Notes from the Field TNC's Video Series from the Field © TNC

Notes from the Field

A video series where cutting-edge science meets adorable animals

September 09, 2021 | Last updated May 08, 2024

Welcome to Notes from the Field, a video series straight from our TNC scientists in the field.

Meet some of the amazing species that support the ecosystems we all rely on—they’re also pretty cute! This variety of life is what we call biodiversity. The habitat we protect for these species can sequester carbon at incredible rates, a critical tool in our fight against climate change.

Frog eating bugs. — **California Red-Legged Frog** Eats insects that carry disease. © TNC

Say hello to the animals and plants that work behind the scenes to make our lives possible, and find out what The Nature Conservancy is doing to protect them.

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EPISODE 13: A Road Trip Like No Other

A Road Trip Like No Other (5:25) Senior Nature Conservancy Scientist Greg Golet is up before the sun in the Sacramento Valley searching for migratory shorebirds. His goal? To understand the birds traveling the Pacific Flyway so TNC programs like BirdReturns can do even more to help them.

EPISODE 12: The Secrets of the Mojave

The Secrets of the Mojave (6:47) Join two scientists on an expedition of epic proportions! TNC's Sophie Parker, and Michael Clifford led a team of experts from across the life sciences on an unforgettable journey at TNC’s Atwood Preserve in the Mojave Desert. Their goal: identify as many species as possible in just 48 hours.

EPISODE 11: Environmental Education

Environmental Education (5:47) This month on Notes from the Field, we join Diego Ortiz, environmental education program manager at the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve. Walk along with students in the field and find out just how wild a classroom can be.

EPISODE 10: Mapping Kelp with Drones

Mapping Kelp with Drones (6:13) Join TNC Ocean Scientist Vienna Saccomanno on a mission to map kelp strongholds on California's North Coast. We can't save kelp if we don't know where it is, and Vienna's team is using drones to find it. Meet nature's new eye in the sky.

EPISODE 9: Rats! Protecting Santa Cruz Island from Furry Invaders

Protecting Santa Cruz Island from Furry Invaders (5:23) Join Biosecurity Manager Juliana Matos and Software Developer Nathaniel Rindlaub on Santa Cruz Island, where our team has installed a state-of-the-art security system to keep out a dangerous invader: rats! Find out how technology is protecting island ecosystems.

EPISODE 8: Building Homes for Salmon

Building Homes for Salmon (4:57) Join North Coast Project Managers Dave Wright and Peter Van De Burgt on the Ten Mile River in Mendocino County. TNC has been working for years to make this critical waterway a haven for native salmon and now that work is paying off. See for yourself!

Studies have shown that important watersheds like the Ten Mile and Garcia Rivers only have about 5% of the salmon habitat they once had. So, TNC decided to change that.

Dave Wright

North Coast Project Manager

EPISODE 7: Scouting for Whales

Scouting for Whales (4:40) This month, we follow California Oceans Project Director Aliya Rubinstein as she and her team partner up with Conservation Tech to revamp the technology rescuers use to save whales tangled in fishing gear. Meet Scout, the little orange device making it all possible.

What would our oceans be without whales? Thanks to Scout, we have a better way to keep them safe.

Aliya Rubinstein

Emerging Issues Project Director, TNC California Oceans

EPISODE 6: Join the Fire Line on a Controlled Burn!

Join the Fire Line on a Controlled Burn! (5:12) Join Sierra Nevada Project Manager Angel Hertslet as she and the team conduct a “controlled burn,” putting beneficial fire on the landscape to help protect the forest from catastrophic megafires.

We are living in a world where the fire season never ends. The work we do to protect our forests today, will ensure that we still have forests tomorrow and beyond.

Angel Hertslet

Sierra Nevada Project Manager for The Nature Conservancy

EPISODES 4 & 5: Tracking the Elusive Giant Kangaroo Rat and Blunt Nosed Leopard Lizard

Giant Kangaroo Rat (8:24) Scientist Scott Butterfield introduces us to the amazing endangered species of Central California's Carrizo Plain, a protected landscape the size of Los Angeles. He's on the trail of the endangered giant kangaroo rat, the plains grapefruit-sized ecosystem engineer.

Blunt Nosed Leopard Lizard (5:32) Today, Scott is searching for the endangered blunt nosed leopard lizard. This amazing species can jump up to 23 inches, and it has a taste for insects and biologists.

At TNC we often say that nature is our solution, and the giant kangaroo rat is a natural problem-solver.

Scott Butterfield

Senior Scientist at The Nature Conservancy

EPISODE 3: Red-legged Frogs Hop to New Habitat

Red-legged Frogs Hop to New Habitat (4:22) Stewardship Manager Susan North takes us on an international journey to reintroduce the red-legged frog to its native habitat in Southern California.

The California red-legged frog was once common up and down the West Coast. As the largest native frog in the Western United States, it was even a food source for the 49ers during the California Gold Rush.

Susan North

Stewardship Manager

Global Land Protection

Be it blunt-nosed lizards or kangaroo rats, we're committed to protecting life on Earth.

Our 2030 Biodiversity Goals

EPISODE 2: A Dating Service for Salmon

A Salmon Dating Service (3:58) Scientist Jennifer Carah takes us inside a conservation dating service for endangered coho salmon on California’s North Coast.

In some years less than 10 adult coho survive to spawn in the Garcia River. Which makes it really hard to find a mate, especially one who isn’t a sibling or a cousin.

Jennifer Carah

Senior Scientist with The Nature Conservancy

EPISODE 1: Making a Splash in Baja California Sur

Meet Poseidon (3:17) Fisheries Project Director Frank Hurd takes us out on the water in El Manglito, Baja California Sur with a new fishing tool that's changing the game for people and nature. Meet Poseidon.

In just 24 hours, El Manglito took what is normally a multi-year process that requires fisheries scientists and government funding, and did it with local community members for free.

Frank Hurd

Fisheries Project Director

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Notes from the Field