Community Engagement, the Green Obsidian, and Fostering Kittens with Sierra Taliaferro

Welcome back to Environmental Professionals Radio, Connecting the Environmental Professionals Community Through Conversation, with your hosts Laura Thorne and Nic Frederick! 

On today’s episode, we talk with Sierra Taliaferro, founder of The Green Obsidian about Community Engagement, the Green Obsidian, and Fostering Kittens.   Read her full bio below.

Help us continue to create great content! If you’d like to sponsor a future episode hit the support podcast button or visit www.environmentalprofessionalsradio.com/sponsor-form 

Showtimes: 

0:14 - Pelican Fun Facts!
6:12 - Interview with Sierra Taliaferro
16:28 - The Green Obsidian
26:07 - Birding Experience 
33:39 - #Field Notes, Sierra's Story

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This podcast is produced by the National Association of Environmental Professions (NAEP). Check out all the NAEP has to offer at NAEP.org.

Connect with Sierra Taliaferro at www.linkedin.com/in/sierrat

Guest Bio:
Sierra Taliaferro is known in her network as a motivated outdoor educator, bird nerd enthusiast and Sustainability influencer with intentions to promote diversity in urban conservation, social justice and community advocacy. Over the years she has gained extensive experience in strategic planning, community engagement, urban agriculture, water conservation, and land management practices, in addition to working with various community-centered entities, focused on implementing outdoor education and outreach, ranging from county parks and green spaces to non-profit organizations and commons. Sierra is also the founder of The Green Obsidian, a social media platform designed to bring awareness of diversity within the environmental conservation field. And as a professional millennial and climate change maker, she hopes to continue to make herself an advocate for diversity in conservation and to emphasize the importance of our natural resources surrounding our urban environments that inspires people to view ourselves as part of nature, and not separate from it.

Music Credits
Intro: Givin Me Eyes by Grace Mesa
Outro: Never Ending Soul Groove by Mattijs Muller

Transcript

Hello, and welcome to EPR with your favorite environmental nerds, Nick and Laura. On today's episode, Nick and I talk about how much we love ice cream. We interview Sierra Taliaferro about community engagement, the green obsidian, and fostering kittens. And finally, we talked about pelicans with Sierra. So here are some fun facts. They often hunt in groups, working together to herd fish. The white pelican can eat up to 4 pounds of fish a day. No wonder they were hunting her down at the. Yeah. That's so much food. And also they don't just eat fish, sometimes they eat crustaceans, mollusks, and even small birds. Which is haunting. I just, I read that and I shouldn't tell you guys this, but you can see it on the internet. There's Pelican pigeon, it's not great. There's just, you can't unsee it. I'm telling you now, don't look it up. It is on 00, it still gives me nightmares actually, but it's, it's surprise, it's a surprise attack. That's basically it. That's crazy. I had no idea. 

Yeah, well, hit that music. 

NAEP's 2025 annual conference and training symposium will occur on April 28th through May 1st in Charleston, South Carolina. Enthusiastic environmental professionals from across the country gather to share the in the opportunity to learn about new projects, share technical knowledge, network with other industry professionals, and engage with leaders in the environmental technologies and practice. Learn more at www.AE.org. 

Let's get to our segment. What's the question you have for me? Well, I wanted to know, I, I was in Florida for the FAP conference for the live with Elva that we did, and I was staying with my friend Kerri Kelly, who used to work for Flatwoods Consulting and is now with Rodantis. And I stay with her a lot of the times when I come to visit. So I stayed with her to come back and forth from the conference, but her and I are both huge ice cream lovers. And I don't think we've ever talked about that before, so I was just thinking, I don't know what popped in my brain, like, does Nick like ice cream? I have no idea. No, it's funny. It's like, I, I don't have a sweet tooth, right? It's just not part of my brain. But the one thing that I do love is ice cream. What? Yeah, I love ice cream. I love all kinds of ice cream. I love, what is it, like, uh, salted caramel is a great one. I love just about anything. It's fun to try new ones, you know, but I even love like, I was at the, one of my favorites is actually Ben and Jerry's American Dream. For whatever reason, that is like the perfect combination of things that I like all in one ice cream, and so, uh, it's like it's again, so it's like a salted caramel, it's like a vanilla base, and then there's like waffle cones dipped in chocolate. So, it gets all of it in there. You know, honestly, chocolate's one of the greatest things that exists, period. And so it's nice to have some of that with ice cream too. There's also this black raspberry with dark chocolate chips that is only made in like, it's like Kroger, I think, yeah, it's Kroger or Harris Teeter, if you are familiar with those, those chains, it is theirs, and it is so good. Uh, it is dangerous. Like I can't. 

