Sunday E-dition: Kathleen Scavone on Nature, Nurture and a Life of Discovery
From moon rocks to Miwok artifacts, a retired educator reflects on a lifetime shaped by curiosity, classrooms and the natural world
Article Thumbnail: Kathleen Scavone reflects on a lifetime shaped by nature, science and education, from childhood beach adventures to moon rock studies in her classroom. Her journey spans decades of teaching, volunteering with NASA and exploring California’s landscapes and histories. Through it all, she reveals how curiosity and connection to the natural world can inspire generations.
Nature and Nurture
By Kathleen Scavone
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — What makes a nature lover? For many children, nature evokes elements of imagination, and as a kid growing up in Anaheim in the 50s and 60s, I was no different. Summers were spent body surfing and swimming at Huntington and Newport Beaches. Then, camping trips to Oceanside and Mexico captivated my family. Playing along the coast, my friends and I were “detectives” or “paleontologists” as we acted out involved scenarios while solving “mysteries.” Everything in nature fueled our imaginations.
Witnessing the phenomenon of bioluminescence as nighttime's ocean waves lit up during the mysterious chemical reaction along the coast was captivating. When the small, silvery fish called grunion were running, crowding the shore with their spawning ritual, we were engulfed and thrilled at the sight! The expansive ocean and its sheer grandeur continue to command my attention today.
“Nature feeds our spirits.”
Annual camping trips, no doubt, planted the seeds of wonder in my young mind. My parents, sister and two brothers all piled into the station wagon, sans seatbelts, to the Oregon Caves, Big Bear in the mountains of Southern California, Kern River, the Salton Sea, Fallbrook, Yosemite and Death Valley.
All of these landscapes radiated their intricate charms, creating constellations of questions with their constant lessons-in-the-making. As soon as we got home, I researched relevant questions via our trusty World Book Encyclopedia set.
Viewing geologic features such as Death Valley's Ubehebe Crater, with its 600-foot deep by half-mile wide crater created by maar volcanoes, presented us with a picture of Earth's dynamic surface. The desert invited us for up-close-and-personal looks at the complex life that lived there millions of years ago as evidenced by the wall of shell fossils we marveled at! Vanished settlements of creatures from another era whispered words from the past.
As were millions, I was moonstruck and followed the space program when I was growing up. Life Magazine and the Orange County Register as well as the television were all full of the exciting missions to space and the Moon landing!
I was an educator in Lake County for 24 years, and I spent countless hours as a volunteer for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA as one of their solar system ambassadors from 1998-2017.
I learned of numerous exciting missions such as Mars Curiosity, Stardust and the Hubble Space Telescope and presented lectures to the public. Becoming an SSA allowed me to meet fascinating scientists via conferences and lectures at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View. Many scientists proudly demonstrated myriad plant experiments that utilized a variety of light and color, with the understanding that astronauts would be growing food in space one day.
The lunar samples, 800 pounds of rocks lugged back to Earth from the six manned moon missions of 1969-1973, are still divulging their secrets to scientists today. When I became lunar certified through a class at NASA Ames, it qualified me to borrow the national treasures — the moon rocks — for my fourth-grade classes to study.
The Mare soil, Breccia, Orange soil, Anorthosite and Highland soils were all scrutinized and compared to Earth rocks. How those rocks sparkle under a microscope!
My classes became docents to the moon when they shared their findings with other classes at Coyote Valley Elementary School. They found that most moon rocks are igneous, the poles of the moon hold tons of water ice and that the moon, like our own planet, has a crust, mantle, and an outer and inner core — as well as moonquakes!
Did you know space geologists have their own lingo? Test your vocab skills in this week’s game. (Answer at the bottom of the page.)
We literally had a blast in my classes since our experiment, “Sunflower Seeds in Space,” was selected to blast off on the Discovery Space Shuttle. Some of us were lucky enough to attend the launch in Florida! The seeds were donated by a local nursery and were placed in special vials to orbit Earth for 17 days. When the seeds were returned, many discoveries were made when students compared space seeds to Earth seeds in the school garden!
