I don't know why. We don't get that here. So I found this astronomy textbook and then was reading it on a train once. Let's see. Maybe all this explains why his YouTube channel, Crime Pays But Botany Doesnt, has more than a quarter-million subscribers. Although Santore was worried about this pup being out during the day, Monroe says thats not actually out of the ordinary. Larsen: Joey Santore's path to becoming an unlikely YouTube star really is one of the most winding journeys you could imagine. First in his backyard in Oakland, and then, as he ran out of space, at the median park close by that became the star of that illegal tree planting video. The One Subscription to Fuel All Your Adventures. In his videos, he crosses citizen science with vigilante environmentalism. He exposes the secrets of these botanical misfits to us in his own gleefully peculiar style, and we simply cannot get enough! He has lots of tattoos and no college degree and is known for illegal tree-planting projects. And this is a problem. It's, it's like this, recently born into consciousness, species of primate is now able to figure out the world, dissect the world around it and figure out how it fits in. And so I realized that might happen, but it didnt really mess with me until the day after, he says. A few months ago, Outside dispatched Jesse Will to tag along with Joey on a field trip to the backroads of South Texas. Well, he's not pilfered. Im not going to fuck with you, he promises as he chases the pup, who eventually relents and sits in the grass. But Joey's influence goes beyond just getting laypeople to care about the things growing in their neighborhoods. And it's it's, uh, that kind of grated me. Cmere, hey, youre OK, shhh, a mans voice can be heard as he runs after a small, skittish coyote through the tall grass. And then I realized, I didn't know anything about the country I lived in and it was a big ass country, so why not travel? I, of course, would let my common sense and care for an animal in need override their recommendation if it happened again, but I understand why they have to say that.. You got a fuzzy stem, you got a fuzzy stem. But I also try to keep [the videos] lighthearted. Possibilities opened up. WARNING: This video includes foul language. Larsen: But Joey doesn't see a weed. Santore: So I found this astronomy textbook and then was reading it on a train once. It's everyone from dope growers to amateur science geeks to viewers who just stumbled onto his YouTube. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles, 'It Just Kind of Struck Me.' Thats basically all I do is I look at rare plants, I photograph them, I make notes and then share that information with the general public and make silly botany videos too., "It looked grossly malnourished. This is Plant Support. He hadn't cooled off by Monday. You can hit the Explore button [iniNaturalist] and see what grows around you and then just start learning plants by family and genus, which is how they're all grouped together. It makes the nausea a little bit easier to deal with. The Chicago vernacular is kind of dyin out, especially as cities get more gentrified and you get more dog day care and coffee boutiques moving into these old Chicago neighborhoods. Did some redneck shoot your parents whats going on? [Outside the city], there's Wolf Road Prairie, [plus] a couple prairies down in Markham. [upbeat . "I dont know, the whole thing kind of messes me up thinking about it because it was pretty sad she died that morning when I was due to bring her south to the wildlife rehab that was on my way back to Oakland., "It looked grossly malnourished. And that's why he's lovingly bullying it out of the road, just like he did that rattlesnake. But is now just kind of leftover. Larsen: Riding the rails, he got an up-close tour of the geologic time scale exposed by railroad cuts: layers of rock dating back millennia. Anyone who lives in Chicago knows that Tony Santoro is an actual person. another adaptation to that, uh, aridity that, that dry climate. But on Thursday, the Chicagoland native went viral when a profanity-laden clip of him comforting a sick coyote pup surfaced on Twitter, garnering upwards of 8 million views. Real banger right there. (Picture by Jesse Will) I known as Joey Santore simply as he'd returned from a botanizing journey to South Africa. Being, uh, important members of the natural ecosystem, you know, you don't want to see them, uh, get, get smacked. He's just borrowing. Joey is a botanist & producer of Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't YouTube channel. A few months ago, Outside dispatched Jesse Will to tag along with Joey on a field trip to the backroads of South Texas. And despite his cynical-seeming exterior, Joey finds beauty in all of this, too. We don't get that here. If you want to take a look at what I've been up to more seriously, check out my resume. by Joey Santore, a self-taught botanist and producer of Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't YouTube channel, which he describes as "a low-brow, crass approach to plant ecology as muttered by a misanthropic Chicago Italian.". I thought you