Today we’re discussing perhaps the most important 24 armed creature you quite possibly have never heard of before. Each arm has eyes, or more accurately, eyespots on the ends, and they have thousands of tube feet that they closely coordinate to move. It’s a keystone species which used to have populations around 6 billion. And in a matter of a couple of years, about 5 billion of those vanished, melting away, literally turning to goo. Or at least that’s how SCUBA divers and biologists described it. It almost sounds like an alien science fiction story, but I assure you, it’s real.

Maybe you’ve figured out what I’m talking about. And if you listened to my kelp forest interview with Tristin McHugh, we briefly mentioned this creature. It’s the Sunflower Sea Star, an amazing creature whose disappearance has caused havoc in marine systems.

I traveled 45 minutes from my house to meet with Reuven Bank and Andrew Kim from the inspiring and innovative Sunflower Star Laboratory in Moss Landing, California - right in the middle of the coast of the world famous Monterey Bay.

It’s a small bustling town full of marine research institutes, fishers, and ecotourism.

This episode has two parts rolled into one - it’s a sit-down interview, right on the Moss Landing Harbour. And then we go on a mini-field trip - a tour to learn how the Sunflower Star Lab is an important driver in recovering this incredible species.

As you’ll hear in the recording, we had a lot of…ambiance, from sea lions to raucous gulls patrolling the harbor, and the hums of pumps and water you’d expect in an aquaculture facility.

Yes, that’s my way of saying this was a bit of a challenging episode to record and edit. But despite a few rough spots, I think it turned out quite well.

Reuven is chairman of the board for the Sunflower Star Lab. He’s also an interpretive diving ranger for the National Park Service, though his work at the lab is independent from that. And Andrew is the lead aquaculture research technician at Moss Landing Marine Labs, a member of the Sunflower Star Lab board, offering his expertise on aquaculture to the lab. Oh, and we also had a brief discussion with Vincent Christian while he was working in the lab. As you’ll here, Vincent is the reason why the lab even exists.

Check the Sunflower Star Lab at sunflowerstarlab.org and on Facebook and Instagram.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Pycnopodia Recovery Working Group
Roadmap to Recovery for the Sunflower Sea Star
Sunflower Star Laboratory

Support Us On Patreon!
Buy our Merch!

Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!

Have you ever thought about how or why natural areas, like state or county parks, open space, or wildlife refuges were set aside and saved? Sometimes it seems amazingly unlikely that these places exist.

And it’s too easy to assume that there is no land left to set aside. But today we’re telling the story of Coyote Valley, a land adjacent to the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley. I don’t want to spoil the story, but I will tell you it is inspiring and shows just what can happen with the right combination of ingredients. And it turns out those ingredients probably exist wherever you live, too.

This episode was actually aired on our Jumpstart Nature podcast last month.

The Jumpstart Nature podcast is a little different than Nature’s Archive. It’s an immersive narrative style, hosted by Griff Griffith. Our goal with Jumpstart Nature is to not only inspire existing nature lovers, but to reach beyond the choir, so to speak.

Here are the show notes from Jumpstart Nature:

On a 1983 morning, Steve Jobs scouted Coyote Valley for Apple’s new headquarters. Despite his plans, Coyote Valley remains one of the most important undeveloped landscapes near Silicon Valley.

This episode tells the story of its conservation through unexpected alliances, resilience, and the invaluable ecosystem services it provides. From critical wildlife connectivity to indigenous cultural significance, discover how perseverance and community action can protect cherished landscapes.

Join host Griff Griffith and our guests, Andrea Mackenzie, Amah Mutsun Chairman Valentin Lopez, Megan Fluke, Nick Perry, and Dr. Stuart Weiss as they provide unique and inspiring perspectives as they explore how to protect and steward unique lands like Coyote Valley, whether near Silicon Valley or your own backyard.

FULL SHOW NOTES

LINKS
Amah Mutsun Land Trust
Amah Mutsun Tribal Band
Cars, Cows, Checkerspot Butterflies – Dr. Stuart Weiss’s paper
Creekside Science
Green Foothills
Obi Kaufmann
P-22, The Mountain Lion of Hollywood
Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority
Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing

RELATED PODCAST EPISODES
The Age of Connectivity
Dr. Stuart Weiss – Of Checkerspots, Cars, and Cows

Credits
This podcast episode was written and produced by Michael Hawk. Our host and co-writer is Griff Griffith.

The

Support Us On Patreon!
Buy our Merch!

Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!

I’ve been looking forward to today’s episode for a really long time - and for two great reasons. One, it’s about wildlife forensics, which is an immense field that requires knowledge of everything from wildlife behavior and morphology, to DNA, to crime scene investigation, to policy and the law. I’ve always been a bit of a generalist who likes to deep dive into topics on occasion…so this is a field true to my heart.

And the second reason I’ve been looking forward to it is the guest - forensic wildlife biologist Ashley Bray. As you’ll hear, Ashley - in addition to being a forensic wildlife biologist - is also a podcaster. And her podcast is a slant on human/wildlife conflict - with - as you might expect from a forensic biologist - with a true crime twist. Oh - it’s called Get Out Alive - be sure to check it out.

Today we take a broad look at what forensic wildlife biology entails, and the surprising connections it reveals, such as the connection between wildlife crimes and drug and human trafficking - and organized crime in general.

Ashley has a few nice case examples that we review. And hold tight - you’re going to learn about a super cute animal called a vaquita.

So, get ready for a wide ranging discussion with forensic wildlife biologist Ashley Bray. And you can find Ashley on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!

FULL SHOW NOTES (Includes Photos!)

LINKS
An Immense World by Ed Yong

CITES Treaty information

Sea of Shadows documentary

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

University of Florida's Wildlife Forensics Program

RELATED PODCAST EPISODES
#102: Sophie Osborn - From the Brink: Reintroducing Endangered Birds

Support Us On Patreon!
Buy our Merch!

Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

Discover the Jumpstart Nature Podcast - entertaining and immersive, it's the nature fix we all need.

Check past Nature's Archive episodes for amazing guests like Doug Tallamy, Elaine Ingham, and Rae Wynn-Grant, covering topics from bird migration to fungi to frogs and bats!