Podcast Archives • Page 2 of 11 • Mountain & Prairie

Brendan Leonard is back for his third appearance on the podcast—this time recorded in person at his house in Missoula. Brendan’s the creative mind behind Semi-Rad, and over the years, he’s become a good friend and one of my most trusted advisors when it comes to creativity and building a life around the things you care about. He’s a writer, illustrator, filmmaker, ultrarunner, teacher, and all-around creative machine—someone who’s carved out a career by doing things his own way, with a healthy dose of humor and generosity.

This episode is pretty much two friends sitting at a kitchen table having a laid-back chat about our long list of shared interests. We talk about everything from teaching writing and designing online courses, to the pros and cons of Substack, to how to market your work without feeling like a sellout. We dig into the practical side of creativity—how to make things, share them, and make a living—without losing the joy and weirdness that made you want to create in the first place.

We also get into self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, why Brendan makes funny books like 15-Second Recipes, and why he believes that generosity, self-deprecation, and consistency matter more than flash or perfection. There’s a lot here for anyone trying to make meaningful things in the margins of a busy life… or build a creative life from the ground up.

If you’re new to Brendan’s work, be sure to check out his website, newsletter, and his earlier podcast episodes. I’d also specifically encourage you to check out his most recent book Ultra-Something, his recent film The Seven Summits of My Neighborhood, and the podcast he co-hosts, which is called The Trailhead.

Brendan is one of the most thoughtful, practical, and humble voices out there when it comes to creative work, and I’m always better off after talking to him. Hope you enjoy.

—
All photos courtesy of Brendan Leonard

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—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

2:11 – Brendan blowing out the speakers
3:47 – How Brendan got into teaching and early days at Freeflow
8:06 – Brendan’s teachers
11:09 – The Feynman technique
14:10 – Substack versus a website
17:54 – The necessity of marketing yourself
20:53 – Keeping the voice
25:00 – Moving Brendan’s writing course online
27:23 – Keeping it low-key
29:40 – Abundance vs. scarcity mentality
33:56 – Publisher vs. self-publishing
38:39 – Nickels and dimes of self-publishing
42:31 – Talking Seven Summits of My Neighborhood
50:23 – Digging into the niches
51:55 – Curing the male loneliness epidemic
55:44 – Helping people with humor
58:43 – Treating others with respect
1:00:07 – Book recs

Information Referenced:

Brendan Leonard
Freeflow Institute
University of Montana J-School
Dirtbag Diaries podcast
The Feynman technique
Ryan Holiday’s Perennial Seller
What To Do When It’s Your Turn
15 Second Recipes by Brendan
The New American Road Trip Mixtape by Brendan
Sixty Meters to Anywhere by Brendan
Ultra-Something by Brendan
The Seven Summits of My Neighborhood, a classic.
Local: A Search for Nearby Nature and Wilderness
Book recs: The Dad Rock That Made Me A Woman, Penguin Classics box set of really short stories (or at least one of them.)

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes

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Posted on July 8, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Adventurers, Artists, Athletes, Books, Creativity, Entrepreneurs, Writers

Sean Claffey is the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Conservation Coordinator at the Nature Conservancy, a role that places him at the center of one of the West’s most overlooked but critically important ecosystems: the sagebrush steppe. Based in Dillon, Montana, Sean works across public and private lands to protect and restore this sprawling, foundational landscape that serves as habitat for countless species, supports rural economies, and connects the region’s valleys and mountain ranges. Through his leadership in the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership—a collaborative effort uniting agencies, landowners, and nonprofits—Sean helps ensure that the health of this “land in between” doesn’t fall through the cracks.

In this conversation, Sean and I dig into the complex threats facing sagebrush country, from invasive grasses and wildfire to conifer encroachment and land conversion. We talk about how fire suppression and ecological shifts have allowed evergreens like Douglas fir and juniper to overtake sagebrush, and how Sean’s team is using a mix of prescribed burns, manual thinning, and innovative partnerships with local mills to restore balance to the landscape. He also shares how they’re engaging young people in hands-on restoration work, creating pathways for rural youth to connect with the land and gain meaningful employment.

Sean brings a unique blend of scientific insight, community-mindedness, and boots-on-the-ground experience to this work, and he’s quick to credit the collaborative culture of southwest Montana for making so much progress possible. From low-tech wet meadow restoration to building a more resilient restoration economy, this is a hopeful, grounded conversation about how conservation can succeed when it centers people, place, and purpose.

If you’re a new listeners and want to go deeper on this subject, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to my earlier episode with Matt Cahill who gives an excellent crash course on the Sagebrush Sea and the epsiode with Austin Rempel and Nancy Smith, who dig deep into riparian restoration in Montana.

But for this episode, be sure the check out the webpage and episode notes for some excellent videos about Sean’s work and links to everything we discuss. Thanks for listening.

Photos courtesy of Sean Claffey

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…or wherever you get your podcasts!

EPISODE PARTNER:

This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond. You can access all of the episodes here.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

3:26 – Intro and Ed’s love of Dillon
4:14 – The Sagebrush Sea
7:19 – Pressures on the sea
9:42 – Conifer expansion, the main reason for grassland reduction
12:00 – Ecological, environmental, economical
17:52 – Working with the timber industry
21:59 – Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership, not just another NGO
26:41 – Sean’s first priorities with SW MT Sagebrush
30:11 – The way the water should flow
34:47 – Youth programming
40:53 – Cheatgrass, an actual cheater
43:47 – Containing cheatgrass
45:01 – Cheatgrass and fire
47:02 – Working with private landowners
52:58 – Connecting with the community
58:21 – A little more about Sean
1:01:10 – Career advice for people who want to make the world a better place
1:03:54 – Book recs and life recs

Information Referenced:

Sean Claffey
Matt Cahill M&P episode
The Sagebrush Sea, the connective tissue between mountain ranges and valley bottoms.
Working with a shutdown lumber mill in Dillon to support TNC conservation work.
Bill Zeedyk, letting the water do the work.
Nancy Smith and Austin Rempel M&P episode
Youth Employment Program
Conifer expansion
Youth Corps
Tribe by Sebastian Junger
Rx fire, recent imagery
Biomass utilization
Wet meadow restoration
Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership
The River Why, David James Duncan
David James Duncan M&P episode

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.

Posted on June 30, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest, TNC

Agriculture, Conservation, Conservationists, Entrepreneurs

Adam Cramer is the CEO of the Outdoor Alliance, a coalition that brings together human-powered outdoor recreation groups to protect public lands and waters. With a deep understanding of both policy and recreation, Adam has helped position the Outdoor Alliance as a powerful voice in the national conservation movement—bridging the gap between grassroots outdoor communities and high-level decision-making in Washington, DC.

Before launching into public lands advocacy, Adam spent years working as an attorney in DC. But outside the office, his life was centered on outdoor adventure—he started as a skateboarder, then became a climber, and eventually a whitewater kayaker. A chance encounter in a river parking area led to his first pro bono conservation case, and that spark ultimately evolved into his full-time vocation. Adam’s story is a testament to the idea that if you care deeply about a place, there’s a way to use your unique skills to help protect it.

In this conversation, we talked about the origins of the Outdoor Alliance, Adam’s evolution from attorney to coalition-builder, and why generosity—not dominance—is his guiding principle for leadership. We discussed why civic engagement matters more than ever, how outdoor recreation can build bipartisan bridges, and why showing up—even when it feels small—can make a real difference.

It’s worth noting that we recorded this conversation in early June 2025, just as a wave of new legislation and political turbulence was rolling across the public lands landscape. Since then, things have continued to change rapidly. If you care about the future of outdoor recreation and conservation in this country, I highly recommend signing up for the Outdoor Alliance’s newsletter or following them on social media to stay informed and involved.

Again, a big thanks to the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation for introducing me to Adam and another big thanks to Patagonia Denver for generously letting us use their community room to record this conversation. Enjoy!

—

Photos courtesy of Adam Cramer and the Outdoor Alliance

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EPISODE PARTNER:

This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation.

To whom much is given, much is expected. This value guides the philosophy behind the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation today.

Committed to its cause and infused with an entrepreneurial spirit, Mighty Arrow aims to invest in solutions that take action on climate change to build a more vibrant future, repair relationships from farm to market to table, heal our connection to the lands and waters we call home, and demand a more just and equitable society.

To learn more about Mighty Arrow’s forward-thinking, optimistic, and visionary work here in the American West and beyond, please visit www.mightyarrow.org.

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

3:05 – Intro (with a jiu jitsu connection)
6:45 – Law school, then what?
8:01 – The individuality of skateboarding
10:38 – Billdering
11:45 – Beginning of kayaking and the end of a relationship
13:40 – A type of code switching
16:26 – Giving back to the places
23:03 – How Outdoor Alliance came together
27:51 – Sticking points
30:46 – Attorney mindset to strategy point-person
33:13 – Leadership inspiration
37:24 – A generous mindset
42:49 – Who’s pro selling off public lands?
45:21 – Guidepost goals
49:04 – The reason Adam got on the plane to Colorado, where he’s talking with Ed
48:14 – Why you should engage with your elected officials
58:30 – Evidence the world doesn’t totally suck
59:43 – Optimistic?
1:03:40 – How to get involved
1:05:06 – Book recs

Information Referenced:

Adam Cramer
Outdoor Alliance
Outdoor Alliance – TAKE ACTION
Sign up for Outdoor Alliance Action Alerts
The latest from the Outdoor Alliance (as of 6.16.25)
Outdoor Alliance on Instagram
American Whitewater, a law firm that started the path of Adam’s giving back to a place.
Upper Yough, what Adam decided to fight for. Background from American Whitewater.
William Guerry, Adam’s former boss, who encouraged his early conservation advocacy.
FLIPMA, federal law that, in essence, says the federal estate should remain intact.
Advocacy Days exist for many different organizations. Here’s info on one for the Land Trust Alliance.
Public Lands in Public Hands Act
Book recs: The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin; Ezra Klein’s Abundance

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.

Posted on June 16, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Adventurers, Conservation, Conservationists, Entrepreneurs, Leadership, Service

Tony Bynum is a conservation photographer, scientist, and advocate who’s spent decades working at the intersection of public lands, Indigenous rights, and environmental storytelling. Based in Montana, his images have helped shape national conversations around energy development, landscape protection, and the cultural importance of the Northern Rockies. His work has been published widely and used by countless conservation organizations to make the case for protecting wild places.

Before photography became his profession, Tony spent many years working for the Yakama Nation as a senior scientist, eventually landing in Washington, D.C., where he helped shape tribal environmental policy at the highest levels of government. But his path was never linear. A born-and-bred Westerner, he’s been a cowboy, a fly fishing guide, a federal program manager, and a backcountry wanderer. His guiding principle—“Don’t just love something, do something for it”—has carried him through an unconventional but deeply impactful career.

In this episode, Tony tells us about his winding path and the values that have guided him along the way. We dig into his time in D.C., his decision to walk away from a conventional career, and the beginnings of his conservation photography—especially his long-running effort to document proposed energy development on the Blackfeet Reservation and the edge of Glacier National Park. As you’ll hear, I stepped back a little bit in the conversation and let Tony tell his story in his own words, and the result is a thoughtful and unfiltered look at what it means to live a life rooted in land and responsibility.

Thanks so much for listening, hope you enjoy!

(C) TONY BYNUM
(C) TONY BYNUM
(C) TONY BYNUM
(C) TONY BYNUM
(C) TONY BYNUM
(C) TONY BYNUM
(C) TONY BYNUM
(C) TONY BYNUM
(C) TONY BYNUM

—
All photos by Tony Bynum

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

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… or wherever you get your podcasts!

—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

2:02 – Intro, where Tony grew up
6:21 – Cue, photography in the early days
9:15 – Just doing interesting things
13:13 – Indigenous and Western takes on science
18:35 – Family dynamics
21:24 – Where the work ethic came from
23:14 – Where Tony didn’t tread
25:48 – Cue, bureaucracy
31:07 – Lessons from the copy room
36:17 – Tony’s purpose in DC
39:01 – And why he had to leave
40:41 – Restarting in Montana
42:46 – Full-time photography
47:07 – A diverse portfolio
50:16 – Film to digital and internet access
56:05 – Finding conservation
58:18 – Energy development near Glacier and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation
1:02:52 – The importance of having a visual context
1:04:04 – Describing the oil and gas map
1:09:51 – Book recs
1:18:04 – Final words

Information Referenced:

Tony Bynum
Cosmos, Carl Sagan
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Podcast episode on the Badger Two-Medicine conversation
NYT coverage of Tony’s oil and gas boom map focused on east Glacier
Book recs: Crossing the Next Meridian, This America of Ours, The Rise of the American Conservation Movement
Spoiler alert about an upcoming new Hal Herring book!
Cadillac Desert

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes

Posted on June 6, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Agriculture, Conservation, Conservationists, Creativity, Entrepreneurs, Native American History

Jackie Miller is the Executive Director of Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), and Carlos Fernández is the Colorado State Director for The Nature Conservancy. Both are highly respected leaders in Colorado’s conservation community, and they’ve played pivotal roles in shaping the state’s approach to protecting land, water, wildlife, and outdoor access. While Carlos has joined me on the podcast several times before, this is Jackie’s first appearance, and I was honored to have them both on to discuss one of the most significant conservation developments in recent memory.

