How to Become an Urban Naturalist

Science Quickly

Scientific American

Science

4.4 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 25 April 2025

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Wild NYC author Ryan Mandelbaum takes host Rachel Feltman through New York City’s Prospect Park to find urban wildlife. They explore the city’s many birds, surprising salamanders and unexpected urban oases. Plus, they discuss what the rules of engagement with wildlife are and how you can find wildlife in your own urban or suburban environment. Recommended reading: Read Wild NYC: Experience the Amazing Nature in and around New York City, which is out now. Listen to our episode on protecting wildlife wherever you are. E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Naeem Amarsy and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by Rachel Feltman. Our show is edited by Alex Sugiura with fact-checking by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:41.9	For Scientific American Science Quickly, I'm Rachel Feldman. I love spending time in nature.
0:53.3	But that can feel hard to do when you live in a city.
0:58.1	Even out in the suburbs, it's tough to feel like you're really outside when you're outside.
1:03.3	But if you start thinking like an urban naturalist, you can find wildlife to appreciate everywhere you go.
1:10.2	My guest today is Ryan Mandelbaum. They're a science writer,
1:13.6	naturalist, and educator based in New York City. Their new book, Wild NYC, is a guide to exploring
1:19.4	the natural wonders of the Big Apple, but they've also got great tips on how to find wildlife
1:24.4	in any built environment. Earlier this month, we took a walk through New York City's Prospect Park with Ryan to learn
1:30.4	how to approach urban and suburban environments like a naturalist.
1:34.3	Bear in mind that we recorded this while walking around outside, so it will sound pretty
1:38.2	different from our usual in-studio episodes.
1:41.1	You can check out a video version with lots of cool plants and animals to look at over on our YouTube channel.
1:46.1	Hey y'all, we are here in Prospect Park with Ryan Mannabaum, the author of a book called Wild
	...

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