Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson

Latest Episodes:

Dr. Sara Dant Returns - "Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West" Nov 10, 2023

Show notes

Dr. Sara Dant is a Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor of history at Weber State University, and she's the author of one of my most-often recommended books, "Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West." She is also one of the featured historians in Ken Burns' newest documentary, The American Buffalo, which you can watch for free on the PBS website. Sara's work focuses on environmental politics in the United States with a particular emphasis on the creation and development of consensus and bipartisanism, and she is especially skilled at presenting complex, sometimes controversial topics in an engaging and fun-to-learn manner.

In June of 2023, Sara updated and republished her book "Losing Eden"– she added some chapters, revised some of the content, and added lots of maps, photos, and additional resources. She somehow managed to make one of my favorite books even better. For anyone who is looking for a thorough yet fun-to-read overview of this complex region known as the American West, I can't recommend it enough. From the migration of the first humans into North America to modern-day controversies around energy development, the book provides a solid foundation and acts as a launching point to dig into whatever specific time period you may find interesting.

Longtime listeners will remember my first conversation with Sara back in 2018, in which we discussed the early phases of North American environmental history, the tragedy of the commons, conservation vs preservation, and more. In this conversation, we focus on mostly recent environmental history, including the historic environmental legislation of the 1960s and 70s, legendary senator Frank Church, and the backlash to environmental regulation that led to movements such as the Sagebrush Rebellion. We also discuss Sara's perspective-shifting Alaska adventure, the value of wild places, her experience working with Ken Burns, book recommendations, and much, much more.

I always enjoy my visits with Sara, and I can't thank her enough for how generous she is with sharing her time, wisdom, and expertise. I'd encourage you to pick up a copy of the new "Losing Eden," but in the meantime, enjoy this conversation with Dr. Sara Dant.

---

Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West by Sara Dant
Sara's first M&P episode
Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/sara-dant-2/
Ed's Bimonthly Book Recommendations

---

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

3:30 - Why Sara decided to republish Losing Eden
7:00 - The guiding idea of "at what cost?"
10:00 - The myth of "right or wrong," "good or bad"
16:15 - Using history to understand our current political situation
19:30 - Optimistic examples of positive political environmental bipartisanship
23:30 - The legendary Idaho senator, Frank Church
28:00 - James Watt and the backlash to environmental regulation
34:00 - Divisiveness as a power-grabbing tool
43:00 - Sara's 2019 life-changing trip to Alaska
46:30 - What is the value of wild places?
54:15 - Participating in the new Ken Burns documentary
56:30 - Something new that Sara has recently learned
1:02:30 - Book recommendations and further reading
1:10:30 - Parting words of wisdom

---

ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE:

Corissa Busse - Tribal-Led Buffalo Restoration in the American West and Beyond Oct 31, 2023

Show notes

Corissa Busse is the Buffalo Restoration Program Manager for The Nature Conservancy, where she oversees TNC's work to advance Tribal-led efforts to restore buffalo, grasslands, and communities at scale. Based in Rapid City, South Dakota, Corissa and her team at TNC partner with organizations including the InterTribal Buffalo Council and the Tanka Fund to bring buffalo back to tribal lands, which not only contributes to healthier, more resilient landscapes, but helps to heal and restore a web of natural relationships that has been broken for hundreds of years.

TNC has been working with buffalo for many decades now, and it owns herds at numerous TNC preserves across the United States. Each year, those herds produce approximately 1,500 buffalo that are in need of new homes, so TNC has begun working with Tribal nations to transfer these buffalo from the TNC preserves onto Native lands. But transferring the animals from one place to another is relatively simple– it's the trust-building, infrastructure development, and long-term, collaborative vision that requires strong relationships and outside-the-box thinking. As you'll hear in this conversation, it's a complex and important project with amazing potential.

I've always loved learning about buffalo, and given the recent release of Ken Burns' newest documentary on this very subject, I was extra excited to chat with Corissa. We started out with the most basic question of all– "Should we call them bison or buffalo?"-- and then moved into the more complex topics. We discussed when and why TNC initially became interested in buffalo, TNC's history of working with Tribal partners, the challenges of overcoming historical realities, the potential for tension between cattle and buffalo producers, specific success stories from TNC's buffalo restoration work, the all-important role of strong relationships, resources to learn more about buffalo, and Corissa offers some excellent book recommendations.

