Mike Phillips – Audacious Goals, Relentless Action

Mike Phillips is the Director of the Turner Endangered Species Fund (“TESF”), an organization that he co-founded in 1997 with Ted Turner. Mike is also a Montana state senator representing District 31, which encompasses parts of his hometown of Bozeman and the surrounding area. In his work as an ecologist, Mike has spent much of his career studying and implementing the reintroduction of wolves throughout the United States. And in both science and politics, he’s never shied away from taking vocal leadership roles involving a wide range of important issues in southwest Montana and beyond.

Mike is very well known for his work with gray wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and also for his efforts to reintroduce the species into western Colorado. But as you’ll hear in our conversation, wolves are just a small part of his work– his overarching interest is the persistence of many imperiled species, with a particular emphasis on private land’s role in the recovery efforts.  Whether considering the fate of monarch butterflies, cutthroat trout, or gray wolves, Mike’s approach is the same– an action-oriented, science-backed strategy toward conserving biological diversity.

No matter where you stand on the issue of gray wolf reintroduction, I encourage you to give this conversation with Mike a very close listen. If you’re like me, you’ll be struck not only by his passion for ecology but by his deep reliance on non-emotional, quantitative scientific data. You’ll also notice his insatiable curiosity and his willingness to change his when presented with compelling new information. And finally, I think you’ll be impressed by his ability to discuss controversial topics such as wolves or politics in a respectful, considered tone that welcomes conversation and input from all sides of the issues.

I can’t thank Mike enough for taking the time out of his busy schedule to chat. This is an important conversation that will make you think, and Mike’s enthusiasm will likely motivate you to dedicate more of your time to a cause that is important to you.

Headshot courtesy of Mike Phillips

---

Click Here to Download on iTunes

—

Click Here to Download on Spotify

—

Click Here to Download on Google Play

—

Click Here to Download on Stitcher

—

---

Episode Notes

---

Topics Discussed:

• 3:30 – Beginnings of the Turner Endangered Species Fund
• 9:30 – Mike’s background in ecology
• 14:00 – TESF success stories
• 17:30 – Wolf recovery in Colorado
• 24:30 – Mike addresses the counterarguments to wolf recovery
• 35:00 – Mike’s ability to not shy away from conflict—in ecology and politics
• 39:30 – Decision to enter into politics
• 43:30 – Importance of being mission and service oriented
• 44:30 – Lessons learned from baseball
• 47:30 – Importance of being able to “see around the next corner”
• 48:30 – Private land’s role in conservation
• 53:30 – Favorite books
• 56:00 – Favorite films
• 58:00 – Favorite location in the West
• 1:00:00 – Request of the listeners

Information Referenced:

• Turner Endangered Species Fund
• Ted Turner
• Bolson Tortoise
• TESF Gray Wolf work
• Rocky Mountain Wolf Project
• Endangered Species Act
• “Coyote Whacking” article
• Song of the Dodo by David Quammen
• The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert
• Report on the Lands of the Arid Region of the United States by John Wesley Powell
• The American West as Living Space by Wallace Stegner
• The Fog of War

---

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these as well:

• Bryce Andrews – People, Predators, and the American West
• Melissa DiNino – Building a Unique Life in Big Sky Country
• Brian Calvert – In-Depth Journalism in the New West
• Dan Flores – Chronicling the West’s Rich Natural History

---