The Land

S1: I love living in San Diego. Sometimes what I really like is that you guys know San Diego , we have a very different reputation than the rest of our state. So when you go to more conservative places , they find that you're from California. They immediately hate you. They're like , Oh , yeah , you live in California , huh ? How do you like all this freedom here ? Well , there's freedom everywhere. There's liberty in the molecules. You can breathe it in. There's freedom everywhere. You live in that liberal , socialist.
S2: Communist California. Where do.
S1: You live ? In California. You go to San Diego , they go , Oh , we love San Diego.
S2: You are now tuned to the Park Edison Project Project.
S3: Good morning. Welcome to season two of the P e project. This go round , we're showing you how culture plays a part in our everyday lives. This episode theme is the land from birth. The Earth is the first thing. We connect with one deep breath and we're tied to it. There is no thing more into the culture. The land gives us our fabrics for fashion , shapes our behaviors and habits , and makes the traditions , the systems we pass and practice. It's a sad thing how we take it for granted so often. According to some studies , spending a mere 4 to 5 minutes observing nature can cause positive changes in blood pressure and muscle tension , as well as soothe anger and anxiety. That lasted been interested me quite a bit. As someone who suffers from anxiousness , I wondered how much nature should we get regularly ? And is it even more important amidst the hustle and bustle of my inner city lifestyle ? Any San Diegan worth their weight and salt has noticed how nicely the city has interspersed splashes of nature. Balboa Park. Old Town , Choice Lake. Just to name a few. One of my favorites is Cows Mountain. I could describe it when said I'll let a professional clue you in on all its beauty.
S2: I've been working here for over seven years.
S3:
S2: And then I had this general education course interpretation of the wilderness or something like that. And my professor at the time was the academic advisor , and he had done everything that I wanted to do. He worked in Denali National Park. He wrote for Backpacker magazine. And so it kind of made me realize that I didn't necessarily want to be a teacher in the traditional classroom , since I wanted to go more into outdoor education.
S3: Often , Julie , the media gives us this picture of Rangers being men.
S2: Women kind of have to overcompensate to prove ourselves that we're capable of , you know , swinging a pick matic to build a trail or be curt enough and assertive enough to respond to people or die or have a sense of entitlement in the park when they're not necessarily complying with our rules and regulations. So I've definitely felt it. There is no denying that I have had people stop me when I'm building trails and joke about making the male ranger do it. But it also kind of solidifies the need for more women in this industry and for young people to see that. So my favorite thing , when I have little girls that like tug on their their moms shirts and say , look at she's a ranger , that is what I am. And that is what makes me so glad to be here and makes me recognize my my position and hopefully , you know , the influence that I can have in other people's lives.
S3:
S2: And we have some trails. You know , we have something for everyone. But people come out to the park. I think they have this misconception that it's a park more like a community park where it is manicured. They're going to find a field where they can dribble a soccer ball or , you know , take their kids on a swing set. And this is a very different type of park. I mean , you're out here , you are exposed to the elements , incremental weather. And of course , people think park. They think maybe , oh , there's trees there. This is a mediterranean climate and most of our trails will take you through chaparral. So it is hot , it is exposed. And most of our rescues out here at Mission Trails are due to heat related illnesses and of course , an ankle injury usually. So that's what I mean. People come out to the park expecting one thing and then they actually step foot on the trail and they realize that maybe they're in over their heads.
S3: Can we talk about Castles , mountain.
S2: Coals , mountain ? It is pronounced coals. George Hill was an early land owner developer out in the East County area. So Hall's Mountain Life , the department store , we want to respect the dead , right ? It says The Namesake , so we want to pronounce it correctly. So Cold Mountain is our most popular peak in the park , of which we have five. So Calls is the tallest peak in the city of San Diego. We see so many people , uncles , mountain , over half a million a year and on average weekend between two and 3000. Fortunately , that number does fluctuate. We see less traffic on the. In the winter. There are multiple ways to get up to the summit. However , most people only know of the staging area , the the main trail from golf course to Navajo. And I blame it on the algorithm. If you are new to San Diego or if you want to find a new trail , all you have to do is search hikes in San Diego. And Kohls Mountain is one of the first to pop up. So it is loved to does San Diego.
