Podcasts about naturalists

Mark is in Aberdeenshire with RSPB's Hywel Maggs to try to catch a glimpse of the Common crane and to find out why numbers of the birds are increasing in North East Scotland.Naturalist and Educator Dan Puplett reads the Scottish landscape to track wildlife. Jenny Graham meets him Rafford, near Forres to search for evidence of local species.‘Clouds', a new book by Dr Edward Graham explores cloud formations, the science behind them and even the famous artists who have painted them. Mark meets author Eddy to take a look at the formations floating in the sky above Glasgow Green.Crafted entirely from upcycled materials, a new statue by Helen Denerley is bringing the story of one of Scotland's most notorious historical figures back to life. Phil Sime joins Shirley Neild in Kingussie to chat about the history of Alexander Stewart marked by the structure.On a recent trip to Norway, Jenny Graham hopped on her bike in the Fosen district to adventure through Fjord territory.The Balmoral Estate is home to a series of Royal commemorative cairns, including a structure that's more reminiscent of ancient Egypt than Scotland. Mark explores with Heraldist Gordon Casely.Red grouse numbers continue to be low in Scotland. Mark and Jenny are joined by Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust Director for Scotland Dr Nick Hesford to talk about their latest research on the grouse population.Every summer the Woodland Trust announces its shortlist for UK Tree of the Year. The National Contest aims to highlight how vital trees are. Mark meets instrument maker Steve Burnett at Napier's Craiglockhart Campus in Edinburgh to discover the history behind a sycamore with connections to famous war poet Wilfred Owen.

When George Perry published the first image of a koala in his 1810 natural history work Arcana, he wrote, “…they have little either in their character or appearance to interest the Naturalist or Philosopher."   But I say that this just proves that ol' George was not a very good Naturalist.  Learn why George was so very wrong on this episode of the Podcast!   Support the podcast by becoming a Patron!  www.patreon.com/dispatchesfromtheforest Donate via PayPal or email me!  Dispatchesfromtheforest@gmail.com Donate using the Cash App and the cashtag $ForestNerd Check out the merch store!  www.cafepress.com/shop/dispatchesfromtheforest Follow Dispatches from the Forest on FaceBook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube!

GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen discusses AI-fueled video games and the mayoral forum on the arts.Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses the latest on the gunman in New York, tsunami warnings after last night's earthquake, and new FEMA grants set to go out to states to build migrant detention facilities.Marty Martinez, President and CEO of United Way of Massachusetts Bay, joins to discuss the challenges facing community-based nonprofits right now. Martinez, who formerly served as Boston's health chief, also discusses the state of public health.Naturalist and author Sy Montgomery recounts her trip to see a thriving puffin population in Maine with BPR senior producer Zoe Mathews. Plus, Sy talks about elephants communicating with humans and a pair of coyotes living in Central Park.

The garden in summer is at its fullest sensory delight and overwhelm – the peak of sunlight, growing hours, heat, and growth, ripening, and even rotting. This week, we revisit a BEST OF conversation that embraces this sublime sensuality from a variety of perspectives, in conversation with master naturalist Nancy Lawson.  Nancy is perhaps best known as "The Humane Gardener", the title of her first book, and her online signature. And a humane gardener she is. Nancy is a habitat consultant and founder of The Humane Gardener, LLC. She observes, researches, and pioneers creative wildlife-friendly landscaping methods in her own home habitat and for others. In other words – and in all senses of the phrase – Nancy puts her gardening where her words are, and words and action come together beautifully in her newest book, Wildscape, Trilling Chipmunks, Beckoning Blooms, Salty Butterflies, and other Sensory wonders of Nature.  Together this week, we delve into her newest research and reporting on the complexity and richness of the sensory life of other than human lives: from the botanical to the birds, bugs, mammals, amphibians other wildlife all around us. Wildscape is eye, ear, nose and heart opening! Listen in! Cultivating Place now has a donate button! We thank you for listening over the years, and we hope you'll continue to support Cultivating Place. We can't thank you enough for making it possible for this young program to grow and engage in even more conversations like these. The show is available as a podcast on SoundCloud and iTunes. To read more and for many more photos, please visit www.cultivatingplace.com.

ABC's John Gabriel, Host of The Compost Heap, Gardener and Naturalist joins Suzanne Hill to share some tips to get you started. 

