Conversations with innovators of the American West. Guests include athletes, artists, adventurers, writers, ranchers, conservationists, entrepreneurs, thought leaders—anyone who’s doing inspired work that contributes to the region’s evolving and complex cultural fabric. Through informal yet substantive interviews, conservationist Ed Roberson introduces you to these fascinating characters, giving you a better understanding of their careers, influences, and outlooks, as well as a deeper apprec ...
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Janie & Louise Roberson - Chatting It Up With Their Old Man
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This is a completely different kind of episode, featuring a fun and at times crazy conversation with my two daughters, Janie and Louise. - Back in June, we were eating dinner when, out of the blue, both girls expressed an enthusiastic interest in being guests on the podcast. So the next day, we set up the podcast gear at our dining room table, sat …
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Nancy Smith & Austin Rempel - A Surprisingly Simple, Effective, and Scalable Approach to Riparian Restoration
1:03:25
1:03:25
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Nancy Smith is the Conservation Director for The Nature Conservancy’s Colorado River Program, and Austin Rempel is the Riparian Restoration Program Manager at The Nature Conservancy. Both Nancy and Austin are working on the front lines of some of the West’s most innovative water and habitat conservation projects– projects that benefit everything fr…
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Dr. Alan Townsend - Generosity & Curiosity in the Face of Tragedy
1:11:50
1:11:50
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Dr. Alan Townsend is a scientist, author, and Dean of the Franke College of Forestry & Conservation at the University of Montana. His new book is titled “This Ordinary Stardust: A Scientist’s Path from Grief to Wonder,” and it’s an unbelievably powerful book. It’s the story of Alan’s family being rocked to the core by two unthinkable, back-to-back …
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Pete McBride Returns - Exploring & Documenting His Backyard River
1:03:53
1:03:53
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If you’re a longtime Mountain & Prairie listener, then you’ll definitely remember Pete McBride. He’s a renowned photographer, filmmaker, and author, and he’s joined me on the podcast twice before– once to discuss his epic hike of the length of the Grand Canyon, and then to chat about his global search for silence in a very loud world. I’m glad to s…
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Peter Gower & Chris Menges - Forward-Looking Approaches to the West's Energy Transition
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Peter Gower is the Nature Conservancy’s Climate and Renewable Energy Program Director for the Western United States and Canada Divisions, and Chris Menges is the Director of Climate Action for the Colorado Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. Both Peter and Chris are on the front lines of North America’s transition from fossil fuels to renewables, wo…
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Beatriz Soto - Bridging Cultural Divides & Building Equitable Communities
1:15:17
1:15:17
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Beatriz Soto is the Director of Protégete, a statewide program from Conservation Colorado, whose mission is to elevate Latino-driven solutions to protect our lands, water, air, and fight for environmental and climate justice. Prior to joining Conservation Colorado, she held a number of leadership and founding positions with conservation-focused org…
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"Good Fire, Bad Fire" - A Film and Discussion About Forest Health
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This is a special episode recorded live in Bozeman at the premiere of the important new short film titled "Good Fire, Bad Fire: Inside the Race to Restore America’s Forests." - On the evening of May 16, 2024, around 200 folks gathered at Bozeman’s Museum of the Rockies to watch the 15-minute film, which captures the breathtaking beauty of our natio…
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SHED SESSION - Everything I Know About Starting a Podcast
1:32:15
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This is a special Shed Session episode, normally published exclusively for Mountain & Prairie Patreon supporters. In it, I answer the most common question I receive, which is some variation of "How do I start a podcast?" - In this episode I answer that question in excruciating detail, laying out everything I know about it, based on my own bumbling,…
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Dan Stellar - Bolstering Biodiversity in Arizona and Beyond
1:08:59
1:08:59
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Dan Stellar is the State Director for the Arizona Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, where he leads the organization’s efforts across a wide range of cutting-edge initiatives, including forest health, water conservation, resilient cities, healthy grasslands, and more. Arizona is one of the nation’s largest and most biodiverse states, which creates …
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Sandy Colhoun - Building Leaders Through Outdoor Education
1:03:17
1:03:17
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Sandy Colhoun is the President of the National Outdoor Leadership School, also known as NOLS. - Founded in 1965 by legendary mountaineer Paul Petzolt, NOLS is widely considered to be the world’s premier wilderness school, and its mission is “to be the leading source and teacher of wilderness skills and leadership that serve people and the environme…
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Kami Bakken - How to Build a Life and Career in the West's Wide-Open Spaces
1:15:27
1:15:27
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Kami Bakken is a river guide and outdoor advocate, and she currently serves as the Director of the Freeflow Foundation and Director of Ambassador and Grant Programs for Rivers for Change. A native of Minnesota, Kami headed West for college at Colorado State University, where she earned a degree in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources. Since gradua…
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Hampton Sides Returns: The Wild and Tragic Tale of Captain James Cook
1:02:45
1:02:45
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Hampton Sides is a Santa Fe-based historian and bestselling author who has written many books that are favorites of Mountain & Prairie listeners, including "Blood and Thunder," "On Desperate Ground," and "Ghost Soldiers." His newest book is "The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook," whi…
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Celene Hawkins & Izabella Ruffino - Tribal Partnerships, Indigenous Voices, Cutting-Edge Conservation