I wouldn't even eat it, just like pop it on my head and hope my skin absorbs it. That's how good it is. It's just like, it's incredible. So I don't know, I mean, maybe that's too much. I like it too much. How about you? I love that. I think that all my favorite people love ice cream. I don't know, I don't know how that connects or what that is. Somehow, if you're an ice cream lover, we can be friends. I don't know. So yeah, my, I, I prefer like vanilla base versus chocolate, but I'm not gonna hate if you offer me chocolate ice cream for free, I'll take it. And I love toppings. I'm always going to go for like peanut butter first, peanut butter chocolate combo, marshmallow. I think when I was younger at my grandma's house, we would, she would. Do like an ice cream bar. So you have the fluffy marshmallow stuff, hot chocolate, all the fixings, and I still love that. And so yeah, my friend and I had gone to, there's a place here called Andy's Custard, and my mom mentioned it to me, and then Carrie mentioned it to me and I was like, OK, well then we have to go. I've just heard about this place 2 days in a row and it was the kind of place where like You can add 17 different flavors and toppings and things and so that was kind of been happened but also overwhelmed. But yeah, I love Ben and Jerry's and then lately, you know, since the world of like plant-based ice cream has opened and I am slightly lactose intolerant, which is a horrible thing when you love so much. 

I love exploring plant-based ice cream as well. Yeah, that's, that's pretty funny. What a horrible thing to have. It's like, well, I mean, no, it's like, yeah, the older I get, the less I'm supposed to eat Italian food and I'm like, no, I mean, they would, are you kidding me? I get that ass is not great for me, but uh I need it, so, um, too bad. That's a food group for me, is Italian food, so come on. And I feel the same, that's so funny because ice cream is great, and it's like if you're talking toppings, like one of my favorite things to do is like the Reese's pieces, you know, which are just like, you know, coated peanut butter, and uh, yeah, yeah, you toss that on top, love that. Reese's cups are also great with ice cream. One of my all-time favorites, you know, something that's best to just be traditional, right? You get a great Vanilla ice cream and a soft brownie that is hot, and you put those two things together, and like, I haven't had lunch and that's what I want to eat right now. So yeah, it is to die for. Oh, cool. Well, I'm glad I asked. So next time we're at a conference we're getting. That's perfect. Yeah, well, I'm gonna go find some maybe and uh let's get to our interview. 

Welcome back to EPR.

Today we have Sierra Taliaferro back on the show. Sierra is a community outreach associate for the Environmental Protection Network, an outdoor educator and the founder of the Green Obsidian. And we had her on here talking about these things several times before, but we have so much new stuff to talk about. Super excited. And yeah, let's jump in. What's new since the last time we saw you? I think it was 2023. Wow. Has it really been that long? Yeah, yeah. Wow, time really does fly by, doesn't it? Oh, man, but so, so much has really happened. I mean, just in terms of the world in itself and what's going on. Oh yeah. What's not going on, right? But truly what I've been up to these days is just really getting immersed in community down here in particular. And just really deep diving into some of this, in particular, the conservation and environmental issues and also social justice issues that are happening. So I've been really taking a deep dive into that and just trying to figure out where I can add capacity as best as I can from a respectful point of view, of course. I mean, aside from, yeah, aside from that, really, again, like trying to get back into the gardening portion of my life, because that's just been such an interesting. place to dabble back into, especially being from the Midwest. Shout out to the 414, as always, as always, as a precursor, it never fails. 

But I think like gardening has just been so different for me and how I approach it, especially being in a different location in a subtropical region and growing different things, but really in this season, I'm just getting ready for a tropical fruit season, mango season in particular because There are just no words to describe the joy that it brings to my heart. Oh yes, there's nothing better than tropical fruit in a tropical area. Yes. No. Gosh, you have like, you go, you get a mango from somewhere else and it's not good, and you're like, what happened here? This is impossible. It's impossible to have a bad mango, but then, you know, if you're not getting it fresh. It's not the same. It's not the same. It really isn't the same. Especially like the, I always like my parents, especially my mom and my grandma, who are always talking to me about mangoes. And I explained to them, like, it's kind of like apple season in Wisconsin. And just truly like when I go to a mango grove or just a mango tree in general. Just the excitement that I get when it falls off the tree. I'm just like giddy little kid. It's like, oh my God, I gotta get the it's just, I don't know what it is about it falling off the tree or like finding them on the ground. It's just like an Easter egg hunt. It's just so exciting and I just love it. Yeah, that's awesome. Were you in, I remember us talking about your move. 

