Greg and Obi invite Director of California Department of Parks and Recreation, Armando Quintero, onto the program. An experienced parks professional with expertise in park operations, outdoor education, equity and access, and diversity and inclusion in hiring and retention, Armando Quintero has a degree in environmental science and biology. He was executive director of the Sierra Nevada Research Institute at the University of California (UC), Merced, from 2014 to 2020, and served as director of development at UC Merced from 2008 to 2014. He was an elected member of the Marin Municipal Water District from 2008 to 2020. In 2014 he was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown as a member of the California Water Commission and served as chair of that Commission from 2015 to 2020. Quintero held multiple positions at the National Park Service (NPS) from 1976 to 1998, including chief of the Special Park Uses Group and district ranger at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, personnel staffing specialist for NPS, park ranger and supervisory park ranger at the Point Reyes National Seashore, and park ranger at the Sequoia National Park and at the John Muir National Historic Site.

When we embarked on the journey to create PLACE AND PURPOSE, our goal was simple yet profound: to immerse ourselves in the essence of a single location and use it as a lens through which to explore the complexities of our world. Now, as we approach our 23rd episode, we find ourselves reflecting on the incredible journey we've undertaken. We've asked countless questions, delved into a myriad of topics, and unearthed layers of understanding. As Greg and Obi take to Sonoma Mountain in this episode, they're not only reflecting on what they've learned and gained but also looking ahead to the uncharted territories of the future.

Join us for the penultimate episode of Year Two.

Greg and Obi invite author Manjula Martin onto the show. Manjula is author of the national bestseller The Last Fire Season: A Personal and Pyronatural History. She is coauthor of Fruit Trees for Every Garden, which won the 2020 American Horticultural Society Book Award. Martin edited the anthology Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living, and she was formerly managing editor of the National Magazine Award–winning literary journal Zoetrope: All-Story. She was born in the Santa Cruz Mountains and currently lives beneath the redwoods in Sonoma County, California.

This episode originally streamed live on YouTube May 2 at 10am PT. Replays are available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts.

Join us for an inspiring episode as our two esteemed hosts, Greg Sarris and Obi Kaufmann, dive into and explore Greg's newest book: THE FORGETTERS (Heyday 2024). This episode streamed live on YouTube April 15, 2024 at 10am PT.

Greg and Obi invite special guests Layel Camargo and Niko Alexandre from the Shelterwood Collective onto the show. 

ABOUT LAYEL
Layel is Yaqui and Mayo of the Sonoran Desert. As a transgender and gender non-conforming person, they’ve dedicated the last decade advancing climate justice through storytelling by creating campaigns like ‘Climate Woke’ with The Center For Cultural Power and supporting media projects like ‘The North Pole Show’ with Executive Producers Rosario Dawson and Movement Generation, Justice and Ecology Project. They are the producer and host of ‘Did We Go Too Far’, a climate justice podcast. Most recently, Layel was named on the Grist 2020 Fixers List. They graduated from UC Santa Cruz with degrees in Feminist Studies and Legal Studies.

ABOUT NIKO
Nikola is a Black queer forester by training and by calling. Nikola was raised by the deserts of New Mexico and the alpine mountains of Southern France. After attending a nature-based healing gathering following the Pulse massacre, Nikola committed his life to healing through tending the earth and reclaiming land stewardship as a way of nurturing a future for the communities he belongs to. Nikola holds a Master’s of Forestry and Master’s of Business Administration from Yale University, and founded Conservation International’s Ecosystem Restoration Program.

Greg and Obi invite artist and illustrator Eric Wilder onto the show. Eric was trained early in his life as a traditional singer and storyteller by grandparents, Sidney and Essie Parrish of the Kashia Pomo people. Eric has dedicated his life to sharing his knowledge through his art, stories, and practice of both traditional and contemporary native culture. He has served as a consultant on historical texts and as Tribal Secretary and Tribal Chairman on the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians Tribal Council and currently works professionally doing graphic design. This episode originally streamed live on YouTube February 8, 2024 at 9am PT.

Join us for an insightful and inspiring episode as our two esteemed hosts, Greg Sarris and Obi Kaufmann, come together to reflect on the events of the past year and kick off the new year. Together, Greg and Obi will engage in a thoughtful discussion that delves into the highs and lows of the past year, sharing personal anecdotes and lessons learned, reflecting on the future, their aspirations, and resolutions. This episode originally aired live on YouTube January 11, 2024 at 10am PT.

Greg and Obi invite professor Adina Merendlender onto the show. Adina is a Professor of Cooperative Extension in Conservation Science at University of California, Berkeley in the Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Department, and is an internationally recognized conservation biologist known for land-use planning, watershed science, landscape connectivity, and naturalist and stewardship training. She is the founding director of California Naturalist, which to date has graduated over 4,000 certified California Naturalists. This episode originally aired live on YouTube December 7, 2023 at 10am PT.