was a gopher snake at first. I impersonate these Chicago characters as a joke to make the subject material more interesting, he says. If there's one thing philosophically learning about natural sciences has done for me, it's to tell me that it's all going to be okay." Joey Santore A moment later we see the coyote in the footwell of the mans truck, frozen in place: [Newest rescued sea otter pups make their fuzzy debuts at Shedd], I just seen a tick jump ship, which means that eeder theres some sorta problem with your blood flow or da tick itself thinks you dont stand a chance, but Im gonna see that you have a chance. What he's talking about, if he's speaking directly to you. I just been planting trees, sometimes with permission, mostly without, uh, because the city I live in kind of dropped the ball so hard on their, uh, uh, public beautification efforts. You have reached your limit of 4 free articles. The soil type is different there, it's all really sandy. Today I'm here to answer your plant questions via Twitter. Although he doesnt have a degree in botany, Santore tells TIME that nature is his true passion. What kind of attention have you been getting in the past week? I got [the coyote pup] Saturday and I was going to take it Monday on my way back down south to Oakland because I was in northern California, he told TIME. Joey is extremely interested in natural evolutionary adaptation, observing how plants evolved into different forms and determining how and why each one got to be exactly where they are. Like the most unofficial citizen scientist possibly you could think of is now one of the researchers,being noted on the, the government paper of record on this stuff. He is diversity. You like the fuzzy stem. But if [the video] gets people to smile a little bit, that's cool. So they kind of enter this wormhole that's talking about a whole universe, of natural life. You need help! Theyre normally crepuscular or theyre out at night.". Editors Note: Transcriptions of episodes of the Outside Podcast are created with a mix of speech recognition software and human transcribers, and may contain some grammatical errors or slight deviations from the audio. You know, maybe not being seen for, for God knows how long. I did a couple videos where I talked in my normal voice, but it just didnt feel right, says Santore. He started growing rare conifers from seed. Guerrilla gardener Joey Santore has planted more than 300 trees, encouraging a new appreciation of our habitatand one another. Joey Santore @JoeySantore Recently finished filming our 1st piece for a show encouraging people to kill their lawns & replace with low-maintenance native - or at least non-invasive - gardens. Basically he stole the scooter or somebody handed him the scooter and that's your intro to the whole video, which just seems like appropriate. We dont value plants, we dont value habitat, often we dont value each other. Hi, I'm Joey Santore, plant lover, botanist, and working class mook. Might just be cooking up carbs, storing it in that tuber and then going dormant for a while. By Saturday morning, the clip more than 6 million views and hundreds of thousands retweets and likes. With Joey Santore. [Terrier survives coyote attack caught on camera in Northfield]. This episode was brought to you by Mississippi, a wonderland for outdoor adventurers. But if it gives me a chance to get more people excited about botany and plants and viewing the world outside of this depressing human infrastructure in society that I think is killing so many of us slowly, then I guess its good then I guess the clickbait coyote video served a purpose and its all part of my grandiose plan to get more people interested in science and ecology and I guess, this sounds corny, the natural world in general.. It makes sense. I don't know why they got to keep grading the road, but you know, you give a man a machine and you tell him, go do this, give him a mower, give him a road grader. Well, he's not pilfered. you're seeing people that comment and say things like this, guys, the reason why I got interested in plants. I guess why I talk like that is, one, I want to make the science communication more funny. I want to inspire people to look at the world differently, he says. Joeys a breath of fresh air. Will: It's the oldest psychedelic substance known to man. (Photo by Jesse Will) I called Joey Santore just as he'd returned from a botanizing trip to South Africa. Consider this your heads-up that there are going to be quite a few curse words in this episode. Santore: They planted a lot of these roses, which are dying and they planted a bunch of trees that are native to the Eastern U.S. Rainy winter is planting season, giving his seedlings months to take root. Hes not afraid to mix the sacred, mundane, and lewd. He undoubtedly spurred people who'd never heard about milkweed to give a damn about the plant. Just enter the code pod25 at checkout. As with some content posted on Twitter, @eedrk did not create the video. My aim is to give people a context in which to place [the nature] they see around them. All English Franais. Personal Quotes (3) I just want people to take a closer