Had you moved yet last time you were on here? Yes. So I actually moved into a different location. I'm still in Fort Lauderdale, but I just moved into this new area called Plantation, and I really do love it. Like, it's very family oriented. It has like mixed use areas that has both food and fun. So it's just been a delight being over here in this space. Fantastic. And now you are at the Environmental Protection Network. So what do they do and what's your role there? Yeah, so the environmental protection. Network is a nonprofit organization that works with communities across all of the EPA regions. So as a community outreach associate, I am in charge of Region 4, which is the South, the whole entire beautiful Southeast. And so as a community outreach associate, I provide technical assistance to communities um who just need assistance in different areas that fall under the EPA related issues and how we assist. through our network of EPA alums, so those who have either retired from the EPA or those who have just moved on from the EPA altogether, and we bring them in to assist communities who may need, you know, water quality data analysis, and they provide that expertise, that science background to provide that information and really take that technical language and turn it into lay terms. Right? And, OK, so there's a couple of things here. Community first, you've been doing community stuff for a while now. So what kind of things are you learning? 

Would you suggest other people do to really have a community impact? Oh, that is, that's a good question. I think, especially as in my role in particular, I think one of the biggest things that I urge and encourage folks to really dive into is ask where you can help. Because there are a lot of gaps that I feel communities identify and they know this, but there are also people within our range and within our communities who could fill that gap. So if there are communities or initiatives that really gauge towards your mission, your own personal mission statements and interests, ask where you can help. Because that's sometimes it's such a hard thing for communities to ask is help. So when they come to us, it's like almost like, I don't know what else to do. Like I'm at my wits end. I don't, this is my last resort, and I don't want communities to feel that way. I want to know that they are supported within the spaces that they are, even though within this climate it's a little hard to do that. Yeah. But, but truly, if, if you know that you have a gift and you have a skill that could be useful for a community to move forward in this movement of environmental justice or whatever it might be, ask and see where you can. Yeah, that's great advice. And so can you give us some examples of some of the projects you've been working on and how that applies and what are, I don't know, what's your favorite, what's like, is there a special project you have that stands out as like, I love that I worked to got to work on this one. Man, that is so hard cause I, I deal with so many of them. Oh, that's, that's a, that's a good one. I, I really got a deep dive into a few of them. 

I think one that really comes to mind are like the few of them in Florida in particular, and how we're just trying to create this leverage with, with these different partners or community-based organizations and how we can really Identify not only the resources, but like again, understanding those gaps and what partners that we can plug and play into. So one in particular has been in the Tallahassee area where I've been trying, well, I take that back. Actually, one another one that I really enjoy is this one in Valdosta, Georgia. And so we have been really, and I mean, going the gamut of looping in. Potential partners and organizations and even universities to assist this community who's been dealing with some flooding issues and it's just been so Inspiring to see the joy of, like, people who want to help, right? And I was kind of looped into this particular request through FEMA. And the FEMA representative that I work with, she's absolutely a joy. And she just reached out and said, Can you help? And so sometimes as a community associate, I don't know how I can help, but I'm gonna do my best to figure it out, you know, because there may be things that I can do, but there also may be things that I know I can't. But there might be someone else in. Our network who can. So I do a lot of like closing the triangle or just connecting partners. 

That's a really big chunk of what I do for technical assistance. Almost like a, like a case manager in some cases. So I follow along with it, just see to make sure that progress is moving along, if there are roadblocks or roadblocks, what can we do to mitigate it? Or what are some other, you know, suggestions that we can loop in. So, I would say Valdasa is probably one of my biggest ones right now that I really just enjoy in seeing the Just the community coming together and the stakeholders in the region that really want to help. That's awesome. It sounds like really rewarding work, and you mentioned FEMA, and you mentioned before EPA alums. How are your projects or how is your Ability to work with the community is changing with or adapting to what's happening in the federal level. Yeah, no, that's a good question. And I think for us, I mean, thankfully that we're not being impacted by the by what's happening on the federal level, but certainly we see from Point of view as a small nonprofit, a lot of our regional partners are impacted, and that also impacts how we're doing the work and how we can do outreach because a lot of those partners that we would necessarily go to, they're either not there anymore, unfortunately. Or we are kind of, I would say diverted or triaged into another, in another capacity to someone else. So it's definitely in this moment thinking differently of how we strategize and how we organize and what community organizing is really going to look like, cause what we've been doing before, we're gonna have to just kind of change up our tactics a little differently, but the work continues onward. Yeah, is it kind of like, um, it's one thing I think, you know, is my industry is also quite similarly impacted. 

