Rewilding Earth Podcast

About Suzanne Suzanne Fouty has been exploring the issues of water and the return of wolves in the West for over 30 years, the contributions made by beaver to ecosystems for over 25 years, and the synergy between beavers and wolves in restoring stream systems for over 10 years. Her work on wolves began in 1990 at Yosemite Institute where she gave weekly presentations to students on the pending return of wolves to the West and some of the social questions in play related to livestock grazing and ranching on public lands and wolves. She worked for the Forest Service in eastern Oregon as a hydrologist and soils specialist for almost 16 years before retiring in 2018. Since retiring she has been deeply involved in five recent efforts to close federally-managed public lands in Oregon to beaver trapping and hunting as a proactive response to climate change and biodiversity loss. Suzanne was included in the PBS Nature episode “Leave it to Beavers” and featured in the film “The Beaver Believers.” Her writing and presentations have been primarily for the general public to share how beavers and wolves contribute to preparing communities for climate change via stream and wetland restoration, and the social and political obstacles getting in the way of those contributions. About Adam Adam Bronstein is the director for Oregon and Nevada with Western Watersheds Project, a non-profit conservation organization working to protect and restore public lands and wildlife throughout the West. He is the host of Wilderness Podcast and also serves as board president of the Gallatin Yellowstone Wilderness Alliance in Bozeman, Montana, working to protect the remaining wilderness-quality lands of the Custer-Gallatin National Forest. Topics * History of Beaver trapping and hunting on public lands * The requested executive order to close federally managed lands to beaver hunting and trapping * Drought and flood management with Beavers on the landscape * Beavers and their role as a keystone species Extra Credit * Read the letter here * SIGN THE PETITION! * Beaver Benefits and Closure FAQ (PDF) * The world’s biggest banks have pumped trillions into fossil fuel projects in the past 5 years – Bank article mentioned by Suzanne in this episode * Show transcript About Suzanne Suzanne Fouty has been exploring the issues of water and the return of wolves in the West for over 30 years, the contributions made by beaver to ecosystems for over 25 years, and the synergy between beavers and wolves in restoring stream systems for over 10 years. Her work on wolves began in 1990 at Yosemite Institute where she gave weekly presentations to students on the pending return of wolves to the West and some of the social questions in play related to livestock grazing and ranching on public lands and wolves. She worked for the Forest Service in eastern Oregon as a hydrologist and soils specialist for almost 16 years before retiring in 2018. Since retiring she has been deeply involved in five recent efforts to close federally-managed public lands in Oregon to beaver trapping and hunting as a proact...

About Carter, author of Justice as a Fair Start in Life, began his career as an Honors Program appointee to the U.S. Department of Justice. He later served as a legal adviser to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in the national security law division. He wrote his thesis reformulating the right to have children under Jeremy Waldron, his extensive academic work on family planning has been published by Yale, Duke, and Northwestern Universities, as well as in peer-reviewed pieces, and he has served on the Steering Committee of the Population Ethics and Policy Research Project and was a Visiting Scholar at the Uehiro Center, both at the University of Oxford. He has taught at several law schools in the U.S., served as a peer reviewer for the journal Bioethics, and most recently managed an animal protection strategic impact litigation program, with annual resources in excess of five million dollars. “The storyteller of an environmentalism that has to do with liberating humans, an environmentalism based on freedom, I honestly believe that voice will come from the global south. It will not come from Eurocentric cultures, quite frankly, that have had hegemony over the process to date and have failed.” -Carter Dillard Topics * Anthropocentric vs. ecocentric approach toward conservation and rights of nature * Moving toward a “town hall” version of governance vs. current system of “shopping mall” growth at any cost * Moving humanity closer to a view of nature for its own sake Download the transcript from today’s episode (PDF) Extra Credit * The basis for this episode: ­­­The Secret War on Natural Rights—and Children | Opinion * Recent Newsweek article by Carter: Today’s Trolley Problem: Only One Track Leads to the Future | Opinion * Mentioned in this episode: Peter Fiekowsky “Climate Restoration: The Only Future That Will Sustain the Human Race“ About Carter, author of Justice as a Fair Start in Life, began his career as an Honors Program appointee to the U.S. Department of Justice. He later served as a legal adviser to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in the national security law division. He wrote his thesis reformulating the right to have children under Jeremy Waldron, his extensive academic work on family planning has been published by Yale, Duke, and Northwestern Universities, as well as in peer-reviewed pieces, and he has served on the Steering Committee of the Population Ethics and Policy Research Project and was a Visiting Scholar at the Uehiro Center, both at the University of Oxford. He has taught at several law schools in the U.S., served as a peer reviewer for the journal Bioethics, and most recently managed an animal protection strategic impact litigation program, with annual resources in excess of five million dollars. “The storyteller of an environmentalism that has to do with liberating humans, an environmentalism based on freedom, I honestly believe that voice will come from the global south. It will not come from Eurocentric cultures, quite frankly, that have had hegemony over the process to date and have failed.” -Carter Dillard Topics * Anthropocentric vs. ecocentric approach toward conservation and rights of nature * Moving toward a “town hall” version of governance vs. current system of “shopping mall” growt...