I greatly appreciate Corissa taking the time out of her busy schedule to educate me on the finer details of buffalo as well as the large-scale vision for TNC's work. I learned a lot from this conversation, and I know you will too. Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy.

---

More on TNC's Buffalo Restoration Work
Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/corissa-busse/

---

This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

On the fourth Tuesday of every month throughout 2023, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy's leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy's impactful work in Colorado and around the world, visit www.nature.org/colorado

---

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

3:30 - Is it buffalo or bison?
6:30 - A brief history of buffalo in the US
10:30 - Books and resources that have helped Corissa learn more about the history of buffalo
13:45 - TNC's interest in buffalo
17:00 - TNC's history of relationship-building with Tribal nation partners
22:15 - How buffalo from TNC's herds are transferred to other partners
23:30 - Exploring the tension between cattle and buffalo businesses
27:15 - Examples of the success of Corissa's program
31:15 - Measuring success in this work
35:00 - The challenges in this work that Corissa worries about
39:15 - The market for buffalo
42:15 - How Corissa got into work with buffalo
48:00 - The importance of relationships to Corissa's work
52:30 - Corissa's book recommendations
56:00 - Ways you can support Corissa's work, and Corissa's parting words of wisdom

---

ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE:

Vincent Stanley - Lessons Learned from Patagonia's First Fifty Years Oct 24, 2023

Show notes

Vincent Stanley is the Director of Philosophy at Patagonia, and he holds the honor of being the company's longest-serving employee. He is also an author, poet, and a resident fellow at the Yale Center for Business and the Environment. His most recent book, which he co-authored with Patagonia's founder Yvon Chouinard, is titled "The Future of the Responsible Company: What We've Learned from Patagonia's First 50 Years."

The book recounts Patagonia's evolution from its humble beginnings as a small offshoot of Chouinard Equipment for Alpinists to becoming the world's premiere outdoor apparel brand into its current role of serving as a blueprint for how business can be a force for good in the world. In less than 200 pages, Vincent delves into Patagonia's greatest business challenges, victories, and missteps, and he explains Patagonia's never-ending quest to become more responsible, more thoughtful, and more effective in achieving its mission of "saving our home planet."

My first real exposure to Patagonia's business model was when I was a student in graduate school, earning my MBA. I read Yvon's book "Let My People Go Surfing," and realized that many of the business lessons and philosophies from Patagonia stood in stark contrast to those of mega-corporations. Patagonia's approach opened my mind to a different way of thinking about business, one that led me to follow a much different path than I'd planned when I initially showed up at grad school. So it was a real honor to have the conversation with Vincent and dig even deeper into the philosophies, ideals, and tactics that have made Patagonia such a legendary enigma in the world of big-time business– and a role model for me and countless other business owners.

Vincent and I connected virtually– he was in Maine, I was in Colorado– and we talked about all aspects of the book, as well as his long and storied history at Patagonia. You can check out the episode notes for a full list of everything we discussed, and I would highly recommend you pick up a copy of "The Future of the Responsible Company"– it's chock full of actionable, applicable wisdom that anyone with a job would benefit from knowing.

Thanks to Vincent for taking the time to chat, thanks to you for listening, and I hope you enjoy.

---

"The Future of the Responsible Company: What We've Learned from Patagonia's First 50 Years"
Vincent Stanely
Patagonia Books
Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/vincent-stanley/

---

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

3:00 - How Vincent became involved in Patagonia
7:00 - Why Vincent and Yvon decided to update "The Responsible Company," and a history of changes at Patagonia
24:00 - When Vincent realized there was interest in and demand for the business model and values of Patagonia
28:00 - Differentiating between "responsible" and "sustainable"
31:00 - How VIncent and Patagonia approach the work of marketing
34:30 - The unconventional business performance indicators and evaluations that Patagonia employs
37:15 - Why books are important in Vincent and Patagonia's work
41:15 - Who and what gives Vincent hope for the future
44:15 - Reconciling the guilt of "messing up"
50:15 - Vincent's book recommendations
53:00 - Vincent's parting words of wisdom