Ben enjoys late-summer's lake fantasyBased on a work By glory_first. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.The weather had been glorious in Eastern Tennessee for the last couple of weeks, making a mid-week August visit to the lake earlier in the morning warmly enjoyable, especially in combination with the likelihood of no one else being around as we enjoyed ourselves naked in the water and on the shore. I'm a fire fighter, so I work in 72 hour shifts, followed by 72 hours off. My wife, Cammy and I are naturalists and members of the Miller's Cove club, but she works a typical 9 to 5 job, so she can't join us this week day.Kathy, our bi-curious friend, & Diana, her new girlfriend were today's threesome.  Yesterday we were preparing to leave the lake at the end of another wonderfully hot day. Kathy has been swimming here for two decades at this point, and I'm quite sure that the previous time we fucked was not the only time she had so enjoyed herself in this naturalists' sanctuary. Especially as I had fingered her a couple times before and after that perfect July day in the middle of the lake, fucking in the water.Agreeing to meet early the next morning, the traditional gin and tonic supplies were left to me to handle. The gin, glasses, non-melting ice cubes and cool packs stored in a subzero freezer overnight, with limes and a couple of plastic bottles of tonic water in the refrigerator.The sign along the road read; ‘Miller's Cove Pecan Orchard.' But the drive through the mature trees leads to a gently sloping terrain, and a blueberry patch. The Miller family no longer lives on the orchard, but they formed a naturalists club 22 years ago. Arriving at almost the same time, we quickly unpacked, distributing the supplies to carry, and I put my helmet and jacket in the bike's bags. We walked about 50 yards along the sloping path, with Pecan trees to our left and blueberry bushes to our left & right. We continued into essential middle of the nudist area, this favored summer spot, a nice mix of sun and shade, with a fairly narrow but well maintained entrance to the water, with a broad sloping cove opening up to the rest of the lake. The spot could easily hold a few dozen people, with basic privacy.The ground was untypically dry as we spread out our quilts, a welcome indication of the sort of summer day we had before us, full of warm sun and cool water. We undressed quickly, wearing minimal clothes as we were. Diana was wearing a clinging cotton top with thin straps, sunglasses, loose hair, a pair of jeans, cotton sneakers, with simple comfortable black cotton panties.Kathy was wearing a fairly short skirt and a fairly thin, half unbuttoned top, without sleeves. We do have slightly different styles when undressing, as I generally take off my pants, then my shirt. In contrast, both Diane and Kathy generally take off their tops first, something I always appreciate, as a braless woman in jeans or skirt is extremely attractive. Watching an unembarrassed woman take off her top right next to me is delightful, as I find natural breasts udderly wonderful.Having two topless friends next to me as we undressed, allowed me another opportunity to appreciate the differences between the two. Kathy's tits are heavy pendulous, and full, with large nipples extending up out from the apex of her ‘ski-jump' terrain. Her nipples she loves having touched and nibbled, along with being squeezed, sucked hard, or rubbed and held as she is fucked ‘doggy-style.' As she would gladly admit, or demonstrate, there is a fairly direct connection between her nipples and her erotic center, one she is quite proud of.Kathy, in her later thirties, remains very proud of her breasts, which are often braless when she is being casual. Or shown off when she isn't being casual. Her creativity at showing them off is a well-developed art, something else she likes to be appreciated by others, at least in the proper contexts. It isn't quite about sex, as it is sexuality, and is something she knows will be different in the future, as she has more than occasionally remarked on, noting changes over the years.Facing me, she unbuttoned and took off her thin shirt, then gave me a tiny grin, followed by turning a bit and grinning even more broadly to Diane, forming our semi-circle, facing the cove. So in a sense, we were all screening each other from any casual gawkers while being able to see how empty the lake shore in this stretch truly was.I was already nude, and Diane had just about finished stepping out of her panties. Her hand was on my shoulder, head turned towards Kathy, who said; “Ben, remember last Friday?” then flounced her skirt quite teasingly. Her hands went to the top button, opening it, then she turned sideways to me, her gorgeous breasts hanging as she bent a bit more, and undid the next button. Her skirt was now loose enough for her to pull it up a bit up her torso, revealing pink and white panties around the bottom of her ass.“No, those aren't,” I began.She grinned, answering; “Yes they are!” I looked briefly at Diane, almost chuckling, and back at Kathy, stepping out of her skirt, then did a slow full turn, providing a complete view of her well-worn ‘Hello Kitty' panties. The same panties she had mentioned owning, while eating dinner at our naturalist sanctuary house with my wife and me. Kathy and Diane had come over to do a bit of nude backyard grilling & hot tub relaxation. We got in a discussion talking about ‘Hello Kitty' vibrators and how that brand had changed over the years.Kathy has a firm insistence that toys have no place in sex, at least with her. Pretty much the same thing she had remarked a dozen years ago, after agreeing to test my wife's vibrator for a night. When she handed it back to me, she said she came several times, but really, she wanted fucking or sucking when cumming. “Another person is what keeps sex from being masturbation.” Self-pleasure is something she considers inferior and vaguely shameful. Masturbation is a subject to be avoided, in her eyes; though in the years since, getting off chatting online is something she finds worth her time.In the present, I couldn't help laughing as she shook her ass a couple of times while pulling her panties down. Then she reached out to use Diane as a support as she lifted each foot in turn to finish undressing. I quickly put suntan lotion on myself while the better tanned pair dealt with their raft, a fairly large, somewhat tilted platform with space for three people. I had brought my own raft, the same one I have used for years. One reason to have it is to ensure that certain smoking supplies remained safe while paddling out to the middle of the lake.We reached the middle fairly quickly, the deep lake water was wonderfully warm on its surface, but quite cool just a few feet deeper. This was only my second time getting stoned with Diane, in a nature setting, again pretty much alone. The first time had been picking cherries in the town orchard, something she had never done before, though she grew up in this region. The cherries were delicious, the trees bursting with them, a truly extraordinary harvest after an exceptionally warm and dry spring.Today at the lake, the conditions were enticing. Our nude bodies enjoyed the sun's warmth, rocking gently over the barely noticeable waves. I was lying on my raft sideways, which was lengthwise against the larger raft Kathy and Diane shared. Lazily kicking my feet in breaststroke fashion, the motion kept us moving slowly back to shore. And also kept a tantalizing flow of cool water streaming against my swelling cock, a normal side effect of smoking and swimming, particularly with a couple of naked women in front of me.Diane, in her mid-twenties, is almost half my age. Kathy was at the other end of the white inflated raft platform. I would often lift my head to see our progress across the dancing jeweled water, also taking in the very nearby view of her petite body, quite different from Kathy's lushly tall form. Diane's breasts are quite small, though decidedly elevated & on the perky side, with fairly small nipples surrounding the well-rounded peaks of her breasts. Both Kathy and my wife Cammy, have more pendulous breasts. Kathy is almost as tall as me, while Diane is somewhat shorter than Cammy.Unlike Kathy, whose body I am very familiar with, Diane's is still somewhat unknown. Her devotion to Kathy is apparent, shown by the physically quite obvious attachment to touching and caressing it. An attachment which became obvious again, as Kathy rolled over a bit, letting her left hand begin to trail over Diane's body. She grinned a bit, her body relaxing as her lover began to stroke it gently.Neither of them are exactly exhibitionists, though neither is shy. We all definitely get turned on by getting stoned, and as Diane's leg slid over began to rub along my back; it was pretty clear that Diane had decided to enjoy such an opportunity, nude and private in the middle of empty lake. Little was restraining the pair from their increasingly-affectionate intimate contact. I didn't really watch, though it was not exactly hidden that both of them were enjoying being next to each other, while also experiencing the dazzling sunlight on the water, from an endlessly blue sky.The sun was hot against our well-tanned exposed skin. Kathy and I have known each other for more than 15 years, but this was a different element, if not exactly a surprise. Seeing her with a woman lover was different, especially in light of Diane's own undeniable sexiness. Kathy has never been shy about her ability to love a person without regard to gender, Diane being yet more ample proof of that reality.Kathy and I have talked about sex quite often on the phone. We were both enjoying ourselves when she first revealed her bisexuality. My wife had been upstairs reading in bed during the entire conversation about her favorite lady-loving experiences. When we said goodnight and hung up, my cock was rigid. It didn't take long to spread my wife's legs and drive deep into her cunt before starting to explain what was turning me on so much. 'Kathy is, uh, fucking, Kathy fucks, Kathy fucks' and I started cumming with one of the more intense orgasms of my life when I said 'Kathy fucks with other women,' thrusting my cock into my wife's wet cunt. The revealing words echoing in my mind as my cum pumped so fully into her sexy tightness, her hands at my ass pulling me as her bushy pubis ground against mine, forcing my cock to move at its base, surrounded in her wet perfection as I came talking about another woman.Their raft gently rocked as they drifted further out into the middle. They rolled closer to each other, hugging, beginning to kiss. First almost teasingly, though the intensity quickly grew. Even with my cock tingling in audio temptation, I pretty much tried to leave them some space to themselves. The view of them entwined was quite enticing. The kissing deepened, as their hands found various places to play, between their pressed bodies and between their accessible legs.After a passionate crescendo, they separating themselves a bit. We rejoined the two rafts & enjoyed some nice organic smoke. Its effects filled us with a familiar sense of horniness, especially with other naked people around. Kathy, Diane, & I are certifiable sluts when we get stoned. However, with the breeze picking up a bit, it was no longer possible for me to do more than keep us somewhat in place. Their raft presented a fairly large amount of surface area for the wind to act upon.Mentioning this, I started kicking slowly to reduce the gentle drift, losing ground in the widely spaced rise and falls of moving air. Diane went over the side like a sexy otter, her small breasts enhancing the attraction of her body uncurling into the water. She frolicked in the cool wetness for a bit. Kathy watched from the edge, head on her crossed arms, while I split my attention between both of them. Diane moved closer, grabbed another section of the rope, and started to swim.Kathy rolled over into the water and we settled into a swim rhythm, moving the raft briskly. Her full breasts poked above the water surface as she swam toward shore, sharing a certain familiarity as the raft began moving against the wind. My cock was still hard in the flowing water, turning to look at Diane's naked body in the green tinged water. Diane, her nipples more pointed now than when she first slipped into the water, was looking at Kathy's face. The weed's fresh buzz elevated our serenity while affirming our horniness. Kathy is very easily aroused, her nipples in particular being a favored destination for foreplay.As the breeze died, and we neared shore, Diane and I just floated, our legs drifting together in the water, extended against each's warm skin. It shared a mutual arousal of contact with a living naked person. And one of the most sensuous sensations I know, especially in deeper water, was just floating while buzzed.After approaching the shore, Diane & Kathy scrambled back on the big raft, breasts glistening as their hands began to run over each other's body, slippery as water spread over her oiled back, Diane rubbing her ass over Kathy's. I slowly pushed us towards the tiny cove, Diane's body was drying in the warm sunny air, though the source of our growing heat was not merely the weather.Firmly nudging the raft into the shallow sandy waters, the two women went in front of me, stepping onto the two foot bank separating the water's edge from firm land. They settled on the spread quilt, waiting patiently for me to make some gin and tonics, a perfect drink in such conditions.Preparing the gin and tonics is a fairly simple process. One removes the glasses quickly from the cooler, followed by ice cubes, then limes, and the ice cold gin, pouring the proper amount into the now well frosted glasses, promptly returning the gin to the cooler. The lime is excised with an X pattern, carefully squeezed into each glass. Followed by pouring in the tonic water, and stirring the mixture using the knife that had cut the lime.When the air is already in the nineties around 10am, this is the perfect liquid accompaniment to handle the heat, though it does generate a bit of its own heat in other parts of the body, especially after a naked shared joint.Kathy, particularly, loves drinking gin and tonics, especially when sex is in the air on a cloudless summer morning. She finished her first one quickly. Diane and I drank ours more slowly, savoring the mixture of flavors blending into a perfect liquid whole. Wet yet also crisp, a few degrees above freezing. After finishing her glass, Kathy began giggling about how we should go back out, especially since no one was around. It wasn't quite clear whether this was a specific or general request, not that Diane or I cared much, as we began to mutually explore the possibly delicate boundaries of Kathy's wide ranging sexual tastes.I certainly had no interest in intruding in their blossoming relationship, though I also knew that Diane had been previously involved in a male/female/female threesome, according to Kathy.Diane's relationship also involved sado and masochistic fetishes, at some level. It's a general subject which does not interest me particularly. Well, except for tying up one's lover, which is a standalone idea in my mind. I conceded that tying is a gateway to S & M, certainly drifting into that broad area of control and pleasure through power or helplessness.Balancing her glass on the grass, Kathy told Diane to lay down, since another coating of suntan lotion was important to reduce the sun's less pleasant effects. I began to lotion myself at the same time, including discretely making sure my cock and ass were more than adequately covered in initially slippery protection. Sunburns are something that happen far too often to me, but at least related to these areas, my experience is still zero. Unlike my wife, Cammy, who spent a decade getting used to going topless. After sunburning her nipples the first time she exposed them, She obsesses about SPF issues.After Kathy finished, I asked her to handle my back, something she did pretty sloppily. Obviously, her attention was drifting, though I didn't turn my head to see if Diane was the direct cause or not. Kathy is submissively oriented to men, but markedly dominating with women, having a slave to play with your naked body under the summer sun is likely something Kathy would appreciate, and Diane would likely do. But Kathy may be having some inner conflicts about how to act in a threesome with a man & woman.Now well-lotioned, we stretched out, basting a bit, until another person entered our somewhat discrete space, a buxom middle-age woman. I knew her name was Meg. She's a persona friend of the Miller family, and a charter member of the Cove Club. She often brings a raft, and enjoys spending time floating it, much like I do. As we all casually watched, Meg pulled off her loose cotton dress, unashamed about the fact she wasn't wearing any underwear, allowing her to be comfortably naked without complications.This remains a noticeable trait, at least among the nudists at this lake, definitely including myself. No reason to wear more than the minimum, Kathy will also come to the cove wearing nothing but a dress, as has Diane and my wife. Such times remain a bit of a turn-on, even when sex is simply not plausible. The club has rules about sexual conduct when other uninvolved club members are present. Just knowing that a woman is intimately uncovered is nice. Most of the women I've known who do it, also enjoy its effect on their sense of sexuality, especially with light and swirling skirts.Diane having finished her drink, my two companions were now beaded with sweat, a deliciously erotic sight. Standing, the contrast in sizes and shapes was delightful, as they shared a quick kiss before returning to the water. They went out until about hip deep. Meg, the now-naked older woman spread out her towel in a standard spot at a respectful distance from our party. Then added a bit more air pressure to her raft before heading out onto the glittering water, giving me more excuse to look out at the lake as Kathy and Diane began to turn each other on.Kathy & Diane were hugging and kissing, first one then the other leaning back against holding arms, slowly moving into deeper water. What remained clear enough to see through, their motions had become more sinuous than active. Their movement was growing increasingly intense, especially when they began to rub chest to chest, Kathy's hand holding and spreading Diane's ass.My cock stirred as it became obvious the two ladies were feeling each other up outdoors, enjoying a perfect summer day in nature, indulging themselves at a primal level. It's a level Kathy and I both shared in the past, but that the younger Diane seemed to be enjoying for the first time, in a swirl of gin, weed, nudity, and lust. Diane was doing most of the moving as they kissed. The was reason becoming clear when Kathy shifted her position a bit.Diane was rubbing her cunt against Kathy's upper thigh; gasping a bit when Kathy's teeth began to nibble at her earlobe. A long sigh arose when Kathy's spread hand slid over her ass, and into her crack. By this point, it was Kathy determining the rhythm, making Diane willingly helpless in her arms, adding her own slinky motion side to side.Meg, the older buxom woman, returned to shore, paddling lazily, trying to be somewhat discrete as she looked at them while going past. As she stepped on the shore, her raft next to theirs, Kathy and Diane slowly grew apart, and I sat up, getting ready to make our second round of gin and tonics in the rising heat of the day, the sun rose higher in the sky.As the buxom neighbor approached her towel, I asked; “Meg, would you want a gin and tonic?” She smiled a bit, said; “Sure, Ben.” Over the years, I have learned how her breasts bounce when she walks, how her nipples look when stimulated, and wondered at how her nipples remain so pink. She is easily 1 to 20 years older than me, but her essential blondeness seems real, even if her cunt is always shaved smooth. She carries extra pounds, but mostly on her tits and ass.My two companions followed her in, grabbing towels to dry off, their skin glistening in the sun, both of them aroused, but patient. We all chatted a bit, my attention was split between three lovely naked women.Having only three glasses, it made sense to offer the new visitor mine, after making Kathy and Diane their glasses first. I added extra gin, lime, and water to Kathy's, filling her glass essentially to its rim before she bent down to sip a bit. My hand moved to offer the glass to her spreading lips. Her breasts swayed a bit, and I could see how Diane was looking at them too. Kathy lifted herself a bit on her legs, providing a perfect view of her spread labia. Kathy is blessed with large and proud plump labia, the largest I have ever seen and touched, personally.Making Diane's drink went quickly. I handed it to her, sitting next to the now essentially squatting Kathy. Diane's own legs were spread, crossing her feet in front of her, giving me an unavoidable opportunity to look at her turned-on swollen cunt, the outer lips a bit dark, the inner lips darker, a bit crinkled. Kathy noticed me looking, but only grinned a bit as she sipped from her frosty glass, then sensuously kissed Diane.Returning my attention to making the next gin and tonic, I smiled at the neighbor woman as I determinedly did not look at the pair near me. The sounds of kissing provided an idea of what they looked like. However, Meg's attention seemed focused on the kissing couple. I saw a certain look of lust begin to appear on her face. It wasn't surprising in itself, as I was also starting to get a bit hard. But it was the first time I had saw a woman getting turned on watching two other naked women playing with each other. Admittedly, this was also my first time, and I was fairly certain my face looked much the same as her's did.I shifted a bit, moving forward, offering Meg the drink with my left hand as Kathy murmured that maybe it was time to get lotioned before returning to the water. Diane went prone & stretched out, and Kathy quickly covered her back and shoulders. Her hands straying down to her small breasts, making Diane get up on her knees a bit as Kathy's hands slid over her nipples. Kathy then did her own face and arms before laying down, letting Diane spread suntan lotion over her back and ass, hands sliding over Kathy's spread thighs.Diane also did her own face and arms, as Kathy sat up, positioning herself in front of Diane. The pair began to take care of their fronts and legs, while I took a sip of Kathy's almost finished gin and tonic, Diane's having been emptied fairly quickly. The older woman noticed this, remarking that I was welcome to share hers, along with a compliment of how perfectly it tasted on such an August day.Diane and Kathy rose, giggling a bit as they returned to the water. Their hands strayed over each other's oiled ass cheeks. After taking a couple of steps into the water, they turned to each other, clasped hands, and began kissing.Offered the two thirds empty glass, I remarked that it would be simple to refresh it, if she wished to drink some more. Her head still turned towards the water, she distractedly said 'sure' again, prompting me to focus my attention on making another fresh drink, knowing that any later ones would not be as nearly chilled. The brisk chill is a major part of the pleasure of a good gin and tonic in the intense heat.Between pouring, slicing, and squeezing, I glanced at her. Meg was sitting with her legs at an angle to the shoreline, sweating a bit in the sun. A another female scent was beginning to perfume the air, one that drew my attention to her. My cock began to swell against my thigh. I shifted a bit before handing Meg the well-beaded glass, making her shift in turn, getting a bit closer.Being done with drink making for now, I offered to lotion her back, something we have done occasionally for each other over the years. She is almost always by herself at the lake, and like me when alone, rarely talks much to anyone else. Spreading the white lotion over her shoulders, she asked about the pair in the water, who I know noticed had moved out further, pressing tightly, breasts rubbing, Diane's hand clearly between Kathy's legs.“Well, they're friends,” I managed to say before she laughed a bit. Meg replied, “Yeah, that's pretty obvious.”Kathy has been a regular bather here for 20 years. Meg helped the Millers build the social club, and comes every summer, even though she doesn't know most of the newer ‘kids'. I was trying to explain Kathy's and Diane's relationship, when in fact a major part of it was currently completely public in front of us.It seemed a bit amusing. Especially since Diane was obviously being finger-fucked by Kathy. Kathy's hand was moving at the center of Diane's spread legs. I heard “Could you, could you lotion me, everywhere?” Meg was pulling my attention back. Our glass was empty, the shoreline still empty except for us two. We were obviously getting turned on watching two women have sex in the water in front of us.She turned a bit closer, while also spreading her legs in the direction of the water and resting back on her elbows. I knelt with my feet out past her hips, my legs bent, & squeezed some lotion onto my hands. I began working over her shoulders, sliding down her sides, moving between the already oiled and still to be oiled skin. I only slowly moving inwards towards her grand tetons. After her nipples became turgid in my distributing fingers, I started rubbing her stomach. She began to coo very quietly, slumping further back a bit, head lolling, giving a wonderful view of her breasts.My hands moved down along her thighs, her knees slowly began bending. Her crotch slowly opened up, the closer my hands approached her pubic region. Soon, her warm skin began lightly touching my legs, her legs spreading as my oiled fingers began sliding downward over her smooth shaved pubic mound, and separating around her cunt lips. Looking out at the water, I saw the two naked women kissing passionately, arms reaching down in the water, hands clasping asses tightly, oblivious to everything except their own pleasure.My cock was hard, and Meg's deep breathing amplified as her back fully relaxed down on the quilt. The sounds of her awakening sexuality was incredible, well matching the feeling coming from my finger as it began to slide into her wet cunt. She hissed 'oh, fuck yes' as my other hand reached up to her near tit, pulling her nipple and rolling it in my fingers. My hands were sliding over both her upper & lower hardened spires. This was hardly the first nor fifteenth time I had finger-fucked a woman at the cove, but it was certainly the first time I had ever done it with others around.Even if one of the others was the first woman I had finger-fucked here in the summer sun, beside my own wife.  I gave up all further pretense of distributing SPF lotions, and sat cross-legged, with hands on two of Meg's very hard nubs. Our eyes were on the water nymphs.Kathy is someone who definitely favors having her cunt filled, unlike most women in my experience, who much prefer having their clit played with. Meg had a big nubby clit. It now poked out beyond her hood. I was rubbing Meg's big clit with my thumb as she fantasized of the naked lovers in