About Rick Steiner is a conservation biologist in Anchorage, Alaska, and founder of Oasis Earth. He has been involved in the global conservation movement for over 40 years. From 1980-2010 he was a marine conservation professor with the University of Alaska, stationed in the Arctic, Prince William Sound, and Anchorage, specializing in marine conservation, and worked on environmental effects of offshore oil, climate change, fisheries, marine mammals, shipping safety, habitat conservation, and conservation policy. After the university and the U.S. government pressured him to restrain from raising concerns about the risks and impacts of offshore oil development in Alaska, he resigned his tenured professorship in protest. Rick has authored over one hundred publications; written commentaries for many national and international media outlets including USA Today, LA Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, The Hill, Montreal Gazette, Vancouver Sun, and Huffington Post; and worked around the world with governments, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and many Indigenous People’s and non-governmental organizations in diverse regions including Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Pakistan, China, the Middle East, the South Pacific, Australia, the Arctic, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, and El Salvador. He has received several conservation awards, and The Guardian called him “one of the world’s leading marine conservation scientists,” and “one of the most respected and outspoken academics on the oil industry’s environmental record.” He serves on the Board of Directors of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, and the Board of Advisors of The Ocean Foundation. He has delivered Oasis Earth: Planet in Peril as a public presentation for over 30 years, in many venues around the world, and authored the book Oasis Earth: Planet in Peril, released in 2020. Topics * Mismanagement of non-game species on public lands * Global and national biodiversity crisis * How you can change the future of wildlife management on public lands in the U.S. Extra Credit (Take Action!) Here are specific asks re: Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA), that we need to insert into the bill when it comes back up. (And these should also apply to annual Pittman-Robertson (PR) federal funding to state wildlife agencies) * Clearly specify that, for state wildlife management agencies to receive RAWA or PR funds, they must satisfy federal sustainable ecosystem management principles, sustaining all components of a naturally balanced ecosystem, and these principles must be clearly elucidated in the act; * Clearly specify that each state plan must address climate change impacts on wildlife, both present and foreseen, and how the state will adjust its wildlife management accordingly; * Prohibit use of any of these federal funds from being used, either directly or indirectly, state predator control programs; * Require a public comment period for all annual plans submitted by state’s for use of these federal funds; * Require an independent scientific assessment of all state plans, programs, and experiences periodically by the National Academies of Sciences; * Explicitly require the Secretary to review each state plan with regard to public and science comments, and require the Secretary to find state’s ineligible to receive these RAWA (or PR) funds if they are out of compliance with the federal ecosystem management standards. * For actions you can take, download Rick’s book “Oasis Earth” for free! The entire 3rd section of the book is dedicated to solutions. * Be sure to follow Rick’s important work and stay updated at