Carlos Fernández

Just a few weeks ago, the State of Colorado announced the launch of its Outdoors Strategy—a comprehensive, collaborative roadmap designed to align the state’s conservation, outdoor recreation, and climate resilience efforts for decades to come. Developed through years of planning, dialogue, and consensus-building across hundreds of organizations and communities, the Strategy addresses some of the most pressing challenges facing Colorado’s landscapes and communities. It’s not just a plan—it’s a shared vision backed by actionable goals, clear metrics, and powerful tools for implementation at the local and statewide levels.

In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss the origin of Colorado’s Outdoors Strategy, the urgency behind its creation, and the unique collaborative process that brought it to life. Jackie shares how GOCO’s long-standing community partnerships and flexible funding model positioned the organization to lead at a statewide scale, while Carlos explains how the Strategy dovetails with The Nature Conservancy’s science-based goals and priorities. We also explore the Strategy’s “North Star” goals, the innovative Resource Hub that supports on-the-ground action, and the importance of regional implementation and tribal engagement. It’s a timely, inspiring look at how Colorado is setting a national standard for coordinated, community-driven conservation.

Photos courtesy of TNC and GOCO

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

…or wherever you get your podcasts!

EPISODE PARTNER:

This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond. You can access all of the episodes here.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

3:03 – Intros, Carlos then Jackie
5:09 – Explaining Great Outdoors Colorado
8:51 – How Jackie got to GOCO
11:37 – Carlos on GOCO
15:29 – Challenges and opportunities that led to Colorado’s Outdoors Strategy
19:04 – Opportunities that the Strategy will address
21:33 – Jackie’s executive summary
27:01 – How the Strategy aligns with TNC’s other goals
29:59 – North stars and measuring success
33:22 – The TNC tools Carlos is excited about
36:34 – Creating urgency to execute a plan
40:14 – Face-to-face
42:51 – Carlos’s thoughts on execution
45:49 – How the plan affects the layperson
47:25 – What did we miss? First Jackie
51:29 – Then Carlos
53:31 – Book recs
57:42 – Wrap up words of wisdom

Information Referenced:

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.

Posted on May 27, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest, TNC

Agriculture, Conservation, Conservationists, Leadership, The Nature Conservancy

Sonnie Trotter is a world-renowned rock climber, father, husband, writer, and the author of the new book Uplifted: The Evolution of a Climbing Life. For the past three decades, Sonnie has built a career as one of the most accomplished climbers of his generation— pushing standards, putting up first ascents, and bringing a sense of creativity, humility, and grit to every project he tackles. His new book, Uplifted, is part memoir, part meditation on movement and meaning, and it’s one of the most thoughtful and grounded climbing books I’ve read in a long time.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Sonnie and I talk about the unexpected ways writing has shaped his life, how his approach to climbing has evolved over the years, and what it’s been like to move from living out of a van to raising a family in the mountains of Canada. We also discuss how he’s stayed grounded throughout his career, his relationship with sponsors like Patagonia, and why gratitude—not rage or ego—has been the driving force behind his decades of commitment to climbing.

Sonnie also opens up about how parenting has shifted his perspective on adventure, freedom, and ambition—and how he and his wife are raising their kids in a way that emphasizes curiosity, effort, and joy. Whether you’re a climber, a writer, a parent, or just someone trying to live a meaningful life, there’s a ton of wisdom in this one.

Sonnie’s new book Uplifted is out now, and I highly recommend picking up a copy—you’ll find a link in the episode notes, along with links to everything else we discussed. Hope you enjoy both this conversation and the book. Thanks for listening.

—
Photos courtesy of Patagonia: Header by Ben Moon, Family shot by Sonnie Trotter

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—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

1:55 – Intro, how Sonnie got into writing
4:58 – Influences
8:30 – Why write this book now
12:40 – Stumbling into the climbing world
17:45 – Into the unknown
20:27 – Origins of drive
25:07 – Climbing’s darkness
27:11 – The road to Patagonia
32:23 – Parent perspectives
36:54 – Becoming a parent
42:35 – Getting kids active (a jiu jitsu segway)
48:13 – Training, nutrition, and getting older
52:47 – Race to 9A
56:31 – Book recs
59:29 – Final words of wisdom — get back to work

Information Referenced:

Sonnie Trotter
Uplifted: The Evolution of a Climbing Life by Sonnie Trotter
Sonnie’s writing influences including John Long, Lynn Hill and Matt Samet.
Race to 9A, an accountability challenge for some of America’s top climbers as they age.
My Side of the Mountain, a Sonnie and Ed top-shelf pick.
Sonnie’s top three reading recommendations: The Power of One, The Old Man and the Sea and My Side of the Mountain from above.

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes

Posted on May 21, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Adventurers, Books, Creativity, Writers

Cassidy Randall is a journalist and author whose work explores the intersections of adventure, history, and the natural world. Her new book, Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All-Women’s Ascent of Denali, tells the gripping true story of six women who, in 1970, became the first all-female team to summit North America’s tallest mountain. It’s a meticulously researched, beautifully written account that brings long-overlooked voices to the forefront of mountaineering history.

As someone with a deep personal interest in Denali, I was especially excited to read this book and speak with Cassidy. In our conversation, we talk not only about the origins of Thirty Below and the individual women at the heart of the story, but also about Cassidy’s career as a journalist— how she got started, the path she’s carved through the world of longform storytelling, and how she approaches writing with such clarity, depth, and purpose. She also shares insights into her research process, the challenge of shaping complex narratives, and the broader importance of telling stories that have too often been overlooked or dismissed.

Whether or not you’ve ever set foot on a glacier, Thirty Below offers a deep dive into universal themes— resilience, purpose, and the human desire to explore. It’s a story about ambition and endurance, but also about complexity, contradiction, and the ways women have long carved space for themselves in places that often excluded them. Cassidy brings these histories to life with nuance and empathy, honoring the individuality of each woman while raising timeless questions about legacy, belonging, and what drives us to push beyond our limits.

Thanks to Cassidy for writing the book and for taking the time to chat. I hope you enjoy.

—
Photos courtesy of Cassidy Randall

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

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Spotify

… or wherever you get your podcasts!

—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

2:06 – Intro, how did Cassidy get into Denali?
8:28 – Getting to know Grace
13:08 – Landscape of women in climbing
18:16 – Margaret and her journey with multiple sclerosis
22:39 – Why do people climb mountains?
25:38 – Grace at 88, any discontent?
28:08 – Ed on his experience climbing Denali
31:02 – The process of climbing
37:39 – Adventure for the sake of adventure
42:23 – Writing advice on structure
45:41 – Source change
47:07 – Book writing compared with magazine work
50:36 – Early creativity threads
53:28 – Shifts in the writing industry
55:24 – What is journalism’s role anymore?
1:00:17 – It’s alive! (The content we’re consuming.)
1:01:19 – Denali or McKinley?
1:04:37 – Writer recs
1:08:03 – Pro tips on being a writer
1:10:17 – Wrapping it up

Information Referenced:

Cassidy Randall
Cassidy’s Substack: The Wilder Path
Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All-Women’s Ascent of Denali
Two books that do Denali justice, according to Ed. Club Denali by Jon Krakauer (from Eiger Dreams) and then Cassidy’s book above.
The 50th anniversary celebration of the first all-women climb up Denali from the NPS that Cassidy’s agent sent her asking, “Is this a story?”
Grace Hoeman, one of the protagonists of Thirty Below
The Denali Damsels
The Wilcox expedition, the deadliest Denali expedition with winds up top estimated at 300 mph. (Not a typo, Cassidy says.)
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Classic outdoor adventure books: The Wager and Into Thin Air
Letter to Outside by writers wanting off the masthead.
Jessica Yellin’s News Not Noise, journalist on Substack and Instagram that Cassidy loves.
Writer recs: John Branch at the New York Times, Kevin Fedarko and the Emerald Mile, Caroline Van Hemert and The Sun Is A Compass, Tom Robbins, Kevin Barry and The Heart in Winter, Maggie Shipstead
John Branch on M&P

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes

Posted on May 8, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Adventurers, Artists, Athletes, Books, Creativity, Writers

Sara Domek is Wyoming’s Migration Program Director for The Nature Conservancy. Sara grew up in the small town of Kemmerer and later moved to Pinedale, giving her a rare, firsthand perspective on Wyoming’s working landscapes— both from a natural resources and a conservation standpoint. Her upbringing, paired with years of experience working in nonprofits, agencies, and boots-on-the-ground conservation, makes her uniquely suited to lead TNC’s efforts to protect Wyoming’s world-renowned wildlife migrations.

If you’ve spent any time driving through Wyoming, you’ve probably cruised past some of the most important migration corridors in North America—maybe without even realizing it. Sara and her team are working to keep those landscapes permeable, helping mule deer, pronghorn, elk, and other species continue the seasonal journeys they’ve been making for thousands of years. We talk about the science behind migration, how seemingly small barriers like fences can create big challenges for wildlife, and how collaborative conservation— between landowners, agencies, and nonprofits— can create real, lasting wins.

Sara also shares some fascinating details about Wyoming’s longest mule deer migration, the importance of building trust with local communities, why cheatgrass is a bigger villain than it looks, and how carefully designed wildlife crossings can benefit both animals and people. We also get into her favorite books, why she’s hopeful about the future, and, once again, the simple but powerful idea that success in conservation often comes down to strong relationships.

This is a thoughtful and inspiring conversation with someone who truly embodies the spirit of collaborative, community-driven conservation. I hope you enjoy!

Header photo courtesy of TNC and by Scott Copeland, headshot by Sara Domek

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

…or wherever you get your podcasts!

EPISODE PARTNER:

This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond. You can access all of the episodes here.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

2:50 – Intro, growing up in Wyoming, and valuing natural resources
6:09 – Pinedale and the Wind Rivers
7:15 – Plan after high school
10:37 – Finding TNC
14:16 – Sara describes her job
17:21 – Mule deer and pronghorn migration corridors
21:57 – Fencing and migration
26:25 – Getting the word out about fencing
29:27 – Migration primer: distance, predators, and collisions
35:54 – Valley of the warm winds
42:37 – RCPP programs
45:27 – Cheatgrass 101
48:54 – Important partners
51:08 – Prioritizing projects
54:40 – What Sara’s looking forward to
57:57 – Where to learn more
1:00:22 – Book recs
1:03:04 – Parting words

Information Referenced:

Rusty Bell and Justin Loyka on M&P talking about the coal industry
Youth Conservation Corps NPS program
National Bighorn Sheep Center in Dubois, Wyoming
Wyoming Migration Initiative
Red Desert to Hoback mule deer migration, the world’s longest mule deer migration
Wild Migrations: Atlas of Wyoming’s Ungulates
Dubois = the Valley of the Warm Winds. Though Ed and Sara don’t tend to always agree with the “warm” part.
Big Game Partnership, which supports migration work in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana
Some of Justin Loyka’s work on blending migration with industry in a way that’s safer for migrating ungulates.
Sublette County Conservation District, which focuses on wildlife-friendly fence work
Wyoming Sagebrush Sea’s native plants work related to maintaining habitat for wildlife, including traveling ungulates
Yellowstone migration photos by Joe Riis
TNC’s “Impacts of Roadways on Wildlife” report from 2022, a general overview
Wyoming’s Department of Transportation animal collision cost estimates. Human fatality costs for collisions with moose is over $13,000.
WY Game and Fish Department migration information
Wyldlife Fund and Greater Yellowstone Coalition and the Dubois crossings project
A series on wildlife crossings in Montana
Absaroka Fence Initiative
An example of an RCPP program application. And this is just the how-to.
Cheatgrass
TNC and the University of Wyoming’s fencing prioritization tool
Book recs: The Solace of Open Spaces, Ordinary Wolves

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

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Posted on April 30, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest, TNC

Agriculture, Conservation, Conservationists, History, The Nature Conservancy

Cody Wellema is a master hatmaker and the founder of Wellema Hat Co., a highly regarded, California-based custom hat business. For over a decade, Cody built a reputation as one of the country’s premier craftspeople in the art of traditional hatmaking, creating heirloom-quality hats by hand, using vintage tools and techniques that harken back to a slower, more intentional era. His work has been worn by artists, ranchers, musicians, and everyday folks alike, and his shop became not only a destination for finely made hats, but a gathering place rooted in community and craft.

On January 8th of this year, Cody and his family lost their Altadena storefront and workspace in the Eaton Canyon Fire, one of the many devastating fires that destroyed a large part of the greater Los Angeles area in early 2025. In the aftermath, he has navigated an overwhelming combination of grief, logistics, and uncertainty—yet throughout it all, he has maintained a sense of gratitude, humility, and forward-looking optimism that is as rare as it is inspiring. As he puts it, the fire forced a kind of reset—one that, while painful, has given him a blank page and the opportunity to reimagine the next chapter of his creative life.

