Elliot Ross: Where Landscape, Justice, and Storytelling Meet
Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson
Release Date: 04/04/2025
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_outlineElliot 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.
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- Elliot Ross
- Time magazine piece
- A Question of Balance
- Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/elliot-ross/
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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.
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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 – Parental 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
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