Ned Weidner talks with Mark Hall of Wild Origins Canada about how hunting, trapping, and forestry connect to conservation, ecology, and public storytelling. Mark shares how his lifelong relationship with the land shaped his work as a forester, writer, podcaster, and advocate for hunters and rural communities.We discuss why hunting can deepen environmental awareness, how public narratives distort hunters’ motivations, and why Project Grizzly Balance aims to bring marginalized rural voices back into the conservation conversation.
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Key topics
Mark shares his background as a third generation hunting and trapping family member from British Columbia, and how his relationship with nature shaped his identity from childhood.We discuss the idea that hunting is not about indifference to animals, but about a deeper form of participation, attention, and responsibility on the landscape.Mark explains how being a hunter changes what he notices in the field, using snowshoe hare tracking as an example of how hunting creates a more intimate read of habitat and animal behavior.He reflects on how forestry became part of his path after a wildlife biologist told him that habitat decisions can have a larger impact on wildlife than individual animal management.We discuss the shift from working within resource industries to becoming a public voice for hunters, trappers, anglers, and conservation-minded rural communities.Mark describes the core problem as a misunderstanding of hunters’ motivations, with critics often assuming hunting is about ego, killing, or domination.He explains why storytelling is the main tool he uses to reach the moderate middle, reframe assumptions, and present the true heart of hunters in a way that lands with broader audiences.We discuss the limits of social media, the way algorithms reward outrage, and why Mark wants more face to face conversations and public speaking in the future.Mark outlines how removing hunting or trapping can have unintended conservation consequences, including reduced research, less accountability, and weaker data collection.We discuss Project Grizzly Balance, which aims to restore balance between grizzly bears and rural people in Western Canada by elevating ranchers, trappers, outfitters, and local residents whose experiences are often ignored.Mark argues that conservation is not about iconic species alone, but about relationships within entire ecosystems, from soil mycorrhizae and dominant plant communities to predators and prey.He closes by inviting listeners to connect with Wild Origins Canada and the broader Origins Foundation to continue the conversation.Timestamps
00:00 - Recording setup and warm welcome
00:29 - Introducing Mark Hall and the Wild Origins Canada connection
02:13 - Mark’s third generation hunting and trapping upbringing
04:28 - Hunting as responsibility, not indifference
05:27 - How carrying a gun changes how Mark sees the land
06:57 - Snowshoe hare as a lesson in active ecological awareness
08:50 - Why hunters and non hunters often misunderstand each other
10:42 - Reading habitat, predators, and fire history through pursuit
14:21 - No hierarchy between outdoor users, only different relationships
15:20 - Humanizing hunters, trappers, and anglers for conservation
17:21 - Childhood signs of care and the path toward wildlife work
18:18 - Why forestry became the better route for influencing habitat
20:42 - The grizzly bear debate in British Columbia and the need for advocacy
22:10 - Why silencing hunters harms conservation itself
24:14 - The real false narrative about hunters’ motivations
27:56 - Story as the most powerful tool for changing minds
29:49 - Using podcasts, film, and public speaking to reframe debates
33:07 - Adapting language for different audiences
34:29 - Knowing every campfire is listening, even hostile ones
35:57 - Conversations with skeptics and anti hunting advocates
36:55 - Why Mark is shifting toward more in person outreach
38:06 - How algorithms reward outrage over nuance
40:29 - The conservation cost of not telling these stories well
41:27 - What happened to grizzly bears after hunting was banned in BC
42:54 - Why research and accountability decline when hunting disappears
44:17 - Why removing hunting can be detrimental to healthy systems
46:46 - California cougars and the transition into Project Grizzly
47:17 - The premise of Project Grizzly Balance
48:46 - Ranchers, grizzlies, and lived experience on the land
50:07 - Giving marginalized rural voices a place in public conservation debate
53:30 - Why the project is fundamentally storytelling
54:12 - Charismatic megafauna, sacred species, and the hunting debate
55:49 - Digging into animal sign and the intimate knowledge hunting creates
56:44 - Sustainable relationship versus sustainable use
58:39 - Accepting death as part of life and wildlife relationships
60:21 - How social media weaponizes fear, outrage, and emotion
63:11 - Ecology as relationships, not isolated individual species
65:05 - Why ecosystems are not just a sum of parts
66:02 - The role of dominant species and the bigger ecosystem picture
67:00 - Soil mycorrhizae as the true keystone engine of terrestrial life
68:17 - Seeing grizzlies through habitat, plant community, and soil relationships
69:16 - The spider web of ecosystem interactions
70:16 - A paradigm shift toward interconnected thinking
72:49 - Where to find Wild Origins Canada and continue the conversation