1:15:26
1:15:26
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Celene Hawkins is the Colorado River Tribal Water Partnerships Program Director for the Nature Conservancy, and Izabella Ruffino is the Tribal and Indigenous Engagement Program Manager for the Colorado Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. Both Celene and Izabella use their skills to advance and support tribal-led land and water conservation work thro…
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Kristine Tompkins – Nothing to Lose
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1:24:24
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Kristine Tompkins is an iconic conservationist, the president and co-founder of Tompkins Conservation, and the former CEO of Patagonia. For three decades, she has committed to protecting and restoring wild beauty and biodiversity by creating national parks, restoring wildlife, inspiring activism, and fostering economic vitality through conservation…
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Logan Maxwell Hagege Returns - On Taking Action & Finding Balance
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Logan Maxwell Hagege is an Ojai, CA-based contemporary artist with modern visions of the American West. Logan is no stranger to longtime Mountain & Prairie listeners—he first joined me on the podcast back in 2019, and he made another appearance in 2022 alongside several other renowned Western artists in an episode recorded live at Maxwell Alexander…
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Dr. Emily Howe - The Interconnectedness of Mountains, Forests, Rivers, and Estuaries
1:06:02
1:06:02
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Dr. Emily Howe is an aquatic ecologist with the Washington state chapter of The Nature Conservancy, and she holds a Ph.D. from the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington. Her work integrates across ecosystem boundaries, investigating how landscape configuration and management shape cross-boundary relationships for fo…
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Sterling Drake - Roots Music, Ranching, and Giving Back
1:06:04
1:06:04
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Sterling Drake is an award-winning musician whose soulful tunes reflect his deep love of the landscapes, people, and culture of the American West. The media outlet Lonesome Highway probably best described Sterling’s music by calling it a “perfect fusion of western swing, honky-tonk heartache, and dance hall treasures.” But you can’t really confine …
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Kevin Krasnow - Keeping Jackson Hole Wild and Beautiful
1:02:03
1:02:03
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Kevin Krasnow is the Conservation Director at the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, a long-standing, highly effective organization whose mission is to “protect the wildlife, wild places, and community character of Jackson Hole.” For more than four decades, the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance has been a staunch advocate for keeping Jackson Hole…
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Mike DeHoff - Exploring the Colorado River's Reemerging Rapids
58:08
58:08
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Mike DeHoff is the Principal Investigator at Returning Rapids Project, a one-of-a-kind project that is documenting the recovery of the Colorado River in Cataract Canyon, upper Glen Canyon, and along the San Juan. Back in 1963, the construction of Glen Canyon Dam created Lake Powell, which submerged many of the area’s canyons– turning what were once…
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SHED SESSION: Seven Must-Read Books That You May Not Know About
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An excerpt from my most recent Shed Session episode, highlighting seven of my favorite books that you may have never heard of. To listen to the full episode and all future Shed Sessions, become a Patreon supporter. FULL EPISODE: https://www.patreon.com/posts/shed-session-you-97515649 PATREON: https://mountainandprairie.com/patreon MOUNTAIN & PRAIRI…
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Live at the Amon Carter Museum - In Conversation with James Prosek and Spencer Wigmore
1:30:31
1:30:31
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This is a special live episode that was recorded at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas. The event was centered around the museum’s ongoing exhibition titled Trespassers: James Prosek and the Texas Prairie, and the episode features a fascinating on-stage conversation with artist and past podcast guest James Prosek and art cu…
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Ivy Spohnholz - Climate Solutions, Sustainable Fisheries, and Resilient Communities
1:06:40
1:06:40
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Ivy Spohnholz is the Alaska State Director at The Nature Conservancy, where she leads the organization’s critical work around climate solutions, sustainable fisheries, and resilient communities. Given its size, location, climate, demographics, and economics, Alaska presents a very unique blend of conservation challenges– challenges that can directl…
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Chad Ellis - On Leadership, Building Relationships, and Working for the Greater Good
1:13:54
1:13:54
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Chad Ellis is the CEO of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust (TALT), which is one of the nation’s leading ag-focused conservation organizations. TALT’s mission is “to conserve the Texas heritage of agricultural lands, wildlife habitats, and natural resources,” but at its core, TALT’s work is built on the foundation of long-term, trusting, mutually re…
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Rick Wittenbraker - Humility, Generosity, and Building One-of-a-Kind Brands
1:05:31
1:05:31
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Rick Wittenbraker is the CMO of Howler Brothers, an Austin-based apparel company that creates some of the most unique, stylish, quirky, and highly functional outdoor clothing for adventurers of all stripes. In a little over a decade, Howler has firmly established itself as the go-to brand for anglers, surfers, travelers, and fun-seekers– the kind o…
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50 Years of the Endangered Species Act - Live in Austin
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This is a special live episode that was recorded in Austin, Texas, in November of 2023 at the 50th Anniversary Endangered Species Act Symposium. As you may know, 2023 marked 50 years since the passing of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which is one the most influential and impactful pieces of conservation legislation in United States history. Thi…
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