Shows
Land Ethic#44 Lakhan Clark Lakhan Clark is an outdoorsman and writer from Auckland, New Zealand. He's passionate about connecting to the natural world through the pursuit of wild food in the NZ backcountry. He's committed to helping preserve this human and wildlife connection by sharing his adventures and experience with others.We connected a while back on social media through shared interests in the outdoors and the tough questions surrounding ethical wildlife management. Lakhan has some interesting perspectives as a kiwi hunter. New Zealand is often thought of as a sportsman’s paradise with abundant wild game and relatively few restrictions. As you wi...2023-05-301h 06
Land Ethic#43 Robert KentRobert Kent is the Texas State Director for The Trust for Public Land, where he leads a team of colleagues and volunteers working to make the health, climate, equity, and community benefits of parks and nature accessible to all. Born and raised in Dallas, Robert is passionate about building green, resilient cities in the Lone Star State.Since joining the TPL in 2014, Robert has led their work to develop a network of parks and trails across southern Dallas, help pass a $310 million bond package for parks and trails, develop an open space plan for City of Fort...2023-05-151h 07
Land Ethic#42 Dr. Jason LaBelleDr. Jason LaBelle is a professor of anthropology at Colorado State University. He is the director of a research lab called the Center for Mountain and Plains Archaeology, and serves as the curator of the Archaeological Repository at CSU. He specializes in the study of hunter-gatherers, specifically pre and post-contact Native American cultures of the Intermountain West. He and his students research the early peopling of the North American continent, including such topics high altitude and mountain archaeology, communal hunting, and lithic technology.We talked about some of the incredible archaeological sites found throughout Colorado that help...2023-04-251h 05
Land Ethic#41 Seth WilsonSeth Wilson is the Executive Director of the Blackfoot Challenge, a leading collaborative conservation group based in western Montana. As an applied conservation biologist, Seth has worked on resolving issues between people and wildlife in the United States, Canada, and Europe for more than 20 years. He began working for the Blackfoot Challenge in 2001 as the organization’s first Wildlife Coordinator, conducting scientific research and developing strategies to reduce conflicts with grizzly bears and wolves as they returned to this part of their historic range. Recently, he spent three years in Slovenia as an advisor to the Slovenian Forest Service and pa...2023-04-1156 min
Land Ethic#40 Jaden BalesJaden Bales is a sportsman and western hunting tag expert from Wyoming. He’s written for outdoor media websites like Rokslide and Modern Huntsman, and has appeared regularly on podcasts such as Eastman’s Elevated and the Rich Outdoors. When he’s not hunting or talking about hunting, he’s advocating for wildlife as the communications director for Wyoming Wildlife Federation, an organization that provides leadership in conservation for Wyoming’s wildlife, hunters, and anglers through policy, education, advocacy, and habitat projects. We did a deep dive into western hunting, from some of Jaden’s personal stories, to how he he...2023-03-211h 07
Land Ethic#39 Dr. Mark ElbrochDr. Mark Elbroch is a scientist, tracker, writer, and storyteller. His is the lead scientist for the Puma Program at Panthera, a global nonprofit focused on wild cat conservation. Mark’s research on mountain lions is changing what we thought we knew about the species, especially with regards to their social lives and their keystone roles in ecosystems. His work was the central storyline of the BBC film, Big Cats in High Places, and National Geographic’s Wild’s Cougars Undercover.Mark earned a Senior Tracker Certificate in 2005 in Kruger National Park, South Africa, after successfully following Africa...2023-03-061h 11
Land Ethic#38 Steph WilliamsStephanie Williams (her friends call her Steph) is a mountain guide, field biologist, and co-founder of the Cascades Wolverine Project. She has over a decade of experience in field science, and two decades in the outdoor industry. She first worked as a guide in 2003 on the glaciers of Alaska’s Wrangell Mountains. Since then, she has skied and guided in alpine wildlands of India, Iceland, Switzerland, New Zealand, China, Chile, and across western North America.I contacted Steph after seeing her appearance in a short film called Finding Gulo - Gulo gulo being the scientific name for wo...2022-12-021h 03