Ben enjoys late-summer's lake fantasyBased on a work By glory_first. Listen to the Podcast at Steamy Stories.The weather had been glorious in Eastern Tennessee for the last couple of weeks, making a mid-week August visit to the lake earlier in the morning warmly enjoyable, especially in combination with the likelihood of no one else being around as we enjoyed ourselves naked in the water and on the shore. I'm a fire fighter, so I work in 72 hour shifts, followed by 72 hours off. My wife, Cammy and I are naturalists and members of the Miller's Cove club, but she works a typical 9 to 5 job, so she can't join us this week day.Kathy, our bi-curious friend, & Diana, her new girlfriend were today's threesome.  Yesterday we were preparing to leave the lake at the end of another wonderfully hot day. Kathy has been swimming here for two decades at this point, and I'm quite sure that the previous time we fucked was not the only time she had so enjoyed herself in this naturalists' sanctuary. Especially as I had fingered her a couple times before and after that perfect July day in the middle of the lake, fucking in the water.Agreeing to meet early the next morning, the traditional gin and tonic supplies were left to me to handle. The gin, glasses, non-melting ice cubes and cool packs stored in a subzero freezer overnight, with limes and a couple of plastic bottles of tonic water in the refrigerator.The sign along the road read; ‘Miller's Cove Pecan Orchard.' But the drive through the mature trees leads to a gently sloping terrain, and a blueberry patch. The Miller family no longer lives on the orchard, but they formed a naturalists club 22 years ago. Arriving at almost the same time, we quickly unpacked, distributing the supplies to carry, and I put my helmet and jacket in the bike's bags. We walked about 50 yards along the sloping path, with Pecan trees to our left and blueberry bushes to our left & right. We continued into essential middle of the nudist area, this favored summer spot, a nice mix of sun and shade, with a fairly narrow but well maintained entrance to the water, with a broad sloping cove opening up to the rest of the lake. The spot could easily hold a few dozen people, with basic privacy.The ground was untypically dry as we spread out our quilts, a welcome indication of the sort of summer day we had before us, full of warm sun and cool water. We undressed quickly, wearing minimal clothes as we were. Diana was wearing a clinging cotton top with thin straps, sunglasses, loose hair, a pair of jeans, cotton sneakers, with simple comfortable black cotton panties.Kathy was wearing a fairly short skirt and a fairly thin, half unbuttoned top, without sleeves. We do have slightly different styles when undressing, as I generally take off my pants, then my shirt. In contrast, both Diane and Kathy generally take off their tops first, something I always appreciate, as a braless woman in jeans or skirt is extremely attractive. Watching an unembarrassed woman take off her top right next to me is delightful, as I find natural breasts udderly wonderful.Having two topless friends next to me as we undressed, allowed me another opportunity to appreciate the differences between the two. Kathy's tits are heavy pendulous, and full, with large nipples extending up out from the apex of her ‘ski-jump' terrain. Her nipples she loves having touched and nibbled, along with being squeezed, sucked hard, or rubbed and held as she is fucked ‘doggy-style.' As she would gladly admit, or demonstrate, there is a fairly direct connection between her nipples and her erotic center, one she is quite proud of.Kathy, in her later thirties, remains very proud of her breasts, which are often braless when she is being casual. Or shown off when she isn't being casual. Her creativity at showing them off is a well-developed art, something else she likes to be appreciated by others, at least in the proper contexts. It isn't quite about sex, as it is sexuality, and is something she knows will be different in the future, as she has more than occasionally remarked on, noting changes over the years.Facing me, she unbuttoned and took off her thin shirt, then gave me a tiny grin, followed by turning a bit and grinning even more broadly to Diane, forming our semi-circle, facing the cove. So in a sense, we were all screening each other from any casual gawkers while being able to see how empty the lake shore in this stretch truly was.I was already nude, and Diane had just about finished stepping out of her panties. Her hand was on my shoulder, head turned towards Kathy, who said; “Ben, remember last Friday?” then flounced her skirt quite teasingly. Her hands went to the top button, opening it, then she turned sideways to me, her gorgeous breasts hanging as she bent a bit more, and undid the next button. Her skirt was now loose enough for her to pull it up a bit up her torso, revealing pink and white panties around the bottom of her ass.“No, those aren't,” I began.She grinned, answering; “Yes they are!” I looked briefly at Diane, almost chuckling, and back at Kathy, stepping out of her skirt, then did a slow full turn, providing a complete view of her well-worn ‘Hello Kitty' panties. The same panties she had mentioned owning, while eating dinner at our naturalist sanctuary house with my wife and me. Kathy and Diane had come over to do a bit of nude backyard grilling & hot tub relaxation. We got in a discussion talking about ‘Hello Kitty' vibrators and how that brand had changed over the years.Kathy has a firm insistence that toys have no place in sex, at least with her. Pretty much the same thing she had remarked a dozen years ago, after agreeing to test my wife's vibrator for a night. When she handed it back to me, she said she came several times, but really, she wanted fucking or sucking when cumming. “Another person is what keeps sex from being masturbation.” Self-pleasure is something she considers inferior and vaguely shameful. Masturbation is a subject to be avoided, in her eyes; though in the years since, getting off chatting online is something she finds worth her time.In the present, I couldn't help laughing as she shook her ass a couple of times while pulling her panties down. Then she reached out to use Diane as a support as she lifted each foot in turn to finish undressing. I quickly put suntan lotion on myself while the better tanned pair dealt with their raft, a fairly large, somewhat tilted platform with space for three people. I had brought my own raft, the same one I have used for years. One reason to have it is to ensure that certain smoking supplies remained safe while paddling out to the middle of the lake.We reached the middle fairly quickly, the deep lake water was wonderfully warm on its surface, but quite cool just a few feet deeper. This was only my second time getting stoned with Diane, in a nature setting, again pretty much alone. The first time had been picking cherries in the town orchard, something she had never done before, though she grew up in this region. The cherries were delicious, the trees bursting with them, a truly extraordinary harvest after an exceptionally warm and dry spring.Today at the lake, the conditions were enticing. Our nude bodies enjoyed the sun's warmth, rocking gently over the barely noticeable waves. I was lying on my raft sideways, which was lengthwise against the larger raft Kathy and Diane shared. Lazily kicking my feet in breaststroke fashion, the motion kept us moving slowly back to shore. And also kept a tantalizing flow of cool water streaming against my swelling cock, a normal side effect of smoking and swimming, particularly with a couple of naked women in front of me.Diane, in her mid-twenties, is almost half my age. Kathy was at the other end of the white inflated raft platform. I would often lift my head to see our progress across the dancing jeweled water, also taking in the very nearby view of her petite body, quite different from Kathy's lushly tall form. Diane's breasts are quite small, though decidedly elevated & on the perky side, with fairly small nipples surrounding the well-rounded peaks of her breasts. Both Kathy and my wife Cammy, have more pendulous breasts. Kathy is almost as tall as me, while Diane is somewhat shorter than Cammy.Unlike Kathy, whose body I am very familiar with, Diane's is still somewhat unknown. Her devotion to Kathy is apparent, shown by the physically quite obvious attachment to touching and caressing it. An attachment which became obvious again, as Kathy rolled over a bit, letting her left hand begin to trail over Diane's body. She grinned a bit, her body relaxing as her lover began to stroke it gently.Neither of them are exactly exhibitionists, though neither is shy. We all definitely get turned on by getting stoned, and as Diane's leg slid over began to rub along my back; it was pretty clear that Diane had decided to enjoy such an opportunity, nude and private in the middle of empty lake. Little was restraining the pair from their increasingly-affectionate intimate contact. I didn't really watch, though it was not exactly hidden that both of them were enjoying being next to each other, while also experiencing the dazzling sunlight on the water, from an endlessly blue sky.The sun was hot against our well-tanned exposed skin. Kathy and I have known each other for more than 15 years, but this was a different element, if not exactly a surprise. Seeing her with a woman lover was different, especially in light of Diane's own undeniable sexiness. Kathy has never been shy about her ability to love a person without regard to gender, Diane being yet more ample proof of that reality.Kathy and I have talked about sex quite often on the phone. We were both enjoying ourselves when she first revealed her bisexuality. My wife had been upstairs reading in bed during the entire conversation about her favorite lady-loving experiences. When we said goodnight and hung up, my cock was rigid. It didn't take long to spread my wife's legs and drive deep into her cunt before starting to explain what was turning me on so much. 'Kathy is, uh, fucking, Kathy fucks, Kathy fucks' and I started cumming with one of the more intense orgasms of my life when I said 'Kathy fucks with other women,' thrusting my cock into my wife's wet cunt. The revealing words echoing in my mind as my cum pumped so fully into her sexy tightness, her hands at my ass pulling me as her bushy pubis ground against mine, forcing my cock to move at its base, surrounded in her wet perfection as I came talking about another woman.Their raft gently rocked as they drifted further out into the middle. They rolled closer to each other, hugging, beginning to kiss. First almost teasingly, though the intensity quickly grew. Even with my cock tingling in audio temptation, I pretty much tried to leave them some space to themselves. The view of them entwined was quite enticing. The kissing deepened, as their hands found various places to play, between their pressed bodies and between their accessible legs.After a passionate crescendo, they separating themselves a bit. We rejoined the two rafts & enjoyed some nice organic smoke. Its effects filled us with a familiar sense of horniness, especially with other naked people around. Kathy, Diane, & I are certifiable sluts when we get stoned. However, with the breeze picking up a bit, it was no longer possible for me to do more than keep us somewhat in place. Their raft presented a fairly large amount of surface area for the wind to act upon.Mentioning this, I started kicking slowly to reduce the gentle drift, losing ground in the widely spaced rise and falls of moving air. Diane went over the side like a sexy otter, her small breasts enhancing the attraction of her body uncurling into the water. She frolicked in the cool wetness for a bit. Kathy watched from the edge, head on her crossed arms, while I split my attention between both of them. Diane moved closer, grabbed another section of the rope, and started to swim.Kathy rolled over into the water and we settled into a swim rhythm, moving the raft briskly. Her full breasts poked above the water surface as she swam toward shore, sharing a certain familiarity as the raft began moving against the wind. My cock was still hard in the flowing water, turning to look at Diane's naked body in the green tinged water. Diane, her nipples more pointed now than when she first slipped into the water, was looking at Kathy's face. The weed's fresh buzz elevated our serenity while affirming our horniness. Kathy is very easily aroused, her nipples in particular being a favored destination for foreplay.As the breeze died, and we neared shore, Diane and I just floated, our legs drifting together in the water, extended against each's warm skin. It shared a mutual arousal of contact with a living naked person. And one of the most sensuous sensations I know, especially in deeper water, was just floating while buzzed.After approaching the shore, Diane & Kathy scrambled back on the big raft, breasts glistening as their hands began to run over each other's body, slippery as water spread over her oiled back, Diane rubbing her ass over Kathy's. I slowly pushed us towards the tiny cove, Diane's body was drying in the warm sunny air, though the source of our growing heat was not merely the weather.Firmly nudging the raft into the shallow sandy waters, the two women went in front of me, stepping onto the two foot bank separating the water's edge from firm land. They settled on the spread quilt, waiting patiently for me to make some gin and tonics, a perfect drink in such conditions.Preparing the gin and tonics is a fairly simple process. One removes the glasses quickly from the cooler, followed by ice