Finding a campsite can be a real pain in the ass sometimes. But that was just the catalyst Josh Jackson needed to explore our western public lands for the last several years. And now he’s ready to tell their stories, along with his own.

Josh is a writer, photographer, husband, father, and speaker whose work champions the wild beauty and overlooked value of America’s public lands.

In his new book, The Enduring Wild Josh takes us along his journey of exploring California’s BLM lands through thought-provoking essays and immersive photography.

Josh and I spoke at Crystal Cove State Park on a late spring morning, after enjoying a hike together through the hills overlooking the ocean. In our conversation Josh shares the catalyst for his book, the unexpected beauty of public lands, and the lost art of slowing down. We delve into place attachment theory, environmental challenges, current threats to BLM lands, reciprocity, and how to carry out the most ridiculously simple act of noticing nature.

If you find anything in this episode helpful or inspiring, please share it with a friend so we can bend the algorithms toward nature. Thanks!

Episode Links

The Enduring Wild by Josh Jackson

Josh on Instagram @forgottenlandsproject

Josh’s Substack Forgotten Lands Project

Josh’s Website

Bureau of Land Management

The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich 

Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place by Terry Tempest Williams 

Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv

Place and Placelessness by Edward Relph

Baba Dioum

Place Attachment Theory

This America of Ours by Nate Schweber 

The Trouble with Wilderness by William Cronon 

The State of Change by Laura Cunningham 
The California Field Atlas by Obi Kaufmann

Connect with Nature Junkie

Substack: https://naturejunkie.substack.com/

Instagram: @naturejunkieradio

Website: www.naturejunkielife.com

Production Credits

Hosted by Jeff Johnson

Podcast cover art by Ahab Nimry

Outro music by Tyler Johnson

Editing by Aashish M.