Land Ethic

Dan 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 hear an indigenous creation story featuring the Coyote.

Tyler 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 Modern Huntsman to see their work and become a subscriber.

Pam 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 “to live simultaneously inside the wonder and the grief…to love the damaged world and do what I can to help it thrive.”” – W.W. Norton & Company

Go to Pam's Website to peruse her books, which include:

Air Mail: Letters of Politics, Pandemics, and Place

Deep Creek: Finding Hope in the High Country

Contents May Have Shifted

Sight Hound

A Little More About Me

Waltzing the Cat

Cowboys Are My Weakness

Dr. 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 upbringing in South Carolina, his family history, and his lifelong affinity for nature. He writes “In me, there is the red of miry clay, the brown of spring floods, the gold of ripening tobacco. I am, in the deepest sense, colored.”

We discussed Drew’s rural upbringing and his family, his professional life, identity, birdwatching, hunting, and his interpretation of the Land Ethic. I really enjoyed learning his perspective through the book and this conversation. If you’re interested in Dr. Lanham’s work, consider reading The Home Place and his latest, Sparrow Envy: A Field Guide to Birds and Lesser Beasts.

“In his debut memoir, self-described “eco-addict” J. Drew Lanham explores the connection between trees and family trees, birds and brethren, and most importantly of all, the place where mother nature and human nature meet. Taken together, it makes for a unique reading experience; one in which the book’s meditative qualities far surpass any semblance of a conventional plot. Let the reader be warned, there are no fireworks here—simply the musings of an African-American naturalist who, throughout his lifetime, has trained himself to marvel at the minor. Trust me, that is enough.” - The Los Angeles Review

Alison 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!

Connor 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!

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 and gardens, care for the apiaries, and steward the regeneration of biologically rich and resilient pastures and forests in tandem with the livestock team. Since 2017 he has overseen the development of a comprehensive ecological monitoring program tracking soil health and carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and watershed health across 400+ acres of working pastureland and forests managed holistically with cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.

Our conversation covered many aspects of Shane's role on the farm, including animal husbandry and soil science. Enjoy this episode, and go to Stone Barns to learn more.

Taylor 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 workshops based on regenerative practices for those interested. Check out Roamranch.com to learn more!

Mark “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 foraging classes and medicine making workshops across Texas, and has written multiple books on foraging as well. In this episode, we discussed Mark's introduction to foraging, his ability to balance science and mythology, and some of the sketchy things that he has eaten in the wild.. Visit https://www.foragingtexas.com/ and https://medicinemanplantco.com/ to learn more.

Josh 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 goals for Spoke Hollow. For more information visit https://hookandfield.com/ and listen to season 2 of Sporting Diversity Podcast now on all major platforms!