The Landscape

Kate 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.

Aaron 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.

Aaron 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.

The podcast explores the Conservation Toolbox report, highlighting federal land protection tools like National Parks and wildlife corridors. It discusses the challenges of comparing conservation tools and emphasizes the importance of understanding diverse management approaches. The episode also covers the economic significance of recreation on public lands and efforts to protect the Wyoming Toad habitat.

Kate 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.

Kate 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.

Ben Goldfarb discusses the impact of roads on wildlife, highlighting how roads shape our planet. He explores the evolution of wildlife crossings, the complex relationship between roads and wildlife, and the role of citizen science in road ecology.

Kate 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.

Aaron 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.

Guests from the Havasupai Tribe share their deep cultural ties to the Grand Canyon and the urgent need to protect its surroundings. They discuss the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument, aimed at preserving their ancestral lands amid environmental threats like uranium mining. With personal stories interwoven, they highlight the spiritual significance of sites like Red Butte and emphasize the importance of tribal collaboration in safeguarding vital water sources for future generations.