Over the years we had many other space experiments, involving orbiting satellites to the International Space Station. Visits to Lake County's Taylor Observatory and Planetarium were always astronomy-related educational opportunities and are today not to be missed.
When I met astrophysicist Dr. Chris McKay at NASA Ames, he became a friend who frequently corresponded with our class and explained his many fascinating trips to the far corners of Earth to study extremophiles, or organisms that thrive in extreme environments. These Mars-like environments are studied as an analogue to Mars. He visited Antarctica, the Atacama Desert, the Arctic and the mysterious Crystal Cave in Mexico. It was fun and nerve-wracking being asked to present a curriculum-related paper at NASA Ames alongside Dr. Seth Shostak, astronomer for the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) and author!
My classes hosted visiting archaeologists, handled and interpreted ancient Miwok artifacts and learned about the science of archaeology with its map-making, drawing, writing and local history. This brought the past alive and made all of us want to become archaeologists.
In my spare time I was fortunate enough to participate as a volunteer for years on various Lake County archaeological digs alongside local archaeologist Dr. John Parker and his wife, Cheyanne. Dr. Parker helped in the creation of Anderson Marsh State Historic Park as well as editing my two books, “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and a historical novella based on the events leading to the Lake County Bloody Island Massacre, called “People of the Water.”
Later, I was asked to write curriculum to accompany the Emmy award-winning documentary “A Walk Through Time,” which can be viewed via the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association website. I'm proud to say that Lake County's superintendent of schools, Brock Falkenberg, placed my books and curriculum in all Lake County Schools. All these activities conspire to weave ever more learning opportunities for me as well as others.
Nearly each summer of my teaching career I busied myself taking as many science and history classes as I could in order to round out my masters in curriculum and instruction.
Then, returning to the classroom, I thrived on exposing my students to nature in all of its forms. We raised steelhead in the classroom, with in-depth studies of watersheds and the special needs of aquatic species. We raised fish eggs in the classroom aquarium all the way to the final fish release in St. Helena Creek.
Students were fascinated with the numerous bird species in our school environment as we participated in the annual Audubon Great Backyard Bird Count. Bald eagles, mocking birds, blue jays and hawks all united to expand our knowledge of avian life in the area.
Field trips to Putah Creek with biologists, geologists and other experts provided hands-on learning that appealed to all of us. We grew to understand John Muir's saying, "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." Then, as now, I encourage lifelong learning.
Nighttime allows us to wander beneath the stars as the skies are bright and clear, bringing the planets in close for further inspection. In 1997 when Comet Hale-Bopp, a long period comet, became visible to the naked eye, its extreme brightness and beauty captivated many. I snapped astrophotography photos on my pre-digital Nikon camera and wondered at it almost every night of its 18 months of visibility in 1996-97 after Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp discovered it in 1995.
Since escaping the Southern California smog of the 1970s and moving to Northern California's Sonoma County, then to Lake County, I began deeply reading books on natural history and wrote for the Middletown Times Star, then a piece for Mother Earth News magazine. I have loved writing since fourth grade.
It's always been a goal of mine to learn about my backyard including the surrounding counties, and I try to do so by taking interpretive walks led by the Audubon Society, Napa Open Space, Native Plant Society, Land Trusts, Sierra Club, Pepperwood Preserve and more.
During the COVID-19 lockdowns, I took Zoom class after Zoom class given by various experts on Native basketry, poetry, dragonflies, aquatic bugs, pollinators, ants, historical ecology, Sonoma Mountain geology, storytelling in nature and more! I suppose I may qualify to become a certified naturalist!
My husband and I raised our combined four children encircled by nature. We have all thrived upon knowing our non-human neighbors surrounding us. Nature feeds our spirits. Our children and now five grandchildren who are scattered across the globe from California to the Canary Islands are all avid hikers and nature enthusiasts! At my home near the border of Napa County I need only step outside of my door to experience a natural classroom with an unending variety of subjects from which I learn daily.
