The Landscape
184 episodes - English - Latest episode: 13 days ago - ★★★★★ - 50 ratingsNews, interviews, and history with newsmakers and environmental advocates, focused on parks and public lands across the American West. Produced by the Center for Western Priorities, formerly known as Go West, Young Podcast.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
How an Instagram ‘joke’ turned into an outdoor LGBTQ community
June 28, 2024 20:56 - 46 minutes - 42.6 MBAaron and Kate talk to Dr. Hitesh Tolani, creator of the Gays of National Parks Instagram account, which is aimed at fostering community among LGBTQ people through a love of the outdoors. Hitesh began the account as a joke in 2022, but it has since grown into a community with over 15,000 followers. Hitesh talks […] The post How an Instagram ‘joke’ turned into an outdoor LGBTQ community appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Reporter Murphy Woodhouse on the future of wildfire season
June 21, 2024 11:00 - 58 minutes - 53.5 MBMurphy Woodhouse covers wildfires and wildfire policy across the West, informed by his past experience as a wildland firefighter. In a wide-ranging discussion, Murphy talks about the bleak state of wildfire pay, the possibility of much of the West becoming uninsurable because of wildfire risk, and much more. The post Reporter Murphy Woodhouse on the future of wildfire season appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Protecting the Mimbres Peaks in Southern New Mexico
June 05, 2024 16:16 - 31.4 MBThe proposed Mimbres Peaks National Monument would add protections for lands overseen by the Bureau of Land Management in Luna County, New Mexico near the city of Deming. The collaborative effort is locally-led by elected leaders, business owners, economic development advocates, hunters, youth leaders, conservationists, and students. The proposal would protect approximately 245,000 acres in […] The post Protecting the Mimbres Peaks in Southern New Mexico appeared first on Center for Western...
A huge step forward for public lands in Alaska
May 23, 2024 22:32 - 25.8 MBAaron and Kate are joined by Kristen Miller, Executive Director of the Alaska Wilderness League, to talk about some big steps to protect public lands in Alaska made by the Biden administration this spring. They include increased protections for 13 million acres inside the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, as well as the cancellation of a proposed 200-mile […] The post A huge step forward for public lands in Alaska appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Behind the scenes of the Bears Ears draft management plan
May 10, 2024 15:52 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MBAaron and Kate are joined by Davina Smith, who represents the Navajo Nation on the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, and Lauren Henson, who is the Collaborative Management and Tribal Support Specialist for the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, to talk about the Bears Ears draft monument management plan, which came out in March. We talk about […] The post Behind the scenes of the Bears Ears draft management plan appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Why April was a huge month for public lands
April 23, 2024 21:24 - 38 minutes - 35.4 MBKate and Aaron are joined by the Wilderness Society’s Michael Carroll and Justin Meuse to talk through a handful of federal regulations, or rules, that were finalized in late March and April. These rules touch on everything from methane waste on public lands to ecosystem restoration to caribou herds in Alaska. Some of these rules […] The post Why April was a huge month for public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Swimming upstream with Trout Unlimited
April 12, 2024 18:31 - 48 minutes - 44.1 MBKate and Aaron are joined by Trout Unlimited CEO Chris Wood, who has been with TU for twenty years, following a career as chief policy director at the U.S. Forest Service during the Clinton administration. Chris talks about how an influx of federal funding for ecosystem restoration is supercharging the group’s work reconnecting streams and […] The post Swimming upstream with Trout Unlimited appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Talking public lands extremism with Betsy Gaines Quammen
March 28, 2024 20:50 - 1 hour - 57.6 MBKate and Aaron are joined by author Betsy Gaines Quammen to talk about public lands and extremism. Betsy has written two books about extremism in the West. Her first, American Zion, looks at the connection between Mormonism and extremism. Her second book, True West, which came out last year, digs into the myths that define […] The post Talking public lands extremism with Betsy Gaines Quammen appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Will lithium mining dry up the West?
