WEBVTT 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:03.060 This is the Pepperwood Podcast, a production 00:00:03.060 --> 00:00:05.860 of Pepperwood, a non -profit conservation organization 00:00:05.860 --> 00:00:09.460 based at a 3 ,200 -acre nature reserve near Santa 00:00:09.460 --> 00:00:12.119 Rosa, California, in the heart of the traditional 00:00:12.119 --> 00:00:15.519 homeland of the Wappo people. At Pepperwood, 00:00:15.640 --> 00:00:18.500 we aim to inspire conservation through science. 00:00:18.739 --> 00:00:21.660 And on this show, we talk to scientists, stewards, 00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:24.420 and environmental educators about what they do 00:00:24.420 --> 00:00:27.649 and how they do it. We hope to give you a glimpse 00:00:27.649 --> 00:00:30.190 into the real experiences of folks who devote 00:00:30.190 --> 00:00:32.469 their lives to taking care of local ecosystems 00:00:32.469 --> 00:00:38.390 and sharing them with others. Welcome back to 00:00:38.390 --> 00:00:41.469 the Pepperwood Podcast. I am your host, environmental 00:00:41.469 --> 00:00:44.710 educator Julianne Bradbury, and sharp -eared 00:00:44.710 --> 00:00:47.549 listeners may hear in my voice that, like many 00:00:47.549 --> 00:00:49.729 educators who meet with hundreds of students 00:00:49.729 --> 00:00:52.409 every season, I am currently recovering from 00:00:52.409 --> 00:00:55.780 a cold. I hope the bullfrog -like undertones 00:00:55.780 --> 00:00:58.359 are less apparent to you than they are to me. 00:00:58.460 --> 00:01:01.219 But regardless, you won't have to listen to very 00:01:01.219 --> 00:01:04.099 much of my croaking because this episode features 00:01:04.099 --> 00:01:07.120 the much healthier sounding voices of Teen Nat 00:01:07.120 --> 00:01:10.099 participants. Today we're taking a second look 00:01:10.099 --> 00:01:13.049 at our Teen Nat program. Pepperwood Summer Science 00:01:13.049 --> 00:01:16.209 Institute for high school students. Last season, 00:01:16.250 --> 00:01:18.829 we were joined by three TNAT alums who attended 00:01:18.829 --> 00:01:22.469 last year's Winter TNAT, our annual reconvening 00:01:22.469 --> 00:01:25.189 of TNAT participants. And today we're going to 00:01:25.189 --> 00:01:28.469 hear the voices of seven more TNATers, all with 00:01:28.469 --> 00:01:31.390 their own unique experiences and takeaways from 00:01:31.390 --> 00:01:34.109 their time at Pepperwood. If you heard that previous 00:01:34.109 --> 00:01:37.069 episode, you might remember that TNAT has been 00:01:37.069 --> 00:01:40.359 running every summer since 2013. It's a free 00:01:40.359 --> 00:01:42.819 multi -week program during which high school 00:01:42.819 --> 00:01:44.939 students come to Pepperwood during the day to 00:01:44.939 --> 00:01:49.159 explore, study, and help steward our 3 ,200 -acre 00:01:49.159 --> 00:01:52.939 reserve. Our guests today range from current 00:01:52.939 --> 00:01:55.299 high school students who just participated in 00:01:55.299 --> 00:01:58.780 the 2025 Teen Nat program to returning alums 00:01:58.780 --> 00:02:01.319 who participated in the program as far back as 00:02:01.319 --> 00:02:05.560 2016 and maybe in college or in some cases may 00:02:05.560 --> 00:02:08.360 already hold university degrees and are working 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:11.740 as conservation professionals. Winter Teen Nat 00:02:11.740 --> 00:02:15.080 is an incredible time when this mix of past participants 00:02:15.080 --> 00:02:18.000 all come back together and share their memories 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:20.139 and continuing opportunities with one another. 