Wilderness Podcast

“I’ve come to the conclusion that groups like The Wilderness Society are no longer apart of our movement. They’re doing something that is completely different. They have strayed so far from their visionary founders. The Wilderness Society, Montana Wilderness Association and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition… I don’t consider any of these groups to be apart of the Wilderness Conservation Movement any longer.” 
-Howie Wolke on Wilderness Podcast

In this episode, I interview Howie Wolke and Marilyn Olsen. Howie is a past two time president of Wilderness Watch and has been on and off the Board of Directors over the past twenty five years. He is also a recently retired wilderness backpacking guide. Marilyn is a retired nurse and also a retired long-time wilderness and backpacking guide. We talk about how they met, their Wilderness backpacking business (Big Wild Adventures which now has new owners), the cumulative impact of exposing people to Wilderness and wilderness values, the disconnect of employees in many conservation organizations and their deviation from traditional grassroots wilderness advocacy, influence of corporations and foundations expecting compromise and collaboration from conservation groups that they fund, selfishness of certain recreational users, the Gallatin Range (right up against their backyard), the formation of Montanan’s for Gallatin Wilderness, how to revive grassroots wilderness movements, examples of when the Big Greens sold out and abandoned wilderness principles, a message to the Gallatin Yellowstone Wilderness Alliance and how to reach young folks and making the wilderness movement relevant to them.

Howie and Marilyn continue their crusade by writing articles and letters in defense of wilderness and wild places.

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In this episode, I speak with Katie Fite, Director of Public Lands with WildLands Defense. We talk about the disastrous new Malheur/Owyhee Wilderness Bill proposed in Oregon and its failings (releases over one million acres of wilderness-suitable lands to multiple use!), the original Owyhee Bill in Idaho and eerie parallels, the livestock industry and their grip on public lands management decisions, the destructive nature of cows and livestock on fragile high desert and canyon ecosystems, the abysmal state of the Wilderness movement and the shortcomings of the organizations at the helm, the Federal Lands Management Policy Act, The Wilderness Idea and inspiring a wilderness ethic in land management across the board. 

"The new Malheur Bill in Oregon, really elevates the power of ranchers in public lands management decisions and that’s a significant problem. What the land needs is fewer cows or no cows altogether. Everything gets overrun with cheatgrass and is degraded. It just becomes a very, very bleak landscape." - Katie Fite. 

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In this episode, I speak with Bill Hodge, the Executive Director with the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation in Montana. We talk about Bob Marshall the man, the history of the founding of The Wilderness Society, The Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, Bill’s background, what he learned working on wilderness and trails issues in Tennessee for the Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS), getting people connected with the Wilderness Idea, Montanan's attitudes towards Wilderness, Mountain Biking in Wilderness, Collaboration and Compromise and what his organization does.

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In this episode, I speak with Thomas Welch, retired pediatrician, Adirondack guide and amateur historian about early Adirondack history. We begin with the first ascent and expedition up Mount Marcy (the tallest mountain in the Adirondacks) with geologist Ebenezer Emmons (Geologist), William Redfield (Meteorologist), John Torrey (Botanist) and their scientific pursuits. We then talk about Verplanck Colvin and his surveying expeditions which latest from 1872 to 1900 where he mapped and measured the entirety of the Adirondack Park. We also discuss Bob Marshall and his formative years on Saranac Lake and his time climbing and exploring the high peaks, inspired by Colvin’s surveys. Bob’s time in the Adirondacks inspired his essay “The Problem with Wilderness” and led to his deep appreciation of wilderness values and its importance to the human spirit. Thomas also tells the story of Vice President Teddy Roosevelt and his harrowing descent of Mt. Marcy after learning of the assassination of President McKinley.

