Bonus | Grizzly Bears and the Endangered Species Act: What’s Changing?
Release Date: 03/14/2025
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 .
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Bonus | Grizzly Bears and the Endangered Species Act: What’s Changing?
On Land
UPDATE: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has extended the public comment period on proposed changes to the grizzly bear’s Endangered Species Act listing. The new deadline is May 16. Today we’re sharing an episode from Working Wild University, our award-winning documentary podcast about the people and wildlife of the American West. Western Landowners Alliance produces this show in partnership with Dr. Jared Beaver, a wildlife extension specialist at Montana State University. Be sure to check out Working Wild U wherever you listen to podcasts. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is...
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Life after dead pool with Zak Podmore
On Land
Today we dive into an illuminating conversation between Morgan Wagoner, Western Landowners Alliance's Western Water Program Director, and Zak Podmore, author of Life After Deadpool: Lake Powell's Last Days and the Rebirth of the Colorado River. Together, they explore topics like the Colorado River’s massive silt deposits, mud volcanoes and ever-resilient native species, and the urgent need to reimagine western water management. This discussion comes at a pivotal moment, as states in the upper and lower Colorado River basins remain deeply divided on proposals to reduce water usage...
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Funding agriculture businesses on a mission with Dan Miller of Steward
On Land
Today we sit down with Dan Miller, the founder and CEO of Steward, a regenerative agriculture finance firm. Dan founded Steward to combine his background in finance, real estate, and technology with his passion for agriculture, which stems from his maternal family who have been farming on the eastern shore of Maryland since the 1880s. Find the show notes here:
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Sheepish Solutions to Water Conservation with Linda Poole
On Land
Today we sit down with Linda Poole, a rancher and working lands director at Western Landowners Alliance. Linda and her border collies and livestock guardian dogs care for colored finewool sheep, laying hens and sometimes cattle on a prairie homestead south of Malta, Montana. In 2023 Linda was awarded a Field Work Project grant from the LOR Foundation, which allowed her to experiment with different ways to use waste wool to combat water scarcity and improve soil health on her ranch. Let's dive in to hear what she learned from these experiments.
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Conserving Soundscapes with Sensory Ecologist Jesse Barber
On Land
How does human-related sound impact wildlife around us? From trails to roads to cities, this question propels Dr. Jesse Barber, a leader in the emerging field of sensory ecology. Jesse Barber is a professor of biological sciences at Boise State University. He was recently appointed as the chief conservation curator and chief conservation scientist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. In today's episode, Barber joins Lesli Allison, CEO of Western Landowners Alliance, for a fascinating conversation about the field of sensory ecology, the role of private lands in sustaining...
info_outlineUPDATE: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has extended the public comment period on proposed changes to the grizzly bear’s Endangered Species Act listing. The new deadline is May 16.
Today we’re sharing an episode from Working Wild University, our award-winning documentary podcast about the people and wildlife of the American West. Western Landowners Alliance produces this show in partnership with Dr. Jared Beaver, a wildlife extension specialist at Montana State University. Be sure to check out Working Wild U wherever you listen to podcasts.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing changes to the grizzly bear’s listing under the Endangered Species Act, and a public comment period is open until March 17th. But what exactly would this new rule mean for grizzly bear management, landowners, and the future of the species?
In this episode, Jared and Zach sit down with Shaleas Harrison, Wyoming Resources Coordinator with Western Landowners Alliance, to break down the proposed rule, the long history of grizzly bear listing and delisting efforts, and what the proposed changes could mean for people living and working in grizzly country.
Learn more about the proposed rule and submit a public comment.
Full show notes here.