cubes, then limes, and the ice cold gin, pouring the proper amount into the now well frosted glasses, promptly returning the gin to the cooler. The lime is excised with an X pattern, carefully squeezed into each glass. Followed by pouring in the tonic water, and stirring the mixture using the knife that had cut the lime.When the air is already in the nineties around 10am, this is the perfect liquid accompaniment to handle the heat, though it does generate a bit of its own heat in other parts of the body, especially after a naked shared joint.Kathy, particularly, loves drinking gin and tonics, especially when sex is in the air on a cloudless summer morning. She finished her first one quickly. Diane and I drank ours more slowly, savoring the mixture of flavors blending into a perfect liquid whole. Wet yet also crisp, a few degrees above freezing. After finishing her glass, Kathy began giggling about how we should go back out, especially since no one was around. It wasn't quite clear whether this was a specific or general request, not that Diane or I cared much, as we began to mutually explore the possibly delicate boundaries of Kathy's wide ranging sexual tastes.I certainly had no interest in intruding in their blossoming relationship, though I also knew that Diane had been previously involved in a male/female/female threesome, according to Kathy.Diane's relationship also involved sado and masochistic fetishes, at some level. It's a general subject which does not interest me particularly. Well, except for tying up one's lover, which is a standalone idea in my mind. I conceded that tying is a gateway to S & M, certainly drifting into that broad area of control and pleasure through power or helplessness.Balancing her glass on the grass, Kathy told Diane to lay down, since another coating of suntan lotion was important to reduce the sun's less pleasant effects. I began to lotion myself at the same time, including discretely making sure my cock and ass were more than adequately covered in initially slippery protection. Sunburns are something that happen far too often to me, but at least related to these areas, my experience is still zero. Unlike my wife, Cammy, who spent a decade getting used to going topless. After sunburning her nipples the first time she exposed them, She obsesses about SPF issues.After Kathy finished, I asked her to handle my back, something she did pretty sloppily. Obviously, her attention was drifting, though I didn't turn my head to see if Diane was the direct cause or not. Kathy is submissively oriented to men, but markedly dominating with women, having a slave to play with your naked body under the summer sun is likely something Kathy would appreciate, and Diane would likely do. But Kathy may be having some inner conflicts about how to act in a threesome with a man & woman.Now well-lotioned, we stretched out, basting a bit, until another person entered our somewhat discrete space, a buxom middle-age woman. I knew her name was Meg. She's a persona friend of the Miller family, and a charter member of the Cove Club. She often brings a raft, and enjoys spending time floating it, much like I do. As we all casually watched, Meg pulled off her loose cotton dress, unashamed about the fact she wasn't wearing any underwear, allowing her to be comfortably naked without complications.This remains a noticeable trait, at least among the nudists at this lake, definitely including myself. No reason to wear more than the minimum, Kathy will also come to the cove wearing nothing but a dress, as has Diane and my wife. Such times remain a bit of a turn-on, even when sex is simply not plausible. The club has rules about sexual conduct when other uninvolved club members are present. Just knowing that a woman is intimately uncovered is nice. Most of the women I've known who do it, also enjoy its effect on their sense of sexuality, especially with light and swirling skirts.Diane having finished her drink, my two companions were now beaded with sweat, a deliciously erotic sight. Standing, the contrast in sizes and shapes was delightful, as they shared a quick kiss before returning to the water. They went out until about hip deep. Meg, the now-naked older woman spread out her towel in a standard spot at a respectful distance from our party. Then added a bit more air pressure to her raft before heading out onto the glittering water, giving me more excuse to look out at the lake as Kathy and Diane began to turn each other on.Kathy & Diane were hugging and kissing, first one then the other leaning back against holding arms, slowly moving into deeper water. What remained clear enough to see through, their motions had become more sinuous than active. Their movement was growing increasingly intense, especially when they began to rub chest to chest, Kathy's hand holding and spreading Diane's ass.My cock stirred as it became obvious the two ladies were feeling each other up outdoors, enjoying a perfect summer day in nature, indulging themselves at a primal level. It's a level Kathy and I both shared in the past, but that the younger Diane seemed to be enjoying for the first time, in a swirl of gin, weed, nudity, and lust. Diane was doing most of the moving as they kissed. The was reason becoming clear when Kathy shifted her position a bit.Diane was rubbing her cunt against Kathy's upper thigh; gasping a bit when Kathy's teeth began to nibble at her earlobe. A long sigh arose when Kathy's spread hand slid over her ass, and into her crack. By this point, it was Kathy determining the rhythm, making Diane willingly helpless in her arms, adding her own slinky motion side to side.Meg, the older buxom woman, returned to shore, paddling lazily, trying to be somewhat discrete as she looked at them while going past. As she stepped on the shore, her raft next to theirs, Kathy and Diane slowly grew apart, and I sat up, getting ready to make our second round of gin and tonics in the rising heat of the day, the sun rose higher in the sky.As the buxom neighbor approached her towel, I asked; “Meg, would you want a gin and tonic?” She smiled a bit, said; “Sure, Ben.” Over the years, I have learned how her breasts bounce when she walks, how her nipples look when stimulated, and wondered at how her nipples remain so pink. She is easily 1 to 20 years older than me, but her essential blondeness seems real, even if her cunt is always shaved smooth. She carries extra pounds, but mostly on her tits and ass.My two companions followed her in, grabbing towels to dry off, their skin glistening in the sun, both of them aroused, but patient. We all chatted a bit, my attention was split between three lovely naked women.Having only three glasses, it made sense to offer the new visitor mine, after making Kathy and Diane their glasses first. I added extra gin, lime, and water to Kathy's, filling her glass essentially to its rim before she bent down to sip a bit. My hand moved to offer the glass to her spreading lips. Her breasts swayed a bit, and I could see how Diane was looking at them too. Kathy lifted herself a bit on her legs, providing a perfect view of her spread labia. Kathy is blessed with large and proud plump labia, the largest I have ever seen and touched, personally.Making Diane's drink went quickly. I handed it to her, sitting next to the now essentially squatting Kathy. Diane's own legs were spread, crossing her feet in front of her, giving me an unavoidable opportunity to look at her turned-on swollen cunt, the outer lips a bit dark, the inner lips darker, a bit crinkled. Kathy noticed me looking, but only grinned a bit as she sipped from her frosty glass, then sensuously kissed Diane.Returning my attention to making the next gin and tonic, I smiled at the neighbor woman as I determinedly did not look at the pair near me. The sounds of kissing provided an idea of what they looked like. However, Meg's attention seemed focused on the kissing couple. I saw a certain look of lust begin to appear on her face. It wasn't surprising in itself, as I was also starting to get a bit hard. But it was the first time I had saw a woman getting turned on watching two other naked women playing with each other. Admittedly, this was also my first time, and I was fairly certain my face looked much the same as her's did.I shifted a bit, moving forward, offering Meg the drink with my left hand as Kathy murmured that maybe it was time to get lotioned before returning to the water. Diane went prone & stretched out, and Kathy quickly covered her back and shoulders. Her hands straying down to her small breasts, making Diane get up on her knees a bit as Kathy's hands slid over her nipples. Kathy then did her own face and arms before laying down, letting Diane spread suntan lotion over her back and ass, hands sliding over Kathy's spread thighs.Diane also did her own face and arms, as Kathy sat up, positioning herself in front of Diane. The pair began to take care of their fronts and legs, while I took a sip of Kathy's almost finished gin and tonic, Diane's having been emptied fairly quickly. The older woman noticed this, remarking that I was welcome to share hers, along with a compliment of how perfectly it tasted on such an August day.Diane and Kathy rose, giggling a bit as they returned to the water. Their hands strayed over each other's oiled ass cheeks. After taking a couple of steps into the water, they turned to each other, clasped hands, and began kissing.Offered the two thirds empty glass, I remarked that it would be simple to refresh it, if she wished to drink some more. Her head still turned towards the water, she distractedly said 'sure' again, prompting me to focus my attention on making another fresh drink, knowing that any later ones would not be as nearly chilled. The brisk chill is a major part of the pleasure of a good gin and tonic in the intense heat.Between pouring, slicing, and squeezing, I glanced at her. Meg was sitting with her legs at an angle to the shoreline, sweating a bit in the sun. A another female scent was beginning to perfume the air, one that drew my attention to her. My cock began to swell against my thigh. I shifted a bit before handing Meg the well-beaded glass, making her shift in turn, getting a bit closer.Being done with drink making for now, I offered to lotion her back, something we have done occasionally for each other over the years. She is almost always by herself at the lake, and like me when alone, rarely talks much to anyone else. Spreading the white lotion over her shoulders, she asked about the pair in the water, who I know noticed had moved out further, pressing tightly, breasts rubbing, Diane's hand clearly between Kathy's legs.“Well, they're friends,” I managed to say before she laughed a bit. Meg replied, “Yeah, that's pretty obvious.”Kathy has been a regular bather here for 20 years. Meg helped the Millers build the social club, and comes every summer, even though she doesn't know most of the newer ‘kids'. I was trying to explain Kathy's and Diane's relationship, when in fact a major part of it was currently completely public in front of us.It seemed a bit amusing. Especially since Diane was obviously being finger-fucked by Kathy. Kathy's hand was moving at the center of Diane's spread legs. I heard “Could you, could you lotion me, everywhere?” Meg was pulling my attention back. Our glass was empty, the shoreline still empty except for us two. We were obviously getting turned on watching two women have sex in the water in front of us.She turned a bit closer, while also spreading her legs in the direction of the water and resting back on her elbows. I knelt with my feet out past her hips, my legs bent, & squeezed some lotion onto my hands. I began working over her shoulders, sliding down her sides, moving between the already oiled and still to be oiled skin. I only slowly moving inwards towards her grand tetons. After her nipples became turgid in my distributing fingers, I started rubbing her stomach. She began to coo very quietly, slumping further back a bit, head lolling, giving a wonderful view of her breasts.My hands moved down along her thighs, her knees slowly began bending. Her crotch slowly opened up, the closer my hands approached her pubic region. Soon, her warm skin began lightly touching my legs, her legs spreading as my oiled fingers began sliding downward over her smooth shaved pubic mound, and separating around her cunt lips. Looking out at the water, I saw the two naked women kissing passionately, arms reaching down in the water, hands clasping asses tightly, oblivious to everything except their own pleasure.My cock was hard, and Meg's deep breathing amplified as her back fully relaxed down on the quilt. The sounds of her awakening sexuality was incredible, well matching the feeling coming from my finger as it began to slide into her wet cunt. She hissed 'oh, fuck yes' as my other hand reached up to her near tit, pulling her nipple and rolling it in my fingers. My hands were sliding over both her upper & lower hardened spires. This was hardly the first nor fifteenth time I had finger-fucked a woman at the cove, but it was certainly the first time I had ever done it with others around.Even if one of the others was the first woman I had finger-fucked here in the summer sun, beside my own wife.  I gave up all further pretense of distributing SPF lotions, and sat cross-legged, with hands on two of Meg's very hard nubs. Our eyes were on the water nymphs.Kathy is someone who definitely favors having her cunt filled, unlike most women in my experience, who much prefer having their clit played with. Meg had a big nubby clit. It now poked out beyond her hood. I was rubbing Meg's big clit with my thumb as she fantasized of the naked lovers in