About Bill Ryerson is Founder and President of Population Media Center (PMC), an organization that strives to improve the health and wellbeing of people around the world through the use of entertainment-education strategies. He also serves as Chair of The Population Institute in Washington, DC, which works in partnership with Population Media Center. PMC creates long-running serialized dramas on radio and television, in which characters evolve into role models for the audience resulting in positive behavior change. The emphasis of the organization’s work is to educate people about the benefits of small families, encourage the use of effective family planning methods, elevate women’s status, prevent exploitation of children, promote avoidance of HIV infection, and promote environmentally sustainable behaviors. Mr. Ryerson has a half-century history of working in the field of reproductive health, including three decades of experience adapting the Sabido methodology of social change communications to various cultural settings worldwide. Ryerson received a B.A. in Biology (Magna Cum Laude) from Amherst College and an M.Phil. in Biology from Yale University (with specialization in Ecology and Evolution). He served as Director of the Population Institute’s Youth and Student Division, Development Director of Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania, Associate Director of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and Executive Vice President of Population Communications International before founding Population Media Center in 1998. Topics * Highlights from Bill’s November 2022 Newsweek article “Global Population Hits 8 Billion” (reprinted here) * Why dealing with consumption alone won’t solve current environmental crises * The real world effect of “edutainment” on family planning and other issues around the world * Examples and results of adapting the Sabido methodology of social change communications to various cultural settings worldwide * The results: you won’t believe how well it has worked! (But you have to listen to find out!) Extra Credit Find out more about Bills work at Population Media Center and The Population Institute — Intro music by Olexy About Bill Ryerson is Founder and President of Population Media Center (PMC), an organization that strives to improve the health and wellbeing of people around the world through the use of entertainment-education strategies. He also serves as Chair of The Population Institute in Washington, DC, which works in partnership with Population Media Center. PMC creates long-running serialized dramas on radio and television, in which characters evolve into role models for the audience resulting in positive behavior change. The emphasis of the organization’s work is to educate people about the benefits of small families, encourage the use of effective family planning methods, elevate women’s status, prevent exploitation of children, promote avoidance of HIV infection, and promote environmentally sustainable behaviors. Mr. Ryerson has a half-century history of working in the field of reproductive health, including three decades of experience adapting the Sabido methodology of social change communications to various cultural settings worldwide. Ryerson received a B.A.

About Matt Koozer As Senior Restoration Ecologist & Construction Mgr. for Biohabitats, Matt has 24 years of experience leading design-build teams in water resources management and habitat restorations. He has managed all phases of river, estuary, wetland and riparian restoration and management projects, with a focus on habitat restoration construction. Matt has been involved in over 150 habitat restoration projects including dam removal, channel realignment, estuary levee breaching, engineered log jams and riffles, and fish passage projects including culvert replacements and water intake diversion and fish screening modifications. Matt is dedicated to the restoration of ecosystems via smart, efficient design solutions and innovative construction means and methods. Matt currently leads Biohabitats self-performing construction services from Portland, Oregon. For fun, Matt enjoys fishing, skiing, and playing guitar is his neighborhood dad rock project Templeton Peck. Topics * Dam removal in the Pacific Northwest * Before, during, and after construction and demolition projects * How to get involved with restoration projects near you * The results of 24 years of restoration work around the Portland area Extra Credit * Learn more about the Gales Creek Bank Stabilization and Enhancement project * Check out “Leaf Litter,” the Biohabitats newsletter, to learn more about restoration ecology and projects like the ones discussed in this episode. About Matt Koozer As Senior Restoration Ecologist & Construction Mgr. for Biohabitats, Matt has 24 years of experience leading design-build teams in water resources management and habitat restorations. He has managed all phases of river, estuary, wetland and riparian restoration and management projects, with a focus on habitat restoration construction. Matt has been involved in over 150 habitat restoration projects including dam removal, channel realignment, estuary levee breaching, engineered log jams and riffles, and fish passage projects including culvert replacements and water intake diversion and fish screening modifications. Matt is dedicated to the restoration of ecosystems via smart, efficient design solutions and innovative construction means and methods. Matt currently leads Biohabitats self-performing construction services from Portland, Oregon. For fun, Matt enjoys fishing, skiing, and playing guitar is his neighborhood dad rock project Templeton Peck. Topics * Dam removal in the Pacific Northwest * Before, during, and after construction and demolition projects * How to get involved with restoration projects near you * The results of 24 years of restoration work around the Portland area Extra Credit * Learn more about the Gales Creek Bank Stabilization and Enhancement project * Check out “Leaf Litter,” the Biohabitats newsletter, to learn more about restoration ecology and projects like the ones discussed in this episode.

Links to full episodes featured here: Kate McFarland Stephen Pyne Deborah Landau Bethanie Walder Cara Nelson Ben Goldfarb Remembering Dave Foreman Francisco J. Santiago-Ávila Renee Seacor John Davis Kelly Borgman Extra Credit Subscribe to “Leaf Litter” at Biohabitats! Sponsor of several episodes highlighted in today’s year-end recap. Links to full episodes featured here: Kate McFarland Stephen Pyne Deborah Landau Bethanie Walder Cara Nelson Ben Goldfarb Remembering Dave Foreman Francisco J. Santiago-Ávila Renee Seacor John Davis Kelly Borgman Extra Credit Subscribe to “Leaf Litter” at Biohabitats! Sponsor of several episodes highlighted in today’s year-end recap.