In this conversation, we talk about Cody’s early entrepreneurial spirit, his deep appreciation for vintage craftsmanship, and how he taught himself the trade by deconstructing old hats and learning from the past. We also explore the role of presence in parenting, the importance of community, and the creative possibilities that can emerge when the old path is unexpectedly cleared. Cody’s story is one of resilience, creativity, and deep care– for people, for his craft, and for doing things the right way.

I was so inspired by Cody’s optimism and gratitude, and I know you will be too. Be sure to check out the episode notes for links to everything we discussed, including a GoFundMe page that was set up to support Cody and his family during this unexpected time of chaos.

Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy!

—
Photos by Farhad Samari

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

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—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

3:30 – Intro, how’s Cody doing?
7:04 – His default wiring is optimism
8:49 – Setting an example for the kids
10:52 – Roots
12:41 – Cody’s evolution
17:33 – Heading out on his own
19:31 – Getting to hats
25:50 – Taking apart old hats
28:33 – Monetization
30:59 – Hindsight and going all in
34:41 – The fear of diving in
38:33 – Time to define
41:14 – More than just hats
46:29 – Blessing in the bad
51:59 – Moving on
56:00 – Cody’s first time voicing his new idea
1:04:59 – Taking the compliments
1:08:56 – Figuring out a blank slate
1:13:00 – Inspiration recs
1:18:16 – Final words of wisdom

Information Referenced:

Wellema Hat Co
GoFundMe for the Wellemas
Cody on Instagram
NY Times article about Wellema Hat Co. and the Eaton Fire
Cool video about Cody
Teal Blake, rancher and creator. One of Cody’s hat-making inspirations.
Havstad Hat Company
Duckworth, born in Montana.
M&P episode with woodworker Geoffrey Keating
Cody’s profiles of other hat makers.
Cody’s reading recs: Lonesome Dove series, William Boyd, Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act, Picasso’s War.

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes

Posted on April 24, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Artists, Creativity, Entrepreneurs, History

This is a special live episode recorded this past March at SXSW in Austin, Texas, and it features a conversation I had the honor of moderating with two powerhouse guests: Cate Havstad-Casad of Range Revolution and Daniel Mouw of Duckworth.

The title of the panel was Farmer-Founded Brands Will Save American Fashion. At first glance, that might sound like a bold claim, but these two are actually doing the work to make it real. Cate is a designer, hatmaker, and regenerative rancher whose company Range Revolution is turning discarded cattle hides into regenerative high-end leather goods. Daniel is the president of Duckworth, a Montana-based wool company that’s rebuilding the American supply chain– one sheep, sweater, and ranch at a time.

Together, we dug into some big questions: What happened to American-made textiles? Why are most of us walking around wearing plastic? And what would it look like to rebuild rural economies from the ground up, using natural fibers like leather and wool, raised and processed responsibly, here in the United States? It might sound like we’re talking fashion and manufacturing trends—but this is really a conversation about values, ecosystems, and the future of rural America.

Cate and Daniel are funny, deeply thoughtful, and grounded in the realities of both agriculture and business. They bring hard-earned optimism to a conversation that too often gets bogged down in doom and gloom. And they make a compelling case for why fashion can be a vehicle for stewardship, beauty, and connection to the land. We also had a sharp, engaged audience that asked some truly insightful questions– you’ll hear a few of those toward the end.

Thanks to Cate and Daniel for the amazing conversation, thanks to SXSW for inviting us, and thank you for listening.

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

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… or wherever you get your podcasts!

—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

2:10 – Introductions
6:35 – A history lesson in US fiber production
10:22 – Current supply chain challenges facing producers
16:17 – Why natural fibers are superior to synthetics
19:17 – The true cost of synthetics and fast fashion
23:17 – How Range Revolution and Duckworth are restoring economic power to ag producers
27:36 – The unique role of for-profit businesses in solving these challenges
33:13 – Positivity as a strategic business decision
37:09 – How do you scale this regenerative fashion movement?
40:32 – Embracing natural characteristics in design
42:06 – How to capture attention in today’s information age
46:13 – What would an ideal community support system look like?
50:26 – Fabric frequencies!
52:53 – How to convert standard retail buyers into regenerative buyers
56:40 – Any collaboration with the EU fashion industry?

Information Referenced:

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes

Posted on April 16, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Agriculture, Conservation, Conservationists, Creativity, Entrepreneurs, History, Leadership, Public Health, Regenerative Ag

Elliot Ross is a photographer and writer whose work focuses on the intersection of landscape, identity, and justice in the American West. His images have appeared in Time, National Geographic, and The New York Times, and he’s known for deeply researched, long-term projects that combine striking visual storytelling with a journalist’s rigor. Whether he’s documenting water access on the Navajo Nation or tracing the contours of Glen Canyon as it reemerges, Elliot brings a rare mix of artistry, empathy, and precision to every assignment.

Born in Taiwan and raised on the eastern plains of Colorado, Elliot grew up between cultures and landscapes—an experience that shaped both his worldview and his creative path. He picked up a camera early, inspired by his grandmother’s family albums, and later earned a full-ride to the Savannah College of Art and Design. After college, he cut his teeth in New York City, assisting some of the most high-profile portrait and fashion photographers in the industry. All the while, he was quietly dreaming about building a career on his own terms—one rooted in storytelling, purpose, and the landscapes he still called home.

In this episode, we talk about the early experiences that shaped his artistic voice, the evolution of his career, and how he’s learned to navigate the demands of both commercial and documentary work. Elliot shares the backstory of his recent Time magazine cover story on water equity in the West, a project that involved years of reporting, deep community ties, and even a return to the classroom. We also discuss his thoughts on creative endurance, working across political divides, and the role of photography in fostering empathy and connection.

I’d encourage you to visit Elliot’s website and dig deeper into all of his work, especially his project A Question of Balance, which became the Time magazine feature. You can find links to everything in the episode notes. Thanks to Elliot for the inspiring and timely conversation, and thank you for listening.

Photos courtesy of Elliot: Header by Max Lowe, headshot by Miguel DeLeon

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EPISODE PARTNER:

This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation.

To whom much is given, much is expected. This value guides the philosophy behind the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation today.

Committed to its cause and infused with an entrepreneurial spirit, Mighty Arrow aims to invest in solutions that take action on climate change to build a more vibrant future, repair relationships from farm to market to table, heal our connection to the lands and waters we call home, and demand a more just and equitable society.

To learn more about Mighty Arrow’s forward-thinking, optimistic, and visionary work here in the American West and beyond, please visit www.mightyarrow.org.

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

3:05 – Elliot growing up in Taipei and how his parents met
6:00 – Few but vivid memories of Taipei
7:09 – The culture shock of moving to eastern Colorado
8:25 – How photography came into Elliot’s life
10:29 – Reading influences
13:16 – Travel bug
16:22 – Savannah College of Art and Design
18:07 – The Asian parents pressure
19:49 – Credit to high school art teachers
20:54 – Figuring out photography
27:47 – No wavering
29:54 – Moving into independent business
33:29 – Pitching Carhartt
37:03 – Nat Geo ups and downs
42:10 – Near-death experiences
45:44 – Approaching long-term projects
49:35 – Pulling on threads
51:45 – Humans and landscapes
56:35 – Curiosity as the most authentic de-escalator
58:05 – Writing and shooting and doing it all
1:02:45 – Response to the Time story
1:07:35 – A tale of two places
1:13:45 – Using water in the West
1:16:35 – The Desiderata creed
1:17:05 – Book recs
1:23:05 – Parting words

Information Referenced:

Elliot Ross
Time Magazine piece
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Robert Adams, American West photographer
The “new topographics” movement. Elliot defines it as a revisionist way of looking at landscape. Instead of beauty and splendor, there’s more analysis of the changes that humans brought upon a place.
Annie Leibovitz, a portrait photographer Elliot interned for.
Mark Seliger, Elliot was his Second Assistant.
Philip-Lorca diCorcia, a portrait photographer Elliot didn’t intern for, but stalked until he said no.
Martin Schoeller, another portrait photographer Elliot worked for.
Elliot’s The Reckoning Days
Robert Clark, Nat Geo features photographer
American Backyard, Elliot’s examination of the U.S./Mexico border
An interview with Elliot about his experience talking with John Ladd, amongst other things, in Deseret News.
E.W. Scripps environmental reporting fellowships and internships
A Question of Balance, another project of Elliot’s
Elliot’s Geography of Hope Exhibition
The Glen Canyon Institute
The Desiderata, Elliot’s daily creed.
Book recs: John Steinbeck’s East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath; Cormac McCarthy’s (when Elliot’s feeling dark) Blood Meridian and All The Pretty Horses: Border Trilogy 1; Craig Childs’ The Secret Knowledge of Water and House of Rain

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.

Posted on April 4, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Adventurers, Agriculture, Artists, Colorado River Basin, Conservation, Conservationists, Creativity, Entrepreneurs, History, Writers

Aaron Citron is the Associate Director of External Affairs at The Nature Conservancy, where he leads state-level policy engagement across Colorado. His work spans a wide array of conservation priorities, including water management, healthy forests, renewable energy siting, and partnerships with private landowners and tribal nations. Aaron plays a key role in bridging on-the-ground conservation efforts with the legislative and regulatory frameworks that support them. He also helps shape TNC’s strategy around climate and energy policy, working to ensure a rapid but responsible transition to renewable infrastructure.

Aaron grew up in Tucson, Arizona, where early exposure to the desert landscape—and its vital, limited water resources—sparked a lifelong interest in the natural world. After studying history and political science at Emory University, he returned west for law school at the University of Arizona, focusing on water and land use law. His career has taken him from local land trusts to national NGOs like Environmental Defense Fund, always at the intersection of policy, place, and practical impact. Along the way, he’s built a reputation for thoughtful, collaborative work that reflects both his legal background and his deep connection to the West.

In our conversation, Aaron shares a detailed look at how conservation policy gets made—from coalition-building and legislative drafting to navigating complex stakeholder relationships. We discuss examples like Colorado’s response to Clean Water Act rollbacks and new tools to support in-stream flows on the Yampa River. He talks about the balance between urgency and patience, the importance of trust in long-term conservation, and how calm, clearheaded engagement can shape better outcomes. It’s a compelling look at the behind-the-scenes work that makes public-facing conservation efforts possible.

Be sure the check out the episode notes for a full list of everything we discussed and links to everything. Thanks to Aaron for this conversation and thank you for listening. Enjoy!

Photos courtesy of The Nature Conservancy, Header photo: Sunset on the Yampa River at Carpenter Ranch in Northwest Colorado. © John Fielder

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…or wherever you get your podcasts!

EPISODE PARTNER:

This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond. You can access all of the episodes here.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

3:15 – Starting at the beginning, growing up in Tucson
7:42 – Underrated Arizona
11:23 – From environmental history to law school
15:22 – After law school, including a TNC internship
18:11 – Landing at the Arizona Land and Water Trust
21:24 – Path to TNC
24:06 – Aaron’s role at TNC
27:42 – Clean Water Act protection project
33:40 – Getting the information to the people
35:29 – Yampa River Fund
40:39 – What makes someone good at policy work?
46:11 – The power of relationships
49:00 – Federal versus state policy focuses
53:40 – Remaining calm
57:21 – Book recs
1:01:53 – Parting thoughts

Information Referenced:

Aaron Citron – Associate Director of External Affairs at The Nature Conservancy
TNC Colorado’s 2024 Year In Review
Dan Stellar with TNC on Mountain & Prairie
Arizona Land and Water Trust in Tucson. Aaron’s first role out of law school.
Peter Gower and Chris Menges from TNC on M&P about the energy transition.
Discussion about the Yampa River Fund on M&P with TNC’s Diana Lane and Aaron Derwingson
Book recs: The Emerald Mile, The Fool’s Progress by Edward Abbey
Doug Peacock on Mountain & Prairie, talking about grizzlies and burying Ed Abbey

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Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.

Posted on March 31, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest, TNC

Agriculture, Conservation, Conservationists, Leadership, The Nature Conservancy

David Cronenwett is the owner of Helena Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and a third-degree black belt under American Jiu-Jitsu legend Rafael Lovato Jr. David started his Jiu-Jitsu journey in Seattle in 1996, back when finding a place to train was like stumbling upon a secret society. Over the years, he’s not only refined his own game but has shared this art with hundreds of students in Montana’s capital city since opening his academy in 2016.

But David’s path to Jiu-Jitsu wasn’t exactly a straight shot. He grew up in New Jersey, made his way west to study classical guitar at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle right as the grunge scene was taking over, and eventually found himself in Montana, drawn by the wilderness and a deep-rooted need for something more. That “something more” turned out to be a mix of conservation work, backcountry living, and, of course, Jiu-Jitsu—an art that would come to define much of his life.