00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:22.979 This fine set of folks is also going to share 00:02:22.979 --> 00:02:25.939 some of that with you. First, I will let our 00:02:25.939 --> 00:02:29.099 group of guests introduce themselves. Hi, my 00:02:29.099 --> 00:02:31.919 name is Merlin. My name is Emily Ann. My name 00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:36.479 is Nadia. I'm Ellie. Hi, my name is Elijah. My 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:40.219 name is Elvia. Hello, my name is Nikoya. I asked 00:02:40.219 --> 00:02:43.199 all of our alums to think back and remember who 00:02:43.199 --> 00:02:45.639 they got to spend time with during their time 00:02:45.639 --> 00:02:48.439 at TeenNet. During the TeenNet program, I got 00:02:48.439 --> 00:02:52.360 to meet so many different people. Being with 00:02:52.360 --> 00:02:54.460 those people almost every single day for those 00:02:54.460 --> 00:02:57.460 six weeks, like in that space and that shared 00:02:57.460 --> 00:03:01.680 experience, you really do form those strong connections 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:03.500 and you have like a special bond with all of 00:03:03.500 --> 00:03:05.300 those people and going through that specific 00:03:05.300 --> 00:03:09.020 experience. I met a lot of new people with different 00:03:09.020 --> 00:03:11.020 lived experiences from mine and kind of just 00:03:11.020 --> 00:03:13.379 seeing a whole lot of diversity. So I think that 00:03:13.379 --> 00:03:17.919 in itself really shaped me to kind of look for 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:20.740 other communities as well. And then also just 00:03:20.740 --> 00:03:23.539 as a woman of color, it really helped me to kind 00:03:23.539 --> 00:03:27.620 of encourage me to know that I can fill space. 00:03:28.430 --> 00:03:31.430 in this kind of kind of sector getting to come 00:03:31.430 --> 00:03:34.490 together with people on that like being outside 00:03:34.490 --> 00:03:37.969 um connecting with people talking being in a 00:03:37.969 --> 00:03:40.349 new environment you like probably haven't been 00:03:40.349 --> 00:03:44.330 on a mountain before like that so um just getting 00:03:44.330 --> 00:03:47.370 to have that connection in a summer you probably 00:03:47.370 --> 00:03:50.169 won't forget even like the alumni here they still 00:03:50.169 --> 00:03:54.110 remember probably majority of what they did during 00:03:54.110 --> 00:03:56.389 Teen Nat because it's just an unforgettable experience. 00:03:56.469 --> 00:03:58.909 A lot of the time when you go out of your comfort 00:03:58.909 --> 00:04:01.509 zone, it's always an experience you won't forget. 00:04:01.849 --> 00:04:04.229 There were a few groups that I kind of just connected 00:04:04.229 --> 00:04:06.789 with and I had a really fun time finding my people 00:04:06.789 --> 00:04:10.530 that were like -minded and also had similar experiences 00:04:10.530 --> 00:04:13.409 that I did. We had a great time just like getting 00:04:13.409 --> 00:04:15.729 to be out in nature together and it was like 00:04:15.729 --> 00:04:18.889 really fun just being able to hang out with those 00:04:18.889 --> 00:04:21.699 people. and get to know them more, especially 00:04:21.699 --> 00:04:26.899 through some hiking and also not in a school 00:04:26.899 --> 00:04:30.600 environment. That was the best part. Human friends 00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:33.720 are a big part of the TNAT experience, but so 00:04:33.720 --> 00:04:36.459 are the non -human friends that we go out and 00:04:36.459 --> 00:04:39.379 meet in the various habitats of Pepperwood. I 00:04:39.379 --> 00:04:41.560 got to spend time with all the plants and the 00:04:41.560 --> 00:04:45.040 trees. It was really interesting to see how many 00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:49.500 different oak trees are in Pepperwood. to spend 00:04:49.500 --> 00:04:54.470 time with the bugs. And the frogs and also the 00:04:54.470 --> 00:04:58.329 birds and the baby coyotes. I almost forgot about 00:04:58.329 --> 00:05:00.029 those. That's right. Tell us about the baby coyotes. 