---

ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE:

Rebecca Clarren - "The Cost of Free Land" Oct 10, 2023

Show notes

Rebecca Clarren is an award-winning journalist who has been writing about the American West for more than twenty years. Her most recent book is titled "The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota, and an American Inheritance." The book is a powerful, nuanced, and deeply personal exploration of her ancestors fleeing antisemitism in Russia and immigrating to the South Dakota prairie at the turn of the 20th century. I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of the book, and I absolutely loved it. Rebecca seamlessly weaves together heavily researched US and Native American history with a vulnerable, clear-eyed examination of her family's legacy. The result is an engaging story that not only helped me better understand the past, but provided a blueprint for how we can begin to make amends and move forward, both individually and as a nation.

In "The Cost of Free Land," Rebecca grapples with the complicated ripple effects of her family settling on the Great Plains– the free land that they received from the US government allowed them to establish a foothold in America, and over time, they found relative stability, especially when compared to their chaotic lives in Russia. But her family's stability and eventual success came at a steep cost to the Lakota people, who were the victims of stolen land, broken treaties, and the devastating loss of their culture and resources. Contrasting her family's experience with that of the Lakota makes this story all the more powerful, and speaks volumes about Rebeccs's skill as a writer and journalist. Again, I loved the book.

Rebecca and I connected the day before the book was published, and we had a wonderful conversation. We started by discussing why she decided to write such a deeply personal story, and how that differs from most of her previous journalistic endeavors. She provides a brief overview of the Lakota people and the laundry list of injustices they faced during westward expansion. We discuss the complicated nature of land ownership on reservations, and how those complications continue even to this day. She explains how the US's treatment of Native American influenced Hitler and the Nazi Party, and how she personally processes her family's role in Westward expansion by working with spiritual mentors and exploring her own Jewish faith. We also talk about her career as a journalist, how motherhood has changed her, the challenge of writing, and she has lots of great book recommendations.

Thanks to Rebecca for writing such an important and eye-opening book, and thank you for listening. Hope you enjoy!

---

Rebecca Clarren
"The Cost of Free Land" by Rebecca Clarren
Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/rebecca-clarren/
Support M&P on Patreon

---

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

3:15 - When Rebecca decided to write "The Cost of Free Land"
9:15 - Discussing the vulnerable process of capturing not just Rebecca's story, but her entire family's story and how it ties in with American histories of stolen land
18:15 - Discussing empathy in the difficult stories of Rebecca's book
21:30 - A brief history of the Lakota and the injustices they faced during westward expansion
27:00 - Discussing the complicated nature of land ownership on Indigenous reservations, and how the US Government still influences land decisions on reservations
30:45 - Discussing the historical implications of US land theft from Indigenous peoples, including how it influenced the actions of the Nazis during the Holocaust
33:15 - The Six Steps of Repentance and how Rebecca processes the violent past of the US and how she benefited from it
40:45 - The biggest surprise about Rebecca's family that she learned in writing this book
43:15 - Surprises in Rebecca's research about the Lakota
48:00 - Where Rebecca thinks the world of journalism is going
51:15 - Rebecca's career trajectory
55:15 - How having kids impacted Rebecca's approach to work
58:30 - The difficulty of writing
59:30 - Rebecca's book recommendations
1:05:45 - Rebecca's parting words of wisdom

---

ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE:

Nick Offerman - Empathy, Nuance, & Good Hard Work Oct 03, 2023

Show notes

Nick Offerman is an actor, author, humorist, and woodworker who is best known for playing the legendary character Ron Swanson on NBC's Parks and Recreation. But his success as an actor is just the tip of the iceberg– he's written five New York Times bestselling books, is the narrator of three of Wendell Berry's audiobooks, and owns and operates Offerman Woodshop, where he and a small collective of woodworkers handcraft everything from spoons to furniture to canoes. And as many of you know, Nick is a staunch advocate for conservation, responsible land stewardship, and sustainable agriculture.