In this conversation, we go deep into the philosophy of Jiu-Jitsu: why it grabs certain people and won’t let go, how it humbles you, how it teaches you to remain calm under pressure, and how it can serve as a vehicle for self-improvement. But beyond that, we explore how Jiu-Jitsu teaches lessons that stretch far beyond the mats—lessons about patience, resilience, adaptability, and how to wisely face challenges in life. We also talk about the importance of culture in an academy, how a good training environment can shape people beyond the gym, and how the shared purpose and community of Jiu-Jitsu has a way of bringing together folks from all walks of life.

And for those of you who might be on the fence about trying Jiu-Jitsu, David has plenty to say about why it’s never too late to start and how it can change not just how you move, but how you see the world.

So whether you’re a seasoned grappler or just curious about what makes this martial art so addictive, there’s a lot to learn from this conversation. Enjoy!

—
Photos courtesy of David Cronenwett & Helena BJJ

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… or wherever you get your podcasts!

—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

2:15 – Getting to know David
4:30 – Seattle to Montana
6:30 – And from music to conservation
7:45 – Early outdoor interests
10:00 – First Jiu-Jitsu memories
12:30 – Getting into Jiu-Jitsu
16:30 – What is it about Jiu-Jitsu?
21:00 – Community on the mat
26:45 – Importance of having new trainees
29:45 – Where the growth happens
31:30 – Maintaining culture
35:30 – Lessons from practicing and teaching
42:30 – Obsessive types
45:15 – Not for the bullies
47:30 – Maintaining the practice as life goes on
53:30 – Self-defense as an insurance policy
1:01:00 – What Jiu-Jitsu gives you
1:04:45 – Losing ego
1:08:45 – Peaks and valleys
1:12:30 – Not about the belts
1:14:45 – Book recs
1:21:30 – Thoughts on therapy
1:23:45 – Parting words

Information Referenced:

David Cronenwett
Helena Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Old Salt conservation with Hal Herring. A rare occurrence when Ed wasn’t talking to Hal about Jiu Jitsu at the festival.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. David’s pro-tip is to pick it up, put it down and come back to it often.
Musashi’s Book of Five Rings
Origins of Jiu Jitsu
Jocko Willink on self defense and the young man’s psyche.
The Gift of Violence by Matt Thornton
Bad Therapy. And a conversation with author Abigail Shrier on a podcast about the book.
Tribe, which might be one of the most important written, according to Ed.

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes

Posted on March 10, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Artists, Athletes, Conservationists, Creativity, Entrepreneurs

Helen Augare Carlson and Dylan DesRosier are leaders, community builders, and proud members of the Blackfeet Nation. Helen, the Chair of the Piikani Studies Division at Blackfeet Community College, has dedicated over two decades to education, cultural preservation, and building pathways for future generations. Dylan, the Blackfeet Program Manager with The Nature Conservancy, brings a wealth of experience in conservation work rooted in respect for Indigenous knowledge and long-term community collaboration. In addition to their official roles, they both wear many hats when it comes to serving their communities—mentoring youth, engaging in policy discussions, telling stories, and working on grassroots initiatives that strengthen cultural and environmental resilience.

In this episode, we explore the profound relationships between land, language, and stewardship. Helen shares the moving story behind her Blackfoot name, Dylan reflects on his time working in Glacier National Park and how it shaped his conservation approach, and we dig into the groundbreaking Chief Mountain Initiative—an effort that weaves together conservation, education, and cultural revitalization.

We also discuss the evolving role of conservation organizations, TNC’s comprehensive approach to supporting Blackfeet initiatives, the importance of holistic thinking, and why Indigenous leadership is crucial for the future of land stewardship. As usual, we wrap up with some incredible book recommendations that will deepen your understanding of these topics long after the episode ends.

This conversation is rich with wisdom, humor, and insight, and Helen and Dylan make quite a team, bringing their unique expertise and shared passion for their community to this important discussion. I’m so excited for you to hear it. So let’s dive in—here’s my conversation with Helen Augare Carlson and Dylan DesRosier.

Header photo by Dylan DesRosier, headshots courtesy of Dylan and Helen

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

Apple Podcasts

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…or wherever you get your podcasts!

EPISODE PARTNER:

This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond. You can access all of the episodes here.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

3:03 – Introductions, starting with Helen
7:18 – Helen’s Blackfeet names
12:18 – When to use “Blackfoot” or “Blackfeet”
13:33 – Dylan’s bio and Blackfeet name
17:48 – Community health and education
23:03 – Why Dylan wanted to plug into TNC
26:48 – Blackfeet connection to land
30:33 – Helen’s thoughts on TNC
36:03 – Face-to-face trust
38:48 – Chief Mountain initiative
45:48 – Measuring progress on a huge timeframe
50:48 – Progress in Helen’s view
56:03 – Like biodiversity, human diversity is important, too
1:01:03 – What Dylan’s learned from Helen
1:03:03 – And what Helen’s learned from Dylan
1:06:33 – Book recs
1:12:33 – Parting words
1:15:03 – A Land Back addendum

Information Referenced:

Helen Augare Carlson / Magpie Woman
Dylan DesRosier / Bear Star
TNC Montana’s Annual Report (page 12)
Chief Mountain
Land Back movements
The One-Straw Revolution
Dr. Leroy Little Bear on Indigenous knowledge and Western science.
Igniting the Sparkle: An Indigenous Science Education Model
Blackfoot Ways of Knowing
The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.

Posted on February 28, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest, TNC

Conservation, Conservationists, History, Leadership, Native American History, The Nature Conservancy

George Hodgin, Caroline Chambers, and their boys

George Hodgin is a former Navy SEAL turned entrepreneur who is revolutionizing the world of medical cannabis research. George is the founder and CEO of Biopharmaceutical Research Company (BRC), one of the only federally legal cannabis research organizations in the United States. His company is leading the charge in developing safe, regulated, and scientifically-backed cannabis-based therapeutics—offering alternatives to opioids and other pharmaceutical treatments.

This is George’s second time on the podcast—our first conversation was almost exactly five years ago, back when his company was in its early stages, the pandemic was just beginning, and he was navigating the uncharted waters of federal cannabis regulations. Since we last spoke, BRC has made huge strides—partnering with leading medical institutions, earning FDA orphan drug designation, and paving the way for legal, cannabis-based medications.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend going back and listening to that first episode, where George shares the full story of his fascinating career trajectory—his time as a Navy SEAL, his MBA at Stanford, and his undergraduate experience as a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina. That conversation is a great companion to this one and provides even more insight into his unique journey.

In this episode, George and I dive into the evolution of BRC, the shifting cultural & political landscape around cannabis, and what it’s like balancing an entrepreneurial mindset with the slow, methodical world of federal drug approval. We also talk leadership, risk assessment in business and combat, humility vs arrogance, and what it’s been like to watch his wife, bestselling author & culinary powerhouse Caroline Chambers, build an incredible career of her own. Be sure to check out the episode notes for a full list of everything we discussed, plus links to resources, books, and more.

George is one of the most insightful, driven, and humble people I know, and I always learn a ton from our conversations. Whether you’re interested in business, science, leadership, or just a great story of perseverance and innovation, this episode has something for you.

Hope you enjoy!

—
Photos courtesy of George Hodgin and Caroline Chambers

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

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Spotify

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—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

2:36 – Reconnecting with George
3:51 – George’s BRC elevator pitch
6:51 – City of Hope collaboration
10:36 – Choosing partnerships and plans
13:36 – What makes a successful idea
16:06 – Company mechanics
18:21 – Energy balance
22:06 – Cannabis in the name
23:51 – Cannabis sentiments culturally shifting
26:36 – But not legally
28:06 – Regulations and competition
32:21 – Different schedules of drugs
36:36 – Betting on the idea versus the team
41:21 – Risk framework
46:51 – When do you stop planning?
51:06 – Favorite failure
55:36 – Not seeing the forest for the trees
59:06 – Does cockiness play a role?
1:02:06 – George’s wife’s cooking journey
1:07:06 – General Mattis’ influence
1:08:51 – Book recs
1:11:06 – Parting words, asking Ed a question

Information Referenced:

George Hodgin
Biopharmaceutical Research Company
George’s first M&P episode
BRC’s partnership with City of Hope to address pain management in breast cancer patients.
Drug schedules per the DEA
Bill O’Reilly: “We’ll do it live!!”
Caroline Chambers
What To Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking by Caroline Chambers
General Jim Mattis’ memoir, Call Sign Chaos. George’s son, Mattis, is named after General Mattis.
Hampton Sides’ Blood and Thunder.
King Rat by James Clavell, same author of the stories that inspired the Shogun series.
The Splendid and the Vile, not just another Churchill book, according to George.

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes

Posted on February 20, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Adventurers, Creativity, Entrepreneurs, Leadership, Public Health, Service

Ivan McClellan is a photographer, writer, and storyteller who’s shining a light on Black cowboy culture in a way that’s never been done before. When we first talked back in 2020, Ivan was in the early stages of immersing himself in this world—capturing rodeos, meeting cowboys, and telling stories that had largely been overlooked. Now, nearly five years later, he’s once again forging his own path by creating Eight Seconds Rodeo, an electrifying, high-stakes event that’s bringing some of the best cowboys and cowgirls in the country together to compete for serious prize money, all while celebrating a rich and important legacy.

In this episode, Ivan shares the inspiring story of how Eight Seconds Rodeo came to life—from a passion project sparked by tragedy to a must-see event that’s redefining the rodeo world. We dig into the challenges of launching something this big from scratch, the power of storytelling to shift culture, and what it means to build something bigger than yourself. Ivan also talks about his new photography book, his creative process, and how he stays grounded while juggling everything he’s got going on.

If you haven’t already, I’d encourage you to go back to our first podcast conversation, where we discuss Ivan’s early life and upbringing, as well as his journey into professional photography and the world of Black rodeo. It’s super inspiring to see how his career has grown and evolved over the last few years– and also to see how he’s continued to be such a humble, hard-working family man.

Whether you’re a longtime rodeo fan or just love hearing stories about people chasing big, meaningful dreams, this conversation is for you.

As always, you can find links to Ivan’s work, Eight Seconds Rodeo, his book, and our first conversation in the episode notes. And if you’re near Portland or Philadelphia in 2025, do yourself a favor and check out one of his rodeos. You won’t regret it.

Thank you for listening, and I hope you enjoy this conversation with Ivan McClellan!

—
Photos courtesy of Ivan McClellan and Eight Seconds Rodeo

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

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Spotify

… or wherever you get your podcasts!

—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

3:20 – Checking in with Ivan
7:05 – Eight Seconds Rodeo beginnings
9:35 – Knowing Ouncie
14:35 – The first step and conquering doubt
16:05 – Choosing Portland
18:35 – Someone to run the rodeo
22:50 – Stories of the first rodeo
26:50 – Year two
29:05 – What’s in store for 2025
32:35 – Balancing helping others and being the face
38:05 – The driving force
39:20 – The story of Ivan’s photography book
46:35 – Is a written book in store?
48:20 – Wearing a cowboy hat
52:35 – For more info on Ivan

Information Referenced:

Eight Seconds
Eight Seconds Rodeo
Ivan on Instagram
Ivan’s first appearance on M&P
A Long list of incredible press on Ivan and Eight Seconds
Ivan’s tribute to Ouncie on Instagram
Ivan writing about Ouncie on Eight Seconds
Gordon Parks, photographer
Shaft, directed by Gordon Parks
Learning Tree, Gordon Park’s semi-autobiographical book
Ivan’s book, 8 Seconds: Black Rodeo Culture. This book came out just after Beyonce’s Grammy-winning Cowboy Carter album. Ivan said he benefitted by riding the coattails of the publicity of that album.
Other Black rodeos, including Bill Pickett Rodeo and Black Rodeo USA

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Posted on February 13, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Artists, Books, Creativity, Entrepreneurs, History, Leadership, Writers

Betsy Gaines Quammen is a Montana-based historian and writer whose work explores the history and myths of the American West, and how those stories have endured and shaped life in the region today. Betsy joined me on the podcast several years ago to discuss her amazing book, American Zion: Cliven Bundy, God, and Public Lands in the West, and since then, she’s published another must-read: True West: Myth and Mending on the Far Side of America. In True West, Betsy meets face-to-face with a wide range of folks here in the West– from militia members to hardcore environmentalists– and seeks to understand why they believe what they do. Combining these conversations with her deep understanding of history, Betsy is able to demonstrate the fascinating complexity and contradictions that define many of the people and issues in today’s West.

We recorded this conversation on stage at the 2024 Old Salt Festival, where Betsy was nice enough to join us for the three-day festival of music, food, and conversation. As you’ll hear me say in the episode, Betsy and her work have played a huge role in my never-ending quest to try and understand this region, and I consider her to be a great friend and mentor. But even if you don’t have any interest in the West’s history or modern-day conflicts, there are big lessons to be learned from Betsy’s approach to her work. She is committed to finding the humanity in everyone– even people she completely disagrees with. Rather than attack them and their ideas, she approaches them with genuine curiosity, really trying to understand what they believe and why. And even when no common ideological ground can be found, there is still mutual respect. And I think most people will agree that we need more of these types of respectful interactions these days.

