In the Season 5 finale, host Monica Carcamo‑Binetti returns to the redwoods to revisit a tree she considers a friend. She reflects on connection and gratitude, inviting listeners to say hello to a tree and to remember that we are never alone.

Monica revisits the voices and stories from earlier episodes, weaving them into a warm moment of reflection on our relationships with the natural world and with each other. This special episode closes the season with gratitude for all who joined the journey and for the powerful connections we share with the forest.

In the seventh episode of Season 5, host Monica Carcamo-Binetti heads into the Santa Cruz Mountains to record on location at San Vicente Redwoods. She is joined by Sempervirens Fund natural resource manager Beatrix Jiménez-Helsley. Beatrix’s path into land stewardship began with a spark of awe for the redwoods’ cousin, the Giant Sequoias. That early wonder shaped her career dedicated to tending forests, protecting watersheds, and nurturing resilient ecosystems in a changing climate.

Monica and Beatrix talk through the layers of restoration unfolding across this 9,000 acre landscape, from fuel reduction plots and post-fire recovery, to the quiet importance of leveraging manmade ponds that now serve as a habitat source for rare birds, raptors, and other native species.

This conversation is also a reminder that stewardship is a shared responsibility. Beatrix reflects on the volunteers, local partners, and first-time hikers who care for these lands and reminds us that tending to the redwood ecosystem is not just environmental work but an essential act of community health and resilience.

Recorded among sweeping ocean views, drifting fog, and the chorus of native birds, this episode invites listeners to step into San Vicente Redwoods and imagine what it means to co-exist with the landscape that sustains us.

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**Guest bio**

Beatrix Jiménez-Helsley is an ecologist passionate about protecting and restoring California’s biodiversity. She has worked in academia, non-profit, and private sectors, with experience in research, fieldwork, community outreach, teaching, conservation land management and restoration, biological surveys, and construction management. Beatrix was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles and Downey and is a proud daughter of immigrants from Mexico and El Salvador. She loves discussing nature, science, and research, and sharing her love of California native plants and the vast ecodiversity in her region, and beyond. Beatrix holds a BA in Biology (CCS) and a minor in Earth Science from UC Santa Barbara.

**Socials**

IG: @botanicalbeatrix

In the sixth episode of Season 5, Monica travels to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park to meet with two crew members of the trail crew who work on one of Big Sur’s most beloved trails. She sits down with Riley Dunn and Margarita Munguia of the California State Parks Trail Crew, who worked on the complex repair of the Pfeiffer Falls Bridge after a massive redwood tree damaged it during a storm in 2023. Together they share their experience on this unique repair and what it takes to build trails that feel as natural as the forest itself.

With support from Save the Redwoods League and California State Parks, the Pfeiffer Falls Trail reopened in June 2025 and once again guided visitors through the redwoods to the waterfall. Recorded on location, this episode offers an inside look at the invisible work that goes into keeping these trails accessible for visitors. It reminds us that every trail we walk is a testament to connection, resilience, and the enduring spirit of those who care and are influenced by the redwoods.

Riley Dunn is a Park Maintenance Worker I for the Monterey District/Statewide Trail Crew who leads complex trail projects in state parks around Monterey and Big Sur. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Studies, but chose a career in trails over the typical office job. Riley has always been an avid hiker who loves maps and adventuring outdoors; she even thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail. Nowadays, she gets paid to hike and create positive outdoor experiences for others, but she still loves to go backpacking as a “civilian” whenever she can. Follow her on Instagram: @radunn11

Margarita is a trail worker at the Monterey District Trail Crew. She has worked on trails with the California Conservation Corps and Santa Ana Water Association since 2018. However, when she started working with state parks, she discovered a newfound passion for climbing redwoods. Follow her on Instagram: ⁠@margaritatonic