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PODCAST

The Wild Idea

Wild Idea Media

The Wild Idea is an exploration of the intersection of wild nature and our own human nature. The hosts, Bill Hodge and Anders Reynolds, through conversations with experts and thought leaders will dive into the ways that humans have both embraced and impact the function and vitality of our remaining wild places.

science nature

All Episodes

39:58

Sarah Francisco: From Working Lands to Wild Lands in...

The Wild Idea ·

2025/12/23

Sarah Francisco, Virginia State Director of the Southern Environmental Law Center, joins Anders and Bill for a wide-ranging conversation about place, promise, and the long arc of public lands conservation in the southern Appalachians. Growing up on a Christmas tree farm in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley gave Sarah an early understanding of how deeply people’s lives are tied to land — both the challenges of working landscapes and the deep affection they inspire.Learn more about Sarah and the

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16:59

The Wild Line: House Passes SPEED Act, New Threats...

The Wild Idea ·

2025/12/19

This week’s Wild Line covers House passage of the SPEED Act and its implications for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a slate of wildfire and public lands bills advancing in the Senate, a serious new threat to the National Park System, sweeping rollbacks to the Endangered Species Act, mounting impacts from Forest Service staffing cuts, changes to water quality protections in Montana, and growing concern over efforts to rescind the Roadless Rule.Learn more about the topics

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38:52

Anne Robinson: "Good News" Returns With Good Tidings

The Wild Idea ·

2025/12/18

Anne Robinson returns to The Wild Idea after completing her seven-month through hike of the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to the summit of Katahdin. Picking up where we left off at the halfway point in Harpers Ferry, Anne reflects on what the second half of the trail revealed — about endurance, fear, community, and the layered human stories embedded in places many of us think of as “wild.”If you missed our first conversation with Anne, you'll find that right here. And for more from

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43:11

Martha Williams: The Long Term View on Species Recovery

The Wild Idea ·

2025/12/16

Martha Williams, former Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, joins us for a grounded conversation about what it really takes to care for wildlife over time. Drawing on decades of experience at both the state and federal level, Martha talks about stewardship, coexistence, and the responsibility that comes with living alongside wild species.We dig into how the Endangered Species Act fits into that bigger picture, and why so much energy gets pulled into debates over listing and

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12:33

The Wild Line: Tribal Recognition in NC, Park Service...

The Wild Idea ·

2025/12/12

This week’s Wild Line covers Congress’ work on the National Defense Authorization Act, new House actions to weaken the Clean Water Act, a broad Senate hearing on National Park Service and Wild and Scenic River bills, major shifts at the National Park Service and Forest Service, housing proposals in Wyoming, and a federal ruling restoring the nation’s renewable wind program.For more information on the topics covered today, visit our website at thewildidea.com.

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53:11

Chris Eyer: Muledragger

The Wild Idea ·

2025/12/09

Wilderness packer and saddle maker Chris Eyer joins us for the first time, and it feels like talking with a friend who lives right up against the wild edge of Montana. Chris walks us through the places that shaped him and how he found his way from Southern California trail work to a life built around horses, mules, and the Bob Marshall Wilderness.We also get into what it’s like to bring people into the backcountry for the first time. Chris opens up about the pressures facing public lands

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17:29

The Wild Line: Forest Service Reverses...

The Wild Idea ·

2025/12/05

This week’s Wild Line covers a sweeping Senate hearing on 26 public lands and wildfire bills, a significant vote affecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, new moves by the Forest Service on roadless protections and off-highway vehicle rules, fee increases in national parks, and a major milestone for the Chesapeake Bay watershed.Learn more and access the links and resources mentioned today at our website, thewildidea.com

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50:18

Ben Goldfarb: Paving Paradise - How Roads Reshape the...

The Wild Idea ·

2025/12/02

Environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb joins us for a wide-open conversation about how roads shape wildlife, ecosystems, and the public lands we depend on. Ben breaks down the stuff most of us never think about, like how tire dust kills salmon or how road noise stresses out songbirds. He also shares what pulled him into road ecology in the first place and how he tells big, complicated stories in a way that still leaves you feeling hopeful.We get into his two books, Eager and Crossings, and

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43:12

Grounded In Traditions

The Wild Idea ·

2025/11/25

This week ushers in “The Holidays”, the time of year that chaos and connection reign supreme. Thanksgiving is complicated, especially for Native communities, and the usual “we’re grateful for…” story never feels like the whole picture. So we decided to do something that felt more honest. We reached out to friends and asked them to tell us about the moments they return to every year, the ones that ground them in place and bring them closer to the people they love.We hope you enjoy these

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14:32

The Wild Line: Trump Puts Wetlands and Wildlife at...