March 13, 2024 00:27 - 47 minutes - 43.8 MBKate and Aaron are joined by three members of the reporting team behind, Lithium Liabilities, a groundbreaking investigation into how lithium mining could affect the West’s water supply. Emma Peterson, Morgan Casey, and Lauren Mucciolo are part of a large team of editors, photographers, and reporters who worked on the investigation at the Howard Center […] The post Will lithium mining dry up the West? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
What Western voters want in 2024
February 28, 2024 21:42 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBKate and Aaron are joined by pollsters Lori Weigel and Dave Metz to discuss the 14th Annual Colorado College State of the Rockies Project Conservation in the West poll. The poll surveys voters in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Colorado on their environmental views. This year, it found support for conservation […] The post What Western voters want in 2024 appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
More solar on public lands? Digging into BLM’s plan
February 22, 2024 23:26 - 33 minutes - 30.7 MBKate and Aaron are joined by Justin Meuse, Director of Government Relations for Climate and Energy at the Wilderness Society, to talk about a proposal from the Bureau of Land Management to prioritize around 22 million acres of public land for utility scale solar development across the West. They discuss why planning matters, how much […] The post More solar on public lands? Digging into BLM’s plan appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Uranium mining returns to the Colorado Plateau
February 08, 2024 17:30 - 43 minutes - 39.6 MBDriven by high uranium prices, domestic uranium mining has resumed at three locations in the U.S. after an eight-year hiatus. Kate and Aaron are joined by Amber Reimondo, Energy Director at the Grand Canyon Trust and Scott Clow, Environmental Programs Director for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, to discuss how that will impact the Grand […] The post Uranium mining returns to the Colorado Plateau appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Inside the Foundation for America’s Public Lands
January 25, 2024 18:31 - 42 minutes - 39.2 MBKate and Aaron are joined by I Ling Thompson, CEO of The Foundation for America’s Public Lands. The Foundation is the official charitable partner of the Bureau of Land Management. Its job is to engage with local communities and the public on behalf of the agency. Thompson discusses the challenges the BLM faces and how […] The post Inside the Foundation for America’s Public Lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
The private land piece of the 30×30 puzzle
January 12, 2024 22:27 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MBKate and Aaron are joined by Tony Caligiuri, president and CEO of Colorado Open Lands, a nonprofit land trust that exists to protect Colorado’s land and water resources. Colorado Open Lands works primarily with private landowners to place voluntary agreements called conservation easements on their property. Tony talks about how private land and water conservation […] The post The private land piece of the 30×30 puzzle appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
The year in public lands
December 27, 2023 17:00 - 5 MBKate and Aaron are joined by Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala for a year-end public lands news roundup and a look ahead at 2024. Overall, 2023 was a great year for public lands. The Biden administration took some really important and concrete steps toward protecting 30 percent of U.S. lands by 2030, […] The post The year in public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Behind the headlines: old growth logging ban
December 21, 2023 20:06 - 12 minutes - 11.1 MBKate and Aaron are joined by Dr. Dominick DellaSala, Chief Scientist at Wild Heritage, a project of the Earth Island Institute. We had Dr. DellaSala on the Landscape back in June to talk about the Biden administration’s efforts to protect old growth forests. At the time, the U.S. Forest Service had just released data that […] The post Behind the headlines: old growth logging ban appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Sins of the shovel: How archaeology evolved from pot hunting to science
December 06, 2023 20:32 - 32 minutes - 30.1 MBKate and Aaron are joined by Rachel Morgan, author of Sins of the Shovel: Looting, Murder, and the Evolution of American Archaeology. Rachel is an archaeologist based near Washington, DC, and her book, which was published last month, is largely focused on the Southwest. She gives a detailed account of the Wetherill family, which settled […] The post Sins of the shovel: How archaeology evolved from pot hunting to science appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
How a Wyoming land use plan ended up in a misinformation war
November 17, 2023 20:40 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBAaron and Kate are joined by Julia Stuble, Wyoming State Senior Manager with the Wilderness Society. Julia is a Wyomingite who’s lived and worked in the state for decades. She’s here to talk about a proposed Bureau of Land Management resource management plan, or RMP, for southwest Wyoming that’s making waves in the state. The […] The post How a Wyoming land use plan ended up in a misinformation war appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Balancing trails, wilderness, and ATV’s in Moab’s backcountry
November 02, 2023 20:04 - 27 minutes - 24.8 MBAaron and Kate are joined by Laura Peterson, staff attorney with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, to talk about the Bureau of Land Management’s recently finalized Labyrinth Rims/Gemini Bridges Travel Management Plan. The plan will guide land management decisions for a 300,000-acre landscape to the north of Moab for years to come, and will help […] The post Balancing trails, wilderness, and ATV’s in Moab’s backcountry appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Opening up the Conservation Toolbox to protect public lands
October 25, 2023 22:03 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBKate and Aaron are joined by three other members of the Center for Western Priorities for this episode focused on a new report from CWP. The Conservation Toolbox report is a directory of the major land protection tools available to help preserve federal public lands. CWP’s Director of Campaigns and Special Projects, Lauren Bogard, Policy […] The post Opening up the Conservation Toolbox to protect public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Protecting the wild, vast Owyhee Canyonlands