00:05:00.149 --> 00:05:03.329 Yeah, like, so I was driving up to the Dwight 00:05:03.329 --> 00:05:06.069 Center in the morning to go to Teen Nat. And 00:05:06.069 --> 00:05:08.389 I think the person in front of us was like, oh, 00:05:08.410 --> 00:05:12.110 my God, baby coyotes. And I'm like, what? And 00:05:12.110 --> 00:05:15.970 sure enough, there's some baby coyotes just hanging 00:05:15.970 --> 00:05:19.250 out right next to the road. I guess, like, they 00:05:19.250 --> 00:05:22.170 had a den. They're just like. Hanging out in 00:05:22.170 --> 00:05:24.189 the bushes and, like, I think they were running 00:05:24.189 --> 00:05:27.689 around. But I got some pictures of them. That's 00:05:27.689 --> 00:05:31.329 awesome. The spiders were nice to see. Was that 00:05:31.329 --> 00:05:33.569 already a favorite animal of yours? Yes. Oh, 00:05:33.569 --> 00:05:36.329 okay. I love arachnids in general, but spiders, 00:05:36.449 --> 00:05:38.550 I mean, scorpions are cool, too, but they're 00:05:38.550 --> 00:05:41.350 a lot less common. True. Did you get to see any? 00:05:41.410 --> 00:05:44.870 I saw one on the very second to last day, maybe 00:05:44.870 --> 00:05:47.810 last day. I think I remember this. We were looking 00:05:47.810 --> 00:05:50.379 for them under logs, right? It was in that little 00:05:50.379 --> 00:05:53.360 stump circle. Yeah. The golden orb weaver was 00:05:53.360 --> 00:05:55.899 really cute to see because it was like, I want 00:05:55.899 --> 00:05:58.000 to do my project on spiders. And the second time 00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:00.160 we went to Turtle Pond, I was like, holy crap, 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:02.139 there's a bunch of spiders everywhere. Yeah. 00:06:02.240 --> 00:06:04.759 And that was nice to see because they were so 00:06:04.759 --> 00:06:07.439 beautiful looking. I mean, it was also nice to 00:06:07.439 --> 00:06:10.399 see all those cute little frogs. Frogs! On Turtle 00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:13.939 Pond. Yes. Those tiny little frogs. Every time 00:06:13.939 --> 00:06:16.199 we would go to Turtle Pond or there would be 00:06:16.199 --> 00:06:18.379 like a little puddle in the grass, like there 00:06:18.379 --> 00:06:21.170 would... always be so many of those baby frogs. 00:06:21.370 --> 00:06:24.189 And it was so funny watching like all of the 00:06:24.189 --> 00:06:27.149 people I was with try and catch those little 00:06:27.149 --> 00:06:30.350 frogs and just have so much fun with that. It 00:06:30.350 --> 00:06:33.870 was very fun watching people catch and try to 00:06:33.870 --> 00:06:35.529 catch the butterflies and chase after them. Try 00:06:35.529 --> 00:06:38.949 to catch the butterflies. It was very fun. I 00:06:38.949 --> 00:06:41.089 myself tried to catch several butterflies and 00:06:41.089 --> 00:06:46.620 failed. But it was so funny just seeing. People 00:06:46.620 --> 00:06:48.839 like wander off the trail, like chasing after 00:06:48.839 --> 00:06:51.500 a little like white butterfly. I spent pretty 00:06:51.500 --> 00:06:54.379 much all of teen that catching butterflies. You 00:06:54.379 --> 00:06:57.279 are our butterfly whisperer for sure. Yeah. I 00:06:57.279 --> 00:06:59.420 mean, I had a great time. I never really thought 00:06:59.420 --> 00:07:01.120 I would be into the catching butterflies and 00:07:01.120 --> 00:07:03.939 the butterfly net sort of thing. But after catching 00:07:03.939 --> 00:07:05.879 my first one and getting to take a picture of 00:07:05.879 --> 00:07:09.259 it up close like that, I was I was hooked. And 00:07:09.259 --> 00:07:12.430 so. It was a really great experience in that 00:07:12.430 --> 00:07:15.550 sense of being able to connect with nature on 00:07:15.550 --> 00:07:17.790 such an intimate level, like being able to observe 00:07:17.790 --> 00:07:20.470 something that you normally can't see up close 00:07:20.470 --> 00:07:22.930 like that. Maybe it was like a sort of like water 00:07:22.930 --> 00:07:26.350 snake at one point near Turtle Pond that we saw. 00:07:26.389 --> 00:07:29.089 And I'm, I wouldn't say I'm deathly afraid, but 00:07:29.089 --> 00:07:31.529 I will not get near one. And that was the first 00:07:31.529 --> 00:07:34.149 time I ever held a snake. It was sort of like 00:07:34.149 --> 00:07:36.730 black with a little bit of yellow in there. So 00:07:36.730 --> 00:07:39.430 I can't recall the exact species, but that was 00:07:39.430 --> 00:07:42.879 what really stuck with me. Just a