Now I fall asleep to the sounds of owls and coyotes and awaken to the gentle burbling of Bradford Creek and birdsong. Ahh, nature the nurturer.
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Kathleen Scavone, M.A., retired educator, is a potter, freelance writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora and Fauna Tour of a California State Park,” "People of the Water" and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She loves hiking, travel, photography and creating her single panel cartoon, “Rupert.”
Today’s Polls:
Poem of the Day
“The Sun Has Long Been Set”
by William Wordsworth
The sun has long been set,
The stars are out by twos and threes,
The little birds are piping yet
Among the bushes and trees;
There’s a cuckoo, and one or two thrushes,
And a far-off wind that rushes,
And a sound of water that gushes,
And the cuckoo’s sovereign cry
Fills all the hollow of the sky.
Who would “go parading”
In London, “and masquerading,”
On such a night of June
With that beautiful soft half-moon,
And all these innocent blisses?
On such a night as this is!
About the author: William Wordsworth (1770–1850) was a seminal figure in English Romanticism, renowned for his poetic celebration of nature and emotion. Born in England’s Lake District, Wordsworth’s early life was marked by loss and a close relationship with his sister, Dorothy Wordsworth, whose diaries informed his understanding of the natural world. With Samuel Taylor Coleridge, he co-authored “Lyrical Ballads” (1798), a collection that revolutionized English poetry through its accessible language and focus on everyday life. Wordsworth’s works, including his autobiographical epic “The Prelude,” exemplify his philosophy of poetry as the “spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.”
Appointed as Poet Laureate in 1843, he spent his final years in Grasmere, continuing to inspire future generations. His reverence for nature’s quiet beauty and belief in its spiritual and educational power are evident throughout his oeuvre, making him a central voice of Romantic literature. “The Sun Has Long Been Set” reflects his enduring themes — the quietude of evening, the richness of sensory experience and a preference for natural over urban spectacle — all expressed in spare, contemplative language.
Are you a poet, or do you have a favorite piece of verse you'd like to share? Napa Valley Features invites you to submit your poems for consideration in this series. Email your submissions to napavalleyfeatures@gmail.com with the subject line: "Poem of the Day Submission." Selected poets will receive a one-year paid subscription to Napa Valley Features (a $60 value). We can’t wait to hear from you.
Today’s Caption Contest
Pick your favorite caption or add your own in the comments below.
Possible Captions:
“First on the agenda: Pluto, stop raising your hand.”
“Alright, who drifted out of orbit again?”
“I know we’re all under a lot of gravitational pull right now.”
“If this turns into another flat-Earth debate, I’m out.”
“Let’s be honest — we just spin in circles until the Sun stops talking.”
Last week’s contest results
In “Roman Holiday Gelato and the Taste of Freedom,” the winning caption was “Browsing the dark cellar web,” with 39% of the votes.
“Googling: ‘Signs your vintage is over the hill.’”
“Browsing the dark cellar web.”
“They thought I was corked. They were wrong.”
“He poured the glass — and saw his own reflection.”
“Somewhere above, a corkscrew turned.”
Last Week
In “Freedom Tastes Like This,” Tim Carl profiled Elisha Smiley, a former tax accountant who opened Roman Holiday Gelato in St. Helena after training at Le Cordon Bleu and Gelato University. Smiley’s shop, which debuted in October 2023, emphasizes fresh ingredients, including local fruit and house-made inclusions like hand-rolled cookies. Known for its distinctive flavors such as mint stracciatella and white peach bellini, the gelato is made with precision and care that reflect Smiley’s background in both finance and pastry. Inspired by the film “Roman Holiday,” the shop features a purple Vespa and even a mobile gelato cart for events. Carl explored how Smiley’s career shift reflects a quieter kind of freedom — one expressed through craftsmanship and flavor.