Nick's most recent book is titled "Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside," and it's an excellent, thought-provoking read. It follows Nick on a series of adventures through the American West and English countryside– adventures driven by his desire to better understand conservation, recreation, and humans' connection to the land and wild places. Along the way, he explores everything from the legacies of John Muir and Aldo Leopold to regenerative agriculture, without shying away from tough, complex topics, such as industrial farming and the conservation movement's impact on Indigenous cultures. The book also hits on so many underlying ideas that are often explored here on Mountain & Prairie, including nuance, empathy, compassion, curiosity, and doing work that makes the world a better place. I loved the book, and I highly recommend it.

I met up with Nick in Los Angeles at Offerman Woodshop, and we had a fun, inspiring, and at times hilarious conversation about everything from Aldo Leopold's Land Ethic to Nick's work as a "traveling clown." (His words, not mine!) We started out by discussing the life-changing moment when a friend handed him a Wendell Berry book, and how Wendell's writings and philosophy continue to be one of Nick's most important sources of inspiration and instruction to this day. We discuss why hard work and being of service to others are so deeply embedded in Nick's DNA, and the critical role that artists can play in solving societal challenges. We talk about authenticity, the importance of being even-keeled, the need for nuance and open-mindedness, the skill of self-deprecation, enjoying the process of creating, not passing judgment, and much, much more.

"Where the Deer and the Antelope Play" was just released in paperback, so follow the links in the episode notes to pick up a copy. If you're a longtime listener, I know you'll love it. There are also links to Offerman Woodshop, Nick's touring schedule, and all of his other books, so click through and check it all out.

A thousand thanks to Nick for inviting me to his shop for such an amazing conversation, and thank you for listening. Hope you enjoy!

---

Nick Offerman
"Where the Deer and the Antelope Play" (now in paperback!)
Offerman Woodshop
Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/nick-offerman/

---

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

3:30 - A self-deprecation showdown
5:30 - The impact of Wendell Berry on Nick's life
10:15 - Of Nick's family and upbringing, and tying back to Wendell Berry
15:15 - Nick telling the story of when he "made it," and how that impacted his work ethic
18:30 - Of the ethos of taking the time to do hard things
23:15 - The impact of a conversation between Nick and Wendell Berry
29:00 - More about Nick's book, "Where the Deer and the Antelope Play"
42:15 - How Nick discusses serious topics with a lighthearted demeanor
47:30 - How Aldo Leopold influenced Nick
51:45 - A great story about Wendell Berry and the need for artists
55:15 - How and when Nick developed his authenticity
1:02:00 - The two jokes Nick has written in his career
1:05:45 - What good work looks like
1:18:00 - Discussing how to pronounce words and the importance of not passing judgment
1:23:15 - Coming back to "good work"

---

ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE:

Matt Cahill - A Deep Dive into the Sagebrush Sea Sep 26, 2023

Show notes

Matt Cahill is the Sagebrush Sea Program Director for the Nature Conservancy. Based out of Bend, Oregon, Matt leads all of TNC's critical work restoring, managing, and protecting sagebrush habitat across six western states. This is a huge and complex effort– it combines protection and policy work with ground-breaking restoration advances, public and industry partnerships, and local community projects. But as you'll hear in this conversation, Matt is optimistically leaning into the challenge and making great strides to protect this uniquely Western ecosystem.

To give you some context into the vastness of North America's sagebrush ecosystem, it spans 150 million acres and is home to 350 rare, threatened, and endangered species. Since 1998, 14 million acres of sagebrush ecosystems have been lost, and currently, we're losing approximately one million acres to invasive species, catastrophic wildfires, development, improper grazing, and climate change. 70% of the Sagebrush Sea is found on public lands, so efforts to protect, manage, and restore the ecosystem are dependent on creative, action-oriented public-private partnerships. Again, Matt is leading a huge and complex effort!