The Wild Idea ·

2025/11/21

This week’s Wild Line covers two House votes aimed at rolling back major protections in Alaska, key hearings in both chambers of Congress, and new bipartisan action on wildlife migration. We also follow leadership changes inside federal agencies, the newest member joining the House Natural Resources Committee, and a significant wetlands rollback announced by the Trump Administration.Learn more and access the links and resources mentioned today at our website, thewildidea.com

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52:40

American Prairie, Part Two - A Wilder Future

The Wild Idea ·

2025/11/18

In this second half of our American Prairie series, we sit down with CEO Alison Fox and Director of Rewilding Danny Kinka to look at what the project has become and where it’s headed. Allie talks about how American Prairie has grown into a 600,000-acre public access landscape with a bison herd now twenty years in, a thriving field school for Montana students, and a team focused on everything from habitat restoration to community partnerships. Danny walks us through what rewilding looks like

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9:32

The Wild Line: Shutdown Ends, Oil Companies Exploit...

The Wild Idea ·

2025/11/14

This week’s Wild Line looks at the end of the shutdown, what the new continuing resolution means for public lands and civil servants, and how Congress is lining up for a busy set of hearings next week. We follow new pressure on the Public Lands Rule, a withdrawn National Park Service nomination, the latest turns in the Colorado River negotiations, and reactions to a federal move that sidelines tribal approval on hydroelectric projects. We also cover Chevron’s major energy plans in West

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48:42

American Prairie, Part One - Wild on Purpose

The Wild Idea ·

2025/11/13

In this first of a two-part conversation about American Prairie, we talk with founder Sean Gerrity about what inspired him to take on one of the largest conservation projects in North America. Sean shares how a lifetime spent outdoors and a background in business led him to the idea of rewilding millions of acres of Montana grasslands. He talks about what it’s like to earn trust in ranching country, how he approaches relationships with tribal nations, and why he calls himself a

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41:58

Malcolm Brooks: The Fallout from Ballot Box Biology

The Wild Idea ·

2025/11/11

Author Malcolm Brooks joins us for a conversation that moves from the landscapes that shaped his fiction to the messy realities of modern wildlife management. We ask how he views landscapes as part of his storytelling, and then move on to the story that he has been tracing since the predatory mountain lion attack on his nephews, and the California wildlife policy shifts that possibly set the stage for it. We wrap by diving into his latest subject - Butte America! Learn more about today's

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8:00

The Wild Line: Hirings, Firings and Protected...

The Wild Idea ·

2025/11/07

This week’s Wild Line highlights the impacts of the ongoing shutdown on public lands and civil servants. We share the latest on uncertainty over backpay and high-profile firings and hirings in the conservation world, federal progress on wetlands protection, and concerning efforts to roll back protections in Chaco Canyon and allow chainsaws in wilderness areas. We look at the latest nomination to run the Bureau of Land Management, and close with a win for climbing access in North

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38:26

Frank Uekötter: Red Lines in Green Politics | Moral...

The Wild Idea ·

2025/11/04

Environmental historian Frank Uekötter joins Bill and Anders for a thought-provoking conversation about how good intentions and bad systems can collide, and what history can teach us about the moral boundaries of environmental action. Uekötter’s work, including The Vortex and The Green and the Brown, explores how modern environmentalism took shape in the twentieth century and how ideals of nature and progress became entangled with politics, ideology, and power. Together, they step back from

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13:50

The Wild Line: Senators Talk Stewardship, Ranchers...

The Wild Idea ·

2025/10/31

This week’s Wild Line opens with a federal court order that halts layoffs at the Department of the Interior during the shutdown. In Washington, Senators launched a new bipartisan Senate Stewardship Caucus. House Democrats challenged Interior and USDA over shutdown decisions that favor extractive industries even as critical safety work is left to skeleton crews. Federal agencies announced new funding for Western migration corridors, and legal and political pressure reignited the debate over

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35:07

Barret Baumgart: The Desert is a Haunted House

The Wild Idea ·

2025/10/28

Author and essayist Barret Baumgart joins Bill and Anders for a Halloween special that leans into the stranger side of wild nature. His latest book, Yuck: The Birth and Death of the Weird and Wondrous Joshua Tree, explores how this desert icon went from being despised as grotesque and “demonic” to adored as a backdrop for modern desert dreams. In a conversation that ranges from natural history to horror, they dig into what the Joshua Tree reveals about human nature, the stories we project

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17:07

The Wild Line: Wilderness Bills Advance, Trump...

The Wild Idea ·

2025/10/24

This week’s Wild Line opens with new details on the ongoing federal shutdown, including Interior’s plan to cut more than 2,000 jobs across its agencies and furloughs at the Environmental Protection Agency. We look at a busy week on Capitol Hill, where the Senate advanced a package of wilderness bills and a controversial forest management proposal, while the House pressed for restoration of Stonewall National Monument’s LGBTQ+ history. We also cover deregulatory moves inside the White House,

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33:42

Christopher Preston: Tenacious Beasts

The Wild Idea ·

2025/10/21

Award-winning author, environmental philosopher, and clean energy enthusiast Christopher Preston joins Bill and Anders to discuss his book Tenacious Beasts: Wildlife Recoveries That Change How We Think About Animals. He shares stories of wolves, whales, and beavers making remarkable comebacks, offering a hopeful look at what can happen when we give nature room to recover and thrive.Together they explore ideas of rewilding, animal agency, and the ethics of when and how humans should

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