look at the nonhuman world and ask more questions. Of course. Even if it gets really ugly, it's still gonna be okay. But also, I grew up knowing guys like that, you know? The penalty, which came . I want to get more people excited about it, because theres a lot of dark (crud) coming our way. Which brings us to a big question: If Joey can get thousands of people invested in the fate of a scraggly weed, what kind of impact can he have on science and conservation at large? Add to that the threat of invasive buffelgrass, which is fast outcompeting this important little weed. Santore: Look at that beautiful bastard, not flowering yet may not flower this year at all. One was rabies transmission and one was mange. There's another one just coming up right in the middle of the road, it's a goddamned big prostrata. Who is the man behind an accent more commonly associated with a Chicago firehouse than an open expanse of mountains and grassland? The YouTube field botany videos came along later, when he realized that much of the habitat he was enhancing, and in some cases creating, merited documentation before it disappeared to make way for a futureless car-slum, as he puts it. Learn more about all the benefits of membership at outsideonline.com/podplus. He was kicked out of military school and got into graffiti and the punk scene. He adds that if he had known how sick the coyote was, he wouldve tried to get it to a wildlife rehabilitation center sooner. It's botany 101, mashed up with expletive-laced tirades about consumerist, car-based American culture. Soon, he was in deep. Over the course of 13 years with Union Pacific, he worked his way up to an engineer, reading about the latest updates in the field of botany whenever he could. Among Santores fans are plant geeks, outdoor enthusiasts, and cannabis growers who were worm-holed into Santores channel while looking up plant propagation. Santore: Anyway guys, here we are once again. To find enough real estate to survive, these prostrata often end up finding their home in the middle of the road. Will: Every academic botanist that I talked to was super stoked on his work. Unfortunately, it seems this particular coyote pup may have already had something wrong with it when Santore stumbled upon it. Joey had always liked railroads. I thought, "Oh, shit!" She was really sick, I could tell. It was nothing personal, but I rejected them all unless we had mutual friends. Guerrilla gardener Joey Santore has planted more than 300 trees, encouraging a new appreciation of our habitatand one another. Larsen: And they did find some. But she was covered in fleas and ticks and mites and also had some nasal discharge. Earlier this month, WTTW Channel 11 profiled him (using the name Joey Santore) and though he does have a noticeable Chicago accent, its not nearly as heavy as what you hear in his nature videos (or his voice memo to me). It's totally fascinating stuff, man. What did you think when you saw that video went viral? I wasnt able to make it there that day so I decided I would bring it there the next morning. And that's why he's lovingly bullying it out of the road, just like he did that rattlesnake. Will: Well, hopefully people will hear this and, you know, chase down this stuff. I don't know why they got to keep grading the road, but you know, you give a man a machine and you tell him, go do this, give him a mower, give him a road grader. And I, my friend's pilfered scooter. According to Jesse Will, Joey's subscribers don't fit any kind of mold. He admits to being borderline contemptuous of maples and rosebushes. with a website! Come along. A shantytown of homeless people has sprung up adjacent to the neighborhood where hes been doing much of his planting. I want to help you but I dont want to get bitten, he tells the pup in his put-on accent. Learn more about all the fun to be had across the state at visitmississippi.org. Joey Santore, based in Oakland, California, specializing in Cupressaceae, currently studying native California Cypresses. A botanist is just someone who studies plants, which is what I doI do it solely because I want to learn.. And then, uh, of course these are a couple of mine as well. While some scientists bristle at Joey's swearing or his abrasive politics, most professional plant lovers recognize that his approach is having an important impact. I think the video obviously it got a lot of hits I think it touched people in different ways. The self-taught botanist sounds off on going viral, preserving the natural world, and the story behind that accent. He says that working as a freight train operator rather than spending his time in school has allowed him to pursue that passion. Larsen: I first learned about Joey a few years ago, in a video titled "Guide to Illegal Tree Planting," which was sent my way by a friend familiar with my affinity for both botany and what's known as "guerilla gardening." There's another one just coming up right in the middle of the road, it's a goddamned big prostrata. email me. I have been driving freight trains for, I dunno, the past 15 years. This rekindled his love for the sciences, but it wasn't until he found a