This week, Congress returned to Washington and immediately released draft versions of several major FY26 funding bills affecting public lands, wildlife, wildfire management, and conservation programs across the federal government. We explore what's at stake.  We also track renewed congressional efforts to advance the Fix Our Forests Act, unpack a tragic and rare fatal mountain lion attack in Colorado, and examine how states are stepping in to protect wetlands and waterways after the Supreme Court’s rollback of Clean Water Act protections.

Find out more about today's episode and how you can take action in support of your public lands at thewildidea.com.

January is Roadless Month on The Wild Idea. Throughout the month, we’re exploring the landscapes, communities, and ideas shaped by America’s roadless public lands — and what’s at stake as these protections face renewed threats.

Today, Bill Hodge and Anders Reynolds are joined by Kristin Gendzier of the Southern Environmental Law Center to dive into discussion of what the Roadless Rule is, how it protects national forest roadless areas, and why it matters now. Kristin brings a distinctly Southern Appalachian perspective to the conversation, weaving together policy history, personal experience, and the lived reality of communities surrounded by roadless areas. From drinking water and wildlife habitat to recreation and rural economies, she explains how these landscapes quietly support millions of people — often without them realizing it.

The discussion also addresses the rule’s turbulent legal and political history, common misconceptions about wildfire and forest management, and the renewed threat posed by efforts to rescind the rule entirely. Rather than framing the moment solely as a crisis, the episode emphasizes public participation, collective responsibility, and the generational importance of protecting these lands.

Learn more about today's episode, Roadless Month, and learn how you can advocate for your public lands at our website, thewildidea.com.

In this special remastered conversation, The Wild Idea revisits a timely and essential discussion about one of America’s most important conservation tools: the Roadless Rule. As the rule approaches its 25th anniversary, hosts Bill Hodge and Anders Reynolds reintroduce listeners to Chris Wood, President and CEO of Trout Unlimited and one of the primary architects of the original 2001 Roadless Rule. This conversation offers critical context for understanding what’s at stake today and serves as a reminder that America’s public lands belong to all of us. This conversation kicks off Roadless Month on The Wild Idea, setting the stage for stories from across the country about the landscapes, communities, and cultures shaped by roadless public lands.

Learn more about the Roadless Rule and the links and resources mentioned today at our website, thewildidea.com.

As the year comes to a close, Bill Hodge and Anders Reynolds are joined by Michelle Fullner, host of the Golden State Naturalist podcast, for a reflective and wide-ranging conversation about growth, attention, storytelling, and intention. Listen in for a thoughtful meditation on why the stories we tell matter, how we show up for them, and what it means to move forward with intention in an uncertain time.

Learn more about today's conversation and find links and resources from this conversation at our website, thewildidea.com.

Sarah Francisco, Virginia State Director of the Southern Environmental Law Center, joins Anders and Bill for a wide-ranging conversation about place, promise, and the long arc of public lands conservation in the southern Appalachians. Growing up on a Christmas tree farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley gave Sarah an early understanding of how deeply people’s lives are tied to land — both the challenges of working landscapes and the deep affection they inspire.

Learn more about Sarah and the topics discussed today at our website, thewildidea.com.

This week’s Wild Line covers House passage of the SPEED Act and its implications for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a slate of wildfire and public lands bills advancing in the Senate, a serious new threat to the National Park System, sweeping rollbacks to the Endangered Species Act, mounting impacts from Forest Service staffing cuts, changes to water quality protections in Montana, and growing concern over efforts to rescind the Roadless Rule.

Learn more about the topics discussed today at our website, thewildidea.com.

Anne Robinson returns to The Wild Idea after completing her seven-month through hike of the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to the summit of Katahdin. Picking up where we left off at the halfway point in Harpers Ferry, Anne reflects on what the second half of the trail revealed — about endurance, fear, community, and the layered human stories embedded in places many of us think of as “wild.”

If you missed our first conversation with Anne, you'll find that right here. And for more from today's conversation, visit our website at thewildidea.com.

Martha Williams, former Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, joins us for a grounded conversation about what it really takes to care for wildlife over time. Drawing on decades of experience at both the state and federal level, Martha talks about stewardship, coexistence, and the responsibility that comes with living alongside wild species.

We dig into how the Endangered Species Act fits into that bigger picture, and why so much energy gets pulled into debates over listing and delisting instead of focusing on recovery. Martha shares why habitat, science, and long-term thinking matter more than short-term wins, and how political swings can complicate the real work happening on the ground.

Find out more about Martha and the other resources and links mentioned today at our website, thewildidea.com.

This week’s Wild Line covers Congress’ work on the National Defense Authorization Act, new House actions to weaken the Clean Water Act, a broad Senate hearing on National Park Service and Wild and Scenic River bills, major shifts at the National Park Service and Forest Service, housing proposals in Wyoming, and a federal ruling restoring the nation’s renewable wind program.

For more information on the topics covered today, visit our website at thewildidea.com.

Wilderness packer and saddle maker Chris Eyer joins us for the first time, and it feels like talking with a friend who lives right up against the wild edge of Montana. Chris walks us through the places that shaped him and how he found his way from Southern California trail work to a life built around horses, mules, and the Bob Marshall Wilderness.

We also get into what it’s like to bring people into the backcountry for the first time. Chris opens up about the pressures facing public lands and why these places feel so important to protect. And he talks about the reset that happens when you step away from the noise and spend real time in the woods.

It’s an easy, grounded conversation with someone who carries a deep connection to the places he loves.

Find out more about Chris and the other resources and links mentioned today at our website, thewildidea.com.