In this episode, we start our conversation by discussing why the Sagebrush Sea is important, and why even people who live far from the ecosystem should care about it. We discuss the history of the threats to sagebrush and do a deep dive into the specific threat of cheatgrass– a true scourge on the landscapes of the West. We discuss the ecology of sagebrush, how TNC measures success when it comes to protecting such a fragile ecosystem, and the importance of partnering with ranchers. We talk about the efficacy of for-profit approaches to restoration, collaboration with government agencies, and specific cutting-edge approaches to restoration. Matt also explains his career trajectory that led him from the East Coast to becoming obsessed with sagebrush, and he offers several great book recommendations.

Be sure to check out the episode notes for links to everything we discuss, including a few videos and writings by Matt that will provide even more context into this nuanced issue. Thanks to Matt and his team for all of their hard work, and thank you for listening. Hope you enjoy.

---

Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/matt-cahill

---

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy's impactful work in Colorado and around the world, visit www.nature.org/colorado

---

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

3:30 - Of the Sagebrush Sea
7:45 - Why sagebrush matters
10:30 - The state of the Sagebrush Sea and how it got there
15:15 - Cheatgrass's impact on the Sagebrush Sea
23:30 - TNC's Sagebrush Sea program
26:45 - Exploring the restoration aspect of Matt's work
33:15 - The restoration timeline for sagebrush regions
35:30 - Measuring restoration success
39:00 - The management portion of Matt's work
41:30 - Matt's success stories of collaborating with ranchers
46:00 - The land protection (acquisition, easement, etc.) portion of Matt's work
49:15 - Evaluating the for-profit wing of conservation of sage grouse habitat
43:15 - Discussing TNC's collaboration across its own programs as well as with government land managers
57:00 - How Matt ended up an expert in sagebrush biomes when he grew up on the East Coast
1:00:30 - Matt's book recommendations
1:04:00 - Matt's parting words of wisdom

---

ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE:

James Prosek - Art, Philosophy, & Our Natural World Sep 13, 2023

Show notes

James Prosek is an artist, writer, and naturalist whose work deeply examines our relationship with the natural world. Over the course of his career, he's focused his artist's eye and philosopher's mind on everything from trout to eels, from birds to ocean fishes. For the past two years, he's been focused on understanding and documenting the grasslands of Texas, and he's traveled the state examining the diverse plants and wildlife that call the prairie ecosystem home. Beginning on September 16, 2023, the results of his journey around Texas will be on display at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, in his new exhibition titled Trespassers: James Prosek and the Texas Prairie.

James was born in Connecticut and, as you'll hear in our conversation, much of his childhood was spent obsessed with birds, fish, and fishing. He attended Yale Univesity, where at age 19 he published his first book titled Trout: An Illustrated History, which featured seventy of his watercolor paintings of the trout of North America. From there, his curiosity about the natural world continued to intensify, as evidenced by his prolific production of art and writing for many renowned museums and publications. He has also lent his talents to a variety of conservation efforts, most notably his partnership with Yvon Chionard to protect coldwater fisheries habitat.

James and I share many mutual friends and interests, so it was wonderful to connect with him for this conversation. It'll only take you a few minutes of listening to realize that James is a deep thinker whose art is the manifestation of his extremely nuanced and fascinating ideas and philosophies. We started out talking about his first memory of interacting with nature, and how he has used drawing and journaling as tools to better understand plants, animals, and concepts. We discuss how the idea of naming plants and animals is an imperfect science, how drawing connects us with our evolutionary past, how philosophy and philosophical thinking inform all of his art, grasslands in Texas, the importance of understanding and respecting place, how James snaps out of creative slumps, his writing process, and he offers plenty of book recommendations.

As is the case with so many of my guests, I could've talked to James for many more hours. So thankfully, this conversation is part one of what will be a two-episode series with James. The second episode will be a live event at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, on Thursday, January 11, 2024. We'll be continuing this conversation, and we'll be focusing in more detail on his exploration of the Texas Prairie and his new exhibition, Trespassers. We'll be releasing more information about this event soon, but I'd love to see some of you at the event in Fort Worth on January 11.

A huge thank you to James for his inspiring art, to the Amon Carter Museum for the opportunity to chat with James, and to all of you for listening. Enjoy!

