Land Ethic

Natalie 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 the University of New Mexico while studying the impacts of forestry practices on endemic mammals in the Tongass National Forest.

I reached out to Natalie after her appearance in the film Understory, which features her two friends as they seek to encounter and understand the destructive logging practices that have long taken place in the old growth temperate rainforest of the Tongass.

We talked about Natalie’s experience in Alaska, her role in the aforementioned expedition, the importance and distinction of old growth forests, the political and economic situation surrounding Tongass national forest, the impact of other extractive industries across Alaska, and the work that Natalie does with Audubon.

For more information on these topics, check out Audubon Alaska's work and watch the short film Understory.

Kristine 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 beginnings in conservation, national park projects, the process of re-wilding, and much more. To learn more, check out Tompkins Conservation and watch Kristine’s 2020 TED Talk, "Let's Make the World Wild Again.”

Kurt 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 and relation to their prey, the politics of wolf management, and some of the non-lethal methods that are being used to deter them.

To see more of Kurt’s work, follow @wilderness_trails_project on Instagram and check out the Wood River Wolf Project.

Matt 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 the economic solutions they are able to apply to environmental problems, from carbon markets to debt conversion models. We also delved into the effects of the Covid 19 pandemic on ecotourism, and the outcomes of the recent COP26 UN Climate Change Conference.

To see some of the work TNC is involved in or to offer your support, simply go to Nature.org.

Preston 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.

Check out Wild Willow Outfitters on Instagram, and if you are in Colorado or planning a visit, consider booking a trip with them online for an incredible outdoor experience and a great learning opportunity!

Chef 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 approach to food sovereignty and the obstacles that native communities face in re-gaining their food culture. He also shared a bit about his youth and professional journey, as well as his perspective on the lasting effects of colonialism on indigenous peoples.

Links:

Gather Film

Letters to a Young Farmer

Cafe Gozhoo

Nephi Craig Instagram

Forbes Article

Will 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 made the decision to return to the farming methods his great-grandfather had used 130 years before.

Since Will has abandoned intensive agriculture in favor of a wholistic system, he has been recognized all over the world as a leader in humane animal husbandry and environmental sustainability. He served as President of the Board of Directors of Georgia Organics, is the Beef Director of the American Grassfed Association, and was selected 2011 Business Person of the year for Georgia by the Small Business Administration.

Head over to White Oak Pastures to learn more and to order their various animal products.

Danny 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 shared some very exciting news about an upcoming project.

To find Danny’s beautiful photography, stories, and wild game recipes, head to The Urban Huntsman.

Brian 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 he helped craft the administration’s major policy initiatives, including Everglades restoration and the Florida Forever conservation program. From 1989 to 1990, he worked in the West Wing of the White House as a personal staff assistant to President George H.W. Bush. He served as chairman of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission prior to joining PERC.

We discussed the group's mission and values, Brian’s career path, The concept of free market environmentalism, current topics of research including wildfires and forest management, wildlife/livestock conflict, the feral horse issue, western water rights, and finally Brian’s take on some of the new administration’s environmental initiatives.

Head over to PERC.org to learn more and offer your support!

Tara 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 own hive!