Land Ethic#37 Kenyon FieldsKenyon Fields is a conservationist and rancher from western Colorado. His background is in conservation biology and landscape scale conservation planning. He worked for many years in Alaska for the U.S. Forest Service and as executive director of Sitka Conservation Society, before serving as western strategic director of Wildlands Network.Kenyon was one of the founding members of Western Landowners Alliance, along with Mary Conover. Now husband and wife, Kenyon and Mary own and operate Mountain Island Ranch, a generational 32,000-acre cattle ranch along the Utah-Colorado border entirely under conservation easement, with another 100,000 acres of grazing...2022-11-1849 min
Land Ethic#36 Helena Norberg-HodgeHelena Norberg-Hodge is a Linguist, author and film maker. She is the founder and director of the international non-profit organization, Local Futures, a pioneer of the new economy movement, and the convener of World Localization Day.She is the author of several books, including Ancient Futures, which you’ll hear about in this conversation. Together with a film of the same title, Ancient Futures has been translated into more than 40 languages and sold half a million copies world-wide.Her work, spanning almost half a century, has received the support of a wide range of international fi...2022-11-031h 01
Land Ethic#35 Jeff LaszloJeff Laszlo is a fourth-generation owner of the Granger Ranches, a 13,000-acre cattle ranch in Montana’s Madison Valley. Over the past 20 years or so, he and a team of public agencies and professionals have been restoring a large wetland on the property, which was drained generations ago for grazing use. What has become known as the O’Dell Creek restoration project has restored some 15 miles of spring-fed streams and 1,000 acres of wetlands. The results include a 900 percent increase in waterfowl numbers, a 600 percent increase in waterfowl species diversity, an improved fishery with reduced water temperatures, the retu...2022-10-0452 min
Land Ethic#35 Jeff LaszloJeff Laszlo is a fourth-generation owner of the Granger Ranches, a 13,000-acre cattle ranch in Montana’s Madison Valley. Over the past 20 years or so, he and a team of public agencies and professionals have been restoring a large wetland on the property, which was drained generations ago for grazing use. What has become known as the O’Dell Creek restoration project has restored some 15 miles of spring-fed streams and 1,000 acres of wetlands. The results include a 900 percent increase in waterfowl numbers, a 600 percent increase in waterfowl species diversity, an improved fishery with reduced water temperatures, the retu...2022-10-0452 min
Land Ethic#34 Hallie MahowaldHallie Mahowald is the programs director for Western Landowners Alliance, a landowner-led group that advances policies and practices that sustain working lands, connected landscapes, and native species. At WLA, Hallie manages people and strategy to support private stewardship across the West. She holds a B.A. in Environmental Science from the University of Denver and a M.A. in International Environmental Policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. In conjunction with her academic studies and early career in the non-profit sector, she worked on many natural resources management and sustainable development projects in the American West...2022-09-2058 min
Land Ethic#33 Travis CusterTravis Custer is the executive director of the Montezuma Land Conservancy, a Southwest Colorado land trust established in 1998 in the town of Cortez. They are working to explore unique solutions to conservation through an emphasis on a community-informed process, and believe that conservation is not just setting aside important lands, but also working to educate the community, address social issues, and connect people to the land that sustains them.As for Travis, he has spent most of his life in Colorado, and nature has always been an important part of his life. He was formerly a board...2022-08-1554 min
Land Ethic#32 Nelson MathewsNelson Mathews is the Vice President of Western Rivers Conservancy, a group whose slogan is “Sometimes, in order to save a river, you have to buy it.” WRC buys land along the West’s finest rivers and streams to conserve habitat, protect key sources of cold water and provide public access.They buy strategic properties that allow for the greatest conservation impact, and then transfer those lands into the hands of permanent conservation stewards. They partner with long-term stewards like the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, state parks, Tribal Nations and universities to ensure their...2022-07-0346 min
Land Ethic#31 Juan Carlos BravoJuan Carlos Bravo is the Conservation Director of Wildlands Network. Until recently, he led their efforts in Mexico and the borderlands region, where he advocated for improved conservation in the Sky Islands and the northern Sierra Madre Occidental regions, which we’ll talk about. He worked with landowners to advance the practice of private lands stewardship; collaborated with transportation authorities to develop wildlife crossings; and provided partners, media, and key decision-makers with information related to habitat connectivity and keystone species protection in both Mexico and the U.S. He advocates for wildlife and connectivity in regional planning, interprets conservation is...2022-05-241h 01