Do you think it's going to be more like the agencies are going to lean on you a lot more heavily than they have instead of being partners, they might be like even bigger than that, like your role is going to expand, or is it just gonna change a little bit? You know, that's a great question. And I'm not sure if I know the answer to it, but I think if anything, it may change a little, but not drastically, because those agencies are still very vital in the work that we're doing. And so we certainly wouldn't want to take their place. If anything, we want to aid in the support that they want to give to community. And so I think, again, like just really strategizing differently of how we leverage capacity and how we think about capacity and technical assistance and what that's going to look like as we're kind of shifting into this new season of navigating these unknown waters because every day is different. Every day is so uncertain. And so it's kind of hard to predict what the next move is gonna be until the first player goes. So I think we just, we take it day by day. That's how I've been explaining, we're just taking this day by day, but also kind of reiterating to communities like we're right along in this fight with you. That's great. And super glad that you are finding this work and finding so much passion and joy in doing it. You can tell when you're talking about your projects and your work, which everything that you, the birdie, the Greenham City you're always passionate about the things that you're doing is awesome. But let's touch back on the Greenham City and you've been doing this 4 years now, is that right? or longer? Yeah, so the officially for the Green obsidian, it's been 3 years, but altogether, believe it or not, it's been 70, woof. You're weird to say that out loud. That's over almost 200 folks we've highlighted since then. But yeah, it's been a journey. But yeah, we said last year we talked was like 2 years ago. So how's it grown? How did it go this year? Any people you want to shout out that were particularly fun to include? Oh man, there's so many. 

There was quite a few of them that I highlighted this year that I really appreciated because not only do I get to highlight them, but I also have worked with them in some capacity. And That's what I really loved. And also too, I would say that a lot of these highlights, well, a good chunk of these highlights were also individuals that I met through my work that I just came to the conclusion that we really need to elevate the work that you're doing. Like how to put this on a higher platform because truly it's extraordinary and people need to see it. Not just me, like, people need to see this and get behind you. And so I think one in particular that comes to mind for me is Sherry White Williamson in North Carolina. What a powerhouse that woman is because she, she not only retired from the EPA, she retired girl, she retired, then went to. Law school got her law degree and then really went into making her uh creating her own law firm like she rock star and really fighting against a rural communities in North Carolina to help support them in some just pollution issues that are happening over there. I mean, there's just, you come across those stories and I'm like, why haven't we heard about this? Why aren't we hearing about this? And I'm, and I'm sure in some capacity, it might be out there, but it's not out there that the way that it needs to. So yeah, like stories like that that I just come across in my work, professional work, and I'm like, I need to highlight you. Like, that's the only thing that comes to mind. Yeah. And are you doing it all year round now or just still during Black History Month? Still during Black History Month, but this, well, this, not this year because it's, it's already passed. But next year, we're hoping to kind of shift the process a little differently. But stay tuned. I won't give out too many details, but, but it is truly a work in progress that I've been really leaning into more and more these years. 

And next year, I definitely want to just take that creativity to the next level. So that is the goal for the Green obsidian. Yeah, that's awesome. And is it still mostly focused on conservation and environmental work? Yeah, yeah. That's great. How else? So how do people find it? How else can we share it, expand on it, bring more attention to it, like, give us the goodies. Yeah, I think, I mean, of course, it always, again, like always happens during Black History Month, but surely like you can always. Follow those individuals because I give the tools to not only follow them but also like get linked into their work, share their work 365 days a year. Like you don't have to just do it during Black History Month and that's what I try to emphasize that yes, I highlight them during Black History Month and that's great. However, their work continues onward after that month is over, so. You know, so like highlight them, you know, there are things that come up in their work because they also have social media platforms. Eleva that work, repost their work as well too, buy from them or support them in a different capacity, whether that's your expertise or your time or your dollars. So I think that would be one way to definitely support that all year round. But surely, especially even with the Greens and the goal is to fingers crossed, get the website up and running. So again, we're expanding, trying to expand more than just Black History Month of how people can get engaged with those folks all year round. Yeah, that's awesome. So yeah, we definitely highly encourage people to check it out because it is, it's there on the website, right? You have everyone still listed that you post. Yep, so it's right now we just have our Facebook and our LinkedIn page for the Green obsidian, and so the goal is to kind of expand that and actually create a website platform so that not only can you read about them, but also have the correct, you know, have the links to them and having it updated as much as possible because things change and business plans change and how do we make sure that we're staying abreast of what their changes are, especially in this new climate of all the changes that are happening, but also making sure that folks are connected to them. 

