Within Paiute and Shoshone lands in so-called Nevada exists a quiet habitat teeming with life. Thacker Pass is home to rare desert wildflowers, bighorn sheep, old-growth sagebrush, sage grouse, pronghorns, and coyote to name a few. Yet the abundance of this place, these sacred lands, and the wellbeing of the surrounding community means absolutely nothing to Lithium Nevada, a corporation planning to extract an estimated 179 metric tonnes of lithium over the next 46 years to meet the rising demand of lithium for electric vehicles and energy grid storage. In part one of our two-part conversation, we join Max Wilbert of Protect Thacker Pass. Max Wilbert is a writer, organizer, and wilderness guide. A third-generation dissident, he came of age in a family of anti-war and undoing racism activists in post-WTO Seattle. His latest book is the forthcoming "Bright Green Lies: How the Environmental Movement Lost Its Way and What We Can Do About It." He has been active in social movements for nearly 20 years.

Music by Buffalo Rose, Heavybird, Aviva le Fey, and Forest Veil.

Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.