In this conversation, we talk a bit about Betsy’s background and why she is so fascinated with understanding myths and the West. We talk about her commitment to having deep conversations with people across political and socio-economic spectrums, and she describes one of the unlikely friendships she built with a man whose views on politics, public lands, and the environment could not be further from her own. We discuss the importance of getting off the internet and having face-to-face conversations, how real estate development is changing the ecology and economics of the West, her thoughts on the future, and more. We also took questions from the audience, which was a lot of fun.

Again, I can’t thank Betsy enough for joining me onstage for this conversation, but more importantly, for the wisdom she has shared with me over the years. If you haven’t read True West, I encourage you to pick up a copy as soon as you can, and I’d also encourage you to listen to our first conversation, where Betsy talks a lot about her life and career journey. And tickets for the 2025 Old Salt Festival are on sale now, so if you’d like to experience conversations like this in person– plus music, food, Western makers, and more– follow the link in the episode notes to grab your tickets.

Enjoy!

—
Header photo by Ed, headshot courtesy of Betsy Gaines Quammen

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

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… or wherever you get your podcasts!

—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

4:15 – Introducing Betsy at Old Salt
7:45 – Why the West?
10:15 – Discussing myths
14:15 – Betsy talks across the aisle
17:30 – Betsy’s relationship with Lance
19:45 – Lance’s email
23:15 – Creating conversations outside the internet
26:00 – Real estate development in the West
30:00 – Covid as a catalyst
34:30 – Predicting the future
35:45 – Q&A
39:15 – Should we trust the government?
41:30 – Lance’s takeaways
43:30 – A ‘real’ Montanan
49:45 – Our energy future
53:00 – Parting thoughts

Information Referenced:

Betsy Gaines Quammen
Old Salt Festival
True West by Betsy Gaines Quammen
American Zion by Betsy Gaines Quammen
Betsy’s first M&P episode
Montana Book Company in Helena, Montana
Stewart Rhoades’ Montana connections, courtesy the Flathead Beacon
M&P’s conversation with Hal Herring at Old Salt
Becoming Little Shell by Chris La Tray, Montana’s poet laureate
An Irritable Métis, Chris La Tray’s Substack
Chris La Tray on M&P
Sterling Drake on M&P
M&P and The Nature Conservancy on the energy transition

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Posted on February 7, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Books, Conservation, Conservationists, Creativity, History, Writers

Chris Pague is the Senior Conservation Ecologist at The Nature Conservancy, and he is deeply involved in so many of the topics we discuss here on the podcast– grasslands, bison, endangered species, landscape-scale conservation, and more. For many decades now, Chris has been working on the frontlines of TNC’s science-based conservation efforts, and during his tenure, he’s accumulated a mind-blowing amount of knowledge about everything from the tiniest prairie plants to the plains’ largest mammals. But what makes Chris so special is his ability to translate complex ecology into inspiring, impactful stories– stories that resonate with everyone from the most committed conservationists to people who are just beginning to learn about the West’s wild places.

Chris grew up in Virginia, and for as long as he can remember, he’s been obsessed with the outdoors, wild creatures, and all varieties of plants. He eventually moved West to take a job in Colorado with the Nature Conservancy, where he’s been an invaluable member of the team ever since. I personally credit Chris for helping me in my own journey to understand the importance of grasslands and connected landscapes across the Southern High Plains, thanks to a presentation Chris gave at an event I was attending over a decade ago. I know there are countless other folks just like me who credit Chris with helping them to better understand and appreciate pressing conservation issues— and more importantly, to take action. Between his on-the-ground ecology work and his gift of storytelling, it’s difficult to fully wrap my head around the scale of the positive impact Chris has had over his career.

So, I was long overdue in having Chris join me for a podcast conversation. We could’ve talked for many hours, but in this chat, we still managed to cover a lot, including: Chris’s upbringing in Virginia and some of our shared favorite Virginia landscapes; his decision to move to Colorado; the decades-long shift in thinking around grasslands conservation; the importance of storytelling to communicate critical science, TNC’s Southern High Plains Initiative; optimism and the wisdom of Ted Lasso; partnerships and relationships; favorite books, and much more.

A huge thanks to Chris for this wonderful conversation, but more importantly, thanks to Chris for his many decades of inspiring work. Enjoy.

—

Header photo courtesy of TNC– header by Terri Schulz

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…or wherever you get your podcasts!

EPISODE PARTNER:

This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond. You can access all of the episodes here.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

3:45 – Introducing Chris
8:30 – Chris’s favorite Virginia spots
9:45 – Making the decision to work for TNC
12:45 – Grassland evolution
17:30 – Why are grasslands important?
21:15 – Science and storytelling
24:15 – 50 years of land conservation history
28:00 – TNC’s Southern High Plains Initiative
35:15 – Protecting land
42:30 – Keep or sell?
47:45 – Building relationships
52:45 – Ted Lasso and optimism
56:45 – Increase in partnerships
58:45 – What Chris is excited about
1:03:45 – Book recs
1:06:45 – Parting words

Information Referenced:

Chris Pague
Southern High Plains Initiative
Short Film: Connecting the Big Wide Open
Matt Moorhead & Galen Guerrero-Murphy episode
The Birds of America. That book and Chris’s dad’s binoculars got him into birds and the outdoors.
RC Cola, one of Chris’s early jobs, manufactured by Dr. Pepper.
Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia, located near the two highest peaks in the state.
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Ted Lasso, the eternal optimist
Chris says an increase in conservation partnerships gives him a reason for hope. Some of those partnerships include those with The Conservation Fund, The Wilderness Society, Ducks Unlimited and Great Outdoors Colorado.
The Big Empty
Leaving Space for Nature
Habitats of the World
The Book of Hope by Jane Goodall

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.

Posted on January 30, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest, TNC

Agriculture, Conservation, Conservationists, History, The Nature Conservancy

**Nicole Qualtieri**
*Photo by Lindsey Mulcare*

Nicole Qualtieri is an outdoor writer and editor, a conservationist, and a committed outdoorswoman. Over the past decade, she’s worked with some of the most notable brands in the outdoor industry, including MeatEater, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, and GearJunkie, and she has bylines with many well-known outdoor publications, such as Outside, Modern Huntsman, and Backcountry Journal. But despite being plugged in with many of the best names in the outdoor business, she and a few creative friends decided to go out on a limb and start their own outdoor publication– one that focuses on substance over clickbait, depth and vulnerability over the silly quest for virality and search engine optimization.

The name of the project is The Westrn, and it combines the best parts of online writing and journalism with a printed, hold-it-in-your-hands newspaper that ships to subscribers four times per year. As you’ll hear Nicole describe, the topics covered by The Westrn’s include hunting, conservation, and a wide range of outdoor adventure. But the deeper point of it all is to build a tight-knit community of engaged outdoor enthusiasts of all stripes, who appreciate the value of nuanced writing, thinking, and publishing. As many legacy outdoor media brands have become controlled by private equity and now focus on scalability over creativity and quality, the role of people like Nicole and her partners at the Westrn are all the more important— they are taking a real risk to make the Westrn a reality, and I greatly admire their vision and commitment to action.

Nicole and I connected online– she was at her home in Anaconda, Montana and I was here in Colorado Springs– and we had an enlightening conversation filled with lots of laughs about her fascinating life, career, and the creation of The Westrn. We discussed her upbringing in what she describes as a high-control religious cult and how hunting and the outdoors were her way of working through some of that childhood trauma. We discussed her non-traditional career path, which included a stint as a stand-up comic, and how she worked her way into the outdoor industry. We discuss the importance of hard work, preparation, and grinding, and how self-confidence is generated from those activities. We discuss the current state of the outdoor media industry, the financial challenges of making it as a freelancer, her writing process, contentment vs happiness, favorite books, and of course, her goals for The Westrn.

Nicole was also kind enough to offer some discount codes for M&P listeners:

20% Discount off the Annual Subscription
—Link for M+P Listeners will auto-populate discount: https://www.thewestrn.com/mtnprairie

20% Off Pre-Order Single Issues:
—Use link to use code: https://thewestrnstore.com/discount/MTNPRAIRIE?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fthe-westrn-individual-issue
—Or use code MTNPRAIRIE

A huge thanks to Nicole for the conversation, and thank you for listening. Enjoy!

The Westrn Newspaper– coming April 2025!

—
Photos courtesy of Nicole Qualtieri: Header by Ty Grethen of Weatherby; Embedded portrait by Lindsey Mulcare

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… or wherever you get your podcasts!

—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

4:30 – Nicole and Ed’s first convo (shared Roadhouse appreciation)
6:15 – Nicole’s background
8:15 – How writing’s been a part of Nicole’s life
13:15 – Getting out West
16:30 – College degrees
19:15 – On writing On Killing Animals
21:00 – The grind and the craft
28:00 – Taking the pain
30:15 – Outside’s rejection of On Killing Animals
34:45 – The corporatization of outdoor media
44:30 – The Westrn
54:30 – Taking a good idea and running with it
59:45 – Etymology of happy
1:02:30 – Nicole’s book recs
1:07:00 – Parting words

Information Referenced:

Nicole Qualtieri
The Westrn
The Westrn’s Newspaper
On Killing Animals, the first story published by The Westrn, by Nicole
How to Know if You’re in a Cult with Tia Levings: Glennon Doyle, Abby Wombach and Amanda Doyle’s podcast with Tia Levvings
The Best of Outside: The First 20 Years
Gear Junkie
MeatEater
The Brass Check by Upton Sinclar, journalism and corruption
How to get the Westrn in print
The Surfer’s Journal and Ed’s interview with Scott Hulet
Adventure Journal
Definition of “happy”
If you want to be an outdoor writer, read: A Rough Guide to the Heart and A Little More About Me by Pam Houston; H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
If you’re interested in conservation, read: Louis Warren’s The Hunter’s GameIf you want poems, read: Returning to Earth, Jim Harrison; Mary Oliver’s Devotions; Nikki Giovanni’s Bicycles; and not an Ode to the Black Panther, but Pablo Neruda’s Ode to an Onion, as a substitute.

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes

Posted on January 23, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Adventurers, Artists, Conservation, Conservationists, Creativity, Entrepreneurs, Writers

**Hal Herring**
(photo: via BHA by by Tim Peterson)

Hal Herring is an award-winning outdoor journalist, fierce public lands advocate, and thoughtful, action-oriented conservationist. He’s also an accomplished podcaster and host of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers’ Podcast & Blast with Hal Herring. If you’re a longtime listener of Mountain & Prairie, you may remember my first episode with Hal back in December of 2019– pre-pandemic, when the world was a much different place. Like me, Hal was born and raised in the south, and also like me, his Southern accent has not faded. But he’s made Montana his home for many decades now and has established himself as one of the most respected voices in conservation here in the American West.

This episode was recorded live and on stage at the 2024 Old Salt Festival on the Mannix Family Ranch in Helmville, Montana. If you’re not familiar with Old Salt, it’s a three-day gathering in Montana’s Blackfoot Valley that combines live Americana music with artists like Sterling Drake and Summer Dean, wood-fired cooking with chefs including Eduardo Garcia, and a General Store featuring western makers such as Cate Havstad, Jillian Lukiwski, Christy Sing, and many more. The festival also includes a ton of on-stage conversations about land stewardship, conservation, history, literature, and more– and this is one of those conversations.

Most of you are probably already familiar with Hal, but if you’re not, you are in for a treat. Hal brings such energy, humor, and knowledge to everything he does, and he has helped me in my own personal journey to better understand this complex region known as the American West. In this conversation, we covered a lot, including: Hal’s journey from Alabama to Montana, his thoughts on the current state of family ranching and public lands, optimism vs pessimism, and who he admires in the conservation space. We also discuss his forthcoming book on public lands, an idea he is working on for a new podcast, and we take a number of questions from the audience.

I know you’ll learn a lot from this episode– I consider Hal a great teacher and leader, and it’s always an honor to spend time with him. Tickets for the 2025 Old Salt Festival are on sale now, so follow this link to learn more and secure your spot at what will surely be another amazing weekend with amazing people.

Thanks to Hal for the conversation, to the Mannix Family for opening up their ranch for this festival and to you for listening!