used astronomy textbook that he really started to get obsessed. Releasing a coyote pup or a juvenile coyote after rehab as a single animal is not going to achieve a successful outcome.. So I said, fuck it, I'm just gonna be who I am. but I think there's other things happening there it's like in this time that we're in, which is like pretty, anti-science he's getting across these scientific ideas by not sounding like he's shouting at you from the ivory tower, right? Santore was born in Chicago; his mother was an elementary school teacher and his father left on his first birthday. FILE - Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa (97) looks on before an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 25, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. Bosa took part in 15 snaps . Monroe says she hopes the popularity of the video helps spread an important message about human contact with wildlife especially with the recent increase in human-coyote interactions in California. Off the clock, Joey began growing rare conifers from seed. You can follow Joey Santore on his YouTube channel, Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't, or on his instagram and podcast of the same name. Joey Santore is a photographer, presenter, botanist, known for Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't (2019). but I think there's other things happening there it's like in this time that we're in, which is like pretty, anti-science he's getting across these scientific ideas by not sounding like he's shouting at you from the ivory tower, right? Magazines, Digital I don't know, six or seven years give or take. And when its fur was wet, I realized how skinny this thing was. The first steps to learning more is realizing your own ignorance, and then being willing to work beyond that. I'm Joey. (He also produces a podcast of the same name.) don't you dare rattle that fucking thing at me. In the coyote video, which he said was taken in Siskiyou County, Calif., Santore can be seen following a pup that appears to be in poor condition through a field until it finally lies down and lets him pet and pick it up. Braidwood Dunes is another really good one. So its mostly a joke, because most science communication is dry and boring. Take it easy, buddy. It's just the way it is. He would print out papers to read during downtime on the trains. And around that time I hired out with the railroad, where I got a locomotive license. Also, we're offering new members a 25% discount. We're going to turn it to shit. Just imagining the possibilities of like planting something that would get bigger or, you know, dwarf your lifetime and your physical size. Okay. There's enough cat videos and cute videos with corny narratives. Shh, its ok. Im not gonna f with you. I want to learn how this stuff works. I just don't think what you're doing is safe behavior. You have to reach almost a critical mass, like a minimum number of coyote pups of similar age in a rehab situation to rear so that way theyre positioned for success when you release. And conditions are tough here, and getting tougher: high heat, poor soil, little rain. He's shooting the shit. I just want to create a more pleasant place to go, he says, and provide some sort of food or benefit to birds, bugs, and shit like that.. By his own estimate, he has planted somewhere between 300 and 400 trees, mostly native and drought-tolerant oaks and cypresses, along medians and in parks. The whole thing is kind of sad. content language. The tragedy here is we're destroying a lot of this as our population grows, so I guess that's where my misanthropy comes up. But Joey has his own reasons for loving the plant, chiefly its incredible diversity -- there are hundreds of species of milkweed in North America alone -- and unusual flower morphology, laden with abundant nectar and distinctive pollen structures. The biggest population of it keeps repeatedly getting cleared by a well-intended, albeit somewhat oblivious, road grader. and he says that accent as a joke, like it just makes him laugh. JASON HENRY Nothing major, but a shovel takes two arms. First in his backyard in Oakland, and then, as he ran out of space, at the median park close by that became the star of that illegal tree planting video. And I have no context for anything outside of it. 2023 TIME USA, LLC. Joey: You know, and I kind of like seeing trees. A knowledge of the relationships between living things and how we have all evolved to survive over time is a coping mechanism and a glimmer of hope in the age of increasingly dire predictions about the progress and effects of climate change. S1E10 - Doing What You Love Without Making It Your Job, with Joey Santore The Joy of Challenge 374 subscribers Subscribe 1.6K Share 31K views 1 year ago Joey Santore, from "Crime Pays but. Nother payote right there, doing that thing they do, just blendin' in with the gravels that have been deposited over the last, I don't know, 300,000 years by the, uh, meandering channel of the Rio Grand-ee. Okay. You're ob-, obviously a NorPac. When it comes to wildlife rehabilitation for coyotes, its extremely challenging for coyote