This week on Sustainability Now!, your host, Justin Mog, takes you to the forest with three friends on staff at Jefferson Memorial Forest! Join us for a conversation with Naturalist, Autumn Costelle, ECHO Mobile Program Lead, Rodney Perry, and Program Manger, David Grissom! In addition to discussing what is unique and special about Jefferson Memorial Forest, the largest urban park in the U.S., you'll learn about programming offered at the Forest and the Louisville ECHO (Engaging Children Outdoors) initiative. Learn about the West Louisville Outdoor Recreation Initiative and the partnerships and support that has built the vision for it. Learn more at the website for JMF and ECHO run by their non-profit partner, Wilderness Louisville: https://www.wildernesslouisville.org/ JMF ECHO program: https://www.instagram.com/louisvilleecho https://www.facebook.com/LouisvilleECHO/ https://www.facebook.com/jmfnaturalareas https://www.instagram.com/jmfnaturalareas/ 
As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW! Sustainability Now! is hosted by Dr. Justin Mog and airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at https://forwardradio.org The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at https://appalatin.com

The spiritual calling that is running a rave; the sylvan sci fi of Cecilia Danell; unfinished art; and Paddy Woodworth's The Naturalist's Bookshelf.

Greene County Conservation Naturalist Jacob Fernholz goes over a couple of events and programs that are coming up next week and during the school year.