Land Ethic#30 Vanessa CaldarelliVanessa Caldarelli is the president of EcoEra, a conservation group protecting 7,500 acres of rainforest in one of the most biodiverse regions of Costa Rica. Their mission is to protect the rainforest's ecosystems by preventing poaching and deforestation, and to re-connect people to nature, which they are also doing through their sister project Posada Natura, a wellness retreat devoted to holistic healing located at the base of their conservation lands.We talked about how Vanessa’s family got involved with this land, the ecological function of the rainforest, the species they are trying to protect from poaching, the fa...2022-05-0951 min
Land Ethic#29 Whit FosburghWhit Fosburgh is the president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, an organization dedicated to advancing America’s legacy of conservation, habitat, and access to public lands.Prior to joining TRCP in 2010, Whit spent 15 years at Trout Unlimited. Additionally, he served as fisheries’ director for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and was a wildlife specialist for the National Audubon Society. Whit grew up hunting and fishing in upstate New York and was a member of Team USA in the 1997 World Fly Fishing Championships. He has a BA in Government from Georgetown University and a Mast...2022-04-181h 01
Land Ethic#28 Kristy BlyKristy Bly works for World Wildlife Fund's Northern Great Plains Program as their Black-footed Ferret Restoration Manager. She’s involved in conserving and restoring populations and habitat for ferrets, black-tailed prairie dogs and swift foxes across the Great Plains. We talked all about the conservation story of the Black-footed Ferret, the only ferret native to North America, once thought to be extinct. This story includes clones, drones, plague, peanut butter, and a dog named Shep. I really enjoyed picking Kristy's brain and learning all about these enigmatic animals!To learn more or to offer your su...2022-03-2859 min
Land Ethic#27 Jason LauritsenJason Lauritsen is the Chief Conservation Officer for the Florida Wildlife Corridor, where he and his colleagues are helping to connect, protect and restore essential conservation habitat throughout the state of Florida. We discussed the vision for the Florida Wildlife Corridor, the various stakeholders, the biggest threats facing habitat connectivity in the state, Jason’s experience working at the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp, and some general thoughts relating to the Land Ethic.Head to Florida Wildlife Corridor to see some of their expedition films, and to explore maps of the corridor!2022-03-0753 min
Land Ethic#26 Gabe BrownGabe Brown is one of the pioneers of the current soil health movement, and a proponent of regenerative agriculture. He’s the author of Dirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture, co-founder of the Soil Health Academy, and co-owner of Understanding Ag, an agricultural consulting agency. Gabe’s property, called Brown’s Ranch, is a diversified, no till 5,000-acre farm and ranch near Bismarck, North Dakota.We discussed Gabe’s transition away from conventional agriculture and some of the lessons he learned, including his 6 principles of soil health. We also talked about some of the econom...2022-02-1658 min
Land Ethic#25 Jess JohnsonJess Johnson leads Wyoming Wildlife Federation's efforts on behalf of wildlife through policy and local advocacy. She grew up ranching in Montana, Northern California and Wyoming, and has a deep appreciation for wildlife and wild lands. She's a bowhunter, co-founder and advisory board member of Artemis Sportswomen, and serves as the policy seat on the board of directors for 2% for Conservation.I reached out to Jess in the hopes of understanding a bit more about some of the recent developments and changes happening in wildlife management at the level of state policy. We talked about the current...2022-02-011h 24
Land Ethic#24 Natalie DawsonNatalie Dawson is the executive director of Audubon Alaska, a conservation organization dedicated to protecting habitat for Alaska’s birds and wildlife.Before joining Audubon in 2019, Natalie was the director of the Wilderness Institute and a professor of Wilderness Studies at the University of Montana. Prior to that, she worked as a research biologist with the US Geological Survey at the Alaska Science Center, a wildlife biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska, and a public policy fellow with the American Institute of Biological Sciences in Washington, D.C. She received her PhD from th...2022-01-1756 min