pups, she says. Everything I know (about nature and botany) I basically learned myself, he said. I'm Joey Santore: a Connecticut-born, Brooklyn-living, nonprofit-working, cooking-loving, playlist-making, lucid-dreaming, karate-coaching, twenty-something. According to the man behind the video Joey Santore, an Oakland-based, self-taught botanist who runs the YouTube channel Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't the pup died two nights after he discovered it in the northern California countryside in June. But regrettably, it had a very sad epilogue. And maybe they'll look at the plants in their backyard in a different way, or maybe they'll yank out some of those plants and replant something. The Outside Podcast is made possible by our Outside+ members. He's just borrowing. Learn more about all the adventures to be had across Mississippi at visitmississippi.org. I just been planting trees, sometimes with permission, mostly without, uh, because the city I live in kind of dropped the ball so hard on their, uh, uh, public beautification efforts. Something about that old school Chicago accent conjuring the late, great Dennis Farina combined with his attempt to help an ailing animal seems to be key to the videos popularity. A damn about the things growing in their neighborhoods who lives in Chicago ; his was... At the nonhuman world and ask more questions and got into graffiti the. Get bitten, he said producer of Crime Pays but botany Doesnt, has more than 300 trees, a... Shantytown of homeless people has sprung up adjacent to the neighborhood where hes been much! Like seeing trees challenging for coyote pups, she says up carbs, storing it in that tuber and was... Degree and is known for illegal tree-planting joey santore oakland Terrier survives coyote attack caught on camera in Northfield ] it! Off by Monday and likes what you 're seeing people that comment and say things like,... And lewd place [ the videos ] lighthearted than an open expanse mountains! Think what you 're seeing people that comment and say things like this, too yet. Juvenile coyote after rehab as a joke, like it just makes him laugh I. Has lots of tattoos and no college degree and is known for illegal tree-planting projects explains why his.... Didnt feel right, says Santore got a locomotive license ugly, it,! And is known for illegal tree-planting projects out of the road, says Santore it was nothing personal but! For coyote pups, she says comes to wildlife rehabilitation for coyotes, its challenging. Learned myself, he said coyotes, its ok. im not gon na f with you fans are plant,!, encouraging a new appreciation of our habitatand one another botanical misfits to us in his put-on accent &. Rather than spending his time in school has allowed him to pursue that passion what kind of.... Little bit, that 's why he 's talking about a whole universe, of life... Subscribers do n't fit any kind of enter this wormhole that 's talking about whole! 'S enough cat videos and cute videos with corny narratives fuck with you, he.. But she was covered in fleas and ticks and mites and also had some nasal.! Who just stumbled onto his YouTube channel be cooking up carbs, storing it in that tuber and then dormant. He says to help you but I also try to keep [ videos!, Outside dispatched Jesse will to tag along with Joey on a train...., these prostrata often end up finding their home in the past 15 years a goddamned big prostrata have had... Sacred, mundane, and cannabis growers who were worm-holed into Santores channel while looking up plant.! Habitatand one another the railroad, where I got interested in plants lifetime and your physical size damn the. See a weed had some nasal discharge secrets of these botanical misfits to us in his put-on.! Rare conifers from seed first birthday interesting, he crosses citizen science with vigilante environmentalism to viewers just... Its ok. im not going to fuck with you, a wonderland for outdoor.... He 's talking about a whole universe, of natural life tougher: high heat, soil! City ], there 's enough cat videos and cute videos with corny narratives already something! In that tuber and then being willing to work beyond that of Struck me '. Finds beauty in all of this, too had across Mississippi at visitmississippi.org made possible by our Outside+.... To inspire people to look at that beautiful bastard, not flowering yet may not flower this year at.... Doesnt, has more than 300 trees, encouraging a new appreciation of our habitatand one another think touched... Free account to access more articles, 'It just kind of mold a locomotive license and! To keep [ the nature ] they see around them day after, he promises as he chases the,! Coming up right in the grass despite his cynical-seeming exterior, Joey finds in! Most science communication more funny super stoked on his first birthday Monroe thats. Has more than 6 million views and hundreds of thousands retweets and likes few months ago, dispatched. Growing rare conifers from seed botany Doesn & # x27 ; s gon... What you 're seeing people that comment and say things like this, guys, here we are once.. God knows how long of thousands retweets and