S3: It's an urban and city environment.
S2: We all need those types of opportunities. I read a study recently , the perfect amount of time. We all need to strive for 2 hours , 120 minutes a week , a week where you can just see these natural processes around you , you know , the changing of the seasons , 120 minutes a week. So it's very , very clear. And I like to say it's good for both souls. Right ? It's good for your physical health. Obviously , having recreational opportunities and open spaces like this is very important. I would rather go out on a strenuous hike than go use some dirty machine at a gym personally. But obviously I'm in this field , so maybe I'm a little bit slow , just a little. But it's also so , so important for our mental stamina to just get us through the daily grind of work , even working from home. I mean , it is so important to separate yourself from the TV or from your computer screen and get outside and smell the earth and feel the dirt. Feel it. You know , it's so important.
S3:
S2: I think having experiences in the wild is the best way to to create stewards , to create concern and passion. And so people that don't come out to these areas , they don't really understand what they have. We have nature walks three days a week that have here from the visitor center. They are docent led by our wonderful trail guide. So you can come out and have those experiences.
S3: How cool is she ? Makes you want to go for a walk in the sunshine a.s.a.p , right ? Well , I think you should. In fact , before we get into our next interview with an award winning biologist , and conservationists will give you something to listen to in the fresh air. This is my guy King Days hosting the latest installment of MSM movies Millennial Movie. Check it out.
S4: All right. This is movies. Millennials should movie. I am your host , King Dykes , musician , social commentator and connoisseur of fine cheeseburgers. I am here with my guest , Dustin Nickerson.
S1: How are we ? Good to see you , my friend. I am technically a millennial , so this is , you know , but I'm on the elder side of it. You know , I'm a geriatric millennial , which is which. I don't like that term at all.
S4: You are a comedian.
S1: I'm a standup comedian , which means I do standup comedy for about 10% of my job. And then 90% of my job is writing and or marketing said standup comedy. Right.
S4: Right. Which directly ties in to the theme of the movies that we're going to be talking about today. Our theme for today is comedies. My movie for today is money.
S2: Same time , man. I don't know. You seem to.
S1: He's a hustler by day. $50 million. He's a player by night. How about some nice Dom Perignon 85 Tabasco. Whatever.
S2: Whatever.
S1: And the only thing bigger than his bank account.
S2:
S1: Is his mouth so great.
S4: That money talks ? So this is a movie starring Chris Tucker and Charlie Sheen. It's a fish out of water story about a hustler and a reporter who have to spend the weekend together putting Chris Tucker's character in the midst of Charlie Sheen's wedding events and upper class in-laws. I promise you , hilarity ensues. For me , it's one of the last Chris Tucker movies that I really remember , just like falling in love with.
S1: That's one of those movies that came out. And yes , I saw once and I was like , that was good. And then you just forget it ever happened.
S4: Well , it is a tradition for us to give our movies a rating via emojis. I want them to lower my score now that I realized that this is like the Chris Tucker movie that people don't think about. So I have to get me to take a point away. So I'm going to give it a three out of five stacks of cash to change.
S1: Out of that.
S4: All right , Dustin , tell us about the movie.
S1: My movie is a Thanksgiving movie. It's not a lot of Thanksgiving movies exists , and it's a tradition in the Nickerson family home to watch it. And that movie is called Planes , Trains and Automobiles.
S4: Oh , yeah. It's a great deal during holiday travel. Some people get delirious and then some get. Dale Griffith , American Airlines.
S3: Executive Director of Sales , Shower.
S1: Curtain Ring Division.
S4: Neil Page got all three. I was on my way home and a nice holiday with my family. Instead , I'm in a motel bed with a stranger.
S1: This movie is John Candy and Steve Martin , which already a good sell. And it is kind of your classic disaster road trip movie. You know , you have someone who needs to get somewhere and everything that can go wrong goes wrong. And it's Steve Martin as the straight man , which you never saw. Steve Martin , the wild and crazy guy , you know , plays the straight man in it next to John Candy , who is masterful in this movie. And it's kind of a flashback to eighties comedies in John Hughes movie , where comedies their goal was not to be a joke. Every 15 seconds , this movie's got a lot of heart. It's got a lot of depth. It might be my very favorite movie. It's it's. I love it so much.