Land Ethic#23 Kristine TompkinsKristine Tompkins is the president and co-founder of Tompkins Conservation, and former CEO of Patagonia Clothing Company. For nearly thirty years, she has committed her life to protecting and restoring Chile and Argentina’s wild beauty and biodiversity by creating national parks, restoring wildlife, inspiring activism, and fostering economic vitality. Having protected nearly 15 million acres of parklands in South America through Tompkins Conservation and its partners, Kristine and Douglas Tompkins, her late husband who died in 2015, are considered some of the most successful environmental philanthropists in history.We covered Kristine’s early career and growth with Patagonia, her...2022-01-031h 10
Land Ethic#22 Kurt HoltzenKurt Holtzen is a senior field advisor for the Wood River Wolf Project, based in central Idaho. He has 20 years of agriculture experience and a decade of experience observing and tracking wolves in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. He performs predator surveys, wildlife camera monitoring, and investigates depredations as part of a larger effort to conserve wolf populations in an area with an abundance of livestock. Kurt’s experience photographing wildlife in Yellowstone altered his impression of wolves and their role in the ecosystem, leading him to his current work in carnivore coexistence.We discussed wolves' ecological niche an...2021-12-1356 min
Land Ethic#21 Matt BrownMatt Brown is the Managing Director of Global Conservation at The Nature Conservancy, and oversees their conservation initiatives in 59 countries across the globe. Prior to his current position, Matt worked with TNC Africa for 14 years. He is a dedicated conservationist with nearly 30 years of experience, from the grassroots level to the global scope. He has lived and worked on the ground in West and East Africa, including serving as Peace Corps forestry volunteer in northern Ghana and living in Tanzania for eight years.We spoke about The Nature Conservancy’s work around the globe and some of th...2021-11-2954 min
Land Ethic#20 Preston McKelveyPreston McKelvey is a co-owner of Wild Willow Outfitters, a hunting and fishing guide service offering excursions in the Roaring Fork Valley and throughout Western Colorado. This conversation was recorded following an early morning duck hunt with Preston and his young Yellow Lab, Oak. We recounted our morning and discussed Wild Willow’s guided trips, sharing the landscape with predators, hunting with dogs, increased outdoor recreation on public lands, and some of the conservation aspects of hunting. I had a great time talking to Preston, and I look forward to doing more of these in-person interviews when possible....2021-11-1258 min
Land Ethic#19 Nephi CraigChef Nephi Craig is a White Mountain Apache who is interested in the development and preservation of Native American foodways. He is the founder of the Native American Culinary Association, and was featured in a recent documentary called Gather, which centers around the indigenous food sovereignty movement. Over the past eighteen years, Chef Craig has cooked throughout the United States, as well as in London, Germany, Brazil, and Japan. He is the Executive Chef of Café Gozhóó on the White Mountain Apache Reservation in Whiteriver, Arizona, and works in addiction recovery and wellness.We spoke about his app...2021-10-2749 min
Land Ethic#18 Will HarrisWill Harris is the owner of White Oak Pastures, a nearly 5,000 acre farm in southern Georgia that raises 10 species of livestock and produces organic vegetables and honey. He is a fourth-generation cattleman, who tends the same land that his great-grandfather settled in 1866.After graduating from the University of Georgia's School of Agriculture in 1976, Will returned home to Bluffton where he and his father continued to raise cattle with pesticides, herbicides, hormones, antibiotics, and a high-carbohydrate diet of corn and soy. Over the years Will grew disenchanted with industrialized agriculture, beginning with concerns over animal welfare. In 1995, he...2021-10-0556 min
Land Ethic#17 Danny ChristensenDanny Christensen is a Danish photographer and director based in Northern Italy. While working and living in New York City, he began a project called Urban Huntsman as an excuse to get out of the city and explore while also using his talents for visual communication. Through his website and social media Danny portrays, as he puts it, the “hunt for silence and a good meal.”We discussed outdoor media, European hunting laws and culture, and some of the incredible experiences Danny has had while documenting traditions in Eastern Europe and British Columbia. At the end, he also...2021-09-131h 05
