Open Space Institute!

We take a journey to the extraordinary Klamath-Siskiyou Bioregion of Southwest Oregon and Northwest California. This special bioregion includes many millions of acres of public land full of old growth forests and wild rivers. A natural legacy of the United States. And! KS Wild's appreciation for this gorgeous landscape and the stories of their fight to defend this home has many lessons for us here in the Hudson Valley. George Sexton is the Conservation Director of Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center. George has a JD, with a certificate in natural resources and environmental law, from Lewis and Clark Law School. He holds a BA in political science from Reed College. George has worked to protect forests and watersheds in the Pacific Northwest for the last thirty years. His efforts have ended the old-growth logging program on several National Forests, established 9th Circuit case law protecting Late-Successional Reserves from salvage logging, and facilitated small-diameter fuels projects and prescribed burning on hundreds of thousands of acres.

Today's episode features a conversation with Matt Putnam of the Stockbridge-Munsee and Chris Bowser with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and highlights an amazing event called the New Netherland Marketplace: Living History Event 2025, happening in New Paltz this weekend. Matt is a member of the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican American Indians and a leader in a series of programs showcasing cultural and traditional practices of the original inhabitants of the Hudson Valley. Matthew was born, raised, and has lived on the Stockbridge Munsee Reservation in WI. Matt is known for teaching boxing to youth, as well as tribal history, genealogy, building canoes, and visiting elders. Matthew is dedicated to working in his community in any way he can that benefits the people. Looking forward, Matt hopes that genuine education of who his people are can be better understood in mainstream society and that young ones in his community take an interest in learning about their culture and traditions so no more traditional knowledge is lost over time.

We are joined by Julie Noble, sustainability coordinator for the City of Kingston, for a wide-ranging discussion about the impressive array of municipal initiatives she helps shape and direct for Kingston. From projects related to energy, land use, transportation, education and citizen outreach, Julie is a powerhouse advocate for our community who brings both a long term vision and a pragmatic get-things-done approach to her work. Take a listen to learn about how the City of Kingston is taking a leadership role in projects from climate resilience and environmental education to infrastructure planning and curbside compost collection!

Today we explore the impressive and inspiring work of the 50-year old Open Space Institute, which has protected more than 2.5 million acres, with a special focus on New York State and the Hudson Valley! We are joined by Peter Karis, OSI's VP of Parks & Stewardship and Matt Decker, OSI Land Project Manager. We had a heartening, wide-ranging conversation about many of OSI's remarkable conservation efforts, including the Growing Greenways project in Ulster/Sullivan/Orange counties and the Catskills-Shawangunk Connector project (more on this story here). From recreational rail trails to remote expanses of wilderness, OSI engages in multi-stakeholder collaboration  and uses science, data, advocacy and land acquisition to permanently protect high priority landscapes for generations to come!

Today we talk about the amazingly central role oyster reefs have played in the human and more-than-human worlds, from pre-colonial times, through the development of NYC and the promise they hold for the future - ecologically, culturally and even infrastructurally! Today's guest Tanasia Swift is an urban environmental leader, SCUBA diver, and proud Brooklyn native working at the intersection of climate justice, education, and marine restoration. As the Assistant Director of Community Engagement at Billion Oyster Project, she leads programs that connect New Yorkers to the waterfront and cultivates partnerships across the city’s diverse communities. With over a decade of experience in environmental education and project management, she’s developed citywide programs, trained field educators, and contributed to oyster reef restoration both above and below the waterline. Tanasia is a certified PADI Rescue Diver, a Women Divers Hall of Fame associate, and a passionate advocate for community science. When she’s not building reef programs or mentoring new environmentalists, she’s exploring NYC’s local waters.

Our planned live broadcast from the field for the newly opened section of Scenic Hudson's Black Creek Preserve was rained out, so we brought Scenic Hudson's Director of Parks and Community Engagement Rita Shaheen and Senior Park Planner Heather Blaikie into the studio! We talked all about this amazing new addition to this much beloved park and as well as many other local protected areas, and we explored the years of thoughtful planning and landscape architecture that go into creating new publicly accessible local parks like Sojourner Truth State Park, High Banks Preserve and others!    

