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I’ll Go If You Go

I’ll Go If You Go

By Save the Redwoods League

Welcome to I’ll Go If You Go, a Save the Redwoods League podcast. Through conversations with Black, Indigenous, and POC who explore and work in the outdoors, we’re building community and illuminating how Californians from all walks of life experience nature and conservation, in the redwoods and beyond
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Raised by the Oakland redwoods

I’ll Go If You GoJan 07, 2021

00:00
31:54
To Build a Trail—and the community that follows
Jun 28, 202323:52
Trek long and prosper
May 31, 202321:59
Out with Outlandish!

Out with Outlandish!

Episode 4’s guest is Max Sovine (they/them). Max works at Queer LifeSpace, a San Francisco-based non-profit providing mental health services for the queer community, where they just launched the new project Outlandish! which will bring queer youth out into awesome parks and recreational areas in the Bay Area. Max has a master’s degree in Ecology, Spirituality, and Religion from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). Drawing from their experiences as an outdoor educator, death doula, hospice volunteer, firefighter, and EMT, they focused on ways to confront and change the Western capitalist aversion to nature and death. Max also coordinates retreats at the Buddhist Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Host Emily Harwitz chats with Max about coming into oneself outdoors, what it means to be liminal, what the new Outlandish! program is doing, and more.

Apr 26, 202323:30
The Girl with the Redwood Tattoos
Mar 22, 202319:01
Have no fear, the gals are here!
Feb 22, 202326:23
Conservation: now in technicolor!
Jan 25, 202320:03
Brown is a beautiful color

Brown is a beautiful color

We’ve explored many ways to play in the redwoods this season. What resonates most, beyond any single activity, is the relationships formed and fortified—with one another, with the outdoors, and with one another in the outdoors. In this season’s finale, beneath the redwoods in Oakland, Grace Anderson (she/her) and Mo Asebiomo (they/she) embody Black joy (spontaneous laughter alert!), the expansive meaning of playing outside (cloud watching or an adrenaline-pumping bike ride, choose your own adventure), and the powerful affirmation that comes from affinity and resilient friendships. Let’s play!

Jun 30, 202226:07
When the river meets the sea
May 26, 202226:07
"Skate slow and live"

"Skate slow and live"

Skateboarding in the redwoods might seem unconventional, but it’s a thing. The nonprofit Skate Like a Girl (SLAG) hosts a sleepaway skate camp for women, trans, and nonbinary skaters—in the middle of Sequoia National Forest. We skated with SLAG in Santa Cruz and from the skate park ventured into the Forest of Nisene Marks with squad members Sam Mercado, Jai Ledesma, and Kim Woozy to talk skateboarding, nature, and building inclusive community. Turns out skate culture has some things in common with the redwood forest. Both inspire joy, resilience, and a sense of belonging.

Visit skatelikeagirl.com to register for programs, including Women + Trans Skate Camp from August 8-12 or 15-19, 2022 (two sessions, registration opens May 7, 2022).

Music by Wavebreaker.

Follow Save the Redwoods League on Instagram @savetheredwoods

Apr 28, 202221:14
Bird is the word

Bird is the word

Oakland’s Lake Merritt may be a few miles from the nearest redwood forest, but this tidal slough is not only a bustling community space for locals, unhoused neighbors, artists, musicians, and roller skaters — it’s also a whole wildlife refuge abundant with native and migratory birds. For would-be birders, it’s a gateway. We went birding (aka birdwatching) right here with naturalist and artist Clay Anderson. Turns out he practiced both passions working many seasons at Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Listen and learn about what it takes to be a birder, nature journaling, and birds of the redwoods. 

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Guest Bio:

Clayton Anderson is a Naturalist working in the field of Environmental Education for the past 15 years. Enchanted by the natural world and its history since he was a boy, becoming a Naturalist was a dream come true. After graduating from San Jose State University, he landed his first job as a Naturalist with LoveLife Environmental Education Program. Since then, Clay has worked for several environmental concerns including California State Parks, East Bay Regional Parks and Alameda Resource Conservation District. He is currently works for Golden Gate Audubon Society as the Youth Program Manager. When he is not introducing the youth to the magic of nature, he enjoys birding and creating art. Whether speaking through a microphone or painting with a brush, Clay loves the work he does and is always looking to promote and educate others about the wonders of the natural world and its cycles.


Mar 25, 202225:26
Nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend

Nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend

What is forest bathing, really? Originating as a mindfulness practice in Japan called shinrin-yoku, it involves activities that help heighten your senses to experience nature on another level and improve overall well being. It's a vibe. Certified forest bathing guide Juan Lazo Bautista takes us into the redwoods and explains this immersive nature experience, including a meditation, tools, and practices to help guide you on your journey. Hope you emerge from this episode like a happy little tree (shoutout to Bob Ross). Visit savetheredwoods.org/forest-bathing for a list of activities.

About Juan Lazo Bautista

Juan (he/him) currently resides with his family on Kizh/Tonga lands in what is today known as Tustin, CA. He is a graduate of UC Berkeley and has experience in labor organizing, youth empowerment, facilitation and immigrant rights work. He is proud to sit on the board of Defensores de la Cuenca (Watershed Defenders), a non-profit dedicated to helping the Latinx community connect with the natural world. Among his favorite things to do is catching last minute flights with friends, watching saturday soccer, bike riding, writing poetry and visiting his extended family in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Feb 24, 202225:20
The fungus among us
Jan 27, 202218:46
Come as you are (smells like team spirit)
Jun 03, 202128:29
How to stand up (like a redwood)
May 06, 202118:57
A hike a week keeps your well-being at peak

A hike a week keeps your well-being at peak

While going through a divorce, Karla Amador discovered a new passion: hiking for mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. She was inspired to start a movement called the 52-Hike Challenge to encourage others to reclaim their sense of self through connecting with nature. Join Karla and her community on a journey for love and healing, from the giant sequoia groves of the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada to the coast redwoods of Carbon Canyon Regional Park in Southern California—and maybe one day, a road trip with Oprah to the Bay Area. Follow Karla on Instagram @lovekarlaamador and @52hikechallenge.

Apr 01, 202120:13
If I could walk with the animals, talk with the animals

If I could walk with the animals, talk with the animals

Toni Maggi-Brown (he/him) is a wildlife biology student at Humboldt State University and a photographer who combines creativity with conservation. Step into Toni’s world in the ancient redwood forests of the north coast, where he worked last summer as a wildlife apprentice for Redwoods Rising. He discusses what it’s like to experience full immersion in nature, connecting and communicating with wildlife, and how Tik Tok can be an expansive tool for outdoor education. He also imitates a barn owl and shouts out Childish Gambino. Follow Toni on Instagram and TikTok @sounds_wild
Mar 04, 202124:32
Rooting yourself in community and place
Feb 05, 202118:18
Raised by the Oakland redwoods

Raised by the Oakland redwoods

For our first episode, Save the Redwoods League Outreach Program Manager Leslie Parra rings in the new year with Miguel Marquez (he/him)—Oakland born, and raised by the local redwoods. He talks about the role that his Mexican-American heritage and family time in redwood parks played in developing his love for nature and ultimately his career path as a ranger who has worked for the National Park Service and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. He shares why representation matters, and what aspiring nature protectors of color can do to represent. Follow Miguel on Instagram @mggy1. Enjoy!

Jan 07, 202131:54