Emilene Ostlind – Storytelling for the New West
Emilene Ostlind is a Wyoming-based journalist and storyteller whose work focuses on the landscapes, natural resources, and communities of the American West. She may be best known for her work studying and documenting the long-distance migration of pronghorn antelope from Grand Teton National Park down into the Green River Valley—a topic that was the basis …
Behind the Scenes with Ed – Parts 1 & 2
PART 1: Behind the Scenes with Ed – Cutting-Edge Land & Water Conservation in the West This episode is a little different—this is part one of a two-part series in which I’m the one in the hot seat. It’s a repost of my recent appearance on the Quivira Coalition’s excellent podcast called “Down to Earth …
Heather Hansman – Demystifying Water in the West
Heather Hansman is a freelance writer and editor whose work explores the intersection of science, adventure, and culture. Her new book Downriver: Into the Future of Water in the West should be required reading for everyone who enjoys this podcast—it strikes the perfect balance of being entertaining and educational while examining all sides of the …
David Gessner, Part 2 – Ambition, Art, and Arête
If you’re a regular Mountain & Prairie listener, then you are undoubtedly familiar with best-selling author David Gessner. He has written several of my all-favorite books, most notably All the Wild That Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West. He was also a past guest on this podcast almost exactly a year ago—a …
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 …
James Decker – Inspired Leadership for the New West
James Decker is a farmer, attorney, and the Mayor of Stamford, TX, a tight-knit agricultural community located about 45 minutes north of Abilene. James grew up in Stamford, left for college and law school, but immediately returned home to begin his career– his love of his hometown and desire to contribute to its success far …
Bryce Andrews – People, Predators, and the American West
Bryce Andrews – People, Predators, and the American West Bryce Andrews is a Montana-based rancher, conservationist, and author whose unique set of experiences gives him uncommon insights into the relationship between humans and carnivores in the West. Having worked as a ranch hand, ranch manager, and ranch owner, Bryce understands agriculture and the myriad of …
Chris Dombrowski – Words, Water & the West
Chris Dombrowski – Words, Water & the West Chris Dombrowski is an author, poet, and fishing guide who lives and works in Missoula, Montana. As a writer, Chris is probably best known for his book Body of Water: A Sage, a Seeker, and the World’s Most Elusive Fish, which is one of the best books …
Auden Schendler – The Optimistic Pragmatist
Auden Schendler is Senior Vice President of Sustainability at Aspen Skiing Company, where he focuses on finding large-scale solutions to climate change, specifically through clean energy and activism. Aspen Skiing Company has long been at the forefront of sustainable business practices, and Auden is one of the main forces behind the scenes driving those efforts—efforts …
Jesse Womack – Land Stewardship is in His Blood
Jesse Womack – Land Stewardship is in His Blood Jesse Womack wears many hats, but at his core, he is a rancher. He is the fifth generation to operate his family’s ranch near Victoria, Texas, a large-scale cattle operation that uses progressive land management techniques in a very unique landscape. Jesse also works closely with …
Melissa DiNino – Building a Unique Life in Big Sky Country
Melissa DiNino is a biologist, artist, and designer who currently lives and works in Montana’s legendary Tom Miner Basin. A native easterner, Melissa moved West soon after college to work as a range rider– a job that involves monitoring livestock on horseback in an effort to encourage the successful coexistence of livestock and apex predators …
Sara Dant – A Deep Dive Into the History of the West
Sara Dant is a historian, professor, and chair of the history department at Weber State University. She’s also the author of one of my new favorite books: Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West. Sara’s work touches many of the topics we discuss regularly on this podcast, including conservation, water, public lands, building …
Hampton Sides, Part 2 – How to Tell a Damn Good Story
Hampton Sides, Part 2 – How to Tell a Damn Good Story Anyone who has listened to this podcast surely knows of best-selling author and narrative historian Hampton Sides. I reference his books often and was lucky enough to interview him in August at the Aspen Institute, which I released as a podcast episode. In …
Hampton Sides – Live at the Aspen Institute
Hampton Sides: Live at the Aspen Institute Hampton Sides is a narrative historian, best-selling author, and editor-at-large for Outside magazine. Mountain & Prairie listeners probably know Hampton best from his book Blood and Thunder: The Epic Story of Kit Carson and the Conquest of the American West, but the reality is that Blood and Thunder …
Pete McBride – A Passion for Water & Wild Places
Pete McBride is a National Geographic photographer, filmmaker, and writer who tells untold stories from some of the world’s wildest places. Most recently, Pete and his friend, author Kevin Fedarko, hiked the entire 800-mile length of the Grand Canyon, documenting the journey for his forthcoming book The Grand Canyon: Between River and Rim. The book is …
David Gessner – Voice of the West’s Past and Present
David Gessner is an author, a professor, and one of the leading contemporary voices on the natural world and the American West. He has written ten books, including All the Wild That Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner, and the American West, which is one of my all-time favorites and was a former Mountain & Prairie …
