Guests of the show
Each guest has a deep, uncommon bond with the natural world.
Casey Clapp has spent his career learning to read the language of trees — and then finding ways to share it with everyone else. Based in Portland, Oregon, he trained as a professional arborist and city forester before co-creating Completely Arbortrary, a science comedy podcast about trees. He recently published The Trees Around You, a field guide to over 350 species found in Pacific Northwest neighborhoods. Now he's attempting something larger — The Year of the Cone: a yearlong mission to find all 111 conifer species in the United States. Casey's gift isn't just knowing trees. It's making the people around him feel like they've been missing something extraordinary in plain sight.
April Rose helps people feel connected to land they may never physically step on. As Education & Outreach Manager for Travis County Natural Resources, she works at the intersection of conservation, community, and storytelling — translating complex ecological systems into experiences people can understand, value, and carry into their everyday lives. Her work centers around over 30,000 acres of protected habitat in western Travis County, set aside to support endangered species from cave invertebrates to rare songbirds. Because much of this land must remain inaccessible, April designs programs that bring the story of the land to the public without compromising its fragility. April's work is a reminder that connection doesn't always require access — sometimes it begins with understanding.