Yeah. That's awesome. So that also too is great community work in a sort of different way than you're doing in your day job, but what advice do you have for others who are looking to get into environmental or community type work? I would say, for those who are really looking to really get into this, stay open minded. Stay open minded, don't keep yourself in a box. Because this work is so broad, environmental science and environmental conservation, it's so expansive and big, and so I would encourage people to just explore those options, explore all of your options that interest you. Don't just think it's just science based, it's community based, it's community centered, it's all these other elements of what makes Science so great is the diversity because Earth is just as diverse, you know, Earth is in a box and the elements of Earth are so comprised of so many other things. So don't feel like you have to just stay in one lane. There's so many avenues that you can explore and even combine them at the same time. Yeah, I love that. And can we, let's stay here for a second because I coach a lot of people and I would say half of them. I want to know what job title should I apply for, or what should I look at? What should I look for? which job board should I be on? And they're looking for what is a good fit for me for a job. And what you're just saying is that, that doesn't really apply. Try stuff, do things, do other things, see what you're, and I agree with that. But I think most of the guests that we've had on will tell you they're not doing the job they thought they were going to do when they started out. Yeah. But they don't know what that looks. Like, you tell them to explore and they like, no fault of their own, they just don't know what does that mean.

 So we know, we've over the years talking to you, birds, plants, community, you have all these different things that you've done and tried. So what did exploring these different options and not putting yourself in a box look like for you? Mm. Oh, I resonate with that. So heavy. And I think that is something that I have had to learn myself. You know, like we are trained, going to school, you're trained like, this is what you need to do, and you need to go for this job. But sometimes, like, it just doesn't align with. Spirit and you want to explore because we're just creative human beings. And so for me, being able to do and dabble into these different realms of what conservation is, what environmental conservation is, to see, like, for example, In particular, I went into this arena of field work, right, like cutting trees, invasive species removal habitat restoration. Love it. Do I want to do it long term though? Um, you know, but I had, I had the opportunity to try it out for myself, you know, maybe I, I kind of maybe do like habitat restoration, just not in the cold, you know. You know, or, or just like, or not when it rains super heavy. So, you know, understanding what my preferences are after going through that, be like, you know, like, this is nice, but, you know, maybe it's not for me. And that's OK. And so that's kind of how I've been doing it. It's just like, I went through a period of almost going through these seasonal jobs. It's like, oh, this is nice. Let me try it, you know? And, and at least I get the experience of it to say that I did it. But I also realized that if it's not aligned with what I want to do, that's OK. And then there are other opportunities where I feel like I wish that they were combined, you know, I wish that there was a way to just do birding, to do like be a full-time birder, which I, I still technically am, be a full-time birder and a full time gardener and get paid to do that. Yeah, I know, right? 

You could love both. You can love more than 2. You could love 5, and if there's a way to combine those, even better. That's so true. It's true. Yeah, well it's funny cause like, you know, you do community work and I can imagine I do this too sometimes where I'm talking with groups of people and I'm like, oh my gosh, look a bird. It just kind of comes out, right? Like your, your interests are who you are and, and like. They kind of, as you're working with people, they get to know you better and they're like, oh, and it's like how you foster connection. And it's a really cool way of like, you know, being like, yeah, maybe I'm not getting paid for this, but I have this experience that I'm using to connect with other people. Absolutely. And you just never know where those connections. Actions might lead, you know, that I think that connection could lead to a potential job opportunity too, because they saw your passion and your interest in it, and they thought you might be a great fit. So I'm just like, keep your door open. Keep your door open because anything can change. Anything is possible. Anything can be created. Oh man, and I will tell you that is one of the things that as we had a training talking about all these changes that are coming with this administration. And one of the big takeaways is in the 80s, there were the Reagan administration, everyone thought this is the way things were always going to be and it's just not true. Things change. This too shall pass kind of thing. No matter what, you're adaptable and understand the world changes all the time. We just get to live in it, you know. So yeah. Yeah, I love the message. Yes, yes. And I want to know because I grew up in Florida, but then also then I switched and moved to the north. 

You lived in north, switched to move to Florida. I, I want to hear about your new birding experience. Like for me, I have a sad birding experience where like, I moved from here where I wake up in the morning, I hear birds every. Everywhere and then I moved to the north and I'm like, where's the birds? Oh yeah, not in every area there were, you know, out in the country, whatever, there's birds, but it's not the same as waking up to hearing like a mockingbird fighting with a cardinal. Oh my goodness, I'm like, you know what I mean? So yeah, I just, yeah. I just, it reminds me like of, especially being down here and like the seasons and it reminds me of like how long, like, especially when I go home, and this is me when I look at robins, American robins, because I don't see them as much down here, or even like white throated sparrows, you know, or other like more chickadees even. And so when I, and I have a bird feeder in my mother's backyard and so I look at them like, gosh, they look so strange, you know. And, and it's like an aha moment because when I was in school, I used to think the same thing about these birds down here. So like I used to think, I promise you, it's like an existential moment of the way that I look at American robins, chickadees. All of those. And I'm like, wow, you just look so out of place or just unfamiliar. But it's mostly because I don't see you as often like I used to, but I was at home. And so when I was in school, I used to see these white ibis, the great egres, great great blue herons. And I just feel like, wow, those are so weird looking, you know? It's so weird and that that's how I'm kind of exploring birding these days of like when you're in these different regions of the world so long and you get accustomed to the birds like now I see a mockingbird every day or duck walking around the complex of where I live or even the lizards, you know, like the Agama, even though they're invasive. Agamas and iguanas. 

