Outdoor Minimalist12 Mai 2025

181. Tips to Naturalize Your Yard from a 'Bad Naturalist' with Paula Whyman

What does it really mean to restore the land, and where do you even begin when faced with the complexity of ecological repair?

In episode 181 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, I’m joined by Paula Whyman, author of Bad Naturalist, to explore what happens when one person takes on the challenge of rewilding a landscape and the lessons learned along the way.

She is also the author of the award-winning short story collection You May See a Stranger. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The American Scholar, and more.

In her new book and this conversation, Paula shares the real-world realities of restoring damaged ecosystems — complete with unexpected surprises, setbacks, and personal growth.

But this isn’t just a story about managing hundreds of acres. It’s about recognizing that anyone can reconnect with nature and make a difference, no matter where they live. Whether it’s a backyard garden, a city balcony, or a patch of lawn, restoration and rewilding can begin wherever you are.

And I think this conversation lands at just the right time.

In a world where we’re constantly bombarded by bad news, it’s easy to feel powerless, when my anxiety spikes, my therapist likes to remind me to focus on what I can control.

Paula’s story is a reminder of that, too — of the simple, tangible things we can tend to our own lives and communities. It’s a hopeful, inspiring conversation to carry with you into spring and summer as we all look for ways to reconnect with the natural world and spark a little joy close to home.

INSTAGRAM: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

WEBSITE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YOUTUBE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@theoutdoorminimalist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LISTENER SURVEY: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/jd8UCN2LL3AQst976⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

---------------

Paula Whyman

Bad Naturalist: https://paulawhyman.com/bad-naturalist/

Website: https://paulawhyman.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulawhymanauthor/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-whyman-62a9956/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/paulawhyman.bsky.social

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(291)

230. What 3500 Miles on a Bike Teaches You About Owning Less with Taylor Nichols

Something I’ve always loved about human-powered adventures is that they can teach you a lot about what you really need to live a happy, fulfilled life. Access to safe and easy biking routes and walkin...

31 Aug 39min

Big Bend Bulldozers Paused, Mining Claims in Grand Staircaise and Bears Ears, and a Win for the Boundary Waters - Public Lands News (August 17 - 24)

In this week's public lands news briefing, we are covering three main stories:1. Minnesota's Governor Tim Walz signed an executive order using the power he has to help protect the Boundary Waters Cano...

24 Aug 30min

229. The History and Future of America's Public Lands with Will De Man

When the political moment feels overwhelming, what role do public lands actually play? Are they a luxury issue or something more fundamental to democracy itself?These are some of the core questions at...

17 Aug 38min

How You Can Fight Back Against Data Centers Where You Live with the Food and Water Watch

The Bureau of Land Management recently approved the Townsite Data Center, a project that would construct a data center on 88.5 acres of public land near Lake Mead in southern Nevada, marking this as t...

10 Aug 38min

228. Why Wolf Recovery Is So Controversial with Tommy Serafinski

Last week on the show, we covered major changes to the Endangered Species Act here in the United States, including the rescission of the definition of "harm." Simply put, this means that habitat destr...

3 Aug 44min

Chaco Canyon Protections Waiver, ESA Definition of "Harm" Rescinded, and What the BWCA Fires Tell Us About Fire Management - Public Lands News (July 18 - 27)

In this week's public lands news briefing, we cover three stories:1. Fires in Northern Minnesota continue to burn, including in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness ft. Aaron Kania, retired Fores...

27 Jul 34min

227. What Waste Free Product Design Actually Looks Like with Ruffwear

In 2024, the world generated an estimated 120 million metric tons of textile waste.That's the equivalent of every person on Earth throwing away about 33 pounds of clothing and other textiles in a sing...

20 Jul 40min

Forest Service Proposal Reduces Public Input, Mining in the Porkies, and Threats to Utah Monuments - Public Lands News (June 22 - July 13)

This week in the Outdoor Minimalist public lands news briefing, we're unpacking three stories:1. At the end of June, the Forest Service proposed a rule that could limit when the public has a say in Fo...

13 Jul 29min