Experienced naturalist and photographer Charles Hood captures it all, sharing his nocturnal adventures all over the world, with insight, wit, and over 240 stunning photographs. Open your senses to this darkened world, which is strange yet familiar—and more beautiful than you ever imagined.A new world awakens in the dark, filled with spectacular bioluminescence, moon-kissed flora, and diverse wildlife captured in this spectacular photography book.While old tales warn us that danger lies waiting in the dark, there is an abundance of thriving, colorful life. Solar winds brighten the sky with Northern and Southern Lights. In the desert, elegant datura blooms at night, enticing moths to help with pollination, while in the Rockies grizzly bears make a meal of the insects to sustain them during hibernation. In the ocean, night-feeding dolphins chase nocturnal squid which have made a vertical migration to the surface. In the jungles, jaguars hunt by moonlight while night monkeys swing safely through the trees.He is the author of Nature at Night: Discover the Hidden World That Comes Alive after Dark. https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Night-Discover-Hidden-World/dp/1643263137http://www.yourlotandparcel.org

Do we have flying squirrels in Fargo? Why yes! Naturalist, wildlife photographer and author/writer Stan Tekiela joins Amy Iler and Jack Sunday (sitting in for JJ Gordon) to discuss! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Exploring these concepts in the context of spiritual life at UUCA.  Join Dr. Cliff Andrew, MD, Ph.D, Rev. Dr. Fred Muir and Peter Morse for local history and lively discourse.  

Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick connect with Paula Whyman (Author of Bad Naturalist) to talk about creating change and finding ecological peace. Topics include collecting professional advice, figuring out the best place to start a project, understanding the historical context of your ecological restoration, and of course, favorite native plants.  Music by Egocentric Plastic Men, Outro music by Dave Bennett. Follow Paula Whyman Here. Have a question or a comment?  Call (215) 346-6189. Follow Native Plants Healthy Planet – Website / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube Follow Fran Chismar Here. Buy a T-shirt, spread the message, and do some good. Visit Old store Here. Visit New store Here!

Naturalist and author Jeremy Mynott discusses his new book, "The Story of Nature," which explores humanity's evolving relationship with the natural world and asks whether we are its observers, managers or caretakers. Then, local Parkite and longtime arborist, Keith Clapier comes on the show to discuss what factors to consider when choosing a tree species to plant.

Brian Burke, Naturalist and Founder of the Micro Wild biodiversity project in Blessington and Fiann Ó Nualláin, The Holistic Gardener, join Lunchtime Live to debate whether the tidy lawn is falling out of favour. Is a bit of wildness better for biodiversity — or does it just look lazy?Listen here.

A Des Moines-based planting designer helped readers launch an ecologically vibrant home garden. His latest book guides you through maintaining that garden.

The frontline of knitting, DIY monuments and macabre collections, and our latest suggestion for books to include on the ideal Naturalist's Bookshelf.

In previous episodes Eric has teased listeners with scant details about a hunting trip to South Africa he took with his friend Jerry. Well, in this episode you get the rest of the story. Watch on Spotify or listen on Apple to the Old Naturalist on Safari!

This city has officially decriminalized weed. Naturalists are raising concern over a disease that's killing beech trees. It's the end of an era. Plus, don't worry — he's big, but this lake monster is “strictly vegetarian.”

For episode 86, I recorded with past guest Juan Flowers who is a big brother to many in the SoCal outdoor community including myself. Juan is a SoCal based trekker, backpacker, community leader, mental health advocate, certified California naturalist, and is the founder of Outdoor Adventures+ and the Urban Youth Nature Project. Back in the beginning of March, we decided to do an impromptu recording literally right before hosting our final Nature's Palette educational group hike in Vasquez Rocks which is located in Agua Dulce, California (just 45 minutes outside of LA). It is a high desert geological natural wonder where famous movies and TV show have been filmed such as Star Trek, The Flintstones, Planet of the Apes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Austin Powers and so much more. We chatted about his evolution into becoming a certified California Naturalist, his motivation to deepen his understanding of the natural world, highlights from our Nature's Palette educational trek series where we explored Point Dume, Vasquez Rocks, and the Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa area, and his desire to inspire inner city youth to connect with nature with his latest project. We also talked about how the Outdoor Adventures+ team has grown with new outdoor leads and members. The conversation emphasizes the importance of conservation, continuous learning, and fostering a deeper appreciation for nature. This episode is part of the Trek Talks series where I record on trail conversations with fellow outdoor enthusiasts. It is more raw and candid perspective of our guest's outdoor adventures as these conversations are more unscripted and in the moment.Watch Youtube video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ps-_tc5rflQFollow Juan and his projects on https://www.instagram.com/__juanflowers__/https://www.instagram.com/_outadvplus_https://www.instagram.com/__uynproject__/Listen to Juan's previous episode on https://tinyurl.com/5835cra8Follow Just Trek on https://www.instagram.com/just.trek/Support Just Trek on Patreon ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/justtrek⁠⁠Shop Just Trek merch on ⁠⁠https://www.justtrek.net/shop⁠⁠Listen to more podcast episodes on ⁠⁠https://www.justtrek.net⁠⁠Want to send me a message? Email me at ⁠⁠justtrekofficial@gmail.com⁠⁠ or DM on Instagram @just.trek

How many of us have a career in something, then return to the one thing that we had a passion in? Bob Senn began his Bob Senn began his Certification as a Naturalist in 2014.  He then became a Certified South Carolina Master Naturalist in 2017.  He did all of this after spending a career in telecommunications.  Carolina Outdoor host, Bill Bartee, spends some time learning Senn's background and the difference between a "Naturalist" & a "Naturist". More Liner Notes are available online at Jesse Brown's

Bob Senn visits the Carolina Outdoors to talk about the changes in the Carolina Outdoors.  Climate, growth, and the habits of people and animals have changed.  This Certified South Carolina Master Naturalist & a member of the SC association of Naturalists shares insight to the changes going on in our environment. Visit the full write-up of the show & liner notes at the Charlotte outdoor store, Jesse Brown's.

Send us a textWhat if the solution to many childhood developmental challenges was literally right outside our windows? Naturalist and author Susie Spiegel reveals how unstructured nature play creates the perfect environment for children to develop crucial life skills that structured indoor activities simply can't replicate.Drawing from her book "Forest Magic for Kids: How to Find Fairies, Make a Secret Fort, and Cook Up an Elfin Picnic," Spiegel shares how simple outdoor activities like mixing "potions" from natural materials or creating miniature fairy villages foster imagination while simultaneously developing communication skills, risk assessment abilities, and emotional regulation. These activities don't require specialized knowledge or expensive equipment—just the willingness to step outside and model curiosity.Perhaps most fascinating is how outdoor environments can transform children who struggle in traditional classroom settings. Those labeled as "troublemakers" indoors often become leaders in nature, where their heightened awareness becomes an advantage rather than a distraction. As Spiegel explains, "A lot of times kids that are hyper aware—somebody who might have ADHD—they're seeing a million things outside. They're the kids spotting the cardinal because they're seeing things in a really fast and exciting way."The good news? Nature-based play is accessible even in urban environments. From the "sliver" between buildings to cracks in sidewalks, children can find wonder anywhere with the right guidance. With simple tools like buckets, magnifying glasses, and journals, families can start small and gradually build confidence in outdoor exploration—creating not just cherished memories but crucial developmental opportunities our screen-centric world increasingly lacks.Ready to discover the transformative power of unstructured outdoor play for the children in your life? This episode provides a practical roadmap for bringing the magic of nature into everyday childhood experiences, no matter where you live.

150 episodes of On Wildlife! In this milestone episode, we welcome back one of our favorite guests, David Mizejewski, Naturalist at the National Wildlife Federation. David and Alex discuss one of the most important—and most overlooked—groups of animals on the planet: pollinators. In honor of Pollinator Week this June, they explore the critical role pollinators play in maintaining healthy ecosystems, uncover some unexpected species of pollinators, and bust common myths. David also shares practical tips for supporting pollinators in your own backyard. Join us as we celebrate 150 episodes by spotlighting the creatures that help our world thrive.For sources and more information, please visit our website.

Naturalist and writer Eric Eaton talks about one of the most misunderstood insects — the wasp. Wasps are incredibly diverse and can thrive in nearly every habitat on Earth, and their influence on our lives is overwhelmingly beneficial. Then, award-winning environmental journalist Erica Gies shares her book, "Water Always Wins: Thriving in an Age of Drought and Deluge," which centers around the question of what does water actually want?

Explore the mysterious creatures that awaken in the dark with naturalist Charles Hood in his new book.

Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem discusses the State Department ordering a pause on all student visas, the Heritage Foundation's plan to stifle pro-Palestinian speech, and updates on the killing of two Israeli Embassy aides in Washington, DC.Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joins for Ask The Mayor.Naturalist and author Sy Montgomery discusses a Florida woman who rescued a tangled shark and how one Chicago building made a simple change to stop birds from crashing into its windows. Massachusetts Governor's Council member Mara Dolan calls in to discuss the public defender work stoppage. 

Today I'm delighted to welcome back David Mizejewski, a Naturalist & self-confessed Nature Geek who works for the National Wildlife Federation. David joined me for an inspiring discussion about leaving the leaves & Autumn tips for nature friendly gardening in Ep. 52. This time we're embracing Garden For Wildlife month & No Mow May, with tips for encouraging wildlife to thrive in your yard in Spring & Summer as well as sharing how container gardening can ensure that even in the smallest of outdoor spaces you can help contribute to supporting & nurturing your native flora & fauna.David is celebrating 25 years with NWF so alongside sharing his wonderful gardening tips our discussion draws on his experience to explore the sometimes unexpected value that urban spaces provide to nurture wildlife, the relationship between environmental & social justice issues & the power of community led nature spaces to create lasting change. We also share the fun we both had setting up wildlife cameras to spy on the new wild neighbours that move in when we create habitats in which they can thrive.In these dark & challenging times we our reminded that nature can be our sanctuary, providing joy & hope, when we share our spaces with amazing creatures & we welcome them into our lives we are rewarded in a myriad of unexpected ways.David Mizejewski is a naturalist, author & television presenter with the National Wildlife Federation. He holds a degree in Human & Natural Ecology from Emory University & is an expert on wildlife & our environment. He is dedicated to using his knowledge & unbridled enthusiasm to help others understand & protect the natural world. David regularly appears in the media to promote wildlife conservation.Website: https://naturalist.nwf.org/May is Garden for Wildlife® Month, the perfect time to celebrate your own garden & it's amazing impact on wildlife. From small balconies to spacious yards, wildlife gardens can have a big impact no matter their size! This year we're excited to celebrate gardens of all sizes & even gardens in unlikely locations! If you have an outdoor space such as a balcony, a flight of stairs up a brownstone, or even a small greenspace around a mailbox, you can garden for wildlife. Plus, if you sign up for the NWF Garden Habitats Newsletter in May, you can even be entered to win a native plant container garden bundle! With over seven million participants and over 50 years of service, Garden for Wildlife is America's largest, longest running habitat movement dedicated to helping wildlife thrive where people live, work, play, learn, & worship. Join over 315,000 Certified Wildlife Habitats® when you get your garden certified!https://www.nwf.org/Native-Plant-Habitats/Join-the-Movement/Seasonal-Initiatives/Garden-for-Wildlife-Monthhttps://www.nwf.org/gardenSupport the showThank you for being part of this journey with me, please Subscribe so you don't miss our future episodes, leave a review & share with friends to help these messages ripple out across the world. More information about the Podcast & our host Fiona MacKay: Fiona Mackay Photography WebsiteConnect with us & join the conversation on social media:Instagram @FionaMacKayPhotographyFacebook @FionaMacKayPhotographyTwitter @FiMacKay