—
Header photo courtesy of Old Salt, photo of Hal courtesy of BHA and by Tim Peterson

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—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

3:30 – Ed introducing Hal at Old Salt Festival
4:45 – How Hal ended up in Montana
7:15 – Hal’s thoughts on the consolidation, absorption of family ranches
9:30 – Threat to public lands
11:15 – Hal’s “ah ha” moments as he’s researching his new book
12:45 – Hal’s book recs
15:00 – Finding common ground
18:15 – Keeping the energy going
19:15 – Hal’s new podcast project
23:45 – What Hal views as current threats to public lands (1872 mining law)
26:00 – Optimist or pessimist?
29:15 – Who’s taking action?
31:45 – Start of Q&A, Hal expanding on new podcast
34:00 – Broadening the audience
36:00 – What’s Hal doing beyond podcasting to trigger improvement?
37:15 – Ideas into action
39:00 – Project 2025
42:15 – Getting people’s attention without scaring them
44:00 – Future of journalism
46:00 – Montana Senate race

Information Referenced:

Hal Herring
Old Salt Festival
Hal’s first M&P appearance
Annick Smith and William Kittridge’s The Last Best Place. Annick was at a writers’ workshop with Hal in 1988.
1988 fires in Montana, during which about 36% of Yellowstone National Park burned.
Homestead Act, during which 270 million acres of U.S. land was transitioned from public to private land in the Lincoln Administration to encourage westward expansion.
Peter Kropotkin, Mikhail Bakunin, in Hal’s Russian anarchists phase.
The Wilderness Warrior, Douglas Brinkley. In Hal’s FDR phase.
Betsy Gaines Quammen’s True West
Douglas Brinkley’s Silent Spring Revolution
Silent Spring, touchstone of the environmental movement in the 1970s
Nate Schweber’s This America of Ours
Hal’s Backcountry Hunters and Anglers podcast
What do you really believe in? Hal discusses on Hunt Talk Radio’s podcast.
The Road, Cormac McCarthy
Life of Pi
1970s Toxic Substances Control Act
Michael Lewis’s The Fifth Risk
Outdoor Afro
Weeds of the West

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes

Posted on January 17, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Agriculture, Conservation, Conservationists, Creativity, History, Ranchers, Writers

Scott Hulet is a legendary writer, editor, and current Creative Director at The Surfer’s Journal. He also has a new book titled Flow Violento: A Scott Hulet Omnibus, which is a compilation of more than thirty years of his writing about surfing, fishing, travel, food, music, and more. If you subscribe to my book recommendations email, then you’ll already know how much I loved the book– Scott brings to life the cultures, waves, and landscapes of Latin America using his unique blend of insights, humor, and perfectly crafted prose. If you’re a fan of travelogues, adventure tales, and cultural immersion, I know you’ll enjoy Flow Violento.

Scott was born and raised in southern California, and he’s been writing for longer than he can even remember. Skating and surfing entered his life very early, as did travel to Mexico for surf trips. Through a deep commitment to the craft of writing and surfing, he’s been able to build a successful career that combines both. But for all his success, there have also been some speedbumps along the way, including a string of health scares during his fifties that culminated with a very serious stroke. But after a ton of hard work and help from some inspiring medical professionals, Scott was able to make a full recovery– and refocus his efforts on writing, traveling, and surfing.

I’ve been a huge fan of The Surfer’s Journal and Scott for many, many years, so I was honored that he took the time to chat with me about his life, work, and the new book. I caught him just a few days before he took off to the Colombian Amazon for a fishing and research trip, and we had a fun chat about reading, writing, surfing, traveling, and more. Some of the topics include: his “hunting and gathering” approach to reading; some of his favorite childhood books; his first foundational surfing and traveling experiences; moving to Hawaii after high school; becoming a professional writer; the importance of approaching new cultures with respect; his health scares and lessons learned; his surprising thoughts on social media; rules for travel; and much more.

A big thanks to Scott for the conversation and his decades of important work. And another big thanks to you for listening. Enjoy!

—
Header photo by Ed, headshot by Ben Steele

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—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

3:30 – Scott’s “hunting and gathering” approach to reading
5:30 – Scott’s father’s influence on his reading
7:00 – Favorite childhood books
8:15 – A brief family history
9:35 – Childhood activities in San Diego
11:45 – First three foundational surfing experiences
16:00 – First adventure in Mexico
20:30 – Approaching new cultures and locations with respect… or else
24:00 – Heading to university
25:45 – Writing: from avocation to vocation
28:00 – Mentors
34:30 – How TSJ has maintained such a loyal following in the changing world of print media
36:45 – A surprisingly positive take on Twitter/X
39:45 – The importance of knowing a wide range of people with wide ranges of ideas
44:45 – The art of editing
47:15 – Courting the Muse
49:30 – Lessons learned from several super-intense health trials
53:30 – Pre-stroke Scott vs post-stroke Scott
55:45 – How to stand out from the crowd as a creative
57:15 – There are still unknown, off-the-map places to discover
59:00 – Rules for thinking traveler
1:01:00 – Important books
1:05:00 – Parting words of wisdom

Information Referenced:

Flow Violento: A Scott Hulet Omnibus
The Surfer’s Journal
Scott on the The Surfer’s Journal podcast, Soundings with Jamie Brisick
World Book
Harvard Classics
Robert Service
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Jim Thompson
Autodidact
Chris Ahrens
Guy Motil
Steve Pezman
Kevin Naughton
Drew Kampion
Dale Herd
Craig Stecyk
The Belly of Paris by Emile Zola
Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene and Christopher Hitchens
Eyelids of Morning; the mingled destinies of crocodiles and men: Being a description of the origins, history, and prospects of Lake Rudolf, its peoples, deserts, rivers, mountains, and weather by Peter Beard
Escoffier: The Complete Guide to the Art of Modern Cookery
The Raw and the Cooked: Adventures of a Roving Gourmand by Jim Harrison
Through the Brazilian Wilderness by Theodore Roosevelt
The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard
Rio Orinoco
Don’t Save Anything: Uncollected Essays, Articles, and Profiles by James Salter

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes

Posted on January 10, 2025 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Adventurers, Artists, Books, Creativity, Writers

Rusty Bell is the Director of Gillette College’s Office of Economic Transformation, and Justin Loyka is the Wyoming Energy Program Director at the Nature Conservancy. Rusty and Justin are working together to find sustainable, economically viable solutions to the energy transition that is currently taking place in and around Gillette, Wyoming. Gillette and Campbell County, Wyoming have long been leaders in the United States’ coal production business and have been a foundation of West’s economy for decades. But over the past 15 years or so, coal production has decreased by approximately half, which will have far-reaching consequences for Gillette, the state of Wyoming, and the West.

But as coal mining scales back, Gillette is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the rise of renewable energy and the many positive economic and environmental ripple effects that it creates. Campbell County’s landscape, workforce, infrastructure, transmission capabilities, and wildlife migration patterns offer huge opportunities to be a future hotbed of renewable energy. By transitioning reclaimed coal mines into renewable energy sites, Campbell County will not only be able to fill in the economic gap created by the contraction of the coal business, but will be able to allow Gillette to continue its culture of innovation, hard work, and community pride for decades to come.

Rusty was born and raised in Gillette, and Justin’s been living and working in Wyoming for almost 15 years. As you’ll hear, they’ve formed a partnership based on optimism, creativity, respect, and pragmatism, and they are making great strides to bolster the economic and environmental future of northeastern Wyoming. We talked about a lot in this conversation, including: A history of Wyoming’s coal mining business; the culture and community pride of Gillette; why Gillette is a perfect place for renewables; cultural and political views on renewables; wildlife considerations; details around coal mine reclamation, ways to build trust and lasting relationships; and more. Justin and Rusty also share ideas about why they work so well together, and they both offer some great book recommendations and wise parting words.

I loved this conversation and learned so much about not just energy production, but also community pride, pragmatism, problem-solving, and respectful, productive relationships. A huge thanks to Rusty and Justin for joining me, and thank you for listening.

Header photo courtesy of TNC, others courtesy of Rusty and Justin

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

…or wherever you get your podcasts!

EPISODE PARTNER:

This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

On the last Tuesday of every month throughout 2024, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond. You can access all of the episodes here.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

3:30 – A brief history of the coal business in Wyoming
10:00 – The unique culture and economy of Gillette, Wyoming
16:30 – Some background on coal mine reclamation
22:30 – Why Gillette is such a prime location for renewable energy
26:00 – Wildlife considerations
29:45 – Transmission capacity considerations
31:30 – What is a megawatt?
34:00 – The cultural and political acceptance of renewables
38:30 – Justin’s approach to building trust in Wyoming communities
43:30 – The positive ripple effects of a renewable economy
48:30 – What Justin admires about Rusty
51:30 – What Rusty admires about Justin
53:45 – TNC’s role in this energy and economic transition
57:30 – How the new Presidential administration will affect this work
1:03:30 – Favorite books
1:07:15 – Parting words

Information Referenced:

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.

Posted on December 31, 2024 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest, TNC

Conservation, Conservationists, Entrepreneurs, History

Joe Whitworth is the President and CEO of The Freshwater Trust (“TFT”), an innovative and action-oriented conservation organization whose mission is to preserve and restore freshwater ecosystems. With a focus on technology and an all-star staff made up of scientists, attorneys, GIS experts, systems analysts, and more, TFT is pioneering the next generation of conservation by focusing on quantifiable results. Back when I was a Conservation Director here in Colorado, I had the great pleasure of partnering with TFT on a project involving water rights and irrigated farmland, and I was blown away by the organization’s ability to quickly put complex ideas into action for the benefit of land, water, and communities.

Joe was born into a large Midwestern family, and from an early age, his grandfather, who was a farmer, played a foundational role in his understanding of land, water, and conservation. After high school, Joe moved east to attend Dartmouth, where he played football, and then he eventually moved West to attend law school. Along the way, he began to focus his professional efforts on doing work that made the world a better place. After several stints at several different organizations, he took the reins of the organization that would eventually become The Freshwater Trust. Joe has now been at the helm of TFT for more than two decades and has grown the organization’s budget tenfold during his tenure. He’s focused, action-oriented, innovative, and very serious about solving big, complex conservation problems in the West and beyond.

As you’ll hear, Joe and I share many common interests in everything from history to reading to conservation to rivers, and, perhaps more importantly, I connect deeply with many of Joe’s core values around hard work, following your own path, and taking action. So, it’s no surprise that we had such a fun conversation. We start out talking about Joe’s grandfather, Joe’s journey from the Midwest to the Ivy League, and how he adjusted to life at Dartmouth. We talk about his early years working as a non-profit consultant and the series of events that led him to The Freshwater Trust. We discuss the ultimatum that led to TFT’s impressive growth, the type of people who thrive as staff members, and he gives an overview of their BasinScout technology. We discuss the future of environmentalism, technology’s role in solving environmental challenges, favorite books, and much more.

As I said, I’ve been a fan of TFT for many years, so I was so glad to finally have this opportunity to chat with Joe about his personal and professional operating systems. I hope you enjoy.

—
Photos courtesy of The Freshwater Trust

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

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Spotify

… or wherever you get your podcasts!

—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

3:00 – Joe’s grandfather and his lasting influence
9:00 – Unexpected blessings from a broken femur
13:00 – Adjusting to the Ivy League culture
16:15 – Next moves after Dartmouth
21:30 – Living like a monk and figuring out next steps
25:30 – “The world is designed to make you shut up and get in line.”
28:45 – Law school and beginnings at the Freshwater Trust
29:00 – Revamping The Freshwater Trust
34:00 – The board’s reaction to Joe’s plans for the future
39:00 – The importance of making hard decisions
43:45 – The magic of The Freshwater Trust team
47:45 – An overview of BasinScout
51:15 – A foundational BasinScout case study
58:30 – Ideas and areas of focus on the horizon
1:01:00 – The importance of taking action
1:03:30 – Next phase of environmentalism
1:06:00 – How TFT’s values meld with Joe’s personal values
1:09:00 – Expectations of new team members
1:12:00 – The TFT model of handing off new ideas and innovation to partners
1:16:00 – Favorite books

Information Referenced:

Joe Whitworth
The Freshwater Trust
Clean Water Act
Buddy Teevans
Dartmouth
Harry Denton’s
Bobby Clark
CCS
Outward Bound
Lewis and Clark College
Paul Fortino
No Child Left Inside
The TFT team
BasinScout and other tools
Rogue River Case Study
TFT Core Values
Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West by Wallace Stegner
The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California by Mark Arax
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t by Jim Collins
Yvon’s 5-15 Report
Growing a Business by Paul Hawken
The Obstacle is the Way Expanded 10th Anniversary Edition: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday
The Accidental Connoisseur: An Irreverent Journey Through the Wine World by Lawrence Osborne
American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

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Posted on December 10, 2024 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Agriculture, Conservation, Conservationists, Entrepreneurs, Leadership

Jesse Smith is the Director of Land Stewardship at the White Buffalo Land Trust, which is a global hub for regenerative land stewardship, ecological monitoring and research, education, and more. Jesse brings a unique perspective and a diverse set of experiences to his work in regenerative agriculture– his early interest in architecture led him to pursue an education in design, which then led to a career in product design and visual communication. But over time, he became interested in combining his artistic sensibilities with his love of the land, science, and permaculture, and soon thereafter began his journey in the world of family farming, food production, and education. Jesse is now a leader in the world of regenerative ag, and, as you’ll hear, he has a real gift for communicating the art and science of land stewardship.

