Welcome to I’ll Go If You Go, a Save the Redwoods League podcast.
On I’ll Go If You Go, we have thought-provoking conversations with emerging environmental leaders from diverse backgrounds who explore and work in the outdoors. By examining how we think, work, and play 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.
I’ll go if you go — because when we explore together in community, the experience is all the more powerful.
Music by Nhu Nguyen and Anni Feng.
Episodes
Season 4Season 3Season 2Season 1
Season 4
In Season 4, we’re exploring the different kinds of jobs you can do in the redwoods and redwoods parks.
In this sixth episode, host Emily Harwitz travels to the Sierra Nevada mountain range (figuratively) with guest Neida Rodriguez, a rising forestry student at Cal Poly Humboldt and this year’s Giant Sequoia Forest Fellow. There’s only one species of the biggest tree on Earth—giant sequoias—and it’s a special treat to hear from Neida herself about what it’s like to work among giants and what stewarding sequoias looks like today. From preparing the land for healthy fire to learning from the Tribes who know this land best, to monitoring for bears and finding gray wolf tracks (!), Neida regales us with... Read more
In this fifth episode, host Emily Harwitz chats with Kyle Buchanan and Karla Jovel about Interpretation—the kind that blends science, art, and storytelling in the outdoors to help park visitors appreciate the natural and cultural histories of the places they love. We also get an inside look at the new and exciting project called Forests for All that’s bringing local communities out into Redwood National and State Parks to go on fun and meaningful excursions, from day hiking to days-long backpacking trips. Karla launched Forests for All in 2023 and soon brought Kyle in to support. Together, they’re shaping the... Read more
In this fourth episode, host Emily Harwitz chats with Daniela Peña Corvillon about her work as a water architect, a term she coined while studying landscape architecture and realizing that water is the foundation for life in any landscape. Where water flows, life grows, and water always finds a way. Redwood ecosystems are a great example of that, like at one of Daniela’s favorite projects, the ‘O Rew Redwoods Gateway. Through Daniela’s stories about her artistic perspective, design philosophy, and ecological thinking, this episode will change the way you experience landscapes and open your eyes to the way water shapes... Read more
In this third episode, host Emily Harwitz chats with José Juan Rodriguez and Verenice Sanchez about doing aquatic restoration in old growth redwood forests. Growing up in big cities, neither of them thought they’d one day be snorkeling beneath the redwoods or trekking along creeks to collect eDNA samples. But since then, they’ve followed their passions for nature and, after some surprising turns, have found their niches—their homes—in conservation. Verenice "Nice" Sanchez Verenice Sanchez is an aspiring restoration ecologist. She graduated from Cal Poly Humboldt with a BS degree in environmental science and management. A 2023 Redwood Rising Watershed Apprentice,... Read more
In this second episode, host Emily Harwitz chats with Francisco Saavedra about forestry, how his Yurok heritage informs his forestry practice, who the redwoods are to him, and what he hopes to accomplish as a Guardian of the Redwoods. Francisco Antonio Saavedra Jr. is a proud, federally enrolled member of the Pit River tribe Madesi Band, with Yurok and El Salvadoran ancestry. He was born and raised in Northern California. Francisco is currently studying tribal forestry at College of the Redwoods and aspires to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in Tribal Forestry and Natural Resources from Cal Poly Humboldt.... Read more
Welcome to Season 4! This season, we’re exploring the different kinds of jobs you can do in the redwood and redwoods parks. In this first episode, producer and host of season 1, Leslie Parra, interviews the current host Emily Harwitz. They talk about Emily’s love for nature, what she does for work when she’s not hosting I’ll Go If You Go, and how she’s approached her career in science and environmental storytelling. Read more
I'll Go If You Go Podcast producer Leslie Parra and host Emily Harwitz
About the host
Emily Harwitz (she/her) is a journalist, writer, and filmmaker who works at the nexus of science and art to catalyze social and environmental change. Trained as a scientist and journalist, she also draws from her experience working in conservation and the outdoors to tell stories that inform, inspire, and rebuild connection with the beauty of nature we’re all part of.
Emily Harwitz (she/her) is a multimedia science writer and photographer whose work focuses on the environment and our connection to it. She tells stories that foster community, provoke curiosity, and inspire a sense of deeper connection with the natural world around us.
Emily Harwitz (she/her) is a multimedia science writer and photographer whose work focuses on the environment and our connection to it. She tells stories that foster community, provoke curiosity, and inspire a sense of deeper connection with the natural world around us.
Leslie Parra (she/her) connects diverse communities to redwood and sequoia forests. She has garnered significant recognition for her leadership in community civic action, STEM and environmental education, and diversity, equity, and inclusion work over the past 15 years. Her professional calling is to cultivate enrichment programs with multicultural and international perspectives, driven by and in collaboration with communities. During her free time, she loves to go hiking with her partner Eric and their dog Mishqui (which means “sweet” in Quichua, the native language of Ecuador—a place she calls home).
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