Terri Thal was a vital presence in the 1960s Greenwich Village folk music world, where she played a pivotal role as Bob Dylan's first manager at just 21 years of age. At the heart of it all, she witnessed—and helped shape—one of the most important cultural movements of 20th-century America,"  Essayist Frank Matheis wrote those words about Terri Thal in his candid account, A Life of Grace and Grit: The Legacy of Terri Thal. Frank is also a guest on today's show and will share thoughts from his essay.   Terri was a multi-faceted music manager and lifelong activist. Thal has chronicled her remarkable journey in her tenderly-told 2023 memoir, My Greenwich Village – Dave, Bob and Me (McNidder & Grace). A multi-faceted music manager and lifelong activist, Thal has chronicled her remarkable journey in her tenderly-told 2023 memoir, My Greenwich Village – Dave, Bob and Me (McNidder & Grace), suffused with a candid account of the early folk scene and her intersection with two of its towering figures: Dave Van Ronk and Bob Dylan.  Her book comes at just the right time to tell the rest of the story outlined in the popular Dylan bio pic, A Complete Unknown. It was a good movie, she says - but incomplete. Characters were combined, or simply disappeared she says, and she's glad to fill in the spots with personal anecdotes that only she can tell. Matheis goes on, "In the early 1960s, New York's Greenwich Village was the epicenter of the American folk music revival. The Village pulsed with raw creativity and political passion, serving as the heart of the American folk music revival and a haven for artists, poets, activists, and dreamers. Its smoke-filled bars, clubs, and coffee houses overflowed with acoustic guitars, protest songs, and youthful rebellion.   Shortly after a 21-year-old Bob Dylan arrived in the city, Terri Thal became his first manager. She was already managing her husband, Dave Van Ronk—later dubbed the “Mayor of MacDougal Street”—and would go on to work with artists such as Maggie and Terre Roche, Paul Geremia, and the Holy Modal Rounders. In one of her most historically significant contributions, she recorded Dylan performing six songs at the Gaslight Café in September 1961—what would become known as “Bob Dylan's first demo tape.” That tape was the first step that propelled the “complete unknown” into national consciousness. She even reflects on the one that got away. Thal had a chance to manage James Taylor, but she turned him down. “He was just starting out,” she reminisces. “I thought he'd probably become very good, but he wasn't making the kind of music that excited me then, and I could only work with musicians who did.”  We'll be joined by Matheis who interviewed her for The Inspirational Art Group.  Frank Matheis is a music, arts and culture writer and a contributing writer to the Inspiration Art Group International. His two current book projects are titled “Outrage Channeled in Verse – American Protest Songs in the Trump Era,” and “Rooted in Wonder – My Journey from Earth Child to Naturalist” with Jenny Richards. He is also a contributing writer to Living Blues magazine (Center for Southern Culture Studies) and the publisher/editor of thecountryblues.com. Frank was formerly an award-winning radio producer. He is also a published photographer, curator and video producer. Terri's piece on the Rock and the Beat Generation Substack: https://simonwarner.substack.com/p/terri-thal-2-that-dylan-movie   Frank's Piece on Terri https://inspirationartgroup.org/essays/terri-thal/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's featured poet is Charise Hoge (0:03:35) whose latest collection, Inheritance of Flowers, came out this spring from Kelsay Books. Reflecting on her grandmother's legacy as a southern flower shop owner, Charise speaks with Ann about ancestry, belonging, and our internal connections with nature that are sustaining even in times of upheaval and hibernation.In the Ask Randi segment, Dr. Randi Eckel (0:29:27) dives into New Jersey's game-changing Bill S1029, which was just passed by the State Senate. This bill tackles the sale of invasive plants and creates an Invasive Species Council—huge wins for our native ecosystems. But this bill is not law yet. The New Jersey State Assembly still needs to pass Bill A4137 to seal the deal. So now is the moment to act: Call or email your State Assembly member and urge them to support A4137 or reach out to NPSNJ Advocacy with questions. Your voice can help protect the landscapes we love! Plus, Randi answers a listener question about living native Christmas trees—sharing her top picks for outdoor planting after the holiday season.Kim then talks with Ken Chaya (0:43:43) celebrated artist and New York-based urban naturalist. Ken shares why Central Park has become one of the premier birding spots in the United States. With its unique geography and rich canopy of over 20,000 trees, the park is a vital oasis for migratory birds—and a paradise for birders. Ken was instrumental in creating the Central Park Entire App, is the past President of the Linnaean Society and teaches at the New York Botanical Garden, where he helped design the Urban Naturalist Certificate Program. Most recently, he led a four-week deep dive into The Natural History of Birds for NPSNJ.Kim and Ann close the episode in conversation with the remarkable Mélina Mangal (1:11:32)—author of children's books that explore our deep connections between nature and culture. Her latest works, Birds Sing Their Words and Trees Stand Tall, are lyrical board books for young readers, published by Free Spirit Publishing. Mélina is also a school library teacher in Minneapolis, where she champions the joy of reading every day. Together, we discuss book censorship, the vital role of storytelling, and why the freedom to read and access information is essential to the health of our democracy.  Announcement from The WildStory: We will take a short hiatus this summer—offering regenerative time for gardening, writing, family, and more. We will be back with a new episode in September!

Again and again, as I was reading the recent book “Bad Naturalist” by Paula Whyman, I kept thinking: Good thing I only have a couple of acres of land. Whyman tackled 200 acres on a Virginia mountaintop, dreaming of reshaping... Read More ›

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

(Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center)

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have a classic name and a brand that they have expanded with a number of recent alternate identities. Guests this week include: Rob Zerjav, President/CEO Wisconsin Timber Rattlers Howard Aprill, Naturalist, Wehr Nature Center Dan Simon, Studio Simon: www.studiosimon.net, Insta @studio_simon Find the Baseball By Design podcast online: Instagram @baseballbydesign Threads @baseballbydesign Bluesky @baseballbydesign.bsky.social linktr.ee/BaseballByDesign Baseball By Design is a member of the Curved Brim Media Network.

Evolutionary biologists have attempted in a multitude of different ways to genetically alter a species of fruit fly in an attempt to create some kind of new species. But their efforts have not yielded the desired results. In addition, contemporary discoveries pertaining to our own human genetic make up have brought a significant challenge to the reigning orthodoxy of Neo-Darwinian evolution. Naturalists are bereft of any kind of explanation regarding from where the information in the genome has come or how nature on its own could create such specified and complex information. This week on the Profile we wrap up Daniel Ray's informal conversation with Discovery Institute fellow Dr. Paul Nelson. Paul discusses these and other philosophical and theological implications of Darwin's groundbreaking theory for us today. Paul Nelson, PhD, Senior Fellow, Center for Science and Culture, is an Adjunct Professor in the Master of Arts Program in Science & Religion at Biola University. He received his PhD in the philosophy of biology and evolutionary theory from the University of Chicago, and he lectures frequently at colleges and universities throughout the United States and Europe. His scholarly articles have appeared in journals such as Biology & Philosophy, BIO-Complexity, Zygon, Rhetoric and Public Affairs, and Touchstone, and his book chapters have appeared in the anthologies Mere Creation (Intervarsity Press), Signs of Intelligence (Brazos), Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics (MIT Press), Darwin, Design, Public Education (Michigan State University Press), and Next Generation Systematics (Cambridge University Press). Heis co-author of thebiology textbook Explore Evolution, and he has appeared in several films on intelligent design for Illustra Media. Free Resources from Watchman Fellowship Naturalism: https://www.watchman.org/Naturalism/ProfileNaturalism.pdfScientism: https://www.watchman.org/scientism/ProfileScientism.pdfPanpsychism: https://www.watchman.org/files/ProfilePanpsychism.pdfPostmodernism: https://www.watchman.org/files/ProfilePostmodernism.pdfAtheism: https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/atheismprofile.pdfAdditional ResourcesFREE: We are also offering a subscription to our 4-page bimonthly Profiles here: www.watchman.org/FreePROFILE NOTEBOOK: Order the complete collection of Watchman Fellowship Profiles (around 700 pages -- from Astrology to Zen Buddhism) in either printed or PDF formats here: www.watchman.org/NotebookSUPPORT: Help us create more content like this. Make a tax-deductible donation here: www.watchman.org/GiveApologetics Profile is a ministry of Watchman Fellowship For more information, visit www.watchman.org © 2025 Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen discusses the no-nudity dress code at Cannes and 'Kimberly Akimbo' at the Emerson Colonial Theatre.Harvard national security expert Juliette Kayyem explains why the Qatari plane gifted to President Donald Trump poses security problems. Food policy analyst Corby Kummer discusses new FDA-approved 'natural' food colorings, the golden age of the fried-chicken sandwich and Michelin stars coming to Boston restaurants.Naturalist and author Sy Montgomery on this season's tick problem and new research on the rhythmic capabilities of sea lions.

5/14/25: Amherst Council Pres Lynn Griesemer: schools at fiscal cliff? alternatives to policing. Author Larry Tye: "The Jazzmen: How Ellington, Armstrong & Basie Transformed America." Brian Adams w/ author & naturalist Sy Montgomery: “The Soul of the Octopus.” Documentary filmmakers Larry Hott, Louis Alvarez & Paul Stekler.