small water 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:44.899 snake. You faced a fear there, it sounds like. 00:07:44.920 --> 00:07:47.899 Exactly. That's cool. And no harm, no foul. You 00:07:47.899 --> 00:07:49.879 had a good experience. No harm, no foul. Never 00:07:49.879 --> 00:07:52.560 did it again after that. The one time was good. 00:07:52.779 --> 00:07:54.899 That's good. I'm glad you had a good experience 00:07:54.899 --> 00:07:58.540 with the little snake buddy. Our alums had a 00:07:58.540 --> 00:08:02.120 lot to say about how being in TNAT impacted their 00:08:02.120 --> 00:08:06.360 lives. It made me more connected to nature. And 00:08:06.360 --> 00:08:13.720 I felt calm and happy. In Pepperwood. I feel 00:08:13.720 --> 00:08:17.220 so much more comfortable out in nature now. Now 00:08:17.220 --> 00:08:19.699 when I go on hikes, like with my friends or family, 00:08:19.779 --> 00:08:21.800 I'll point out, I'm like, oh, that's a blue oak. 00:08:21.939 --> 00:08:24.220 Oh, look, that's like a valley oak. And I'm like 00:08:24.220 --> 00:08:27.199 identifying all of these different plants that 00:08:27.199 --> 00:08:30.120 we had learned about. And it is so, so cool to 00:08:30.120 --> 00:08:33.320 go on a hike and know what so many of the species 00:08:33.320 --> 00:08:35.759 are around you. And I'm like, oh, I know exactly 00:08:35.759 --> 00:08:38.279 what that is. Like, I know what that's used for. 00:08:38.440 --> 00:08:43.629 And it's just so... fulfilling to just like know 00:08:43.629 --> 00:08:45.789 those things I think it's definitely changed 00:08:45.789 --> 00:08:47.929 the way that I see myself in the world I think 00:08:47.929 --> 00:08:51.389 that a lot of the a lot of my childhood I spent 00:08:51.389 --> 00:08:54.549 outdoors before though I feel like nature felt 00:08:54.549 --> 00:08:56.529 like somewhere that I visited for like a summer 00:08:56.529 --> 00:08:59.590 getaway but after Tina and being able to work 00:08:59.590 --> 00:09:01.850 in nature like physically work I felt like I 00:09:01.850 --> 00:09:06.419 belonged more nature and also had that sort of 00:09:06.419 --> 00:09:08.799 sense of responsibility. Really I just got to 00:09:08.799 --> 00:09:11.600 meet the outdoors for one of the first times 00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:14.899 ever. Like we spent a lot of time outside when 00:09:14.899 --> 00:09:16.759 I was growing up and we very much were an outdoor 00:09:16.759 --> 00:09:18.899 family and I enjoyed being outdoors but it was 00:09:18.899 --> 00:09:21.340 the first time that I had been outdoors in kind 00:09:21.340 --> 00:09:24.159 of an educational slash professional context. 00:09:24.559 --> 00:09:27.559 Teening out kind of was the conduit to me being 00:09:27.559 --> 00:09:31.679 open -minded about utilizing nature in my career. 00:09:32.429 --> 00:09:35.169 being outside in my career and it was really 00:09:35.169 --> 00:09:39.990 scary for me in a way to realize that that the 00:09:39.990 --> 00:09:42.169 outdoors could be part of my career trajectory 00:09:42.169 --> 00:09:46.090 and that that meant I had to change my mind about 00:09:46.090 --> 00:09:51.809 what I wanted to do and that was really scary 00:09:51.809 --> 00:09:57.450 but also really worth it and so I would encourage 00:09:57.450 --> 00:10:02.610 people I know that it's terrifying but To just 00:10:02.610 --> 00:10:05.289 go through it because it might lead to something 00:10:05.289 --> 00:10:09.210 in the end. That's more for your life than you 00:10:09.210 --> 00:10:11.909 could have ever imagined. Prior to Pepperwood, 00:10:11.909 --> 00:10:14.230 I didn't have a sort of like, oh, I want to go 00:10:14.230 --> 00:10:15.830 outside. I want to go hiking. I want to do this 00:10:15.830 --> 00:10:19.549 and that. Also, just given the resources that 00:10:19.549 --> 00:10:22.750 I have in my small community, it wasn't something 00:10:22.750 --> 00:10:27.889 that I guess was offered. Or that I didn't have 00:10:27.889 --> 00:10:30.049 a peak interest in. So I definitely think Pepperwood 00:10:30.049 --> 00:10:33.389 was that launching pad to the interest, to professional 00:10:33.389 --> 00:10:35.870 careers and kind of sort of all that insight. 