This American Land

Revered as America’s national mammal, bison have made a spectacular recovery after near extinction in the late 19th century. But the wild herds of bison roaming Yellowstone National Park have outgrown the space available for them in the Park, and authorities are harassing and slaughtering bison that migrate across Park boundaries to reach grasslands they need to survive. Gary Strieker talks with Mike Mease, co-founder and coordinator of the Buffalo Field Campaign, to review the reasons why bison are considered a threat to cattle ranches around the Park and what the Campaign is doing to ensure the last wild herds of bison can live free and thrive.

After four years of executive actions by the Trump Administration that have weakened and undercut environmental safeguards, what needs to be done to restore the laws and regulations intended to protect our clean air, water, landscapes and wildlife? Gary Strieker talks with Kieran Suckling at the Center for Biological Diversity about the environmental priorities facing the incoming Biden Administration.

The last gray wolf in Colorado was shot in 1945, but in the recent election voters in the state approved a proposition directing wildlife authorities to bring them back. Supported by a well-funded campaign, the initiative countered powerful opposition from ranchers and farmers and got critical support from urban and suburban voters. To understand how this happened and what this means for the survival of the species, Gary Strieker talks with Rob Edward, the strategic advisor of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund, which organized the initiative, and Jason Blevins, a reporter who covered the campaign for the Colorado Sun, an online news outlet based in Denver.

Gary Strieker talks with Jason Ward, a naturalist, bird watcher and host of the documentary series "Birds of North America" on YouTube, focusing on how his show aims to reach people who might not normally engage in conservation efforts and learn about natural history – in particular young people, people of color, and people who live in cities. He's a leading figure in this effort to promote inclusivity in conservation, and is now a community relations and outreach coordinator for the Nat…

As a nation, we're now at a time of serious self-examination, looking at our record of systemic racism in policing and elsewhere in our society. It's a time of reckoning for all of us, including the conservation community, where most of us feel responsible for protecting our natural resources because of our experiences in the great outdoors. But the outdoors in America has not been totally welcoming for people of color, and that needs to change. Gary Strieker talks about this with Tykee Jam…

Coyotes are literally everywhere now, roaming cities and suburbs across the country. They've been persecuted -- hunted and poisoned by government agencies for more than a century – but they've thrived in spite of that. Gary Strieker talks with Dan Flores, author of "Coyote America", a book that explores the history, folklore and science of coyotes and how they've managed to spread their territories right into our backyards.

The huge Pebble Mine gold and copper project in Alaska has been revived by the Trump Administration against fierce opposition from environmentalists and the salmon industry downstream in Bristol Bay. Gary Strieker talks about this controversy with Stephen Lee, a reporter with Bloomberg Environment who has covered the saga for years.