October 11, 2023 15:15 - 41 minutes - 38 MBKate and Aaron are joined by Tim Davis, founder and executive director of Friends of the Owyhee, and Karly Foster, campaign manager at the Oregon Natural Desert Association, to talk about how we can better protect the Owyhee Canyonlands. The Owyhee Canyonlands span from southeast Oregon into southwest Idaho, and it is one of the […] The post Protecting the wild, vast Owyhee Canyonlands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
The problem with Wall Street getting into public lands drilling
September 26, 2023 22:49 - 32 minutes - 29.4 MBKate and Aaron are joined by Alan Zibel with Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group focused on the influence of big business in government, and Nichole Heil with the Private Equity Stakeholder Project, a watchdog group focused on bringing transparency and accountability to the private equity sector, to talk about a report they co-authored. The report, […] The post The problem with Wall Street getting into public lands drilling appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Author Ben Goldfarb on the power—and peril—of roads
September 12, 2023 17:12 - 49 minutes - 45.2 MBAaron and Kate are joined by Ben Goldfarb, an award-winning environmental journalist and author who covers wildlife conservation, marine science, and public lands management, to talk about his new book, Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, which is out now from Norton. In Crossings, Goldfarb explores how roads have made […] The post Author Ben Goldfarb on the power—and peril—of roads appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Digging into our 2023 Winning the West poll results
August 28, 2023 17:21 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MBKate and Aaron are joined by pollster Lindsay Vermeyen, senior vice president at Benenson Strategy Group, and Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala to dig into the results of our 2023 Winning the West poll. Spoiler alert: Western voters really love public lands, and they want to see them protected. Kate and Aaron […] The post Digging into our 2023 Winning the West poll results appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
How urban parks improve public health
August 22, 2023 17:48 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MBAaron and Kate are joined by I Ling Thompson, vice president of strategy and engagement at the Trust for Public Land, to discuss a new report from the Trust called the Power of Parks to Promote Health. The report looks at the myriad ways urban parks improve human and environmental health, as well as how […] The post How urban parks improve public health appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Inside the effort to protect the greater Grand Canyon region
August 04, 2023 12:30 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBIn a special Road to 30: Postcards episode, Aaron and Kate talk to two members of the Havasupai Tribe about the proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. The proposed monument would partially surround and help protect the Grand Canyon National Park, as well as the communities that live in and near the […] The post Inside the effort to protect the greater Grand Canyon region appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
New oil and gas rule just dropped. What’s in it?
July 28, 2023 22:14 - 26 minutes - 24.2 MBThe Bureau of Land Management just proposed a rule that would essentially codify the oil and gas reforms in the Inflation Reduction Act as well as make a few other important changes to the federal leasing program. The proposed rule would fundamentally change the way oil and gas leasing occurs on public lands, putting the […] The post New oil and gas rule just dropped. What’s in it? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
How the Farm Bill promotes private land conservation
July 13, 2023 22:13 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MBKate and Aaron are joined by Lori Faeth, senior director of government relations at the Land Trust Alliance, to discuss the Farm Bill and private land conservation. The Farm Bill conservation programs are the largest single federal source of funding for private land conservation. Farm Bill programs create significant opportunities for land trusts to protect […] The post How the Farm Bill promotes private land conservation appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
What’s going on with old growth forests?
June 30, 2023 17:02 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MBKate and Aaron are joined by Dr. Dominick DellaSala, Chief Scientist at Wild Heritage, a project of the Earth Island Institute, to talk about the Biden administration’s efforts to protect old growth and mature forests. They also touch on reducing wildfire risk through forest management. Dr. DellaSala is the author of over 300 science papers […] The post What’s going on with old growth forests? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
A BLM veteran weighs in on the agency’s proposed conservation leasing rule
June 13, 2023 21:02 - 35 minutes - 32.5 MBKate and Aaron are joined by James Kenna, a 40-year Interior Department veteran who wore a number of hats over his decades of public service, including a stint as the California state director at Bureau of Land Management. That gave him a front row seat to land management decisions that would shape America’s energy future. […] The post A BLM veteran weighs in on the agency’s proposed conservation leasing rule appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Stewart Udall and the politics of beauty
June 07, 2023 20:25 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBKate and Aaron are joined by filmmaker John De Graaf to talk about his new documentary Stewart Udall and the Politics of Beauty. De Graaf has been producing and directing PBS documentaries for 45 years, 32 of which he spent at KCTS, the Seattle PBS affiliate. His new film recounts former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall’s […] The post Stewart Udall and the politics of beauty appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Can renewable energy and conservation coexist?