00:10:36.070 --> 00:10:38.909 I would say that Pepperwood has really shaped 00:10:38.909 --> 00:10:42.409 my love for nature and kind of getting exposed 00:10:42.409 --> 00:10:45.269 to that and kind of protecting our environment, 00:10:45.389 --> 00:10:49.269 being committed to strengthening resilient food 00:10:49.269 --> 00:10:52.759 systems and all. It's just kind of like... kind 00:10:52.759 --> 00:10:55.039 of just made me jump from here to here to here 00:10:55.039 --> 00:10:57.200 but all with like the love of the environment 00:10:57.200 --> 00:11:00.539 and and protecting everything that comes with 00:11:00.539 --> 00:11:02.419 that you're really supported in the sense of 00:11:02.419 --> 00:11:05.019 like you know that there's more to environmental 00:11:05.019 --> 00:11:08.399 science and education than meets the eye from 00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:11.799 just a getting a degree sort of level and then 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:14.860 A common thing that I hear from people in my 00:11:14.860 --> 00:11:16.460 community is like, oh, environmental science 00:11:16.460 --> 00:11:18.440 won't pay the bills. But that's absolutely not 00:11:18.440 --> 00:11:21.000 true because it'll pay. It'll pay, obviously, 00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:22.759 the bills, but also pay a bill in your heart 00:11:22.759 --> 00:11:27.740 because it's great. If you or a high school student 00:11:27.740 --> 00:11:30.419 you know are wondering if you should apply to 00:11:30.419 --> 00:11:33.340 Teen Nat, our alums had some insights into why 00:11:33.340 --> 00:11:36.250 they would recommend going for it. If you have 00:11:36.250 --> 00:11:39.789 even the slightest interest in nature, protecting 00:11:39.789 --> 00:11:42.970 our environment, photography, that was a big 00:11:42.970 --> 00:11:45.870 part of the program, I think, do it. I think 00:11:45.870 --> 00:11:50.289 what kind of held me back when I was first applying 00:11:50.289 --> 00:11:54.470 was, oh, what if I can't? That sort of nervousness 00:11:54.470 --> 00:11:57.450 of kind of diving into something new. But my 00:11:57.450 --> 00:12:00.320 motto is always, you know, do it scared. do it 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:02.360 unprepared and kind of just just dive into it 00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:04.340 if you don't like it of course then then you 00:12:04.340 --> 00:12:07.220 know I think the earlier you know your interests 00:12:07.220 --> 00:12:09.299 and kind of what you do want to do don't want 00:12:09.299 --> 00:12:14.059 to do um I think that's that's even better no 00:12:14.059 --> 00:12:16.980 matter like what level of like oh I want to be 00:12:16.980 --> 00:12:19.519 a scientist or no I don't I think if you have 00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:21.879 some interest I definitely encourage just trying 00:12:21.879 --> 00:12:25.879 it and then also being able to build community 00:12:25.879 --> 00:12:28.799 in that as well you know it's it's great to dive 00:12:28.799 --> 00:12:31.159 into the environment and science and all that. 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:33.740 But I think also just if you want to build a 00:12:33.740 --> 00:12:35.600 community of people that might have the same 00:12:35.600 --> 00:12:38.519 interests, then I think that's even better also. 00:12:38.700 --> 00:12:41.500 And meeting new people is always great and kind 00:12:41.500 --> 00:12:45.779 of helping you develop and gain new experiences. 