Um, it's just so fascinating to understand the world that I'm so used to and now adapting to this. We're no different than those animals outside. Oh, they all have different personalities. It's so funny. Let me tell you something. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I have an Agama, an agama, and if you're not familiar with an Agama, I'm not. familiar with it either, but it is a reptile that is on the invasive list down here in Florida. I have two pairs of Malagamas that come by at the same time every day. 2:30 on the dot, 2:30 on the dot. And they cross by my patio because I'm on the first level and my patio kind of faces the pond area. So, I love birding outside. But every day, like clockwork for the last what, 2 years now? Mhm. Everyday clockwork 2:30 is as long as it's sunny outside, those Agamas will pass by and sit right there on the patty every time and I just feel like it's so funny. I've named them Charlie and William. I've named them Charlie and yes. And like I'm sure there's a mockingbird somewhere who was going, hey, what are you doing here? Which is like their personality like what are you doing? Yeah, I get the mockingbird. I don't even know if it's a male or female because I don't get enough. I don't get closer, but I always see her at she's always in the same spot sitting on the stop sign. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, like what? It's so funny, they have so much like, like they're like, I'm tough, you're like, you're so smart. Like what is, but they're chasing off birds all the time, it's so funny to watch, you know, like robins, you know, I love like robins are just goofballs, they're just like little hoppers, you know, and just like too funny too funny. 

So yeah, see, we could nerd out all day. All day. Listen, I'm the person. I know it. I know it. I love it. I went for a walk this morning just in a neighborhood with a lake and saw stork eating a fish, white hair and blue hair and green hair and like they're just, you know. And then the white pelicans are, you know, hanging out in gang style like they do in one area and so they're ready to have their West Side Story reenactment over there. Never trust a pelican, I tell you that's. You know what? Yes, I cannot agree with you more, because when I first moved down here in, well, when I was kind of living in the Miami area, I used to volunteer for Pelican Harbor Sea Station, which is a wildlife rescue, uh, kind of facility. And I was in charge. I did a shift of feeding pelicans. When I tell you, pelicans are so greedy. Yeah, so people don't realize if you don't, you know, if you don't interact with them, they're beautiful birds, don't get me wrong. But when they want something, like don't have a bucket of fish. Don't have a and we would have pelicans who we would lease and they would come back. Sometimes they would bring a mate, be like, Hey, I, I know what we can eat for free. Yeah, yeah, yeah, they're these fools are just giving this stuff away. What? And I just, and I would literally, I have so many videos of pelicans. It's insane because they'd be so rude. I'd be like, just follow me everywhere across around the facility and I'm literally. I'm in charge of feeding the other pelicans that are in the cages, but these pecans would literally, I couldn't even put the bucket down, they would just knock it over and just gobble them up. That's like so rude, so rude. And looking at you and just waiting. It's just like. They had the look I can't even do it. It just the way they look at you. It's just it's just make a mistake. It's like I dare you to make a mistake.

 Come on, you know I'm ready. And the second you do, like you said, boom, be ready on site, OK. It's almost like, have you ever seen people run out of bread when they're feeding geese and it's just funny because it's like, like, where's the other food, you know, it's just like they're like, Where's the food human? And they start chasing uh and that's exactly why I don't do it. Exactly right. Mm. There's too many videos. Let's just look it up. Exactly. That's for each statement. Yeah, yeah, right. Oh yeah. Awesome. Yeah, there's another, there's a seabird sanctuary over here on the Pinellas side, and we would go there when I was younger and volunteer and stuff. And but there's so many pelicans that are injured and need help with the number of them that lost their top bill because of one thing or another, which is like, oh, you know, they're never leaving the sanctuary, um. I don't need to know that. Oh man. Yeah, it's it's crazy. I think because they are friendly birds, they get to interactive with the fishermen and all kinds of issues with getting snared up and whatever. And, you know, like Sierra said, once the fisherman throws them a fish they don't want, they're hanging around. They're hanging around. They hanging around hard. Yeah, that's true 100%. I mean, I would too. It's like, oh yeah, it's free. It's free. Yeah, I'll be there every day, exactly, and you can't blame them. No, of course not. No, yeah, if it was free, I'd come back too. Hey friends. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. Exactly. But it is anyone listening who lives in Florida, it's a great place to volunteer, spend your time. But we're, we're getting short of time already. How's this happening? Time flies when you talk about birds every time. Um, well, that kind of was a field story, but we do have our field notes section, which you're familiar with where we talk about memorable moments working in the field and it's been two years, you must have a story of some kind. 