May 24, 2023 20:16 - 38 minutes - 34.9 MBAaron and Kate are joined by Grace Wu, an assistant professor in the Environmental Studies Program at UC Santa Barbara, to talk about her research on balancing renewable energy development and conservation in the West. The study examined the potential habitat loss and land use impacts of developing the complete set of onshore wind, offshore […] The post Can renewable energy and conservation coexist? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Why you should care about the Rio Grande River
May 11, 2023 21:10 - 35 minutes - 32.2 MBKate and Aaron are joined by journalist Danielle Prokop and photographer Diana Cervantes to talk about their recent series documenting drought on the Rio Grande River, which runs from Colorado, through New Mexico, to Texas. Danielle and Diana produced the series for Source New Mexico, a statewide non-profit journalism outlet. News Credits Hosts: Kate Groetzinger & Aaron Weiss […] The post Why you should care about the Rio Grande River appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad mining bill
May 02, 2023 21:53 - 33 minutes - 30.7 MBKate and Aaron are joined by Alli Henderson, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, and Blaine Miller-McFeeley, a senior legislative representative at Earthjustice, to talk about the recently-introduced Mining Regulatory Clarity Act—or, as Miller-McFeeley has renamed it, the Dirty Mining Trumps All Other Uses Act. They talk about what prompted Senator Catherine […] The post A terrible, horrible, no good, very bad mining bill appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
What’s really holding up renewable energy transmission construction
April 19, 2023 17:29 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBKate and Aaron are joined by clean energy consultant Rob Gramlich, founder and president of Grid Strategies LLC, to talk about the need to ramp up renewable transmission capacity in the U.S. Gramlich tells us what the Inflation Reduction Act did and didn’t do when it comes to transmission, as well as how Congress can […] The post What’s really holding up renewable energy transmission construction appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Making conservation more inclusive
April 06, 2023 23:17 - 40 minutes - 37.5 MBKate and Aaron are joined by the co-chairs of the America the Beautiful for All Coalition, a new group that came together to ensure conservation benefits marginalized and overly burdened communities. Nse Witherspoon, executive director of the Children’s Environmental Health Network, and Mark Magaña, founder and CEO of GreenLatinos, talk about their coalition’s 2023 policy agenda […] The post Making conservation more inclusive appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Biden designates two new national monuments
March 21, 2023 23:01 - 22 minutes - 21 MBThe announcement of two new national monuments formed the centerpiece of the White House Conservation in Action Summit on March 21, 2023. Biden designated Avi Kwa Ame and Castner Range national monuments using his authority under the Antiquities Act, protecting over half a million acres in perpetuity. Center for Western Priorities Campaigns and Special Projects […] The post Biden designates two new national monuments appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
The tangled fates of Arizona and Arabia
March 16, 2023 21:46 - 54 minutes - 49.7 MBAaron and Kate are joined by author and professor Natalie Koch, whose new book—Arid Empire: The Entangled Fates of Arizona and Arabia—explores the ways in which Arizona and Saudi Arabia have worked together to promote desert agriculture, and how that work is connected to a global obsession with engineering our way out of ecosystem collapse. Koch […] The post The tangled fates of Arizona and Arabia appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
What Western voters think about conservation
March 02, 2023 17:32 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBKate and Aaron are joined by pollsters Lori Weigel and Dave Metz to talk about the most interesting and important statistics from the recently released 2023 Colorado College State of the Rockies Conservation in the West poll. The poll found that voters care just as much about protecting public lands and waters, as well as […] The post What Western voters think about conservation appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
What’s going on with the Colorado River?