This week Chris fills in for Laurel with a wonderful conversation with Catskills-based forager, craftsperson and educator Renee Baumann (@renee_makes_things). We discuss the bounty of the season, from invasive-but-delicious black locust blossoms to the banner morel season we're having in the region. Between exploring the novel flavors of wild foods as a chef, to acquainting herself with dozens of edible mushrooms through meticulous watercolors, to exploring the wide world of fiber arts through felting and basketry with natural, locally-sourced materials, Renee has gathered an impressive array of knowledge about working with plants and fungi. We talk about what "an Honorable Harvest" means to her, as well as why she would always rather teach than horde her expertise. To learn more about (and from!) Renee, check our her offerings and jump on the mailing list here: https://www.instagram.com/renee_makes_things/ ____ Renee Baumann is a Catskills-based designer, chef, and nature enthusiast with a passion for wild plants and fungi. Trained as both an architect and a chef, she brings a creative, interdisciplinary flair to everything she does, whether she’s crafting baskets from local plants, illustrating mushrooms in watercolor, or whipping up delicious meals from foraged ingredients. Renee teaches workshops and techniques working with local fibers, with an emphasis on creating three dimensional forms from bioregional components. Her work varies from traditional basketry practices in cattail and willow to sculptural felt and spinning foraged fibers.  Renee teaches workshops on identifying, cooking with, and even weaving with plants and fungi growing in the Catskills.

Today we celebrate the verdant emergence of spring and then dig into scientific storytelling of the deep earth history that has shaped the land forms, ecology, culture and economics we see around us today through a mind-bending bit of master storytelling with geology professor Steven Schimmrich. Steven Schimmrich has been a Professor of Geology and Earth Sciences at SUNY Ulster County Community College since 1999 where he's also served as STEM Department Chair and an Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. Steve's research interests are in the geology and geologic history of the Hudson Valley Region and it's geoheritage - the influence of geology on the region's history, development, and culture. Steven is also the author of the book Geology of the Hudson Valley: A Billion Years of History

Chris is in for Laurel this week (Happy Birthday to Laurel!!) kicking off the very nascent mushroom season here with none other than Luke Sarrantonio of Mycophilic, mushroom cultivator, educator, and community-minded organizer. Among many FUNgi topics, we discuss Luke and Kaya's newest Eat More Mushrooms project, which includes a free-to-all shiitake garden which will be fruiting this year at Red Fox Ravine here in Kingston, lots of community education to come, and a focus on cultivating regional ecotypes of delicious mushrooms for the health of humans and the land. Links links links! Luke's Website Mid Hudson Mycological Association Luke's email (to join or just to get in touch!) [email protected] Chris's Abundance Foraging Walk 5/18 JBNHS Spring Migration Walks ~~~ Luke Sarrantonio grew up in Rosendale, New York, exploring the local landscape and its unique ecology. He fell in love with fungi while studying at SUNY ESF has since developed a dynamic career based around this passion. Luke’s work includes educational programming focused on ecological understanding and mushroom cultivation, organizing an annual mushroom & arts festival in the Catskill Region of NY (For the Love of Fungi), facilitating community projects (Eat More Mushrooms Project), and creating a line of functional mushroom products (under the name Mycophilic). He also consults for outdoor mushroom farms, and manages his own in Accord, NY. Luke’s main goal is to be an accessible resource for people who want to learn more about this fascinating group of life.

As spring explodes in vibrant emergence all around us we talk today about the incredible work of the Woodstock Land Conservancy with Miranda Javid! Miranda’s role at WLC includes curating their educational programs, coordinating volunteers, which includes the awesome Land Stewards program, and, on a good week she gets to assist the Stewardship Manager with actual fieldwork. The Woodstock Land Conservancy is a nonprofit organization committed to the protection and preservation of the open lands, forests, water resources, scenic areas and historic sites in Woodstock and the surrounding area.