Nick Mott - A Masterclass in Nuanced Storytelling
Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson
Release Date: 10/01/2024
Sara Domek – The Science and Story of Wyoming’s Wildlife Migration
Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson
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...
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Cody Wellema – After the Fire, Before What’s Next
Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson
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...
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Live at SXSW - Farmer-Founded Brands Will Save American Fashion
Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson
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...
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Elliot Ross: Where Landscape, Justice, and Storytelling Meet
Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson
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...
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Aaron Citron: Crafting Conservation Policy in a Changing West
Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson
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...
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David Cronenwett - Lessons from Jiu-Jitsu, On and Off the Mats
Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson
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...
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Helen Augare Carlson & Dylan DesRosier – Land, Language, and Stewardship in the Blackfeet Nation
Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson
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...
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George Hodgin Returns – Risk-Taking, Leadership, and the Future of Cannabis
Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson
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 BRC - Biopharmaceutical Research Company, 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...
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Ivan McClellan Returns - From Behind the Lens to Center of the Arena
Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson
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 , 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...
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Betsy Gaines Quammen Returns - Myths, Curiosity, and Human Connection (Live at the Old Salt Festival)
Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson
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, , and since then, she’s published another must-read: . 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...
info_outlineNick 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 devisive 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!
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- Nick Mott
- The Wide Open
- "This is Wildfire" by Nick Mott and Justin Angle
- Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/nick-mott/
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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
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