This conversation was recorded in November of 2024 on stage at the REGENERATE conference– one of the country’s foremost gatherings of regenerative agriculture practitioners and thought leaders. REGENERATE is a collaboration between the Quivira Coalition, Holistic Management International, and the American Grassfed Association, and the conference attracts fascinating people from all over the world to share knowledge, build community, and create a culture of resilience and regeneration.

Despite sitting on stage in front of an auditorium full of people, this conversation felt much more like a fun one-on-one discussion between two friends. We covered everything from Jesse’s winding path into the world of agriculture to some of the more technical details around land monitoring and certifications. We discussed the natural disasters in Jesse’s community that highlighted huge problems in the local food systems, which eventually led to the creation of the White Buffalo Land Trust. We discussed how Jesse prioritizes his work when there are so many urgent challenges to address, and he shares his experiences with big business’s growing interest in regenerative ag. We talk about the Japanese concept of Ikigai, transforming inspiration into action, advice for building a career in regenerative ag, favorite books, and much more. We also allowed ample time for Q&A from the audience, which I know you’ll enjoy.

Jesse mentions tons of useful resources so be sure to visit the episode notes for a full list of topics we discussed and links to everything. A huge thanks to the team at REGENERATE for inviting me to the conference, thank you to Jesse for chatting with me and offering so much wisdom, and thanks to you for listening.

The episode starts out with an introduction from Sarah Wentzel-Fisher, who is the Executive Director of the Quivira Coalition and a past Mountain & Prairie podcast guest. Hope you enjoy!

—
Photos courtesy of the Quivira Coalition and REGENERATE, headshot courtesy of Jesse Smith

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You can also watch it on YouTube:

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

3:00 – An introduction from Quivira’s Executive Director, Sarah Wentzel-Fisher
4:45 – Ed’s introduction
8:00 – Jesse’s early years and path into conservation
12:15 – Recognizing the community need that led to the creation of the White Buffalo Land Trust
16:00 – How Jesse prioritizes his work at the White Buffalo Land Trust
21:45 – Thoughts on big business’s interest in regenerative agriculture
27:05 – The complexity of regenerative certifications
32:45 – Predictions about the future of regenerative certifications
35:30 – Advice for people who want to work in regenerative ag
41:00 – Translating inspiration into action
45:30 – Audience Q&A: How do stories and on-the-ground experiences help to change people’s minds?
50:43 – Audience Q&A: Why is the burden on regenerative producers to get certifications to prove that they are doing it correctly?
54:15 – Audience Q&A: Thoughts on the new administration bringing regenerative practitioners into the FDA?
59:20 – Audience Q&A: How do we create more accessibility around regenerative ag?
1:03:10 – Audience Q&A: How does regenerative ag play a role in procurement by institutional buyers?
1:05:00 – Audience Q&A: What is the source of people’s disconnect with food and what is one step to bridge that gap?
1:08:20 – Audience Q&A: What are some planning strategies to help balance stewardship and profitability
1:12:05 – Audience Q&A: What is the lay of the land when it comes to certifications across a broad range of markets?
1:16:15 – Jesse’s book recommendations

Information Referenced:

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes

Posted on December 3, 2024 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Agriculture, Conservation, Conservationists, Creativity, Entrepreneurs, Leadership, Ranchers, Regenerative Ag

Nichole Barger

Nichole Barger is an ecologist, former university professor, and the current deputy chief scientist and lead global scientist for The Nature Conservancy. She earned her master’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and her PhD from Colorado State University, and her career has included extensive time researching, teaching, and practicing on-the-ground, frontline conservation on issues including land degradation, restoration, and more. Prior to assuming her current position at TNC, she was the research director of the Canyonlands Research Center located at the Dugout Ranch, which you may remember as the subject of a Mountain & Prairie episode back in August of 2024.

Given her distinguished career as a scientist, you might be surprised to learn that Nichole never considered pursuing science as a vocation until the second half of her time in college. She grew up in small-town Indiana, and, although she was extremely curious, a great student, and a voracious reader, she was not particularly enamored with science and didn’t know anyone who worked as a scientist. But during college, a supportive-yet-casual comment from one of her professors planted the seed that science could be an option. Fast forward to today, she has published more than 70 peer-reviewed papers, she co-chairs the Science Policy Interface group of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, and she leads many of TNC’s cutting-edge science initiatives.

As you’ll hear, Nichole brings a deep level of empathy, curiosity, and open-mindedness to all of her work as a scientist. Whether she’s teaching, researching, or working with conservation stakeholders, she never loses sight of the importance of human connection. We spent the first half of the conversation discussing lessons learned from her nontraditional path into the world of science, including a two-year stint where she left college to travel and explore the United States. We discussed her renewed focus on academics when she returned to school, and the moment that professor planted the seed that eventually grew into her career in science. We discuss teaching versus research, how she evolved as an educator and mentor to college students, and when she decided to apply her talents to TNC’s mission. We discuss TNC’s incorporation of Indigenous wisdom and science into its work, human health as a conservation initiative, and the importance of face-to-face human interactions. She also offers some excellent book recommendations and ideas for remaining optimistic and action-oriented during challenging times.

There’s so much wisdom packed into this episode, so be sure to check out the episode notes for a complete list of topics and links to everything. A huge thanks to Nichole for the great conversation and thank you for listening.

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

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…or wherever you get your podcasts!

EPISODE PARTNER:

This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

On the last Tuesday of every month throughout 2024, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond. You can access all of the episodes here.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

4:00 – Nichole’s upbringing and early years
7:45 – Taking a non-traditional path and her parents’ reaction
9:30 – Lessons learned from her two-year break
11:00 – Books read in high school that gave Nichole confidence to follow her own path
12:30 – Returning to school with a renewed focus
15:30 – Advice to college students who are trying to find their way in the world
18:15 – Her journey to becoming a successful scientist
20:30 – Research versus teaching
22:45 – Lessons learned from years of teaching
26:30 – When and how TNC became a professional focus
29:30 – Nichole describes her current job at TNC
31:15 – Incorporating Indigenous knowledge into TNC’s science work
40:00 – The importance and power of weaving in Indigenous knowledge
43:00 – Human health as a conservation initiative
47:00 – “Doom and Gloom” is not a motivating strategy
50:00 – Online resources for news and science (that won’t make you crazy)
52:00 – The importance of being with people
53:15 – The most exciting project Nichole is working on
55:00 – What can the average person do to take action and make a difference
59:00 – Book recommendations
1:03:00 – Parting words of wisdom

Information Referenced:

Nichole Barger
Science programs at TNC
Wheatfield, Indiana
Evergreen State College
UC Berkeley
Colorado State University
University of Colorado at Boulder
Flipped classroom
BLM
Colorado Plateau
Canyonlands Research Center
United Nations – UNCCD Science-Policy Interface
Dugout Ranch
Heidi Redd and Sue Bellagamba podcast
Celene Hawkins and Izabella Ruffino
Leave It As It Is by David Gessner
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.

Posted on November 26, 2024 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest, TNC

Conservation, Conservationists, Native American History, Public Health, The Nature Conservancy

Mark Easter is a Colorado-based ecologist and author whose new book is titled The Blue Plate: A Food Lover’s Guide to Climate Chaos. If you care about food and you care about Planet Earth, The Blue Plate is a must-read. It explores the production, consumption, and disposal of many of our favorite foods– seafood, salad, bread, chicken, steak, potatoes, ice cream, and more– and offers a thoughtful and nuanced analysis of these foods’ impacts on the environment. This is not a gloom-and-doom climate change book, nor does it have the condescending tone that sometimes accompanies many climate-related readings. While Mark is crystal clear about the massive threats facing our planet, this is a book built on the ideals of optimism, ingenuity, and taking action. I loved it.

Mark lives and works in Fort Collins and has conducted research in academia and private industry since 1988. He has enjoyed a very successful and impactful career at Colorado State University, and he has authored and co-authored more than 50 scientific papers and reports related to carbon cycling and the carbon footprint of agriculture, forestry, and other land uses. But Mark also has a real gift for storytelling and for breaking down enormously complex topics into understandable and enjoyable writing. His writing is personal, educational, and fun to read, and I credit Mark and The Blue Plate with helping me to finally fully understand issues around greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration.

Mark and I met up a few weeks ago at CSU and had a fun and nuanced conversation about food, agriculture, and the climate. We started by discussing why he refers to himself as a “greenhouse gas accountant,” and he offers an excellent explanation of soil’s all-important role in balancing the release and capture of carbon on Planet Earth. We talk about how grasslands, jungles, and mangroves sequester carbon, and how and why the destruction of any of these ecosystems negatively affects the planet. We discuss Mark’s ten-year process of writing this book and how Patagonia Books helped him bring his vision to life. We discuss how methane is produced by everything from reservoirs to ruminants, and why that particular greenhouse gas is more harmful than the others. We discuss regenerative agriculture, meat production, composting, and personal diet choices, and Mark offers a long list of excellent book recommendations.

We barely scratched the surface of all of the fascinating topics in The Blue Plate, so if you enjoy this conversation, I’d encourage you to pick up a copy of the book and dig in. I know you’ll enjoy it and learn a lot.

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

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—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

3:00 – Intro and how Mark describes his work
7:15 – Parallels between carbon accounting and business accounting
13:45 – An overview of soil and carbon
21:30 – Carbon in grasslands vs jungles vs mangroves
25:00 – How and why Mark decided to write this book
33:00 – The ten-year process of writing the book
37:00 – Greenhouse gases explained
40:00 – Methane feedback loop explained
43:30 – A fascinating story about methane in Lake Powell
46:15 – Reservoirs and evaporation
47:00 – The most difficult chapter to write: Ruminants and meat
55:30 – The increasing global demand for meat
58:00 – Taking action and personal responsibility
1:01:30 – Personal responsibility versus regulation
1:04:00 – A helpful way to understand carbon quantities
1:06:00 – Carbon consequences of transforming forests to grasslands
1:09:00 – All about composting
1:13:00 – Business opportunities in regenerative agriculture
1:16:30 – Favorite books
1:22:15 – Parting words

Information Referenced:

Mark Easter
The Blue Plate: A Food Lover’s Guide to Climate Chaos
Keith Paustian
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Marlen Eve
Stephen Ogle
Bill Parton
Excited Skin of the Planet
Video: Soil Organic Matter: Humanity’s True Capital by Francesca Cotrufo, PhD
Melannie Hartman
SueEllen Campbell
The Soil Will Save Us: How Scientists, Farmers, and Foodies Are Healing the Soil to Save the Planet by Kristin Ohlson
Kiss the Ground
John Calderazzo
Rachel Carson
Doug Brinkley interview
Aldo Leopold
EO Wilson
Barbara Kingsolver
Greenhouse gases
Methane feedback loop
Into the Clear Blue Sky: The Path to Restoring Our Atmosphere by Rob Jackson
Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World by Mark Kurlansky
Prairyerth: A Deep Map by William Least Heat-Moon
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
A Sand County Almanac: And Sketches Here and There by Aldo Leopold
Coming Home to Eat: The Pleasures and Politics of Local Foods by Gary Paul Nabhan
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Laura Pritchett

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes

Posted on November 15, 2024 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Agriculture, Books, Conservation, Conservationists, Entrepreneurs, Public Health, Regenerative Ag, Writers

Kelsey Molloy is the Northern Great Plains Director at The Nature Conservancy and Angel DeVries is the Executive Director of the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA), and they both live and work on the Northern Great Plains in Malta, Montana. While they work for different organizations, Kelsey and Angel collaborate on a long list of critical projects, most of which are focused on grassland conservation, ranching, and community partnerships.

One of their most notable collaborations involves the Matador Ranch, a 60,000-acre TNC-owned property near Dodson, Montana. The Matador Ranch is home to an outside-the-box conservation initiative known as a grassbank, which is a partnership opportunity that offers ranchers grazing access to rich grasses in exchange for adopting sustainable practices on their own property.

This grassbank was introduced during the historic drought of the early 2000s, and it offered much needed grazing opportunities for ranching families whose homeplaces had been hit hard by the dry conditions. Since then, for the past 20+ years, the grassbank has continued to provide win-win solutions for ranchers and conservation-focused non-profit organizations, as well as helping to bolster trust, goodwill, and community cohesiveness.

As you’ll hear in this conversation, the grassbank has been such a success, the TNC is currently searching for another ranch to acquire and eventually transform into a community led and owned grassbank. This “grassbank 2.0” will not only provide a grazing safety net during times of drought, but will also further the work of providing opportunities for new or young ranchers who are just entering the business but do not yet have the capital to purchase their own land.

We connected via the magic of the internet, and had a wide-ranging conversation about their productive collaboration, grassbanks, challenges and opportunities in the Northern Great Plains, and more. We discussed the work of the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance, the history of the Matador Ranch, and the ins and outs of the Matador Ranch grassbank. We discussed how skyrocketing land values are making it nearly impossible for new ranchers to enter the business, and also how succession planning is becoming an important, but often underappreciated, issue for ranching families. We also talked a lot about the need for optimism and curiosity, the importance of building community, and how TNC and RSA are working to bridge cultural and geographic divides. We also learn about RSA’s book club, which will likely be of great interest to many of you.