About Kate Kate McFarland holds a BS in Mathematics, MS in Statistics and PhD in Philosophy (with a focus on pragmatics and philosophy of language) from Ohio State University, which she completed just for fun before leaving academia to spend a few years as a freelance writer. She now works as the Center Associate for the Ohio State University Center for Ethics and Human Values. When European borders reopened in the summer of 2021, Kate left her flat in Columbus to live nomadically in pursuit of a long-standing dream of car-free, active-transportation-based rural living (which in today’s overdeveloped world means she spends most of her time self-exiled on small islands). Her experiences in Europe would become very influential in the development of her thinking about conservation ethics and rewilding discourse. Topics * North American and European versions of rewilding * The problem with human-centered rhetoric in modern conservation Extra Credit * On Rewilding (Whatever That Is): Thoughts of a Faux-Expat * American Rewilders Should Worry about Europe (Take Two) * Read more on Kate’s OSU blog About Kate Kate McFarland holds a BS in Mathematics, MS in Statistics and PhD in Philosophy (with a focus on pragmatics and philosophy of language) from Ohio State University, which she completed just for fun before leaving academia to spend a few years as a freelance writer. She now works as the Center Associate for the Ohio State University Center for Ethics and Human Values. When European borders reopened in the summer of 2021, Kate left her flat in Columbus to live nomadically in pursuit of a long-standing dream of car-free, active-transportation-based rural living (which in today’s overdeveloped world means she spends most of her time self-exiled on small islands). Her experiences in Europe would become very influential in the development of her thinking about conservation ethics and rewilding discourse. Topics * North American and European versions of rewilding * The problem with human-centered rhetoric in modern conservation Extra Credit * On Rewilding (Whatever That Is): Thoughts of a Faux-Expat * American Rewilders Should Worry about Europe (Take Two) * Read more on Kate’s OSU blog

  About Stephen Pyne became interested in fire as a result of 15 seasons on a fire crew, the North Rim Longshots, at Grand Canyon National Park.  He has written a gamut of fire-themed books, among them national fire histories for America, Australia, Canada, Europe (including Russia), Mexico (pending), and the Earth overall, culminating in The Pyrocene: How We Created an Age of Fire, and What Happens Next.  Other works include How the Canyon Became Grand, The Ice: A Journey to Antarctica, Voyager, and The Great Ages of Discovery: How Western Civilization Learned About a Wider World.  Presently, he is a writer, urban farmer, and emeritus professor at Arizona State University. Stephen holds a BA in English from Stanford University, and an MA and PHD in American Civilization from the University of Texas, Austin. He is currently writing a fire history of Mexico. Topics * What if Bison could start fires? * How humans created the age of fire. * In the beginning there was lightning. (Or was it fuel?) * When did humanity really start turning on the afterburners on fire and climate change? * How human use of fire affects the oceans. * Good wildfires vs bad wildfires. * The illusion that we have control over large, intense fires. * The wildland/urban fire relationship at the center of all fire policy and mistakes. * Dealing with the huge fire deficit on wild landscapes. Extra Credit * Read Stephen’s interview in Biohabitats Leaf Litter National Interagency Fire Center Wildfire Today: useful source of fire community news Joint Fire Science Program: good source of current research and link to regional fire science exchanges Check out the entire issue of Leaf Litter, The Biohabitats newsletter:   “We didn’t start the fire It was always burning Since the world’s been turning We didn’t start the fire No, we didn’t light it But we tried to fight it” ~Billy Joel

