Conservation Matters® Podcast

The High Lonesome Institute (HLI) is a non-profit entity, established by The High Lonesome Ranch, to lead and coordinate applied scientific research, ecological monitoring, and conservation at the Ranch. It functions within HLR’s landscape-scale laboratory as an applied and practical research center and conservation forum. The Institute is led by Executive Director, Shane Mahoney, and staffed by graduate students from leading affiliated universities who conduct world-class research on wildlife and conservation. Research has focused on restoration of streams, riparian habitat, aspen groves, and rangelands, as well as land improvement and resource management decisions. Key restoration and conservation initiatives include the Kimball Creek Aquatic and Riparian Food Web Complexity Project, the Biodiversity Project, the Trophic Cascades in Aspen Project, the Aspen Restoration Project, the Grand Mesa Lion Project, and the Wildlife Disease Project. HLI has also become a venue for dialogue on conservation and sustainable development, and for exchanging ideas with others about practicing stewardship on working landscapes. This audio is from a video, watch the video here --->  Learn more at

Shane Mahoney speaks to a group of outdoor writers at the annual Professional Outdoor Media Association in Kalispell, MT in June, 2016. Forgive the first few minutes of audio, it improves greatly around minute 5. Mahoney is passionate in his presentation of why the world needs outdoor writers in this day - because we need to remember things as they were, we need to be inspired, and we need your messages of stewardship. He also discusses the need of presenting a modern world view to the modern public. We articulate stories of an older reality, but Mahoney says we need to change those stories to a modern reality.  Learn more about POMA at   Learn more about Shane Mahoney and Conservation Visions at

Shane Mahoney was interviewed by a Canadian radio show on the future of seal hunting in Canada - and how that affects the world. Shane discusses the IUCN and his role in that worldwide organization and then moves into the impact of seal hunting on economy and conservation. Learn more about Shane and Conservation Visions at  Follow Shane on Facebook at  and on Instagram at

Where in the modern world does hunting fit? The answers ask us to dive into social and economic realities. Shane Mahoney discusses today's modern hunting - from the effects of trophy hunting and poaching to simply hunting for food. Learn more at http://conservationvisions.com

Do the rights of one cat trump the fate of an entire bird population? There is no clever riddle to work out - although each of you listening to this podcast will have strong convictions one way or the other. Listen to Shane Mahoney as he discusses this very real problem in less than five minutes. Learn more at

Another spectacular keynote speech by Shane Mahoney on how every day fighting for something you believe in is taking a leap of faith. Learn more about Shane at

Shane Mahoney gave the keynote speech at the 2016 The Wildlife Society Annual Conference. There is not a species that lives upon this planet today whose future is not determined by the decisions we make, the decisions we defer, or the decisions we avoid. Successful conservation requires cooperation between diverse groups of people. Many animals roam between states, countries, and even continents. Learn more at ConservationVisions.Com

We need to ask this question: are we afraid of a broad coalition? No matter if you are a hunter, or not, can you work 'across the aisle?' There is a great divide amongst our conservation groups today. How do we shrink that break? How do we come together? By Shane Mahoney. If you enjoyed this talk, please share it and give us a review!

Choosing either to support animal welfare, or to support conservation - exclusive of the other - will leave neither well nor healthy. Article penned for Sports Afield Magazine by Shane Mahoney.

Shane Mahoney, CEO of Conservation Visions, speaks at the "Rally for Iowa's Outdoors" in 2012 on if we truly are concerned about the wild others on this planet - how do we stand for them? Shane takes listeners around the world discussing cave paintings, why do our homes have fireplaces and our master bedroom located on the top floor? Why are we afraid of snakes, but not of more modern dangers like cars? Truly an inspiring speech.