Tim Carl, in “Off to the Races: Napa Valley’s 2025 Harvest Begins,” reported on the launch of this year’s grape harvest, starting with chardonnay at Matthiasson Wines in Napa. Steve and Jill Matthiasson opened their season with fruit destined for a sparkling wine and a low-alcohol peach blend, reflecting both their organic farming practices and alignment with consumer demand for fresher styles. Carl also documented early picks across the valley, including sauvignon blanc, pinot noir and pinot grigio, noting the season’s unusually cool weather and slow ripening. Vineyard voices emphasized teamwork, tradition and resilience. The piece framed harvest as both a technical milestone and a deeply rooted ritual.
Kathleen Scavone, in “Cunning Coyotes,” explored the behavior, ecological role and cultural significance of coyotes in California, with a focus on Napa County. She described their vocalizations, adaptability to urban and rural environments, and value in controlling agricultural pests. Scavone also discussed the coyote’s role in Native American traditions, where it often appears as a trickster figure, and noted conservation efforts by Project Coyote. The article included guidance on safe coexistence, emphasizing education and respect for wildlife.
Anne Ward Ernst, in “Bouchaine’s Art of the Blend: Wine, Olives and Falcons,” examined how Bouchaine Vineyards integrates estate-grown olive oil into its culinary and agricultural practices. The winery sources oil from more than 3,000 olive trees at nearby Olive Hill Estates, using a blend of five Italian varietals to create oils that, like wine, reflect each season. At a recent tasting event, chef-prepared dishes showcased both the oil and Bouchaine wines. Ernst also detailed the vineyard’s sustainability efforts, which include using falcons for natural pest control. The piece highlighted Bouchaine’s commitment to ecological balance and multisensory experiences.
Tim Carl, in “As America Drinks Less, Napa Feels the Squeeze,” analyzed Gallup’s 2025 data showing a record-low 54% of U.S. adults drink alcohol, with sharp declines across key demographics. The drop is paired with falling per-capita consumption and growing public belief that even moderate drinking is unhealthy. Carl examined how these shifts threaten Napa Valley’s wine economy, particularly as core consumers like women and young adults turn away from wine. Industry insiders offered mixed reactions — from concern to cautious optimism — while economic pressures and competition mount. The piece underscored that the industry’s survival may hinge on swift adaptation.
Dan Berger, in “Can Carneros Cabernet Be Napa’s Future?,” revisited the potential of Napa’s Carneros region for producing structured, age-worthy cabernet sauvignon amid rising valley temperatures. He recounted a 1977 Carneros Creek cabernet made with Truchard fruit and discussed how Francis Mahoney, a longtime Carneros grower, foresaw the area’s future viability for cabernet due to its cooling coastal influence. Mahoney eventually sold a challenging high-altitude vineyard to winemaker Steve Matthiasson, who is now developing it into the Cressida Vineyard, focused on balanced red wines. Berger highlighted Matthiasson’s plans for varietals like cabernet sauvignon, cabernet Franc and merlot, aiming to revive “old school” wine styles. The article tied regional climate shifts to evolving strategies among Napa growers.
Gayle Nelson, in “The Facts About Deadly Phytophthora,” described the fatal diagnosis of Phytophthora afflicting a 45-year-old black walnut tree in her garden. The UC Master Gardener of Napa County recounted spotting bright orange blotches on the trunk, which led to her research and eventual confirmation of the disease by a certified arborist. Nelson explained that Phytophthora is a fungal-like pathogen that causes root and crown rot, particularly in wet conditions, and is usually untreatable in mature trees. She also reflected on the ecological and personal value of her tree, considering options for eventual replacement. The piece balanced technical insight with a personal narrative of loss and decision-making.
Answer + Explanation
A. Starquake
A starquake does exist in astrophysics: it describes a sudden, violent reconfiguration in the solid crust of a neutron star due to stress from enormous magnetic or rotational forces. These events have been detected through observations of changes in pulsar timing and bursts of X-rays or gamma-rays from space observatories. The other choices (Moonmelt, Lavafrost, Cratercloud, Icefire) are not recognized as real terms in any geological or astrophysical context; they do not appear in scientific literature.
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