About Deborah Landau is the Director of Ecological Management at the Maryland/DC Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, where she has worked since 2001. Her work focuses on restoration at more than 30 Conservancy preserves across Maryland and DC. She works with staff and partners to restore natural communities across the state, ensuring they are healthy and resilient in light of an uncertain climate future. Among the many restoration activities Deborah manages are prescribed burns, and she has planned and implemented more than a hundred of them over the course of her career in conservation. As a firefighter, she serves as Engine Boss and Firing Boss. Deborah is the project lead for the Potomac Headwaters Fire Learning Network, and she serves as adjunct faculty at Frostburg State University and Salisbury University. Before coming to The Nature Conservancy, Deborah worked on the MesoAmerican Biological Corridor for the World Bank, focusing on Belize, Nicaragua and Honduras. She holds a BS in International Environmental Studies and International Food and Agriculture, from Rutgers University, Cook College; an MS in Entomology and Plant Pathology from the University of Tennessee; and a PhD in Entomology and Plant Biology from Louisiana State University. This episode sponsored by: Coinciding with the earth’s biorhythms, Leaf Litter is published at the Spring and Fall Equinoxes. Its mission is to generate discourse, new thinking, and action on key issues pertaining to conservation planning, ecological restoration, and regenerative design. Topics * The age-old story of fire on the landscape and it’s crucial role in resetting balance on the land. * Natural vs. unnatural fires and how humans have poorly tinkered with natural fire regimes. * What a prescribed burn looks like versus uncontrolled, devastating fires. * The beautiful, immediate effects of a good burn. * Fired up? Learn how you can pitch in at a prescribed burn near you! Extra Credit * Leaf Litter Interview with Deborah Landau * Subscribe to Leaf Litter by Biohabitats * Check out TNC’s Fire Learning Network * TNC: “Why We Work With Fire“ * The TNC Maryland fire page Episode 98 Transcript (PDF) About Deborah Landau is the Director of Ecological Management at the Maryland/DC Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, where she has worked since 2001. Her work focuses on restoration at more than 30 Conservancy preserves across Maryland and DC. She works with staff and partners to restore natural communities across the state, ensuring they are healthy and resilient in light of an uncertain ...

About Ben Ben Goldfarb (@ben_a_goldfarb) is an award-winning environmental writer whose journalism has appeared in Mother Jones, Science, The Guardian, Orion Magazine, High Country News, Outside, Audubon Magazine, Pacific Standard, Hakai Magazine, VICE News, Yale Environment 360, and many other publications. His fiction has appeared in the Bellevue Literary Review, Motherboard, and The Hopper. He has spoken about environmental storytelling at venues including Stanford and Yale Universities, the American Fisheries Society, and the North American Congress for Conservation Biology. Topics * Curing the landscape amnesia of what it was like when healthy beaver populations ruled the West * Water retention, fire breaks, refugia for countless species… beavers are on a whole different scale of single species importance * How beavers even help their direct predator with housing * Wither “Road Ripping?” * The intersection of roads and beavers * Mini economic stimulus projects: road obliteration Extra Credit Read: “Eager: The Surprising Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter“ About Ben Ben Goldfarb (@ben_a_goldfarb) is an award-winning environmental writer whose journalism has appeared in Mother Jones, Science, The Guardian, Orion Magazine, High Country News, Outside, Audubon Magazine, Pacific Standard, Hakai Magazine, VICE News, Yale Environment 360, and many other publications. His fiction has appeared in the Bellevue Literary Review, Motherboard, and The Hopper. He has spoken about environmental storytelling at venues including Stanford and Yale Universities, the American Fisheries Society, and the North American Congress for Conservation Biology. Topics * Curing the landscape amnesia of what it was like when healthy beaver populations ruled the West * Water retention, fire breaks, refugia for countless species… beavers are on a whole different scale of single species importance * How beavers even help their direct predator with housing * Wither “Road Ripping?” * The intersection of roads and beavers * Mini economic stimulus projects: road obliteration Extra Credit Read: “Eager: The Surprising Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter“

To support the continuation of Dave’s work at The Rewilding Institute, please sign up for our newsletter here and consider donating here. Thanks to everyone who has sent messages, songs, poems, and condolences in the past week. They have been a great comfort to your friends here at TRI and to Dave’s family. Bart Kohler’s song to Dave… To the tune of Amazing Grace Walk in the woods, you know I’m here; When a Chickadee lands near! (“Chickadee” “Chickadee” call) The cries of the Loon echo in the night The calls so bright and clear! Oh Wilderness how sweet the sound My spirit soars today……. You will hear me when the lone Wolf howls; I won’t be far away! HOWLs…….. @Bart Koehler/Johnny Sagebrush “5 Little Birds and Their Lessons“ was taken from Dave’s talk at the Western Wilderness Conference in Berkeley in 2010. He dedicated the talk to Polly Dyer who was there. “We all don’t have to be saints on this planet to do something for it. We don’t have to have our philosophy honed down to the nth degree. There’s room for inconsistency, but do something!” -Dave Foreman To support the continuation of Dave’s work at The Rewilding Institute, please sign up for our newsletter here and consider donating here. Thanks to everyone who has sent messages, songs, poems, and condolences in the past week. They have been a great comfort to your friends here at TRI and to Dave’s family. Bart Kohler’s song to Dave… To the tune of Amazing Grace Walk in the woods, you know I’m here; When a Chickadee lands near! (“Chickadee” “Chickadee” call) The cries of the Loon echo in the night The calls so bright and clear! Oh Wilderness how sweet the sound My spirit soars today……. You will hear me when the lone Wolf howls; I won’t be far away! HOWLs…….. @Bart Koehler/Johnny Sagebrush “5 Little Birds and Their Lessons“ was taken from Dave’s talk at the Western Wilderness Conference in Berkeley in 2010. He dedicated the talk to Polly Dyer who was there. “We all don’t have to be saints on this planet to do something for it. We don’t have to have our philosophy honed down to the nth degree. There’s room for inconsistency, but do something!” -Dave Foreman

