On today’s episode, we’ll talk with Jason Dinsmore, interim executive director of the Minnesota Conservation Federation about public lands, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, why you should switch to lead-free ammo for hunting, and what’s going on with the Boundary Waters. We recorded this last month before the old Congress departed without renewing the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the new one inherited a shutdown government. The LWCF still needs to be renewed, though, so our call for Congress to renew it in this episode is as urgent as the day we originally recorded it. Also, I’ve since learned that the Minnesota Conservation Federation in co-hosting a Rally for Public Lands on February 7th at the Minnesota State Capitol.

Conservation Country is a podcast from the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes Regional Center featuring conservation issues from across the country, through interviews with the conservationists behind the scenes working hard every day for our fish and wildlife. The National Wildlife Federation is the nation’s largest grassroots conservation organization, representing 51 state and territorial affiliates from statewide hunting coalitions to state environmental leagues. Its mission is to unite all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world.

Conservation Country is supported by Rep Your Water and their 3% for Conservation commitment. And as a Rep Your Water Conservation Partner, sales of Great Lakes, Michigan, Ohio and Indiana Rep Your Water gear help to support the National Wildlife Federation’s work to protect our water and stop Asian carp. You can find these at RepYourWater.com.

Links: 

Minnesota Conservation Federation - www.mncf.org 

National Wildlife Federation Sportsmen & Conservation - www.nwf.org/sportsmen

National Wildlife Federation Great Lakes Regional Center - www.nwf.org/greatlakes

NWF Sportsmen & Conservation Blog - https://medium.com/@NWFSportsmen

Rep Your Water - https://www.repyourwater.com/pages/great-lakes-reg 

"If you build it, they will come." The classic line from Field of Dreams certainly applies to our country's investment in outdoor recreation for its citizens. The Gaylord Area Convention and Tourism Bureau rebranded itself a few years ago as "All Outdoors" to capitalize on the investments made in this northern Michigan community through the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. As new trails were built connecting downtown with nearby state parks, bike shops and microbreweries opened up downtown, helping to revitalize this former lumber town. At the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers annual conference in Bismarck, North Dakota, Gaylord Tourism executive director Paul Beachnau joined Conservation Country to discuss how the draw of wildlife like elk, wild forests, free-flowing rivers and outdoor recreation investment are driving economic development in his community. 

Additional links: 

www.nwf.org/greatlakes

www.repyourwater.com/pages/great-lakes-reg

www.gaylordmichigan.net

www.aglowoutdoors.org 

Cody Kamrowski and Marco Marchetti are just 24 and have already been elected to the Board of Directors for the National Wildlife Federation and the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, respectively. They are also both graduates of the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation's Conservation Leadership Corps, which is doing what few conservation organizations have been able to do recently: recruit young conservationists. Cody and Marco sat down with us at the National Wildlife Federation's Annual Meeting this summer to talk about the program, how they were introduced to the outdoors, how the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation is addressing wetland loss and chronic wasting disease, and the existential debate about the comparative greatness between Brett Farve and Aaron Rodgers. Conservation Country is presented by the National Wildlife Federation with support from Rep Your Water. 

Additional Links: 

www.wiwf.org

www.nwf.org/greatlakes

www.lwcfcoalition.com 

The National Wildlife Federation has been working to keep our public lands public since 1936, and the New Mexico Wildlife Federation has been doing that since it was founded in 1914 by Aldo Leopold. On this episode, we talk with Andrew Black – Public Lands Field Director for NWF – and his work with the New Mexico Wildlife Federation to expand access to the Sabinosa Wilderness. And as an ordained Presbyterian minister, we get to hear Andrew preach the gospel of public lands. We’re also joined by Aaron Kindle, NWF’s Senior Manager for Western Sporting Campaigns, to discuss the attacks on national monuments, sage grouse conservation and why "what's good for the bird is good for the herd," and what you can do to protect public lands. This episode is as vast as the western landscapes it covers. 

Helpful links referenced in this episode include:

www.nmwildlife.org

www.medium.com/@nwfsportsmen

www.nwf.org/greatlakes

www.repyourwater.com

The Idaho Wildlife Federation has managed to make conservation a priority issue in Idaho politics through a significant victory stemming from a gubernatorial forum they held and actually raising hunting license fees to generate more funding for conservation. Brian Brooks, IWF's executive director, sits down with us to talk about how the Idaho Wildife Federation pulled it off, how they work with partner organizations across the state for conservation, how Brian got into hunting, what happens to duck feet if you pull on them, why keeping public land public matters so much in a red state like Idaho, and why conservation needs funding to win. 

Helpful links from this episode include: 

www.idahowildlife.org

www.repyourwater.com

www.nwf.org/greatlakes

www.nwf.org/asiancarp 

Marcia Brownlee is the new program manager for the National Wildlife Federation’s Artemis Sportswomen program. On this episode, we discuss her affliction of adult onset hunting, the meaning of “sportsman,” why a program like Artemis is necessary for conservation, what dudes can do to make women feel more welcome in the hunting, fishing and conservation community, the shots we don’t take, authentic reactions to a kill, how Marcia’s hunting journey tracked the timeline of a challenging personal time in her life, planning an antelope hunt, hunting your own hunt, what dudes can learn from Artemis, Marcia’s epic bear hunt, what “mansplaining” means, a Greek Goddess, the privilege of hunting, and the voice that Artemis will bring to the national conservation dialogue.

Helpful links referenced in this episode include: 

www.artemis.nwf.org

www.repyourwater.com

www.nwf.org/greatlakes

www.nwf.org/asiancarp

Bill Cooksey isn't just the National Wildlife Federation's Sportsmen's Outreach Coordinator for the Vanishing Paradise program, he's also an avid angler who owns a home on Kentucky Lake, which has been invaded by Asian carp. On this episode of Conservation Country, we'll hear from Bill about the efforts of Vanishing Paradise to advocate for the restoration of the disappearing Mississippi River Delta and about how Asian carp have impacted the bass fishery on Kentucky Lake. 

Helpful links referenced in this episode: 

www.vanishingparadise.org

https://www.repyourwater.com/pages/great-lakes-reg

https://www.nwf.org/Our-Work/Environmental-Threats/Invasive-Species/Asian-Carp