Brian Calvert – In-Depth Journalism in the New West
Brian Calvert is the Editor-in-Chief of the High Country News, a non-profit media organization that covers the defining stories of the American West. Since 1970, High Country News has been fully committed to in-depth journalism that explores complex relationships between the West’s communities, business interests, and the natural world. In our current media climate that …
Sarah King – Collaborative Conservation in the American Southwest
Sarah King is a rancher, conservationist, wife, and mother of two who lives and works on her family’s 55,000-acre cattle ranch in southern Arizona’s Altar Valley. The King’s Anvil Ranch was established in 1895 and has operated successfully within their family for generations, setting an example of how to run a financially viable agricultural business, …
Mark Maggiori – A Fresh View of the American West
Mark Maggiori has taken the western art scene by storm with his dramatically realistic paintings of cowboys, horses, landscapes, and scenes from the American West. But painting is only a small part of Mark’s journey as a professional artist—he is also an accomplished director, filmmaker, drawer, photographer, and musician, working for companies like Disney as an …
Duke Beardsley – Art in the Big, Bold American West
Duke Beardsley – Art in the Big, Bold American West Duke Beardsley was well on his way to a career in medicine, when, just before med school, he took a hard turn onto a new path when he decided to pursue art as a full-time vocation. Since then, he has become one of the West’s …
Dan Flores – Chronicling the West’s Rich Natural History
Dan Flores is a writer, historian, and former professor whose work explores the connections between people and the natural world in the American West. His most recent books—Coyote America and American Serengeti—are two of the most enlightening and informative books on the West’s natural history that I have ever read. The former is a biography of the …
Teal Blake – On Being Authentic & Original
If you love art and the American West, chances are you’re already a fan of Teal Blake. His paintings of bucking horses, working cowboys, and the Western ranching lifestyle are some of the most authentic and creative around. Teal’s art is authentically Western because he’s so authentically Western—he has worked on ranches for all of his …
Jeff Lee – Creating a Literary Home on the Range
Jeff Lee is the co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Land Library, a residential library located on a historic ranch in one of Colorado’s most beautiful and dramatic high country grassland basins. The Buffalo Peaks Ranch, as it is known, will eventually house a collection of over 35,000 books related to natural history, conservation, and the American West. These books will …
Connor Coleman – How to Build a Meaningful Life in the West
Connor Coleman is the founder of Resiliency Lands, a progressive, conservation-minded land management and advisory group committed to promoting ecological and resource resiliency. Prior to starting Resiliency Lands, he held a variety of positions closely connected to the land, jobs that would be on the wish-list of anyone who loves adventure and the American West—wildland firefighter, cowboy, …
Taylor Keen – Tribal Truth Seeker
Taylor Keen is a teacher, community builder, and Native American thought leader based out of Omaha, Nebraska. His back story is as diverse as it is impressive—he’s a member of both the Omaha Tribe and the Cherokee Nation, attended Dartmouth College (BA) and Harvard University (Masters of Public Policy, MBA), and enjoyed a successful stint in corporate America before returning to …
Larry Yaw – Creating a Sense of Place in the New West
Larry Yaw is a renowned architect based in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley whose work connects people with nature using contemporary, sustainable, conservation-focused designs. Growing up in rural Montana gave Larry a deep appreciation for the utilitarian character of ranch homes and their thoughtful integration into the landscape, aspects that form the foundation of much of his work today. Through his design, Larry has …
Pat O’Toole – Six Generations of Balanced Ranch Stewardship
Pat O’Toole is a rancher who, along with his family, owns and operates the Ladder Ranch, a large-scale cattle and sheep operation that straddles the Colorado-Wyoming border. Pat’s wife Sharon’s family established the ranch in the Little Snake River Valley back in 1881, and now, six generations later, the family’s hard work, thoughtful vision, and …
Nicholas Coleman – Painting the Heritage and History of the American West
Nicholas Coleman – Painting the Heritage and History of the American West Nicholas Coleman is an ultra-talented, hard-working artist based out of Provo, Utah, and he paints some of the most interesting and beautiful works I’ve ever seen. His primary subject matter is the American West, with a focus on landscapes, natural history, wildlife, Native American …
Jim Howell – Conserving and Restoring the World’s Grasslands
Jim Howell is the CEO of Grasslands LLC, which is the land management arm of the Savory Institute, an organization that Jim co-founded. Both Grasslands and Savory focus on conserving and restoring the world’s grasslands through what they call “Holistic Management.” We discuss the details of Holistic Managment in the interview, but the basic idea …
Spencer Williams – From River Guide to Water Innovator
Spencer Williams spent his summers as a river guide in Colorado’s Upper Arkansas River Valley, and those experiences on the water led him to law school and into a career as a water rights attorney. He now works for Ponderosa Advisors, advising clients on water rights and water markets across the American West. Spencer also works with …