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In this episode, I speak with Joe Scalia and George Wuerthner of the Gallatin Yellowstone Wilderness Alliance (GYWA) about their vision of protecting all 700,000 acres remaining roadless lands in the Custer Gallatin National Forest north of Yellowstone National Park in Montana. We discuss the history of the Gallatin Range, its ecological significance to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the wildlife that can be found there, increasing population pressure and threats from intensive recreational interests. We also discuss the Gallatin Forest Partnership, consisting of The Wilderness Society, Montana Wilderness Association and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition and the disheartening "wilderness lite" option that they are putting forward.

Please watch the new promotional film for the GYWA "Yellowstone Uncompromised"
https://youtu.be/TQrRwW5Twws

GYWA's website (updates coming soon) https://www.gallatinyellowstonewilderness.org/

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In this episode, I speak with Christopher Ketcham, author of This Land: How Cowboys, Capitalism and Corruption are Ruining the American West. We talk about his new book, the cowboy mythos, corruption in federal land management agencies, cattle ranching and grazing on public lands in The West. We also talk about the pending Owyhee wilderness bill (Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act)in Oregon and the influence of the cattle industry on the process. We also discuss the failures of the conservation groups at the table. I had a great chat with Chris and I hope you enjoy the conversation. Thanks for listening. 

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In this episode, I speak with photographers Erik Stensland and Scott Bacon with Nature First. Nature First advocates for responsible photography of our public lands and wild places through education and community. We discuss their background, the genesis of Nature First, their seven principles, photography ethics, cultural values towards nature, influencers and social media and steering public behavior. There has never been a more important time to be having these sorts of conversations. Our public lands are more important than any of us individually and I think when we can accept this truth, our collective actions will reflect this sentiment. Thanks for listening. Please visit www.naturefirst.org

Erik's Website: https://imagesofrmnp.com/

Scott's Website: https://www.scottbaconphotography.com/

Episode Page: https://www.wildernesspodcast.com/nature-first

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In this episode, I speak with Liz Gottlieb from Marin Academy and the Bay Area Blended Consortium about her new Wilderness Studies course for high school students. This is a unique offering for students to learn about wilderness ethics and history in the classroom and to immerse themselves in the backcountry to gain real world experience. We talk about Liz's background, teaching philosophy, her student's experiences and in-depth detail about her course. To learn more about the Bay Area Blended Consortium please visit https://www.blendedconsortium.org/

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In this episode I speak with Shelby Perry, the Stewardship Director with the Northeast Wilderness Trust. We talk about the history and mission of the Northeast Wilderness Trust, where and how they operate, Shelby's career trajectory, how wilderness protection on private land serves as a conservation model in New England, landscape corridor ecology, importance of biodiversity and climate change considerations for wildlife habitat protection. To learn more about the Northeast Wilderness Trust please visit www.newildernesstrust.org

Please listen to this episode and subscribe to Wilderness Podcast using your favorite app to catch new releases. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wilderness-podcast/id1453940239

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"The Wilderness Society was formed because the founders felt that other conservation groups were compromising too much and giving up too much good wilderness. Bob Marshall said we want no stragglers, fence sitters and those whos first instinct is to compromise. The irony is that the Wilderness Society has become one of those organizations today. I just feel that Aldo Leopold and Olaus Murie would be rolling in their graves.” - George Wuerthner on Wilderness Podcast 

In this episode I have a sit-down conversation with long-time wilderness and public lands advocate George Wuerthner. His articles appear in publications across the country. He has published thirty eight books on wild lands and relate issues. George is the owner of Public Lands Media, a non-profit that disseminates science in digestible form and advocates for best environmental practices on public lands such as fire, timber and predator management. George has been instrumental in wilderness campaigns across the country since the 1980s. George is one of our foremost, most passionate wilderness advocates alive today. 

We discuss his early years, career trajectory, working with Doug Thompkins (founder of the North Face), best practices for logging and fire management, what forest resiliency actually looks like, insights into the working of Forest Service timber sales, criticisms of modern conservation collaboratives, The Gallatin Range near Bozeman, MT, Wilderness history, political examples of successful long-shot wilderness campaigns and criticism of the how the Wilderness Society and other conservation groups are operating in Montana and across the country.  

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