California Wolves, 87 Dead Cattle, and the NYT Op-Ed Everyone’s Sharing
On Land
California’s recent decision to remove four members of a wolf pack near Lake Tahoe sparked national attention - but the story behind it is much bigger. Today on the On Land feed, we’re sharing a special episode from our sister show, Working Wild University, which WLA produces with wildlife management specialist and prof. Jared Beaver at Montana State University Extension. In this episode, Wildlife Management professor at UC Berkeley, Dr. Arthur Middleton, joins us to dig into his recent New York Times op-ed and explore why America’s predator recovery has outpaced our ability to...
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Inside the Movement to Fund Rural America with Erin Borla
On Land
Only 7% of philanthropic dollars goes toward rural America, and our guest today is working to change that. Today our CEO Lesli Allison sits down with Erin Borla, executive director of the Roundhouse Foundation in Sisters, Oregon. Erin’s helping reimagine what philanthropy looks like in rural and tribal communities, through both the Foundation’s grantmaking and their podcast Funding Rural. Show notes:
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What to do about Sprawl with Ken Mirr
On Land
The American West is changing fast, and one of the biggest forces shaping that change is development. Sprawl - those 35-acre subdivisions and ranchettes you see spreading across the landscape - can mean paradise for some, and the unraveling of communities, wildlife habitat and productive landscapes for others. Today we’re talking about what’s driving that growth, what it means for landowners and rural economies and what kinds of solutions might help us strike a balance between private property rights, conservation and community needs. On the show today, our CEO Lesli...
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Conservation Without Conflict with Leo Miranda
On Land
The Endangered Species Act has helped save iconic species from extinction - but it’s also created real tension for the private landowners who manage the majority of wildlife habitat in the U.S. In this episode, WLA CEO Lesli Allison sits down with Leo Miranda, executive director of Conservation Without Conflict and former Southeast Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. From his early days as a field biologist in Puerto Rico to leading one of the most innovative regional conservation efforts in the country, and as a farmer in Georgia, Leo brings a unique...
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What's next for the Farm Bill?
On Land
The Farm Bill. A piece of legislation that quietly shapes much of life in this country - especially for those of us in rural America. The Farm Bill influences everything from food access to conservation, crop insurance to rural infrastructure. And yet, for how far-reaching it is, most Americans know very little about what’s actually in it - or what’s at stake when it comes up for renewal. To help unpack the history, the politics, and the uncertain path ahead, Lesli Allison, our CEO here at Western Landowners Alliance, speaks with two former high-ranking staffers who served...
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Forged and foraged with Chef Joshua Drage
On Land
For Chef Joshua Drage, fire is more than a cooking method - it is a unifying ingredient in his culinary creations. Drage's passion lies in crafting dishes that pay homage to the American West; emphasizing the connection between fire and food. Drage collaborates with local producers to source the freshest ingredients skillfully blending bold flavors while championing healthy eating. Today's episode of On Land is a literal fireside chat with Chef Joshua Drage. Join WLA's Christina Wenikowski and Zach Altman on a culinary journey to Chef Drage's cabin in the forested hills near...
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Little Creek Ranch and Feedstore with Caroline and Justin Nelson
On Land
Today we’re chatting with Caroline and Justin Nelson, the powerhouse ranching couple behind Little Creek Feed in Townsend, Montana, and the owners of Little Creek Lamb & Beef, a direct-to-consumer meat company that prioritizes care for the land, the animals, and the people sustained by both. We talk about what it was like to start a business while expecting their first child, why they’re so committed to quality local products and top-notch customer service, the decline of community gathering spaces in rural areas, the origins and growth of their meat business, and so much...
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Forest stewardship in the age of megafires with Dave Tenny
On Land
The future of forests, and the communities and wildlife that depend on them, is at a crossroads. In this episode of On Land, Western Landowners Alliance CEO Lesli Allison sits down with Dave Tenny, founding president and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners, for a timely, wide-ranging conversation. They dig into sweeping new federal directives aimed at expanding domestic timber production, what it really takes to reduce wildfire risk, and how private working forests are becoming critical players in wildlife conservation and the carbon economy. Along the way, they...
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This is Wildfire with Nick Mott
On Land
The American West is burning. We need to adapt. But what does it really mean to live with fire? Today’s guest has spent years trying to answer that question. Nick Mott is an award-winning journalist, podcast producer (Threshold, MTPR's The Wide Open, Fireline), and now author of the book This is Wildfire: How to Protect Yourself, Your Home, and Your Community in the Age of Heat, which he co-authored with Justin Angle, host of A New Angle and a professor at Montana State University's College of Business. Nick joins WLA's Zach Altman for a conversation about fire - where we've been,...
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Federal Cuts, Working Lands, and What’s Next with Lesli Allison
On Land
Today we’re bringing you a timely conversation with Lesli Allison, CEO of Western Landowners Alliance. With major shifts happening in federal policy—funding freezes, staffing cuts, and growing uncertainty—Lesli breaks down what these changes mean for working lands and the people who steward them. We’ll talk about the challenges landowners are facing, the opportunities to shape the future, and why landowner leadership is needed now more than ever. Learn about WLA's policy work, share your thoughts and contact your reps .
info_outlineThe big news in the West these days is drought, and specifically drought in the Colorado River Basin. In upcoming episodes, we're going to bring you some really interesting conversations with land stewards who are trying really cool things to deal with the drought, save water, and restore watersheds. But today, we wanted to provide listeners with some of the big picture context and some background to better understand this issue.
To do that, we turned to Andy Mueller. Andy Mueller is the General Manager of the Colorado River District. The Colorado River District is a public body that serves as the principal water policy and planning agency for the Colorado River Basin within the state of Colorado. They provide legal, technical and political representation regarding Colorado River issues for the communities of 15 counties in Northwest Colorado which includes the headwaters of the mighty river itself.
Andy is a veteran water attorney, and a graduate of the University of Colorado Law School's esteemed program in water law. Before becoming the General Manager at CRD, he spent 22 years in private practice representing agricultural water users on the western slope of Colorado, learning about the issues directly from landowners and producers. Andy recently spoke with Lesli Allison, the executive director at Western Landowners Alliance. Lesli spent 16 years managing a private ranch in the headwaters of the Rio Grande before helping to found WLA in 2012. So she’s is no stranger to these issues.
Enjoy!
More about the Colorado River District: https://www.coloradoriverdistrict.org/
On Land is a production of Western Landowners Alliance, a non-profit that advances policies and practices that sustain working lands, connected landscapes and native species. Learn more about WLA here.
Produced by Zach Altman
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