Of, um, something funny, scary, whatever, and we encourage listeners to share your stories too with hashtag field notes. Yeah, so anything fun adventure, community wise, bird wise, plant wise. I think for me when I'm out hiking in the woods or the tropical hardwood forest, I should say, being in South Florida, it always reminds me of just the different, the stark differences from Wisconsin. And while I and it just so happened, I was going hiking in one of uh Treetops Park. I love Treetops Park. If you're ever in Broward County, highly recommend. But I actually lost my phone. Well, I found it. I found it, but I lost my phone while I was birding. I was taking a picture of a of a plant and I got distracted by a bird, naturally. And I thought I put it in my pocket and I didn't have it in my pocket. So, but the whole encounter reminded me of this, this issue or this scenario that I when I was in the field, so I was in Wisconsin and I'd gotten my chainsaw license certification and I was actually doing some habitat restoration with an AmeriCorps crew. And I remember it was fall season in particular, and I remember this because my phone case was kind of like the same color as the leaves on the ground. And already a bad set up, right? That's set up. So we were cutting trees, so we were removing buckthorn in Wisconsin. Also invasive, don't, so on my top three hate list. And um we were cutting trees and we were kind of moving the brush, like the trunks that we were cutting and we were moving to the to the side and sometimes. I'm in the midst of it, and my phone must have fell out of my pocket underneath my safety traps, and I did, and we were doing this for like 2 hours, right? 

So it's a workout. Let's, let's not be confused here. It's good cardio to cut trees. 100%. OK, that was the most fit of my life, you're fits, OK. And, and so I remember it was a great day. It was a beautiful day. I took a break for lunch and so, you know, we're cleaning up and everything and we're heading back to the truck where all of our stuff is, and I go into my pocket and my phone's not there. You, you talk about a panic attack and it reminds us like we're so connected to technology as well, like when we don't have it nearby, it freaks us out. Oh yeah. But when I didn't have it in my pocket and I'm like, oh. No, this is bad, you know, because I'm like, I know it's out there. I just don't know where. And so the and the bad thing about it is that my phone was on silent. You know, oh. And so I am like, OK, I need to retrace my steps. So I literally go back exactly I mean, I'm pretty good at retracing my steps. Anybody can tell you that. I'm pretty good at, especially when I'm outside, can tell you exactly kind of the areas that I was in. So I just I mean, I went through that whole hour and a half looking for my phone. And because, and because my case was the same color as the fall foliage, it blended in with the leaves on the ground. So it made it even harder, made it so hard. So I thought I was looking around. I mean, I search high and low in that area, and I remember in particular there was a place where I was sitting on the log. Like there was a log that we sat on that I like just took a rest and while we changed out who was doing the cutting for the chainsaw, and my phone was literally sitting right there and I was like. You know, let this be a lesson to folks who, who want to work in the field and who have a desire and a love for it. 

Never put your phone on silent and vibrate. Always put it on loud, because in the event, things happen. But in the event, if you ever lose it, you have to go. Capacity to call it, you'll be able to hear it because it is gonna be such a hard lot and I was thinking about that. I'm like, I've learned so much, you know, working in the field and that's just one of my lessons learned like thank God I left my phone on at this particular moment when I lost it the second time in Broward County. My ringer was on. So you got it, got it. And I thought about that moment when I found it because my mom was calling me and asked me, Are you OK? So I thought about that, but I was like, gosh, I've really gone through a series of growth, healed and understand like these are survival techniques that people. I'm like almost mad at you. How did you find it? I can't believe that. You know, like divine timing, truly, my grandmother always calls at like the most like perfect time of like, what you doing? Like, are you doing because they know I like to go hiking and things like that. And I'm like, goodness, the one time that you're actually, I really appreciate this because I really lost. My phone. But I had it on loud, you know, and that was the difference. That's incredible growth. It's a great story and a life lesson all at once. I love it. I love it. All right, short on time. So I do want to hear two things. One, you're also foster some baby kittens. Yes, I'm a big, I'm a one of animals, big active animals, so I actually don't have them anymore. So the kittens that I did have got adopted, which is always great to hear. But the last batch that I had, oh, I had 9 bottled baby kittens. And if you are not familiar with bottle babies, you have to feed them 2 hours every time on the dot. 