00:12:46.100 --> 00:12:48.580 I think that's what I really loved about the 00:12:48.580 --> 00:12:50.700 program, being able to connect and stay connected 00:12:50.700 --> 00:12:54.100 as well. At first, when I was considering what 00:12:54.100 --> 00:12:57.450 I wanted to do during that summer, between my 00:12:57.450 --> 00:13:00.450 sophomore and junior year. I didn't really want 00:13:00.450 --> 00:13:04.070 to do TNAT just because of that feeling that 00:13:04.070 --> 00:13:07.909 whatever job I had in science was not going to 00:13:07.909 --> 00:13:11.450 involve the outdoors at all. I decided to go 00:13:11.450 --> 00:13:13.570 for it and I'm so glad that I did because I don't 00:13:13.570 --> 00:13:15.169 know what my life would look like now, what my 00:13:15.169 --> 00:13:17.429 career would look like in the future if I hadn't 00:13:17.429 --> 00:13:21.370 gone for it. So I think being open to trying 00:13:21.370 --> 00:13:24.230 new things even if you don't. think it exactly 00:13:24.230 --> 00:13:26.769 aligns what you're with what you think you're 00:13:26.769 --> 00:13:30.029 supposed to do would be a piece of advice that 00:13:30.029 --> 00:13:32.470 I would give high school age people is something 00:13:32.470 --> 00:13:35.090 that I've tried really hard to do in college 00:13:35.090 --> 00:13:38.570 as well and led to a lot of great things. I think 00:13:38.570 --> 00:13:42.529 just like giving something a try is worthwhile 00:13:42.529 --> 00:13:48.110 like teen that was a really somewhat like eye 00:13:48.110 --> 00:13:50.850 -opening experience for me. Because I did so 00:13:50.850 --> 00:13:54.610 many things I've never done before. And again, 00:13:54.669 --> 00:13:56.490 making those connections, having people around 00:13:56.490 --> 00:13:59.610 you to help support what you're doing is really 00:13:59.610 --> 00:14:02.129 like the best foundation you could have. It helped 00:14:02.129 --> 00:14:04.549 me find what I want to do. And it would probably 00:14:04.549 --> 00:14:06.889 help a lot of other people too. It's just a good 00:14:06.889 --> 00:14:09.409 chance to get outside because a lot of teenagers 00:14:09.409 --> 00:14:12.529 these days just spend a lot of time behind a 00:14:12.529 --> 00:14:15.429 screen. And I'm going to admit that I am one 00:14:15.429 --> 00:14:19.220 of those people. Fair, fair. It can be really 00:14:19.220 --> 00:14:22.639 hard to step away from the screen, but I feel 00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:27.059 like TeenNet did give me a good chance to be 00:14:27.059 --> 00:14:31.700 out in nature and be outside and get some fresh 00:14:31.700 --> 00:14:35.539 air and be active. I think it's a good way to 00:14:35.539 --> 00:14:38.399 explore nature, pursue careers in environmental 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:40.480 science if you're into that sort of thing, and 00:14:40.480 --> 00:14:43.509 get free college credit, pretty much. It's not 00:14:43.509 --> 00:14:46.929 your normal summer camp experience. You are definitely 00:14:46.929 --> 00:14:50.769 not separate from what's going on behind the 00:14:50.769 --> 00:14:52.669 scenes and you're treated very much as an equal 00:14:52.669 --> 00:14:57.710 to the whole entire like staff. And it's really 00:14:57.710 --> 00:14:59.529 like a partnership where you're working together 00:14:59.529 --> 00:15:02.750 to catalog nature. I think that's another great 00:15:02.750 --> 00:15:04.309 thing is the amount of field work experience 00:15:04.309 --> 00:15:06.669 that I got, like definitely gave me an idea of 00:15:06.669 --> 00:15:09.429 like how I liked. being out in nature and how 00:15:09.429 --> 00:15:12.409 i prefer field work over other things and even 00:15:12.409 --> 00:15:14.370 though i'm not really considering going into 00:15:14.370 --> 00:15:17.250 the environmental science field i'm i think that 00:15:17.250 --> 00:15:19.730 it's great in like building those like those 00:15:19.730 --> 00:15:22.730 skills up that you feel like you wouldn't be 00:15:22.730 --> 00:15:24.470 able to translate but they're really translatable 00:15:24.470 --> 00:15:26.429 especially like the field aspect sort of thing 00:15:26.429 --> 00:15:29.029 and like you get really intricate in your observations 00:15:29.029 --> 00:15:32.409 and so that is something incredible about teen 00:15:32.409 --> 00:15:35.840 net Someone should apply to Teen Nat if they 00:15:35.840 --> 00:15:39.419 are interested in being out in nature and spending 00:15:39.419 --> 00:15:43.299 time with like -minded people. spending time 00:15:43.299 --> 00:15:46.960 with wildlife, learning more skills to help better 00:15:46.960 --> 00:15:49.659 them in their interests. And I feel like you 00:15:49.659 --> 00:15:52.200 can really put your own spin on the experience 00:15:52.200 --> 00:15:55.399 through the final project, through the people 00:15:55.399 --> 00:15:57.860 you talk to, through the opportunities you take 00:15:57.860 --> 00:16:00.860 throughout it. It's honestly just a really fun 00:16:00.860 --> 00:16:03.159 and informational experience. And I feel like 00:16:03.159 --> 00:16:05.820 I learned so, so much from it and met really 00:16:05.820 --> 00:16:09.200 amazing people. And there is no pressure to... 00:16:09.529 --> 00:16:12.029 take what you learn into your professional life, 00:16:12.129 --> 00:16:15.110 but I think in your personal life, you learn 00:16:15.110 --> 00:16:17.889 really important skills and it's just a really, 00:16:17.929 --> 00:16:21.570 really enjoyable time. Thank you to all of our 00:16:21.570 --> 00:16:24.230 TNAT alums for sharing their thoughts and experiences 00:16:24.230 --> 00:16:27.169 with us. I hope it helped paint a picture for 00:16:27.169 --> 00:16:29.669 you of what it is like to experience the program. 00:16:30.210 --> 00:16:32.190 It sure brought back some wonderful memories 00:16:32.190 --> 00:16:34.970 for me and got me excited for this upcoming summer. 00:16:35.820 --> 00:16:38.019 If you are listening between January and March, 00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:40.840 there may still be time for current high school 00:16:40.840 --> 00:16:43.820 freshmen, sophomores, and juniors in Sonoma and 00:16:43.820 --> 00:16:46.320 Napa counties to apply for this year's program. 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:50.600 Go to pepperwoodpreserve .org slash teen for 00:16:50.600 --> 00:16:53.399 all of the up -to -date information, and you 00:16:53.399 --> 00:16:57.960 can email teennat, that's T -E -E -N -N -A -T, 00:16:58.240 --> 00:17:01.500 at pepperwoodpreserve .org if you have questions 00:17:01.500 --> 00:17:03.600 or could use some help with the application process. 00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:07.599 If you liked what you heard about how the TNAT 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:10.160 program impacts the lives of future stewards, 00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:13.259 scientists, and community members, please consider 00:17:13.259 --> 00:17:15.619 supporting the program with a donation to the 00:17:15.619 --> 00:17:19.019 Pepperwood Foundation. One of our alums said 00:17:19.019 --> 00:17:23.380 it beautifully. It's important that we have programs 00:17:23.380 --> 00:17:27.880 like TNAT so that we're able to have knowledge 00:17:27.880 --> 00:17:31.740 about nature so that we're able to take care 00:17:31.740 --> 00:17:34.960 of it. and conserve it for future generations. 00:17:35.740 --> 00:17:38.500 A crucial element of the program that we want 00:17:38.500 --> 00:17:41.400 to maintain is that it is completely free of 00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:44.339 charge to the participants themselves, and your 00:17:44.339 --> 00:17:47.160 support can help keep it that way. We'll have 00:17:47.160 --> 00:17:49.440 links to Pepperwood's donation page, as well 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:52.019 as all the TNAT -specific links in our show notes 00:17:52.019 --> 00:17:55.599 for this episode. But before you switch off the 00:17:55.599 --> 00:17:58.079 episode and run off to the website, we still 00:17:58.079 --> 00:18:01.460 have a game to play. It's time for this episode's 00:18:01.460 --> 00:18:05.099 installment of the Nature Sound Guess Who Game. 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:09.539 Each episode, we play a nature sound and challenge 00:18:09.539 --> 00:18:13.500 you to guess which critter made that sound. Let's 00:18:13.500 --> 00:18:16.339 listen back to last episode's mystery sound. 00:18:21.259 --> 00:18:26.539 That sound was made by the western bluebird. 