About Dr. Liz Hillard is a Senior Wildlife Biologist for Wildlands Network and helped lead and manage the study design, implementation, analysis, and report writing for road ecology research focused on the important Pigeon River Gorge/Interstate 40 corridor near Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. In addition, she works to build partnerships and engage the public in wildlife habitat connectivity and conservation efforts throughout the Southern and Central Appalachian region. Liz currently serves on the Board and as the Secretary for the North Carolina Chapter of The Wildlife Society.  Liz lives in Asheville, North Carolina with her dog Peachy-Keen. She is an avid lover of the arts, especially music and enjoys backcountry camping and trail walking in the Appalachian Mountains.  Topics * Wildlife crossing issues and wildlife mortality along the busy Pigeon River Gorge I-40 corridor * Interesting studies and findings of a long-time wildlife technician * Aquatic connectivity is often overlooked, important piece of the puzzle * How you can get involved and help in the Pigeon River Gorge or in your own neck of the woods Extra Credit * Here is a link to the press release for the Pigeon River Gorge Research Report. It includes links to the full report, executive summary, photos, maps, and other resources. * Learn more about Wildlands Network *  How to get involved. About Dr. Liz Hillard is a Senior Wildlife Biologist for Wildlands Network and helped lead and manage the study design, implementation, analysis, and report writing for road ecology research focused on the important Pigeon River Gorge/Interstate 40 corridor near Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. In addition, she works to build partnerships and engage the public in wildlife habitat connectivity and conservation efforts throughout the Southern and Central Appalachian region. Liz currently serves on the Board and as the Secretary for the North Carolina Chapter of The Wildlife Society.  Liz lives in Asheville, North Carolina with her dog Peachy-Keen. She is an avid lover of the arts, especially music and enjoys backcountry camping and trail walking in the Appalachian Mountains.  Topics * Wildlife crossing issues and wildlife mortality along the busy Pigeon River Gorge I-40 corridor * Interesting studies and findings of a long-time wildlife technician * Aquatic connectivity is often overlooked, important piece of the puzzle * How you can get involved and help in the Pigeon River Gorge or in your own neck of the woods Extra Credit * Here is a link to the press release for the Pigeon River Gorge Research Report. It includes links to the full report, executive summary, photos, maps,

About George Wuerthner is an ecologist, former river ranger for the Alaska BLM and backcountry ranger in the Gates of the Arctic NP in Alaska. He has visited more than 400 designated Wilderness Areas and approximately 200 National Park units. A prolific author, he has published 38 books including such titles as California Wilderness Areas, Alaska Mountain Ranges, Nevada Mountain Ranges, Montana’s Magnificent Wilderness, Forever Wild: The Adirondacks, Welfare Ranching-the subsidized destruction of the American West, Yellowstone: A Visitor’s Companion, Protecting the Wild: Parks and Wilderness–Foundation for Conservation. and Wildfire; A Century of Failed Forest Policy. George is a well-known writer on conservation issues, having published 38 books and innumerable articles, essays, and opinion pieces. He’s given hundreds of presentations around the country on Wilderness, wildfire, livestock grazing, wildlife protection, and other public land issues. George is also a wildlands explorer extraordinaire, having hiked and paddled in more than 400 designated Wildernesses and more than 180 national park units. Be sure to check out George’s work with RESTORE: The North Woods. Topics * The impact of bringing back wolves and beavers in a big way to the American west. * A bold call for a western rewilding network as an ecologically, scientifically defensible answer for 30×30. * Landscape amnesia and the danger policy decisions based on a poor understand of what the landscape was like before. * How many species and landscapes can restored populations of wolves and beavers protect and recover? * How to make this happen and how you can help! Extra Credit Read the paper: “Rewilding The American West.” (3 of the authors, George Wuerthner, Eileen Crist, and Reed Noss serve on the Rewilding Leadership Council. Some others are long-time associates and friends of The Rewilding Institute.) (Some of) George’s Books: Welfare Ranching: The Subsidized Destruction Of The American West by George Wuerthner and Mollie Matteson Wildfire: A Century of Failed Forest Policy by George Wuerthner Energy: Overdevelopment and the Delusion of Endless Growth by Tom Butler and George Wuerthner Thrillcraft: The Environmental Consequences of Motorized Recreation by George Wuerthner (editor)