Land Ethic#16 Brian YablonskiBrian Yablonski is the CEO of the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) based in Bozeman, Montana. PERC is a 40 year old research institute dedicated to free market environmentalism, and they are actively exploring ways that voluntary trade can produce positive environmental outcomes.Brian regularly contributes commentary on conservation topics to major media outlets, serves on the board of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and is a professional member of the Boone and Crockett Club.Early in his career, Brian was director of policy and deputy chief of staff for Florida Governor Jeb Bush, where...2021-08-301h 19
Land Ethic#15 Tara ChapmanTara Chapman is a beekeeper and beekeeping consultant from central Texas. After 10 years working in the Middle East for the C.I.A and other U.S. counter intelligence agencies, she left her day job to create Two Hives Honey near Austin, TX.We discussed basic bee biology and behavior, their pollination role, their importance to the global food system, and the threats facing our bee populations, as well as some of Tara’s experience overseas in her former career.Head to Two Hives Honey to buy high quality local honey or to start you ow...2021-08-1657 min
Land Ethic#14 Dan FloresDan Flores is a writer and historian who specializes in cultural and environmental history of the American West. He has written ten books, most recently Coyote America and American Serengeti, both of which we discuss in this episode. His essays on the environment, art, and culture of the West also appear in magazines such as Texas Monthly and Orion.We discussed Dan's lifelong fascination with the West, his early work and literary process, his most recent books, North American evolutionary history, predator hunting, and Dan’s newest project. Stay tuned at the end of the episode to he...2021-08-021h 14
Land Ethic#13 Tyler SharpTyler Sharp is the CEO and Editor in Chief for Modern Huntsman, a print publication and lifestyle brand based in Livingston, Montana. His career as a photographer, writer, director and creative consultant for hunting and outdoor brands led to this most recent project, which celebrates the wide range of hunting traditions that exist on earth and offers a new portrayal of hunters altogether.We discussed his early days as a photographer and filmmaker in Africa, hunting culture, the vision for the Modern Huntsman, their various collaborations, and what subscribers can expect in the near future. Head to...2021-07-191h 08
Land Ethic#12 Pam HoustonPam Houston is a Western author of short stories, novels, and essays. She teaches at the Institute of American Indian Arts, is a Professor of English at UC Davis, and is a co-founder and creative director of the literary nonprofit Writing By Writers.We discussed her books, the decision to commit to a piece of land, her experience as a Dall Sheep hunting guide in Alaska, her upcoming projects, and the future of her Colorado ranch.“In essays as lucid and invigorating as mountain air, Deep Creek delivers Houston’s most profound meditations yet on how...2021-06-211h 08
Land Ethic#11 J. Drew LanhamDr. J. Drew Lanham is an author, ornithologist, and professor of wildlife ecology at Clemson University. His research focuses on songbird ecology, as well as the African-American role in natural-resources conservation. He is active on a number of conservation boards including the South Carolina Wildlife Federation, South Carolina Audubon, Aldo Leopold Foundation, BirdNote and the American Birding Association.Dr. Lanham is a widely published author and award-nominated poet, writing about his experiences as a birder, hunter and wild, wandering soul. His 2016 book, The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature, describes his up...2021-06-071h 04
Land Ethic#10 Alison FoxAlison Fox is the CEO of American Prairie Reserve, a nonprofit working to create the largest nature reserve in the contiguous United States. With an ultimate goal of 3.5 million acres, it would be similar in size to the Serengeti.We discussed the organization's guiding principles, the significance of this ecosystem and the animals that once inhabited it, the challenges and oppositions she and her team face, and some of the ways people can experience the reserve. Visit American Prairie to learn more!2021-05-2549 min
Land Ethic#9 Connor ColemanConnor Coleman is a land management consultant based in the Roaring Fork Valley near Carbondale, CO. His interdisciplinary experiences in wildland firefighting, environmental management, forestry, ranching, and conservation have all shaped his career into what it is today. During the episode, we discussed all these subjects and more as we loosely followed Connors career path. Check out Resiliency Lands, and look out for Connor as a recurring guest!2021-05-171h 36
