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Solar energy installations need to be located in places that will not interrupt wildlife habitat and movement. Michael Dax and Aaron Facka, scientists with Wildlands Network,  are working in the Four Corners area of the SW to identify locations that will not impact wildlife. Support the show

Derek Goldman is National Field Director and Northern Rockies Field Representative for the Endangered Species Coalition, based in Washington, D.C. Derek has worked with the Endangered Species Coalition since 2005. He has advocated and organized primarily around gray wolf and grizzly bear issues, in addition to other species issues in the region. Support the show

Catherine is a former national park ranger at Glacier, Mount Rainier, North Cascades, Voyageurs, and Yellowstone national parks. She earned a PhD in biology from Montana State University, holds degrees in zoology and botany from the University of Montana, and is a member of American Mensa and Sigma Xi. Her natural history essays have appeared in American Scientist, Journal of American Mensa, Montana Magazine, Narrative Magazine, and National Geographic Traveler. Fox and I: an Uncommon Friendship was listed as one of 2021’s best books by the Christian Science Monitor.Support the show

Justin Schwabedissen is the Bear Biologist for Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Here he talks about his work with Grizzlies and Black Bear in the Park. Support the show

Hanem Abouelezz is Wildlife Biologist for Wide Ranging Species Conservation for the National Park Service. She is based in Colorado and recently transferred from Rocky Mountain National Park where for several years she had studied Elk and Beaver impacts on Vegetation.Support the show

Stephen Capra describes the cruelty of trapping and his group's efforts to end trapping in Montana. Support the show

This interview is with Susan Holmes, Conservation advocate who has worked for over 25 years to protect wildlife and wild places. For the last ten years, she has worked as a lobbyist in Washington, DC,  most recently for the Wildlands Network where she promoted legislation and policies to safeguard wildlife habitat and corridors, endangered species, and landscape connectivity across America. She currently serves as the Chair of the Board of the Endangered Species Coalition., based in Washington, D.C. Support the show

Miachael and Arron are based in the Southwest (Santa Fe) and are beginning work on a report that will evaluate various sites proposed for solar power generation and  their impacts on wildlife, most especially Pronghorn. Michael is author of Grizzly West, a book about efforts to reintroduce Grizzlies to the Selway-Biotterroot Wilderness. Aaron is a Ph.D. in Zoology and has worked for a variety of state agnecies on diverse vertebrate species and their habitats. In this interview, they discuss their work in the Four Corners area of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona where solar generation is being proposed. Support the show

Stephen Capra is Executive Director of Footloose Montana which is working to end trapping activity in Montana. In this interview, Stephen describes the cruelty and abuses of trapping wildlife and the dangers it poses to pets and even humans. This is an effort that has been waged for at least a decade with frustrating results because of a small community of trappers and a recalcitrant legislature and Governor.  An incipient initiative campaign faces a tought opposition, funded by outside interests.Support the show

Jay is joined by Dave Pacheco of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). Dave is SUWA’s Utah Grassroots Organizer, a fifth generation Utahn from Salt Lake City and a graduate of the University of Utah with a B.S. in Sociology. He’s in his second stint with SUWA, having held similar positions with the organization from 1994-2004, rejoining the staff in 2014. His focus is educating and bringing together individuals and groups in support of protecting the remaining wild lands at the heart of the Colorado Plateau. In his own time, Dave prefers hiking, paddling, bike touring and quiet recreation.Support the show

In this interview with Dr. Robert Beschta, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society at Oregon State University, Dr. Beschta discusses his research studies related to terrestrial trophic cascades in riparian and upland ecosystems. This effort included studies in several national parks in the western U.S. and Canada as well as the Apache National Forest in Arizona. However, most of his research efforts since the early 2000s have focused on the trophic effects of Yellowstone’s wolves on plant communities in the park’s northern range.Support the show

Dan Flores is well-known for his book Coyote America and has authored at least nine other books. Dan has a new book that has just been published titled Wild New World and will be talking about it at the Country Bookshelf in Bozeman on Sunday, October 16 at 6:00 p.m. Dan was professor of western history who taught at the University of Montana and has now retired to live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Audio Player Support the show

Ranger Matt Anderson is wildlife biologist for the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest in Arkansas. Matt grew up in a rural area of the mountains in northwest Arkansas. He graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in anthropology then worked for about 7 years on the coast of Oregon on salmon and steelhead recovery efforts. He received a Master’s Degree in fishery science at Oregon State University, studying desert trout migrations and the impact of fish passage barriers. He then started with the US Forest Service as a fisheries biologist, first on the Mt. Hood National Forest in Oregon, then on the Bridger/Teton National Forest in Wyoming. Matt came to his current position on the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest in 2016, serving as the forest fish and wildlife biologist and program manager for the fisheries and wildlife program.Support the show

Ranger Bik Wheeler is Wildlife Biologist for Acacia National Park. In this interview,  he talks about the wildlife found in the park and along the coastline. Bik Wheeler has been at Acadia since 2008 and is the the lead wildlife biologist. He works to conserve the park’s wildlife populations through monitoring and research. Bik delights in the diversity of animal behavior, particularly when populations use unexpected life history strategies. Bik holds a master’s degree from College of the Atlantic where he studied warbler foraging strategiesSupport the show

Ramona McGee is Senior Attorney and leader of the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Wildlife Program. Since 2015, Ramona has protected southern wildlife as an SELC attorney using a combination of advocacy and policy protective of the region’s unique biodiversity. She was born and raised on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, where she developed a love for the natural world that inspires her everyday work at SELC. A graduate of Lewis & Clark College and the University of North Carolina School of Law, Ramona has lived in North Carolina since 2009. Ramona now leads SELC’s Wildlife Team as a senior attorney based in Chapel Hill. In this interview, she discusses the work she is doing on behalf of the endangered Red Wolf.Support the show

Don talks about his long-term involvement with wildlife issues in Nevada and his more recent defense of Mountain Lions as a member of the Mountain Lion Foundation. Support the show

In this interview, Clint talks about wildlife issues in western Montana and the threats to wildlife due to a hostile legislature and governor. GWA is involved in litigation re: clean water and the protection of wilderness - and strongly advocates for safe wildlife crossing structures over highways. Support the show

Supt. Smith talks about the various natural features of Joshua Tree N.P., the threats posed by vandalism and the accommodations being made by wildlife and plant life due to climate change. Support the show

Jay is joined by Tom Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network to discuss environmental issues and their effects on indigenous people. In this interview, Tom talks about tribal activism re: the climate crisis and tribal efforts to combat carbon infusions into the atmosphere.  Tom B.K. Goldtooth (born July 27, 1953) is a Native American environmental, climate, and economic justice activist, speaker, film producer, and Indigenous rights leader within the climate and environmental justice and indigenous movement. Tom is active in local, national and international levels as an advocate for building healthy and sustainable Indigenous communities based upon the foundation of Indigenous traditional knowledge. Tom has served as executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) since 1996 after serving as a member of the IEN National Council since 1992.Support the show

George Wuerthner is a professional photographer, writer and ecologist who writes frequently about wildfire. George has studied wildfire ecology as an undergraduate and then as a graduate student, studying with one of the major researchers who dealt with fire and climate issues. George has written more than two dozen books on various environmental topics, including several books on fire, after studying local fire regimes and literatures. His latest book is Protecting the Wild, available from Amazon. He is a Board member of a number of environmental organizations and is currently the ecological projects director for the Foundation for Deep Ecology. Jay did a two-part interview with George about wildfire.Support the show