This whole series started with a vote.

That vote not only revealed the ongoing debate about reintroducing the gray wolf to Colorado, but also who gets to make decisions and what the best way to do that is. In this interview with direct democracy expert Dr. John Matsusaka, we break down how this system of government functions more broadly, when it is most effective, and the philosophy behind it. The discussion illuminated that what happened in Colorado in 2020 wasn't just a wildlife story; it was a democracy story too.

Learn more about the podcast at institute.dmns.org/gray-territory and lawsofnotion.org.

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The Institute for Science & Policy is a catalyst for thoughtful dialogue, working toward solutions on society's greatest challenges with scientific thinking, empathy, and inclusivity. The Institute is a project of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Credits:

Reporting, writing, hosting: Kristan Uhlenbrock

Editing, production, marketing: Tricia Waddell

Editing, fact-checking, production: Jordan Marks

Sound design: Seth Samuel

Original music: Composed and performed by Brett Kretzer. Fiddle played by Andy Reiner. Banjo and backing vocals by Dr. Joy Adams.

Additional music: Epidemic Sound

David Mech has been researching wolves since 1958 and has authored hundreds of articles and 13 books on wolf behavior and ecology. From his decades of studying wolves across the globe, including Isle Royale, Minnesota, Canada, Italy, Alaska, Yellowstone, Ellesmere Island, and elsewhere, to modern wolf management and conservation, David has witnessed and helped shape decades of evolving scientific understanding. In our deep dive interview with David, hear some of his key learnings, from the now-debunked "alpha wolf" concept to the nuanced realities of predator-prey dynamics and trophic cascades, along with his views on the complexities of managing wolves in human-dominated landscapes.

Learn more about the podcast at institute.dmns.org/gray-territory and lawsofnotion.org.

Sign up for the Institute for Science & Policy's mailing list.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube.

If you like our work, consider making a tax-deductible donation.

The Institute for Science & Policy is a catalyst for thoughtful dialogue, working toward solutions for society's greatest challenges with scientific thinking, empathy, and inclusivity. The Institute is a project of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Credits:

Reporting, writing, hosting: Kristan Uhlenbrock

Editing, production, marketing: Tricia Waddell

Editing, fact-checking, production: Jordan Marks

Additional research: Kate Long

Sound design: Seth Samuel

Original music: Composed and performed by Brett Kretzer. Fiddle played by Andy Reiner. Banjo and backing vocals by Dr. Joy Adams.

Additional music: Epidemic Sound

In our final episode, we examine what the future might hold for wolves, ranchers, advocates, and the people working every day to move us beyond conflict and simplified narratives. From museum specimens that document our shared history to voices on the ground navigating life with the gray wolf, we explore whether Colorado can move beyond the mistrust and pendulum swings toward something sustainable. Because the wolf story is just beginning, and coexistence isn't a destination, but an ongoing practice of adaptation, humility, and seeing the humanity in those with whom we disagree.

Learn more about the podcast at institute.dmns.org/gray-territory and lawsofnotion.org.

Sign up for the Institute for Science & Policy's mailing list.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube.

If you like our work, consider making a tax-deductible donation.

The Institute for Science & Policy is a catalyst for thoughtful dialogue, working toward solutions on society's greatest challenges with scientific thinking, empathy, and inclusivity. The Institute is a project of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Credits:

Reporting, writing, hosting: Kristan Uhlenbrock

Editing, production, marketing: Tricia Waddell

Editing, fact-checking, production: Jordan Marks

Sound design: Seth Samuel

Original music: Composed and performed by Brett Kretzer. Fiddle played by Andy Reiner. Banjo and backing vocals by Dr. Joy Adams.

Additional research: Kate Long and Max Neumeyer

Additional music: Epidemic Sound

Recording Studio: Denver Community Media

There are many tools being tested and deployed to help make coexistence with wolves a reality. Range riders provide a human presence on the landscape night after night to keep wolves at bay. Ongoing conversations between wolf advocates and ranchers to build understanding. Raising money across the state to support non-lethal deterrents for the people who need them most. Testing modern-day technologies like AI alongside traditional ones out in the field to give ranchers a toolbox of options to protect their livestock. In this episode, we learn about the range of solutions being used on the ground to reduce conflict with wolves -- and each other.