Oh my gosh. You know, so lack of sleep. This is lack of, yeah, that'll love it, but truly. You know what I really appreciate about fostering is the process that you get to see in their development and like you are their caretaker, but also in knowing that you are also setting up like whoever adopts them, they're these pet parents, when you're setting them up for the. Access to not only get like a, a sneak peek into their personalities, but also what to kind of get prepared for it. Like, Joseph, well, so I had a, a group of 5 and a group of 4, and they were drastically in age different from each other. One we're a couple of weeks older. And the other one, the other batch of 4 were only like a couple days old. They still have the umbiblical cord attached. Oh wow. And I remember from one of the older batches, well, the younger batches, I'm sorry, from the batch of 4. See, I get them confused as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But the batch of 4, I had 3 girls and 1 boy. He was all black and his name is Sriracha. Because he was the spiciest one, my goodness, of course, yeah, I mean, what's the loudest, and every time we had potty time, you think I was killing him. You think I was killing him. You so you screaming his lungs off and like after he pees and poops, he's like, now don't you feel better? Yeah, right, right, he's like, no, right. And then you go to sleep and do it all over again in 2 hours, so. That's funny. So Sriracha, out of that bunch, Sriracha was probably so handsome of the cat. Oh, he was so handsome. Um, but it was just so nice to see him just kind of develop into his personality because he was the first one to open his eyes. And yeah, and so it's just nice to see that. And so I I encourage folks because we're coming into baby kitten season.

 And so if you're not already involved with your local animal shelter, I highly do it. And whether you want to do bottle baby kittens or foster an adult cat or dog, I highly encourage you because it gives them a chance to thrive, you know, these animal shelters, especially now, they're overburdened. They are overwhelmed with animals. Whichever one the animals that are there, are totally different. And also just like the economy situation and people's living situations, they change. And so how can we meet people in the middle, both the people and the animals as well too. So I've always been a big, I used to be an adoption counselor back in the day. So I'm always a big advocate for that. And so that's kind of, again, like expanding my lanes of the things that I like to do, you know, and just feeding kittens has just been on my list. That's awesome for me, I love to do that. I've fostered kittens before, but I ended up keeping one and I have too much of a heart for it. Like, I took the other two to PetSmart for adoption, and I was crying. The guy at the counter looked at my boyfriend at the time. I was like, what did you do to her? It is like, it's an emotional release. Like it's so emotional to see them go, like, but I mean, I can tell you the stories of the kittens that I've fostered over the years and how it brings me more joe to see them go into their like their new homes and keeping them from the world. And I all my rule of thumb is always take more than one, always take more than one. Because I know myself and I know what I can, I know how I can get if I just have one. 

It's always 2 or more, 2 or more. That is always the baseline because it makes it easier for me to let them go. And then after it's done, I treat myself until the next cycle. Yeah, my mom's watching a fostering right now, a 15 year old Chihuahua. Oh my goodness. Between senior pets and puppies and kittens, yes. But yes, I definitely encourage folks again, get involved, whether that's environmental or animal wellness, welfare. Ask where you can help, because right now, that is what we're going to need. We're going to need community help, and we're going to need just the collective of community to come together to help fill in the gaps where they can. Yeah. Listen, I don't know if people listening, you don't just put this podcast down and go visit your local SPCA or bird sanctuary or something. If you don't feel like you need to get off your butt and you're after listening to Sierra talk, something wrong with you. Yeah, I've, I've done a lot of volunteering over the years, both from a volunteer as like a wildlife rehabber, like truly like rescuing wildlife birds from owls to crows to squirrels, but also volunteering with the animal shelter too, and also like nature centers. 

There is always a need. There's always a gap to be filled, and it's just a matter of like, what do you have capacity for and where and what are those areas that you would like to fill in your life too. So I always highly encourage it. Yeah, that's awesome. Well, we are pretty much out of time. Is there anything else you want to chat about before we let you go? Take care of yourselves, you know, that we are in some unprecedented times and so I think the most important thing that I hope folks, especially you all, the center joy, maintain and center joy, because that is what's going to help us move forward in this this new era of creating what our new normal can be. Yeah. That's awesome. I love that. And where can people get in touch with you? Absolutely. We're always more than welcome to connect with me on LinkedIn. I do a lot of posting and just kind of talking about conservation and social justice issues. So if you're ever in the mood to chit chat and talk about issues and ideas, feel free to send me a message. Awesome. Thank you so much. It was always great having you on the show. Thanks for coming back. Absolutely, my pleasure. Always a pleasure, dears. That's our show. Thank you, Sierra, for joining us again today. 

Please be sure to check us out each and every Friday. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review. Bye. See you, everybody.