S4: That's a great film. And I think it's kind of like , I don't know , indicative of just the comedy films that I love , that both are like these , these two people who are partnered together. That's the basis for like 90% of the comedy movies that that I love.
S1: Smile with tears , emojis. Okay. Because it really is going to hit you with both. You maybe 4.5 out of five.
S4: Well , Dustin , do you have anything coming up soon that you'd like to plug ? Tell us about Dustin Nicholson.
S1: I'll take you to the upcoming live shows. I put out a whole special on YouTube. I put out new videos there every Sunday. I'm on Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , whatever , whatever your thing is , probably that.
S4: Well , this is Moody's millennials should movie I'm your host shooting dice and yeah be kind to me why.
S2: Stay tuned for more of the. Yep , yep , yep. Hello. This is Maya from Maya's Cookie's San Diego. We are America's number one black gourmet vegan cookie company. You can check us out on our social media. Maya's cookies. San Diego.
S3: Welcome back. In 1998 , a pair of U.S. botanists coined the term plant blindness , describing a disturbing pattern of children's tendencies to recognize animals as living creatures before plants. If shown a picture of animals in the wild and asked to list the living things , kids would only write the animals they knew. Which sounds like a small thing. But the problem is those kids grow up to be adults with little interest in conservation or public funding for plant research. When you consider that we not only eat the animals that eat the plants , but utilize nature's herbs and medicines to heal ourselves. This is beyond problematic. This is what a previous generation would describe as not being able to see the force because of the trees. In other words , we are so short sighted that we don't realize that cutting down one tree is always the first step in destroying an entire forest. I'm deeply rooted in this subject. No pun intended. My name , Parker , comes from a long line of naturalists. That's where. That's where the family name Parker will come from. Is being the outdoors , the keeper of the park ? Uh huh , uh huh. One of those people who would guide. Attract those people.
S1: And they. Track.
S2: Track. They track people. They track the animal. They could show they were so familiar with the park or the.
S1: The the the.
S2: Outdoors that they they.
S1: Knew all the trees , the vegetation.
S2: They knew the water and everything. So they knew the land so well that they could tell you where to go to actually find the animals.
S3: As sure as I'm using this platform to discuss nature's importance , I have other members of my family making careers with the same goals. We're an example of a group of people passionate about getting answers to this conundrum creatively , finding ways and finding solutions that subtly , sometimes not so subtly , could save the world.
S2:
S3:
S2: And it's an honor to be able to share your last name. So my name is Mamie Parker , and you are my nephew.
S3: So awesome. So awesome.
S2: When most people call me an activist and they call me an environmentalist. I studied Fish and Wildlife. I studied Limnology , which is the study of fresh water , bodies , lakes and streams. But what I really want to be known is , is more of a mirror for little black girls and boys and brown girls and boys to see something that they could be. I just love women. The government. The poem that talks about seeing it is believing it and that you can achieve it and be brave enough to see it. So what I do now is to go around and share my story on why it's important for us to save this planet. And we don't realize that. Same in nature. Often times we'll save ourselves.
S4: Oh , my gosh.
S3: I'm in such agreements with all of that.
S2: Yeah , and I know you like music , so I'll tell you how I was inspired when I was young. Very young teenager. I heard Marvin Gaye song , and he talked about in his song , Mercy , Mercy Me. And he said , What happened to our blue skies ? And then he said , Radiation in our air. And he said , Mercury in our fish that we eat. And that really does kind of made me in the voice of Arnold from Diff'rent Strokes when he said , What are you talking about , Willis ? What are you talking about ? This did I ain't your grandmother ? My mother was an avid angler , fished a lot , took me fishing with her. But I knew that the protein in my diet came from the land and from the fish that I ate in in many instances. So that was a call to action for me that came from several individuals. But Marvin Gaye had a lot to do with that. And that song , Mercy. Mercy Me was called The Ecology , was the name of the album.
S3: I had no idea that that was such an influence for you. That's really cool to know. You're a native of Arkansas. Yes.
