12. Magical Moments from Season 1 w/ Natalie Cibel and Coral Carson

Planet People

Welcome to the first bonus episode on Planet People! I’m your host, Natalie Jane, a conservation biologist and eco-communicator. I am joined by my creative director and now co-host, Coral Carson. We have a really fun episode as we recap Season 1 of Planet People for the Coastal Conservation series and share all the amazing stories and happenings that made this year so special.

We record this episode in an urban, green space setting in Los Angeles, so please welcome

in bird songs and other ambient nature sounds you may hear throughout the show. We want to give a massive shoutout to all of you Planet People for listening in, and we hope you had as much fun listening as we did recording this season.

EPISODE 1 Protecting Paradise in La Jolla Cove California w/ Host Natalie Cibel

Join us in this episode as we learn about the holistic approach of community-based conservation in La Jolla Cove to protecting natural resources. We address the social ecology that makes this such a complicated human-wildlife coexistence issue. Marine mammals, seabirds, and the living shoreline are all impacted by human disturbance, and we want to learn how to address it and create a harmonious solution rooted in community-based conservation!

EPISODE 2 Flight of Hope w/ Cristina Santa Maria

Native plants have tight relationships with wildlife, which were formed over many thousands of years, providing natural sources of food, cover, and places to raise young. Without healthy native plant communities, wildlife cannot survive. Shorebirds also depend on native plants to thrive, including birds like the California least tern and Western snowy plover. Cristina shares experience working with these species and how to protect them from extinction.

EPISODE 3 Safeguarding the Seas: Hooked on Shark Stewardship w/ Randy Thomas

In this episode, Randy provides a look into his life as a marine ecologist and shark researcher. He shares his journey and how he faced challenges head-on in pursuing his dream of working with sharks, like the hammerhead and mako shark. Randy is a passionate planet person who puts his conservation skills to the test and tells you what you can do to do the same.

EPISODE 4 Ray Rescuers the Crux of Queer Ecology w/ Nicole and Angel Morris

Nicole and Angel are both avid ocean enthusiasts. Nicole works with underprivileged youth to build educational and environmental outdoor nature programs, while Angel is a conservation filmmaker. Their love of the ocean and passion for stingrays led them to produce their movie, “Diving for Rays.” You can watch it on Waterbear Network.

EPISODE 5 Seal Society Stewards: The Sierra Club Seal Society & Protecting Seals and Sea Lions in San Diego: Robyn Davidoff and Carol Toyle

In this episode, we follow up on episode one to recap the human-wildlife conflict in La Jolla Cove by interviewing the Sierra Club Seal Society leaders, Robyn and Carol, about what it takes to reduce this conflict. We discuss the importance of addressing the complex social ecologies that make conservation of these animals difficult. In addition, we talk about the importance of sharing safe viewing guidelines to mitigate conflict in La Jolla Cove. Solutions to this dramatic issue are still ongoing, and we’ll report back when we learn about more solutions.

EPISODE 6 Save One Life Part 1: Protecting Wildlife in Coastal California and Costa Rica w/ Amber Becerra, CEO of Marine Mammal Care Center and Founder of SOL Eco Lodge.

What a fun episode this was! Planet People went to Costa Rica to record an episode with conservation hero Amber Becerra to learn more about her story of saving the Marine Mammal Care Center in Long Beach from securing enough funding to help the center stay open. This is a local southern California conservation success story, as the Marine Mammal Care Center works tirelessly to save marine mammals like the California sea lion from entanglement or vessel strikes.

EPISODE 7 Save One Life Part 2: Protecting Wildlife in Coastal California and Costa Rica w/ Amber Becerra, CEO of Marine Mammal Care Center and Founder of SOL Eco Lodge.

Do you want to learn more about what it means to have a sustainable lifestyle? You're in the right place to listen more about Amber's inspirational story to help local wildlife and people in Playa Grande, Costa Rica. We interviewed Amber about her work in building the SOL Eco Lodge, which she has created using sustainable best practices by upcycling materials to sustain the lodge. In addition, Amber applies her skills from rebuilding the Marine Mammal Care Center in Long Beach CA, to building her own animal hospital to help rehabilitate hurt wildlife. We talk about animals like the howler monkey and how they are under threat from clear-cutting forests due to rapid housing development near a national park.

EPISODE 8 Orca Odyssey: Secrets of the Sea from SoCal To Alaska w/ Nicole Schriber

Nicole shares personal stories about encounters with the Eastern Tropical Pacific pod of killer whales. In this riveting episode, we interview naturalist and orcinologist, Nicole Schriber, about all things Orcas in San Diego County and Alaska. Nicole shares fun facts about Orcas, one of our favorites being the coloration of orcas. Did you know that their actual coloration is actually shades of purple when they are adults and a light orange when they are born?

EPISODE 9 A Wonderful Whale Tale: A Drones Eye View of Blue, Gray and Humpback Whales w/ Daina Buchner

Daina is a drone pilot, conservation photographer, videographer, and whale enthusiast. She has traveled all over the world to see and interact with species, like the humpback and gray whale. We learn about them through her positive ocean stories and how both species have made a tremendous comeback with the help of national law protections. This great success story is attributed to policies like the Marine Mammal Protection Act which has proven to restore populations of marine mammals.

EPISODE 10 Great White Sharks: Understanding Their Behavior: w/ Dr. Chris Lowe

Dr. Chris Lowe is a marine biologist and professor of Marine Biology at California State Long Beach, where he uses science and technology to understand great white shark behavior better. Through his science and academic journey, he prepares his students to do field work where they tag and monitor great white sharks along the Southern California coast. He shares with us how his research benefits public safety, along with some cool fun facts! For example, we learned that juvenile great white sharks swim close to shore for protection from predators and to access warmer temperatures that help them grow.

The CSU Shark Lab needs your help! Due to a smaller state budget this year, the Shark Lab has lost this funding. If you can or know of anyone who would be willing to support the CSU Shark Lab during this time, please donate at this link.

Contact your local legislator: Email them to advocate for the CSU Shark Lab to receive more funding in the 2024-2025 budget. Find your legislator here.

EPISODE 11 Wildcoast Wonderland: Naturing Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis: w/ Serge Dedina and WILDCOAST

Serge Dedina is a Southern California ocean conservation hero! During our interview, he told us stories of what California was like in the 60s and 70s and how far the coastline has come with improved protections by removing oil rigs and improving air quality. We share his timeline of events and his activism for a better beach environment at Imperial Beach by advocating for the protection of the Tijuana Estuary. This eventually led him to start the WildCoast NGO in 2000 and later become the mayor of Imperial Beach in 2016.

We want to thank each one of you for listening to this coastal conservation season and for tuning into our bonus episode! As we look forward to season 2 we are excited to bring to you stories from the California desert and take you on a journey you’ll never forget! We’ll be taking a short break but we’re excited to come back stronger and more consistent with more episodes for you twice a month! Stay tuned for listener feedback surveys and we’ll catch ya later on season 2 of Planet People!

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Whether you're taking the first steps in the field of global health or simply seeking inspiration from the stories of remarkable leaders, this podcast is for you. Discover how inspiring leaders are combating global poverty, bringing clean water to remote villages, expanding healthcare access, and much more.