Learn more about the podcast at institute.dmns.org/gray-territory and lawsofnotion.org.

Sign-up for the Institute for Science & Policy's mailing list.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube.

If you like our work, consider making a tax-deductible donation.

The Institute for Science & Policy is a catalyst for thoughtful dialogue, working toward solutions on society's greatest challenges with scientific thinking, empathy, and inclusivity. The Institute is a project of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Credits:

Reporting, writing, hosting: Kristan Uhlenbrock

Editing, production, marketing: Tricia Waddell

Editing, fact-checking, production: Jordan Marks

Sound design: Seth Samuel

Original music: Composed and performed by Brett Kretzer. Fiddle played by Andy Reiner. Banjo and backing vocals by Dr. Joy Adams.

Additional music: Epidemic Sound

Recording Studio: Denver Community Media

The reintroduction of wolves has created a new reality for many ranchers. While many expected challenges when reintroducing a large predator, the experience on the ground has proven to be both more complex and emotional than they anticipated. The story of the Copper Creek wolf pack brought this to the forefront and has dominated Colorado news headlines. Not only were they some of the first wolves born from the reintroduction effort, but also because of their threat to livestock. In this episode, we grapple with the early years of wolf reintroduction. What's working and what's not? And how do we balance what we owe nature with what we owe each other?

Learn more about the podcast at institute.dmns.org/gray-territory and lawsofnotion.org.

Sign-up for the Institute for Science & Policy's mailing list.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube.

If you like our work, consider making a tax-deductible donation.

The Institute for Science & Policy is a catalyst for thoughtful dialogue, working toward solutions on society's greatest challenges with scientific thinking, empathy, and inclusivity. The Institute is a project of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Credits:

Reporting, writing, hosting: Kristan Uhlenbrock

Editing, production, marketing: Tricia Waddell

Editing, fact-checking, production: Jordan Marks

Sound design: Seth Samuel

Original music: Composed and performed by Brett Kretzer. Fiddle played by Andy Reiner. Banjo and backing vocals by Dr. Joy Adams.

Additional music: Epidemic Sound

Recording Studio: Denver Community Media

How does the diversity of society's values and perspectives get incorporated into wildlife decisions? In this episode, we explore the gap between democratic ideals and messy reality, how a vote becomes policy and then becomes lived experience, and who gets heard along the way. We examine how the vote for wolf reintroduction became politicized along partisan lines and whether ballot initiatives undermine scientific expertise in wildlife management. And as the vote evolved into a reintroduction plan, hear both the excitement for the first reintroduced wolves on the ground and the frustration of not having all the pieces in place to support frontline communities.

Learn more about the podcast at institute.dmns.org/gray-territory and lawsofnotion.org.

Sign-up for the Institute for Science & Policy's mailing list.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube.

If you like our work, consider making a tax-deductible donation. The Institute for Science & Policy is a catalyst for thoughtful dialogue, working toward solutions on society's greatest challenges with scientific thinking, empathy, and inclusivity. The Institute is a project of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Credits:

Reporting, writing, hosting: Kristan Uhlenbrock

Editing, production, marketing: Tricia Waddell

Editing, fact-checking, production: Jordan Marks

Sound design: Seth Samuel

Original music: Composed and performed by Brett Kretzer. Fiddle played by Andy Reiner. Banjo and backing vocals by Dr. Joy Adams.

Additional music: Epidemic Sound

Recording Studio: Denver Community Media

By a razor-thin margin in 2020, Colorado voters decided to bring gray wolves back to the landscape. Now, paws are on the ground, and real work is just beginning. For some, wolves returning to the landscape feels like tightening the vice on the already challenging profession of ranching. Yet for others, wolves mean the restoration of an ecosystem that humans deliberately interfered with. What is really behind the tension over wolf reintroduction? Why did it get on the ballot in the first place, and how did this become such a polarizing issue?