What does it really mean to restore the land, and where do you even begin when faced with the complexity of ecological repair?In episode 181 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, I'm joined by Paula Whyman, author of Bad Naturalist, to explore what happens when one person takes on the challenge of rewilding a landscape and the lessons learned along the way. She is also the author of the award-winning short story collection You May See a Stranger. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The American Scholar, and more. In her new book and this conversation, Paula shares the real-world realities of restoring damaged ecosystems — complete with unexpected surprises, setbacks, and personal growth.But this isn't just a story about managing hundreds of acres. It's about recognizing that anyone can reconnect with nature and make a difference, no matter where they live. Whether it's a backyard garden, a city balcony, or a patch of lawn, restoration and rewilding can begin wherever you are.And I think this conversation lands at just the right time. In a world where we're constantly bombarded by bad news, it's easy to feel powerless, when my anxiety spikes, my therapist likes to remind me to focus on what I can control. Paula's story is a reminder of that, too — of the simple, tangible things we can tend to our own lives and communities. It's a hopeful, inspiring conversation to carry with you into spring and summer as we all look for ways to reconnect with the natural world and spark a little joy close to home.INSTAGRAM: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WEBSITE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YOUTUBE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@theoutdoorminimalist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LISTENER SURVEY: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/jd8UCN2LL3AQst976⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠---------------Paula WhymanBad Naturalist: https://paulawhyman.com/bad-naturalist/Website: https://paulawhyman.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulawhymanauthor/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-whyman-62a9956/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/paulawhyman.bsky.social

"Nature doesn't judge. It just invites you to show up and be yourself."In this wide-ranging conversation, we're joined by Alexis Burnett—naturalist, tracker, herbalist, and founder of Earth Tracks in Ontario, Canada. Alexis takes us on a journey through three decades of nature connection, beginning with a longing for deeper meaning after high school and leading to a life of wilderness mentoring, community building, and raising a family rooted in the rhythms of the land.We explore Alexis's learning journey, early influences from indigenous elders and mentors, and the humble beginnings of Earth Tracks, born out of curiosity, commitment, and a deep love for the land. Along the way, Alexis shares the transformative power of long-term mentoring, the quiet magic of gratitude circles, and the importance of routines like sit spot, tracking, and plant observation—simple practices that create space for awe, healing, and purpose.Whether you're new to nature connection or decades into the journey, this episode is a rich reflection on what it means to walk a path that's guided not by goals, but by listening, presence, and the willingness to follow what calls.Connect with AlexisVisit Earth Tracks to learn more about Alexis' programs and join his newsletter. Alexis also has a great blog on his website.Follow Earth Tracks on Facebook or InstagramAbout Alexis BurnettAlexis Burnett is a Naturalist, Tracker, Herbalist, Wilderness Skills Practitioner and Canoe Guide from Orangeville, Ontario. He currently resides in the Owen Sound area with his two children, spending his days tracking, wild-crafting and running his Outdoor School and Wilderness Canoe Tripping company, Earth Tracks. Alexis is lead guide for the wilderness canoe trips and head instructor for all the programs and classes. He is committed to mentoring and teaching others the skills that help us to re-connect with the natural world in an ancient and powerful way. By learning from nature through immersion and direct experience we begin to see and more importantly ‘feel' the inter-relation of all things in the natural world. And from here we can begin to understand the important role that we all can play in protecting and preserving the Earth for future generations. View Alexis' full bio on his website.--Tracking Connections Podcast is a production of Connection 1st, an organization that helps you deepen your connection with nature, other people and yourself. Learn moreThe transcript for this episode is available here.

Fifteen years ago, actor Lili Taylor took a sabbatical and spent time at her house in upstate New York. There, in the quiet, she started to listen. As she writes, "I started to hear birds. It was as if I'd switched my studio input from one dimension to Dolby stereo." It changed her perception of the world. In her new book of essays Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing, she writes about her encounters with the natural world, what she has gained by paying attention to her surroundings, and how her connection with nature helps her find peace and calm.

GBH executive arts editor Jared Bowen discusses an Edvard Munch exhibit at the Harvard Art Museum and Francis Ford Coppola at a 'Megalopolis' showing at the Coolidge Corner Theater.Patty Tahalongva is director, producer and writer of PBS Frontline's latest film "Alaska's Vanishing Native Villages." She joins via zoom to discuss the film, which follows the immediate impacts of climate change on indigenous communities forced to relocate.Naturalist and author Sy Montgomery talks about crows with math skills, booze-fueled feasts for wild chimps and the Cape Ann woodpecker.Former Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral on the Justice Department halting funds for victims of hate crimes and child abuse, and a new report from Harvard University report on antisemitism and Islamophobia on campus.

(Apr 28, 2025)

In The Promise of Sunrise: Finding Solace in a Broken World (Green Writers Press, 2025), a former Bronx Zoo zoologist and award-winning nature writer, Ted Levin, spent Covid rediscovering his valley and the joys of watching the season pass, day by day by day. The book is a chronicle of his rediscovery of the Thetford, Vermont hillside on which he lived and a recounting of the daily joys of observing home ground as Levin (like many of us) was forced by Covid to stay home for nearly two years. In the end, he sold his home and moved to Hurricane Hill in Hartford, Vermont, which ends the narrative, although he continues the same routine. Ted has been a Naturalist at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and then was a teaching zoologist at the Bronx Zoo in New York.  After studying Ornithology in graduate school, he served as a Naturalist at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich VT … and also was on the faculty of New England College in Henniker, NH. This book, is the latest in a long list of his books and publications going back to the 1980s. besides his previous natural history books, he has written and illustrated a book for preschoolers, contributed to a photo journal on the Everglades and has provided illustrations for two books on poetry. His many articles can be found in such publications as The New York Times, News Day, The Guardian, Audubon Magazine and even Sports illustrated. Of particular note, Ted won the prestigious John J. Burroughs Medal, a recognition that hi-lights the best of natural history writing. Professor Michael Simpson has been the Director of the Resource Management and Administration graduate program at Antioch University New England, in Keene, NH. Let's face it, most of the popular podcasts out there are dumb. NBN features scholars (like you!), providing an enriching alternative to students. We partner with presses like Oxford, Princeton, and Cambridge to make academic research accessible to all. Please consider sharing the New Books Network with your students. Download this poster here to spread the word. Please share this interview on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Bluesky. Don't forget to subscribe to our Substack here to receive our weekly newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In The Promise of Sunrise: Finding Solace in a Broken World (Green Writers Press, 2025), a former Bronx Zoo zoologist and award-winning nature writer, Ted Levin, spent Covid rediscovering his valley and the joys of watching the season pass, day by day by day. The book is a chronicle of his rediscovery of the Thetford, Vermont hillside on which he lived and a recounting of the daily joys of observing home ground as Levin (like many of us) was forced by Covid to stay home for nearly two years. In the end, he sold his home and moved to Hurricane Hill in Hartford, Vermont, which ends the narrative, although he continues the same routine. Ted has been a Naturalist at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and then was a teaching zoologist at the Bronx Zoo in New York.  After studying Ornithology in graduate school, he served as a Naturalist at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich VT … and also was on the faculty of New England College in Henniker, NH. This book, is the latest in a long list of his books and publications going back to the 1980s. besides his previous natural history books, he has written and illustrated a book for preschoolers, contributed to a photo journal on the Everglades and has provided illustrations for two books on poetry. His many articles can be found in such publications as The New York Times, News Day, The Guardian, Audubon Magazine and even Sports illustrated. Of particular note, Ted won the prestigious John J. Burroughs Medal, a recognition that hi-lights the best of natural history writing. Professor Michael Simpson has been the Director of the Resource Management and Administration graduate program at Antioch University New England, in Keene, NH. Let's face it, most of the popular podcasts out there are dumb. NBN features scholars (like you!), providing an enriching alternative to students. We partner with presses like Oxford, Princeton, and Cambridge to make academic research accessible to all. Please consider sharing the New Books Network with your students. Download this poster here to spread the word. Please share this interview on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Bluesky. Don't forget to subscribe to our Substack here to receive our weekly newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

You may already be a wildlife gardener, but might you be interested in taking the next step in developing your curiosity about garden wildlife and becoming a naturalist? Inspired by Menno Schilthuizen's new book, The Urban Naturalist.NEW FROM Empress of Dirt: Tips for Creating a Wildlife Pond & Garden

On this week's show, your host, Justin Mog, goes for a walk in the woods with Wren Smith, Bernheim Forest's Interpretive Programs Manager since 2000 and founder of Bernheim's volunteer naturalist program. Tune in to catch up with what's happening out at Bernheim, just south of Louisville and how you can get involved as a volunteer or just a visitor. We discuss the role of the Volunteer Naturalists training program in creating sustainable support for Bernheim's mission of connecting people with nature. Wren also shares some of what they've learned about creating a culture of care that supports the program and Bernheim's mission. Check out Bernheim's Earth Month celebrations: https://bernheim.org/earth-month/ Learn about Bernheim's Climate Heroes: https://bernheim.org/climatehero/ Explore upcoming events at Bernheim at https://bernheim.org/events/ On Feb. 6, 20225, the C-J published a full page article on her and Bernheim Forest https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2025/02/06/bernheim-forest-volunteer-program-helps-visitors-connect-with-nature/77512440007/ Learn more about Wren at https://bernheim.org/news/pathways-to-purpose-wren-smith-interpretive-programs-manager/ As always, our feature is followed by your community action calendar for the week, so get your calendars out and get ready to take action for sustainability NOW! Sustainability Now! is hosted by Dr. Justin Mog and airs on Forward Radio, 106.5fm, WFMP-LP Louisville, every Monday at 6pm and repeats Tuesdays at 12am and 10am. Find us at http://forwardradio.org The music in this podcast is courtesy of the local band Appalatin and is used by permission. Explore their delightful music at http://appalatin.com

Show notes will be posted at approximately 7:30 am ET on 3/20/25 Podcast Links for Show notes Download my free eBook 5 Steps to Your Best Garden Ever - the 5 most important steps anyone can do to have a thriving garden or landscape. It's what I still do today, without exception to get incredible results, even in the most challenging conditions. Subscribe to the joegardener® email list to receive weekly updates about new podcast episodes, seasonal gardening tips, and online gardening course announcements. Check out The joegardener® Online Gardening Academy for our growing library of organic gardening courses. Follow joegardener® on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, and subscribe to The joegardenerTV YouTube channel.