortoises are ancient ecosystem engineers that have survived ice ages, volcanic eruptions, and dramatic climate shifts over 15...

34. Art Queen of Joshua Tree: Fighting Fast Fashion & Turning Trash Into Art w/ Shari Elf

Planet People Podcast

Join us as we explore the vibrant creative scene of Joshua Tree with Shari Elf, founder of Art Queen, whose innovative approach to upcycled fashion reveals the profound relationship between clothing, self-expression, and environmental consciousness. Shari shares what it means to transform discarded garments into wearable art, as well as the powerful story of how upcycling can serve as both a personal statement and a sustainable alternative to fast fashion’s destructive cycle. In an era when the fashion industry is one of the world’s largest polluters, this essential conversation challenges...

33. Thanksgiving Reflections and Gratitude From the Planet People Team

Planet People Podcast

Join us for a special shorter-format conversation as founder, Natalie, sits down with co-host and Creative Director, Coral Carson, to reflect on Planet People's remarkable 2.5-year journey. As we celebrate this milestone and enter our second season, we take a moment to express gratitude for our incredible community and discuss why Indigenous knowledge is foundational—not supplementary—to any meaningful conversation about conservation. This Thanksgiving episode sets the stage for our featured guest, Seth Bizardi Tsosie, a Native American monitor from the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe,...

32. Land of Flowing Water: Indigenous Knowledge & The Theft of Owens Valley w/ Seth Bizardi Tsosie

Planet People Podcast

Join us as we explore the Eastern Sierra Nevada with Seth Bizardi Tsosie, a Native American monitor from the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, whose ancestral knowledge reveals the profound relationship between Indigenous peoples and the land of flowing water. Seth shares what it means to grow up with generations of traditional ecological wisdom about this remarkable region, as well as the devastating story of how the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power systematically exploited and diverted the Owens Valley’s lifeblood. As we approach Thanksgiving, this essential conversation challenges...

31. Antarctica’s Frozen Secrets: Adélie Penguins and the Driest Desert on Earth w/ Dr. Steve Emslie

Planet People Podcast

Join us as we journey to the frozen continent of Antarctica with Dr. Steve Emslie, a leading Antarctic ecologist whose groundbreaking research on Adélie penguins has revealed fascinating insights into one of Earth’s most extreme environments. From the remarkable adaptations of these charismatic seabirds to the surprising revelation that Antarctica is technically a desert, Dr. Emslie shares his discoveries from decades of fieldwork in the coldest, windiest, and driest place on our planet. This eye-opening conversation explores the delicate balance of polar ecosystems and why understanding...

30. Meditation & Bird Walks: San Diego Climate Week Event Recap

Planet People Podcast

This episode takes you behind the scenes of our San Diego Climate Week event, where we combined mindfulness meditation with birdwatching to forge a deeper connection with the natural world and raise awareness about one of climate change’s most vulnerable victims—our birds. Hosts Natalie and Coral share why they chose to lead a meditative bird walk during Climate Week, highlighting the critical relationship between climate change and declining bird populations. As habitats shift, migration patterns are disrupted, and food sources vanish, birds are serving as early warning indicators of our...

29. Halloween Folklore: The Spooky Spoken History of Ravens, Coyotes, Tarantulas, and Owls

Planet People Podcast

It’s Halloween on Planet People Podcast, and this episode dives into the eerie intersection of nature and folklore. Hosts Natalie and Coral are joined by their teammate Hugh Carr to explore the misunderstood realities of four creatures that have long haunted human imagination—the raven, coyote, tarantula, and owl. Hugh unpacks the mythological roots of ravens and coyotes as tricksters and spirit messengers. Additionally, he presents a fascinating theory regarding what may have contributed to ravens’ dark portrayal throughout history and today… Natalie sheds light on the tarantula’s...

28. Zombie Wasps, Tarantulas Hawks, Army Ants, Oh My! An Eerie Look Into the World of Desert Insects w/ Scott Heacox

Planet People Podcast

Join us in continuing this Spooky Season as we sit down with Scott Heacox to explore the truly exciting world of parasitic insects in the Coachella Valley. From wasps that turn their hosts into living nurseries to fungi that create zombie ants, Scott reveals the fascinating and sometimes horrifying survival strategies of desert insects. This spine-tingling conversation uncovers the complex relationships between parasites and their hosts, demonstrating that the scariest stories aren’t found in horror movies—they’re happening right now in the desert ecosystem around us. RAY OF HOPE:...

27. Ravenous Ravens: Time To Talk Trash At The Living Desert Zoo w/ Katie Shaw

Planet People Podcast

Join us as we sit down with Katie Shaw, a social scientist with The Living Desert Zoo in Palm Desert, to explore the fascinating intersection of human behavior and wildlife conservation. Kate shares insights into their innovative “Time to Talk Trash” conservation program, which targets the root cause of rising raven populations that threaten endangered desert tortoises. This eye-opening conversation reveals how changing human behavior around waste management can have profound impacts on desert ecosystems, demonstrating that sometimes the most effective wildlife conservation happens by...

More Episodes

Listen to this episode on your favorite podcast platform or watch the video version on our YouTube channel to see the birds we identify during our walk!

Episode Overview

This episode continues our conversation with park ranger Alex Wild, featuring a guided nature walk around San Elijo Lagoon. Alex identifies various birds and plants while discussing his role as a park ranger and sharing stories about inspiring environmental elders. This episode follows our previous discussion with Alex about recent attacks on National Parks and federal worker cuts that affected him personally. We had a special guest join us, Franklin the desert tortoise, Alex's former pet now serving as an animal ambassador at San Elijo. Keep reading to learn more about the birds we saw in this episode!

Key Topics Discussed

Major talking points included bird identification and birding tips, including creating a "life list" for birding. We also defined "Spark Birds" - the species that ignite someone's passion for birding and how ornithology lends itself to Alex's responsibilities as a park ranger. Spiritual connection to the land and the importance of role models as environmental elders who inspire. Most importantly, we discuss what it means to use our voice to protect natural spaces we love.

Poetry Feature:

"The Peace of Wild Things" By Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Featured Segments

Endangered Bird Segment: Endangered bird species are under threat! This recently published report from the 2025 US State of the Birds Report by the American Bird Conservancy outlines the threats that birds face across America and defines proactive solutions to protect bird populations for future generations.

Key findings from the new report show that more than one-third of U.S. bird species are of high or moderate conservation concern, including 112 Tipping Point species that have lost more than 50 percent of their populations in the last 50 years.

Betty Reid Soskin Park Ranger segment: Betty Reid Soskin (born Betty Charbonnet; 1921), now retired, was a park ranger with the National Park Service, assigned to the Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California. In 2015, Betty was selected to participate in the national tree-lighting ceremony in President’s Park at the White House, introducing President Barack Obama during the PBS telecast. At 100 years of age in 2022, Betty retired as the oldest park ranger in the National Park Service. Thank you for your hard-earned work, Betty!

Episode Overview

Key Topics Discussed

Featured Segments

Related Content

TOPICS