Learn more about the podcast at institute.dmns.org/gray-territory and lawsofnotion.org.

Sign-up for the Institute for Science & Policy's mailing list.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube.

If you like our work, consider making a tax-deductible donation.

The Institute for Science & Policy is a catalyst for thoughtful dialogue, working toward solutions on society's greatest challenges with scientific thinking, empathy, and inclusivity. The Institute is a project of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Credits:

Reporting, writing, hosting: Kristan Uhlenbrock

Editing, production, marketing: Tricia Waddell

Editing, fact-checking, production: Jordan Marks

Sound design: Seth Samuel

Original music: Composed and performed by Brett Kretzer. Fiddle played by Andy Reiner. Banjo and backing vocals by Dr. Joy Adams.

Additional music: Epidemic Sound

Studio recording: Postmodern Company

Colorado is the first state to intentionally bring back wolves by popular vote. But voting was just the beginning. From the ballot box to paws on the ground, join us for Gray Territory: The Return of Wolves to Colorado, a new limited series that takes a deeper look at wolf reintroduction and explores the complicated reality of coexistence. Season five of the award-winning podcast Laws of Notion starts Oct. 29.

Learn more about the podcast at institute.dmns.org/gray-territory and lawsofnotion.org.

Sign-up for the Institute for Science & Policy's mailing list.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube.

If you like our work, consider making a tax-deductible donation.

The Institute for Science & Policy is a catalyst for thoughtful dialogue, working toward solutions on society's greatest challenges with scientific thinking, empathy, and inclusivity. The Institute is a project of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

Credits:

Reporting, writing, hosting: Kristan Uhlenbrock

Editing, production, marketing: Tricia Waddell

Editing, fact-checking, production: Jordan Marks

Sound design: Seth Samuel

Additional support: Kate Long & Max Neumeyer

Original music: Composed and performed by Brett Kretzer. Fiddle played by Andy Reiner. Banjo and backing vocals by Dr. Joy Adams.

Additional music: Epidemic Sound

Studio recording: Denver Community Media

We are excited to share an episode from our friends at Wyoming Public Media, who produce the The Modern West, a podcast documenting the evolving identity of the American West.

Hop in a pickup as we head out into the National Elk Refuge outside Jackson, WY, to hear all about the debate over whether to wean elk off winter feeding before chronic wasting disease strikes. This is a story about science, politics, and the messy reality of managing wildlife in the American West.

Check out this episode, titled "Wasting Away", and listen and subscribe to the podcast The Modern West on all platforms or visit themodernwest.org.

Learn more about the Laws of Notion podcast at lawsofnotion.org.

Sign up for the Institute for Science & Policy's mailing list.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube.

If you like our work, consider making a tax-deductible donation.

The Institute for Science & Policy is a catalyst for thoughtful dialogue, working toward solutions for society's greatest challenges with scientific thinking, empathy, and inclusivity. The Institute is a project of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. https://institute.dmns.org/

The Compass Series: Navigating Our Complex State of Affairs is a short mini-series exploring the critical topics at the intersection of science, policy, and human behavior.

In Episode 5: Building Trust, we interview Dr. Cary Funk, Senior Advisor for Public Engagement with Science for the Aspen Institute Science & Society Program. Cary brings us deep insight to help us understand the current landscape of trust in science, as well as practical approaches to strengthening it.

Learn more about Cary's work at the Aspen Institute at https://www.aspeninstitute.org/people/cary-funk/

Get additional resources on our webpage, Building Trust and Charting a Path Forward.

Host: Kristan Uhlenbrock

Marketing: Tricia Waddell

Produced by The Institute for Science & Policy at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science: https://institute.dmns.org/

Learn more about the Laws of Notion podcast at lawsofnotion.org.

Sign up for the Institute for Science & Policy's mailing list.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube.

If you like our work, consider making a tax-deductible donation.

The Institute for Science & Policy is a catalyst for thoughtful dialogue, working toward solutions for society's greatest challenges with scientific thinking, empathy, and inclusivity. The Institute is a project of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.