00:18:28.180 --> 00:18:31.809 That's right. The western bluebird, Ciala mexicana. 00:18:32.250 --> 00:18:35.690 This is the second commonly cited bird that is 00:18:35.690 --> 00:18:37.990 blue that we have listened to on the podcast. 00:18:38.390 --> 00:18:41.390 Last episode, we discussed the first, the California 00:18:41.390 --> 00:18:45.109 scrub jay. The name western bluebird is exactly 00:18:45.109 --> 00:18:48.750 why I refer to birds that are blue in that awkward 00:18:48.750 --> 00:18:51.950 way. Because not all birds with blue colorations 00:18:51.950 --> 00:18:56.059 are bluebirds. Western bluebirds look similar 00:18:56.059 --> 00:18:59.519 to the lazuli bunting, a more rarely sighted 00:18:59.519 --> 00:19:01.859 bird that is blue, that we'll talk about in more 00:19:01.859 --> 00:19:05.359 detail in a future episode. Kauffman's field 00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:07.759 guide helps us differentiate between western 00:19:07.759 --> 00:19:11.099 bluebirds and lazuli buntings by the white banding 00:19:11.099 --> 00:19:13.619 on the lazuli bunting wings that bluebirds do 00:19:13.619 --> 00:19:17.309 not have. Like the lazuli bunting and many other 00:19:17.309 --> 00:19:20.750 species of animals writ large, there is a distinctive 00:19:20.750 --> 00:19:23.150 difference between the appearance of male and 00:19:23.150 --> 00:19:25.609 female western bluebirds. That's a phenomenon 00:19:25.609 --> 00:19:28.950 that is called sexual dimorphism. Male bluebirds 00:19:28.950 --> 00:19:31.650 have much brighter coloration. They have the 00:19:31.650 --> 00:19:34.230 distinctive bright blue on their heads and wings 00:19:34.230 --> 00:19:37.269 and a reddish brown on their chests and sometimes 00:19:37.269 --> 00:19:40.549 in the center of their backs. The Audubon Society's 00:19:40.549 --> 00:19:43.470 field guide tells us that the blue helps to attract 00:19:43.470 --> 00:19:46.390 females for mating, and the red is an aggression 00:19:46.390 --> 00:19:48.869 signal to other males who might be competing 00:19:48.869 --> 00:19:52.109 for the chance to mate with those females. Female 00:19:52.109 --> 00:19:54.849 western bluebirds are duller and grayer overall, 00:19:55.150 --> 00:19:57.569 all the better to camouflage into their surroundings. 00:19:58.759 --> 00:20:01.799 Like many songbirds, western bluebirds have a 00:20:01.799 --> 00:20:04.440 number of different vocalizations. The one we've 00:20:04.440 --> 00:20:06.900 already heard is the call that birders mimic 00:20:06.900 --> 00:20:10.779 as fiew, fiew, or chuck, chuck. Let's hear that 00:20:10.779 --> 00:20:17.880 again. And they also have a song that humans 00:20:17.880 --> 00:20:22.240 summarize as cheer, or cheerly, or chir. Here's 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:31.450 an example of that. Thanks as always to the Cornell 00:20:31.450 --> 00:20:33.890 Lab Macaulay Library who granted us permission 00:20:33.890 --> 00:20:36.970 to share all of these recordings with you. Now, 00:20:36.970 --> 00:20:40.410 here comes a new sound for you to guess out before 00:20:40.410 --> 00:20:46.569 next episode. Here it comes in three, two, one. 00:20:50.470 --> 00:20:56.470 And I'll give you a second chance in three, two, 00:20:56.869 --> 00:21:05.960 one. Do you think you know who that could be? 00:21:06.539 --> 00:21:09.519 I'll give you a hint. Don't jump to conclusions 00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:14.220 too quickly. If you have a guess about the identity 00:21:14.220 --> 00:21:16.779 of the noisemaker and want to have your genius 00:21:16.779 --> 00:21:19.779 highlighted on our next episode, submit your 00:21:19.779 --> 00:21:22.519 guess to us at podcast at pepperwoodpreserve 00:21:22.519 --> 00:21:26.109 .org. Thanks as always to communication coordinator 00:21:26.109 --> 00:21:28.789 Stephanie Antonoro and the whole Pepperwood team 00:21:28.789 --> 00:21:31.369 for supporting this podcast project. Thanks to 00:21:31.369 --> 00:21:34.730 you for listening. And until next episode, don't 00:21:34.730 --> 00:21:36.630 forget to keep your ears tuned into nature.