Note: This interview was recorded before the Supreme court decision to overturn Roe v Wade. Nonetheless, Nandita and Carter present a deep look into the driving cultural and political forces behind it. About Nandita Bajaj, Executive Director, Population Balance A Humane Educator and a passionate advocate for planetary health, Nandita’s area of interest is on the intimate links between pronatalism, anthropocentrism and overpopulation and their impacts on human rights, animal protection, and environmental preservation. As faculty with the Institute for Humane Education at Antioch University, Nandita teaches two courses – Human Rights as well as Pronatalism and Overpopulation, a first-of-its-kind open online course that she designed to explore the impacts of the pervasive and oppressive pressures on women to have children and the resulting impacts on them, other humans, animals, as well as the planet. (See full bio) Carter Dillard, Policy Director and Board of Directors, Fair Start Movement Carter, author of Justice as a Fair Start in Life, began his career as an Honors Program appointee to the U.S. Department of Justice. He later served as a legal adviser to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in the national security law division. He wrote his thesis reformulating the right to have children under Jeremy Waldron. Topics * Overpopulation and pronatalism * The role of humane education in turning the tide on human population issues * The effects of overpopulation on people, wildlife, and wild places * Simple, practical, humane solutions to the population crisis Extra Credit Go deeper and learn more about the work Carter and Nandita’s organizations are doing, and how you can help! Articles… * Abortion Bans Are a Natural Outgrowth of Coercive Pronatalism Nandita Bajaj, Ms. Magazine * Mother Pelican ~ A Journal of Solidarity and Sustainability Carter Dillard, pelicanweb.org Learn More… * Learn about Ecocentrism * Learn about the Fair Start Model Podcast… * The Overpopulation Podcast * Monthly Podcast Club Interviews and Webinars… *

About Kevin Kevin is founder and executive director of the Southwest Environmental Center. He received a BS in Biology from Dartmouth College, and a MS in Natural Resources Policy at the University of Michigan. After decades of advocating for wildlife, he realized that as long as the people who viewed wild animals as soulless resources were making all the decisions about how they should be managed, wildlife advocates would be fighting endless rearguard actions to stop bad things from happening, and rewilding would remain a distant dream. So he and the SWEC team decided to launch Wildlife for All, a national campaign to reform state wildlife management to be more ecologically-driven, democratic and compassionate. The first Wildlife for All conference was held in 2018. He lives in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico where he and his wife enjoy the sunsets and coyotes. Topics * Wildlife governance reform * Pittman–Robertson Act * The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) * The overbearing influence of hunting, fishing, agriculture, the gun industry, and oil and gas on the fate of non-game species in every state * What to watch out for when RAWA passes Extra Credit Visit Wildlife For All and get involved! About Kevin Kevin is founder and executive director of the Southwest Environmental Center. He received a BS in Biology from Dartmouth College, and a MS in Natural Resources Policy at the University of Michigan. After decades of advocating for wildlife, he realized that as long as the people who viewed wild animals as soulless resources were making all the decisions about how they should be managed, wildlife advocates would be fighting endless rearguard actions to stop bad things from happening, and rewilding would remain a distant dream. So he and the SWEC team decided to launch Wildlife for All, a national campaign to reform state wildlife management to be more ecologically-driven, democratic and compassionate. The first Wildlife for All conference was held in 2018. He lives in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico where he and his wife enjoy the sunsets and coyotes. Topics * Wildlife governance reform * Pittman–Robertson Act * The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA) * The overbearing influence of hunting, fishing, agriculture, the gun industry, and oil and gas on the fate of non-game species in every state * What to watch out for when RAWA passes Extra Credit Visit Wildlife For All and get involved!