Land Ethic#8 Shane Hardy Shane Hardy is the ecology director at Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture. He grew up in the Hudson River town of Nyack, NY, and has worked on farms in New York’s Finger Lakes region, Orange County and Rockland County. At Stone Barns he is pursuing his passion for building soil, increasing resilience and biodiversity in agriculture and finding creative solutions to meeting our humans needs from the land as healthy partners in the natural system we live in.Shane and his team oversee all of the compost and nutrient management cycles, tend the landscape an...2021-05-101h 17
Land Ethic#7 Taylor CollinsTaylor Collins owns ROAM Ranch in Fredericksburg, TX, with his wife Katie Forrest. After selling their company, Epic Provisions, to General Mills in 2016, Taylor and Katie purchased 900 acres of degraded agricultural land in the Texas hill country with the goal of soil regeneration. ROAM is now a thriving multispecies regenerative ranch with over 120 American bison as well as chickens, ducks, turkeys, and geese. Taylor and I discussed their business model, the impetus for starting the ranch, the choice to use bison, and the ranch’s hunting program, to name a few things. The ranch offers various learning opportunities and wo...2021-04-2848 min
Land Ethic#6 Dr. Mark “Merriwether” VorderbruggenMark “Merriwether” Vorderbruggen, Ph.D. is a leading authority on edible and medicinal plants in Texas. He grew up in the wilds of Minnesota, where his parents and grandparents utilized the wild foods and medicinal plants found in local woods, fields, and lakes.After earning a master's degree in medicinal chemistry and a doctoral degree in physical organic chemistry, Mark worked as a petroleum chemist for 20 years. He focused on replacing traditional harmful chemicals with natural compounds, developing multiple patents to improve the industry standards.Now, Mark extolls nature's benefits in new ways. He teaches fora...2021-04-2236 min
Land Ethic#5 Josh CrumptonJosh Crumpton is the owner and operator of Spoke Hollow Outfitters, and the primary steward of Spoke Hollow Ranch. He is also the host of the Sporting Diversity Podcast, which focuses on inclusivity in the outdoors. I recently had the pleasure of spending some time with Josh on his ranch in Wimberley, TX, on the Blanco River fishing, foraging, shooting clays, and discussing conservation. He is quick to share his hard-earned knowledge, from hunting and fishing to habitat management and naturalism. During the episode, we discussed our experience together on the ranch, Josh's journey as an outdoorsman, and his...2021-04-1933 min
Land Ethic#4 Ruben CantuRuben Cantu is a Certified Wildlife Biologist & Certified Professional in Rangeland Management. He spent 27 years with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department as a Wildlife Biologist. Now "retired," he began teaching at Angelo State University, created Habitat Advantage, LLC, and is co-owner of Wildlife Consulting, LLC. He has authored and co-authored various publications about wildlife throughout his career, including one titled Scaled Quail in Texas: their Biology and Management, which is how I came across his name. We spoke about North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, management of Texas Wildlife, including exotic and invasive species, and the importance of private...2021-04-1241 min
Land Ethic#3 Chris WoodChris Wood is the President and CEO of Trout Unlimited. Before joining TU in September 2001, Chris served as the senior policy and communications advisor to the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service where he helped protect 58 million acres of publicly owned land. He is the author and co-author of numerous papers and articles and three books including, Watershed Restoration: Principles and Practices, From Conquest to Conservation: Our Public Land Legacy, and My Healthy Stream: A handbook for streamside owners. Chris and I discussed his personal journey, the mission of Trout Unlimited, stream ecology, federal environmental policy, and being...2021-04-0546 min
Land Ethic#2 Daron JoffeDaron "Farmer D" Joffe is the founder of Famer D organics and Farmer D Consulting, where he designs and builds biodynamic farms and gardens all over North America. His book encourages readers to connect more fully with their food through biodynamic farming practices and community agriculture. We discussed his unique career path, agrihood developments including Serenbe, Georgia, and the role of mysticism and culture in cultivation. Check out Daron's podcast and his book, both called Citizen Farmers, to learn more.2021-03-2950 min
Land Ethic#1 Duke Phillips IIIIn the inaugural episode of Land Ethic, I spoke with Duke Phillips III, CEO and founder of Ranchlands. Duke and his family manage over 300,000 acres of land across Colorado, Texas, Wyoming, and New Mexico. We discussed Duke's background, his philosophy of ranching and its role in conservation, and the issues of water and predator control in the American West.2021-03-1847 min