This week’s guest is acclaimed journalist and writer Hal Herring. Hal is a contributing editor at Field & Stream where he writes the Conservationist blog. He’s interested in complex topics central to life in the American West, and is currently working on a deep exploration of public lands. Since this topic is so big, we’re bringing you this conversation in two parts.

In part one, we hear about Hal’s beginning in Montana as a HoeDad tree planter. Hal takes us back to Rome with the genesis of the idea of public lands and navigates through the political history of a movement trying to get public lands out of federal management. Hal explains the importance of the Taylor Grazing Act and Federal Land Policy Management Act in relation to lands in the West, and both the conflicts and successes that stem from years of figuring out how to manage public lands. Tune in to part two next week.

Transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10v7IK61B5Ncs4NPad2kBhsjhhwHBsfuorygI_L_v3Co/edit

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