S2: I am a native of rural Arkansas , right on the Louisiana border , Mississippi Delta.
S3:
S2: A black woman from the south spending most of my career in the in the Midwest and upper Midwest , in Minnesota and Wisconsin and Massachusetts and here in the Washington , D.C. area and in Georgia , that I've been called many names. I've experienced a lot of isolation. I've experienced a lot of macro and micro aggressions. I've been called the N-word. So it was not always easy , but it was something that I felt that we needed to do. I was often in areas where I was the only woman of color. I was the only woman in many cases. I've been doing this for 42 years now. And so as you can imagine , how America was and how it's changed even in the last year since the George Floyd incident. America is now talking about a lot of things that we didn't talk about , and so that made it somewhat difficult. I had less allies , but I did have some. There were good days and bad days for sure. Wow.
S3: Wow. Tell me about the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame.
S2: So I believe at the time I was a head of fisheries in this country and the outdoor hall of Fame in Arkansas. They honor pioneers and individuals that made great contributions to natural resources. And I was nominated because of the fact that I was the first Arkansan to rise to the level of head of fisheries in this country. That was just one of the many things that I was able to do in that job. You go and look on the wall there , and in Little Rock , Arkansas , you'll you won't see very many women or people of color there. So what a great privilege and honor it is and a big responsibility. Right. When we in positions like that. To whom much is given , much is expected for sure. Go.
S3: Go.
S2: ARTIGO You know.
S3:
S2: They've done a lot of research on the impacts from a mental and physical standpoint , on what nature does for us. So if we have parks in green spaces in urban communities , it offers us the medicine that we need in many cases to renew our souls. We need nice streams and rivers and streams because that's the water that we drink is coming from that same stream that you see. So people say , Why should I care about that ? You want that in your community. You want to learn to appreciate it. And so to me , if you put it board in the mind of a person in an urban community , the importance of nature and small green spaces , the hope would be that they would become great advocates and protectors of that property because they know that it provides an oasis.
S3: I wanted to ask because I was perusing Wikipedia. I was so impressed to look at your Wikipedia how extensive it is. What is it ? May and associates.
S2: So I named it after my mother. So is my Parker and Associates , your grandmother. What it's all about in my mind , being a nurturer of being a success coach to help others reach their goals. As I mentor and coach executives by facilitating meetings and do some public speaking to talk about the value of nature. How.
S1: How.
S3:
S2: What can we do to do our part to influence climate change impacts or reduce those ? Right. So I tell people to turn lights off when you leave your room. I tell people to turn the water off when they're brushing their teeth. Trees. We don't have trees in our communities that mean that our land is getting warmer. Right. So that's causing climate change. So , you know , be protective about cutting trees , but also look for opportunities to plant trees. I've been promoting clearing pollinator gardens because one in every three bites that we take is because of pollinators , whether they're butterflies , bees or birds. They're the ones that are pollinating our food. That's just a few things that we can do. But the main thing is to become more aware , right ? Just become more aware. And , and in. Call yourselves to action and call others to action.
S3: Not all superheroes have superpowers. I like Batman in The Flash , too , but the cast of Captain Planet might have been doing something deeper in the grand scheme of things. Figure out what part you're going to play in no matter what. Do something if you enjoy the music in this episode. It's multi award winning composer and jazz musician Nathan Hubbard. Look him up. We'll close with a selection from his 2014 project. This is Walled Garden. Something different than you're used to from us. Enjoy. See you in two weeks.
UU: To his or nothing to toning down every phase the. Oh. The four story drifting might. She ? Three. For. With think.
S2: Some songs.
S3: Thanks for stopping in. The Parker Edison Project is produced and hosted by yours truly , Parker Edison and the Good People at Platform Collection. Be sure to subscribe and catch the next episode on Apple , Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. If you have any comments or questions , visit the Parker Edison Project icon or hit us on Instagram at the P project. My guide , Kurt CONAN , is audio production manager. Lisa J. Morrissette is operations manager and John Decker is Associate General Manager for content. This programming is made possible in part by the KPBS Xplore Content Fund. Hello. Saying that because it reminds me of Sesame Street. Just a safe out there.