I learned so much from this conversation and appreciate Kelsey and Angel taking time out of their busy schedules to chat with me. Hope you enjoy!

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

Apple Podcasts

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…or wherever you get your podcasts!

EPISODE PARTNER:

This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

On the last Tuesday of every month throughout 2024, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond. You can access all of the episodes here.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

4:00 – Kelsey and Angel introduce themselves
8:10 – Background on the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance (RSA)
10:00 – A few of the biggest challenges facing Great Plains ranchers
15:30 – The history of the Matador Ranch and the grassbank
22:00 – Lessons learned from the grassbank
24:15 – A local’s perspective on the grassbank
25:30 – Wildlife-friendly fencing explained
26:30 – Other examples of grassbanks
30:15 – Emerging plans for a new grassbank
33:45 – Steps involved in finding a new property
36:00 – Success stories from the Matador Ranch
41:00 – Easements as a tool for grasslands restoration
43:45 – Importance of positivity and optimism
48:45 – Importance of optimism
52:00 – Important books
56:15 – RSA book club
59:45 – Words of wisdom

Information Referenced:

Kelsey Molloy
Angel DeVries
TNC Montana
Ranchers Stewardship Alliance
Matador Ranch
Malta, MT
AUM
Matt Morehead
Amber Smith
Winnett ACES
Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge
Plowprint report from World Wildlife Fund
Pioneer Cattleman in Montana: The Story of the Circle C Ranch by Walt Coburn
Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations by David R. Montgomery
Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard by Douglas W. Tallamy
The Unabomber Manifesto: Industrial Society and Its Future
Brené Brown
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek
Otters Dance: A Rancher’s Journey to Enlightenment and Stewardship by Bob Budd
RSA Book Club and other events
Elaine Froese

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.

Posted on October 31, 2024 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest, TNC

Agriculture, Conservation, Conservationists, Ranchers, The Nature Conservancy

If you’re a longtime Mountain & Prairie listener, then you’re already familiar with the Partnership of Rangeland Trusts, also known as PORT. But for any new listeners, PORT is an alliance of agriculture-focused conservation organizations dedicated to preserving working farms and ranches and conserving productive agricultural lands. PORT is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, and in those two decades (and as of this recording), PORT organizations have helped more than 2,000 families conserve almost 3.2 million acres of productive working lands across the West.

In this episode, I chat with three executive directors of PORT-affiliated organizations, two of which have been on the podcast before. You’ll recognize Chad Ellis of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust (TALT), and Erik Glenn of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust. And new to the podcast is Michael Delbar, who leads the California Rangeland Trust. I’ve known all three of these guys for many years now, and I have long admired the ways that they lead their respective organizations. But perhaps even more impressive to me is how they have worked as a team with all nine PORT organizations to increase the scale, influence, and effectiveness of large-scale, working lands conservation.

I don’t think I’ve ever recorded an episode this early in the morning– we squeezed it in between an early morning breakfast and PORT’s board meeting. Just the day before, we had all been at TALT’s Working Lands Innovation Summit on the Birdwell-Clark Ranch in Henrietta, Texas, which was a huge success. So this was a great time to reflect on the importance of working lands, and we covered a lot: The Working Lands Innovation Summit and the importance of spending time out on the land; the history and purpose of PORT, the growth of additive conservation projects; private lands conservation as an economic driver; hard work; innovation; the importance of advocating for conservation in Washington DC; future plans for PORT, and much more. As you’ll hear, I start out chatting with Chad and Erik, and then Michael steps in for Erik about halfway through and shares his valuable perspective.

A huge thanks to TALT for inviting me to Texas and another huge thanks to all the PORT organizations and landowner partners who have had such a positive and significant impact on the landscapes of the West.

—–
Header photo courtesy of the California Rangeland Trust

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

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Spotify

… or wherever you get your podcasts!

—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

4:00 – The event that brought us all to Texas
7:00 – Importance of being on the land for the conference
8:45 – Introduction to the Partnership of Rangelands Trust (PORT)
12:30 – How and why PORT was created
15:30 – Additive conservation and the future
18:45 – Examples of additive conservation projects
25:30 – Private lands conservation as an economic driver
29:15 – Intro to Michael Delbar
31:00 – How the perception of conservation easements has changed in California
32:00 – Once again, the importance of relationships
34:15 – Hard work and innovation
39:45 – Advocating in DC
42:00 – How PORT’s scale translates into results
43:30 – Future plans for PORT
47:00 – Funding needs and parting words

Information Referenced:

Partnership of Rangeland Trusts (PORT)
All PORT members
Texas Agricultural Land Trust (TALT)
Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust
California Rangeland Trust
Chad Ellis
Erik Glenn
Michael Delbar
Aldo Leopold
- “Conservation will ultimately boil down to rewarding the private landowner who conserves the public interest.” – Aldo Leopold
Conservation easements
CSU Economic Study on Private Lands Conservation
Dr. Roel Lopez
NRCS
California Rangeland Trust Presents: From the Ground Up: Healing Our Planet, Healing Ourselves
California Rangeland Trust Podcast: Tuned Into The Land
Land Trust Alliance

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes

Posted on October 25, 2024 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Agriculture, Conservation, Conservationists, Entrepreneurs, Leadership, Ranchers

Kevin Grange is a Wyoming-based author, paramedic, and firefighter. His most recent book is titled Grizzly Confidential: An Astounding Journey Into the Secret Life of North America’s Most Fearsome Predator, which is a must-read for anyone interested in the evolving relationship between humans and bears. The book follows Kevin’s journey throughout the American West and Alaska as he seeks to better understand grizzly bears, debunk many deeply engrained myths, explore case studies of successful coexistence, and more. The book is part travelogue, part adventure story, and part science– making for a fun and educational read that I highly recommend.

Kevin was born and raised in New Hampshire, where he grew up obsessed with the outdoors and, like many of us, obsessed with kids’ outdoor books such as Old Yeller, Sounder, and Where the Red Fern Grows. He attended paramedic school in California and began his career in downtown LA before landing a job as a National Park paramedic in Yellowstone. As you’ll hear in our conversation, Kevin has managed to successfully merge his love of medicine and adventure with his talent for writing, and with a lot of hard work, he’s enjoyed two successful, simultaneous careers– one in medicine and the other in writing.

Kevin and I connected just a few weeks after the publication of Grizzly Confidential and had a fascinating conversation about his career, his writing process, and his journey to better understand the legendary grizzly bear. We discussed his career path that led him to the West and his first experiences working in Yellowstone. We talk about balancing his paramedic work with his writing work, and how having a full-time job allows him to be more selective with his writing projects. We obviously talk a lot about grizzly bears– grizzly research, poaching, backcountry bear safety, his travels to Alaska, success stories of coexistence, false grizzly myths, overcoming his fear of grizzlies, and much more. Kevin is also a voracious reader, so he offers up plenty of excellent book recommendations.

A huge thanks to Kevin for writing such a fun and educational book, and a huge thanks to you for listening. Enjoy!

—
Photos courtesy of Kevin Grange

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

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—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

4:00 – Intro and Kevin’s upbringing
5:45 – Favorite books as a kid
8:15 – First memories of grizzlies
9:15 – First encounter with a grizzly
11:30 – Becoming a National Park paramedic
13:45 – Types of emergencies in National Parks
15:00 – Idiotic tourist mistakes
16:45 – Balancing paramedic work with writing
19:30 – Why Grizzlies?
22:15 – How this book’s angle is different from other Grizzly books
26:20 – What’s the difference between a “Grizzly bear” and a “Brown bear”?
27:45 – Washington State University’s Bear Center
32:45 – Grizzly poaching
37:15 – Learning bear defense methods, including bear spray
41:15 – Basic backcountry safety in bear country
44:15 – Examples of good and bad coexistence strategies
48:15 – Debunking certain grizzly myths
52:45 – Continued learning about grizzlies
55:45 – How writing this book compares to the others
57:15 0 Favorite writers and books
59:30 – How has Kevin changed because of this project?
1:05:30 – Learning to switch gears after an intense paramedic experience
1:07:30 – Parting words of wisdom

Information Referenced:

Kevin Grange
Grizzly Confidential by Kevin Grange
All of Kevin’s Books
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
Sounder by William Armstrong
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Thomas Mangelsen
Morning Glory hotspring
Grizzly 399
Washington State University Bear Center
Brooks Falls
Nick Mott episode
Todd Orr
Surviving the Griz course
McNeil Bear Sanctuary
Fat Bear Week
National Parks Magazine
Eager by Ben Goldfarb
The Devils Teeth by Susan Casey
Peter Matthiessen
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Kevin Fedarko
Pete McBride
Kate Siber
Stephanie Pearson
On Writing by Stephen King
The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery
What a Fish Knows by Jonathan Balcombe

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes

Posted on October 18, 2024 by ELR

Blog, Podcast, The Latest

Adventurers, Books, Conservation, Conservationists, Creativity, Service, Writers

Nick Mott is an award-winning multimedia journalist who lives in Livingston, Montana. His latest project is a wonderful new podcast called The Wide Open, which he produced in collaboration with Montana Public Radio and the Montana Media Lab. The podcast offers a fresh look into our ever-changing relationship with the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and it digs into the history, nuance, and modern-day controversies surrounding what has been called “the most powerful environmental legislation in the world.” Nick explores this divisive topic with deep curiosity and journalistic integrity, and I found the podcast to be amazingly educational and entertaining– which is a rare combo when discussing such a complex piece of legislation.

If you’re a longtime Mountain & Prairie listener, then many of the topics Nick explores in The Wide Open will be of great interest– grizzly bears, wolves, the environmental history of the West, and more. You’ll also hear a few familiar voices, including past podcast guest and living legend Doug Peacock. But what I most appreciated about The Wide Open is how Nick was able to humanize the stories surrounding such a divisive part of Western culture– he features people who love the ESA and people who hate it, but all of them are given the opportunity to share their stories and unique outlooks. In this current cultural moment of hot takes, outrage, and misinformation, The Wide Open is a much-needed return to nuance, curiosity, and civility.

As you’d expect from an award-winning podcaster, Nick knows how to tell a great story, so I know you’ll enjoy this episode. We start out discussing the history of the ESA and Nick’s fresh approach to exploring such a well-known environmental story. We discuss how the ESA is used as a tool to achieve goals other than species protection, how Nick balances the need to make his podcasts both informative and fun to listen to, how he accounts for his own personal biases when telling stories, and how he goes about choosing people to interview. About halfway through the episode, Nick recounts a horrifying recent run-in he had with a grizzly bear, and he discusses how that close call affected his thinking on some of these complex wildlife issues. We also discuss his favorite books, plans for future seasons of The Wide Open, how he deals with negative feedback, wolf reintroduction in Colorado, his professional heroes, and much more.

Be sure to check out the episode notes for links to everything, including Nick’s other podcasts and his book This is Wildfire, which he co-authored with Justin Angle.

A big thanks to Nick for taking the time, thank you for listening, and please subscribe to The Wide Open– I know you’ll really enjoy it!

—
Photos by Zach Altman

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

… or wherever you get your podcasts!

—

RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

3:50 – What attracts Nick to specific stories or topics?
6:30 – Nick describes his new approach to examining the ESA.
8:30 – A brief history of the ESA
11:35 – Using the ESA as a tool to save species OR achieve other goals
16:00 – How Nick chooses people to interview and include on the podcast
19:15 – Balancing telling stories that are both entertaining and substantive
22:50 – Accounting for bias in journalism
24:45 – Why Nick includes his own story in the podcast narrative
27:30 – Introvert or extrovert?
28:50 – Did Nick change his mind on anything related to the ESA?
31:30 – How the internet has inflamed the divisiveness of the ESA
33:00 – Nick’s recent terrifying encounter with a grizzly
39:00 – The psychological aftermath of the grizzly scare
44:45 – Providing a framework for thinking about wolf reintroduction in Colorado
49:00 – People Nick admires
53:00 – What type of journalism does Nick like the best?
55:00 – Future seasons of The Wide Open?
56:45 – People Nick admires
1:00:00 – Favorite books
1:02:00 – Dealing with negative feedback
1:04:00 – Parting words of wisdom

Information Referenced:

Nick Mott
The Wide Open
Fireline podcast
This is Wildfire by Nick Mott and Justin Angle
Endangered Species Act
Doug Brinkley
Rachel Carson
Tennessee Valley Authority
Snail darter
NOLS
The Final Forest by William Dietrich
Doug Peacock
Daniel Anderson
Amy Martin
Threshold
This American Life
RadioLab
Jon Ronson books
Wild Ones by Jon Mooallem
The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert

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Posted on October 1, 2024 by ELR

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Adventurers, Artists, Conservation, Creativity, Writers

Category: Podcast

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