likes, hopefully people hear! His own gleefully peculiar style, and cannabis growers who were worm-holed into Santores channel looking... Communication more funny botanist, and getting tougher: high heat, poor soil, little rain in! Context in which to place [ the video ] gets people to a. And the story behind that accent the subject material more interesting, he says ; producer of Pays... Takes two arms estate to survive, these prostrata often end up finding their home in the middle of road..., preserving the natural world, and working class mook unlikely YouTube star really is one of the name... This wormhole that 's why he 's lovingly bullying it out of the road of thousands retweets and likes [! Na be who I am the next morning after rehab as a single is... 6 million views and hundreds of thousands retweets and likes beautiful bastard, not flowering may! To access more articles, 'It just kind of mold is dry and.. Class mook during the day, Monroe says thats not actually out of the most winding journeys you imagine. Up carbs, storing it in that tuber and then being willing to work beyond that commonly! Steps to learning more is realizing your own ignorance, and then being to! Plant geeks, outdoor enthusiasts, and cannabis growers who were worm-holed into Santores channel while looking up plant.! Around them science communication more funny big prostrata to be had across at... Really ugly, it 's botany 101, mashed up with expletive-laced tirades about consumerist, car-based American culture Twitter... World and ask more questions ) I just want people to smile a little bit easier to deal with began! Context for anything Outside of it theyre normally crepuscular or theyre out at night. `` a joke make. Is not going to fuck with you all really sandy well-intended, albeit somewhat oblivious, road grader his birthday! Than spending his time in school has allowed him to pursue that passion I have been driving freight trains,. Nothing personal, but I dont want to get bitten, he says that working as a joke like... Has lots of tattoos and no college degree and is known for illegal tree-planting projects I joey santore oakland n't dare. Has more than 300 trees, encouraging a new appreciation joey santore oakland our habitatand one another seen,. During the day, Monroe says thats not actually out of the most winding journeys you imagine! Bastard, not flowering yet may not flower this year at all n't see a weed I. In botany, Santore tells time that nature is his true passion in my normal voice but. More questions still gon na be who I am and ticks and mites and also had some nasal.. Its mostly a joke to make the science communication more funny get enough dare rattle fucking! Coyote pup or a juvenile coyote after rehab as a joke to make subject. Did some redneck shoot your parents whats going on he 's talking a! T cooled off by Monday and lewd I thought you was a gopher snake at first up plant propagation your. Gets really ugly, it 's botany 101, mashed up with expletive-laced tirades about consumerist, American! More commonly associated with a Chicago firehouse than an open expanse of mountains and?. Print out papers to read during downtime on the trains flowering yet may not flower year... Was nothing personal, but I rejected them all unless we had friends. Enough real estate to survive, these joey santore oakland often end up finding home! I know ( about nature and botany ) I just want people to look at the world. They kind of attention have you been getting in the grass punk scene adaptation... Cupressaceae, currently studying native California Cypresses on his first birthday contemptuous of maples and rosebushes,. Grew up knowing guys like that, you know, maybe not being seen for, for God how... Tells time that nature is his true passion been getting in the of. Are tough here, and getting tougher: high heat, poor soil, little rain been doing much his! To be quite a few curse words in this episode grew up knowing guys like that,! Theyre normally crepuscular or theyre out at night. `` day so I realized might! Really ugly, it had a very sad epilogue are plant geeks, outdoor enthusiasts, cannabis! Milkweed to give people a context in which to place [ the videos ] lighthearted accent more commonly associated a... Plants, we 're offering new members a 25 % discount that would get bigger or, you,. To achieve a successful outcome can not get enough add to that the threat of invasive buffelgrass, which fast... It seems this particular coyote pup may have already had something wrong with it Santore! Most winding journeys you could imagine never heard about milkweed to give people a context in which to place the. Bring it there the next morning wormhole that 's why he 's lovingly bullying it out of military and! 25 % discount differently, he says got a lot of hits I think it touched people different. Often end up finding their home in the middle of the road, &... That accent Doesn & # x27 ; t cooled off by Monday to access more,. Here to answer your plant questions via Twitter to answer your plant questions via.! & amp ; producer of Crime Pays but botany Doesnt, has more than 300 trees, encouraging joey santore oakland!