February 17, 2023 12:00 - 42 minutes - 38.5 MBKate and Aaron are joined by water scientist Brad Udall to talk about the current state of the Colorado River. Water levels are dropping and something has to give or the river’s main reservoirs—Lake Powell and Lake Mead— are going to run dry. But states aren’t anywhere close to an agreement on how much each […] The post What’s going on with the Colorado River? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Why we need mining reform on public lands
February 10, 2023 12:09 - 42 minutes - 39 MBAaron and Kate are joined by two mining reform experts to talk about the need to update our century-old mining laws and regulations in order to protect vulnerable communities and public lands as interest in mining grows thanks to electric vehicles and renewable energy needs. Roger Flynn is the director and managing attorney at Western […] The post Why we need mining reform on public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Are we about to see a mining boom for EV minerals in the West?
January 26, 2023 22:28 - 48 minutes - 44.8 MBMining expert Ian Lange joins Kate and Aaron to talk about critical minerals and mining in the West. Lange directs the mineral and energy economics program at the Colorado School of Mines and is an expert in mining economics. He discusses what’s going on in the world of critical minerals—specifically those used in electric vehicle […] The post Are we about to see a mining boom for EV minerals in the West? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Fighting a plan to mine oil in Utah using billions of gallons of Colorado River water
January 05, 2023 21:47 - 32 minutes - 29.9 MBOn this episode of The Landscape, Kate and Aaron are joined by Grand Canyon Trust staff attorney Michael Toll to discuss a plan to mine hundreds of thousands of barrels of waxy crude oil in Utah near Dinosaur National Monument, using billions of gallons of Colorado River Water. A loophole in Utah law enabled an […] The post Fighting a plan to mine oil in Utah using billions of gallons of Colorado River water appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
The past year in public lands
December 22, 2022 12:07 - 59 minutes - 5 MBOn this episode of The Landscape, Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala and CWP Director of Campaigns and Special Projects Lauren Bogard join Aaron and Kate to go over the past year in public lands. From the passage of the largest climate bill in U.S. history (which includes major oil and gas leasing […] The post The past year in public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
Photographer Pete McBride on the Colorado River
December 08, 2022 12:00 - 48 minutes - 44.5 MBRenowned nature photographer Pete McBride joins Aaron and CWP’s Director of Campaigns and Special Projects Lauren Bogard on the pod to discuss his work documenting the Colorado River. Pete is a photographer, filmmaker, and writer who has been to more than 75 countries on assignment for clients ranging from the National Geographic Society to the […] The post Photographer Pete McBride on the Colorado River appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
The top 8 actions Biden can take to protect 30×30
December 02, 2022 12:00 - 32 minutes - 30 MBThis week on The Landscape, Aaron and Kate talk to Drew McConville and Sam Zeno from the Center for American Progress about their new report, which identifies the top 8 actions Biden can take to meet his America the Beautiful goal of protecting 30 percent of American lands and waters by 2030. Drew McConville is […] The post The top 8 actions Biden can take to protect 30×30 appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
What the 2022 election means for public lands
November 16, 2022 12:00 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBCWP Executive Director Jennifer Rokala and Colorado-based political consultant Curtis Hubbard join Aaron to break down the 2022 election results and what they mean for public lands across the West. Producer: Aaron WeissMusic: Purple PlanetFeatured image: @POTUS The post What the 2022 election means for public lands appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
What the science says about national forest management
November 02, 2022 11:00 - 38 minutes - 35.3 MBThis week on The Landscape, Aaron and Kate talk to forest scientists Megan Cattau and Nayani Ilangakoon to find out what’s up in the world of wildfire risk reduction and forest recovery. Specifically, they ask about the U.S. Forest Service’s plan to plant a billion trees over the next decade, as well as how climate […] The post What the science says about national forest management appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
What makes national monuments special?
October 19, 2022 11:00 - 43 minutes - 39.6 MBAuthor and outdoors enthusiast McKenzie Long joins Aaron and Kate to chat about her new book, This Contested Land: The Storied Past and Uncertain Future of America’s National Monuments. The book is an exploration of national monuments—why they matter, what it takes to create them, and how they impact nearby communities. McKenzie visited 13 national […] The post What makes national monuments special? appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.
An evidence-based look at permitting reform
September 30, 2022 11:00 - 49 minutes - 45.1 MBUniversity of Utah law professor Jamie Pleune joins Kate and Aaron on the Landscape to talk about the National Environmental Policy Act and permitting reform. Pleune and her colleagues analyzed over 40,000 Forest Service NEPA decisions to determine the mean and median time it takes to complete reviews, as well as what causes the majority of delays […] The post An evidence-based look at permitting reform appeared first on Center for Western Priorities.