---

James Prosek
Trespassers: James Prosek and the Texas Prairie
James on Instagram

---

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

3:15 - James' first memory of interacting with nature
7:00 - When journaling and drawing became standard practices for James
10:15 - James' view on drawing and its connection to our evolutionary past as hunters
15:15 - How drawing fish made James a better angler
20:45 - How names affect our thinking about other organisms
24:15 - The art that James engaged in parallel to fishing
28:00 - How James sharpens his philosophy
39:45 - James' writing process
43:00 - How James establishes connections with places
1:00:15 - Whether or not James has gone through an artistic slump
1:10:00 - James' parting words of wisdom

---

ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE:

Anna Borgman - Obsession, Curiosity, and Purpose-Driven Work Sep 01, 2023

Show notes

Anna Borgman is a Montana-based butcher, chef, and writer whose work focuses on helping people better understand and appreciate the origins of their food. Whether writing an article for Steven Rinella's MeatEater or helping to field harvest and process a bison, Anna has a gift for helping curious, conscientious people become more educated about the impacts of their food choices. And as you'll hear in this conversation, her enthusiasm and authenticity are infectious– even after more than an hour of chatting, I felt like we only scratched the surface.

Anna grew up in Oregon, and thanks to participation in 4H, she was involved with animals and livestock from an early age. During her teenage years, skiing became her primary passion, and she devoted much of her post-college life to spending as many days as possible in the mountains, oftentimes working multiple jobs to make ends meet. Eventually, through a serendipitous chain of events that we discuss, she found her way into culinary school, which was her gateway into the world of meat and butchery. Through all the various stages of Anna's career, she's brought intense devotion– possibly even obsession– to her work, which has resulted in a fascinating life trajectory that is both inspiring and instructive.

Anna and I share so many mutual friends and I've been hearing about her and her work for many years, so I was thrilled to have her finally join me for a conversation. We started out discussing her childhood in Oregon and how skiing became her primary focus for so many years. We discuss some of her adventurous international travel experiences, and how those places and the characters she met led her into the world of food. We discuss the upsides of obsession, advice for getting out of ruts, the value of curiosity, and the importance of experiencing other cultures. She also talks in detail about the realities of slaughtering livestock, why she feels such a connection to butchery, her favorite books, and much more.

Even though this was my first time meeting Anna, I felt like I was chatting with an old friend. I'm super-inspired by all of her work, but even more inspired by the focus and passion that she brings to everything she does. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

---

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

3:00 - What Anna wanted to be when she grew up
7:30 - When Anna realized that most livestock she raised would led to slaughter
10:00 - Anna's interest in skiing and how it led her to work with a French cook in Australia and adventures in Spain
16:30 - Anna's experience in culinary school
20:15 - Why so many interesting people have pastry making on their resume
22:15 - When Anna became interested in butchery, and whether or not working long days in culinary school made Anna feel more content
25:45 - The importance of having an obsession
28:45 - Anna's advice for getting out of a rut
32:00 - The scariest things that have happened to Anna during international travel, as well as the lessons travel taught her
38:30 - When Anna went all in on butchery
43:00 - The process of slaughtering and butchering
46:30 - Anna's first slaughter
51:45 - Lessons from butchery
57:00 - The value of curiosity
59:45 - Discussing Forage Fed
1:03:45 - Anna's book recommendations
1:09:00 - Anna's guilty pleasures (or lack thereof)
1:14:00 - Anna's parting words of wisdom

---

ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE:

Carrie Segil & Duncan Gilchrist - Catalyzing Conservation in Colorado and Beyond Aug 22, 2023

Show notes

Carrie Segil is the People and Culture Manager at The Nature Conservancy in Colorado, and Duncan Gilchrist is a Climate and Natural Resources Policy Associate at The Nature Conservancy in Colorado. Both Carrie and Duncan are deeply involved with TNC Colorado's Catalyst Fund, a cutting-edge conservation funding initiative that supports forward-looking projects that enable innovation and rapid learning, both to test new ideas and to build greater capacity for innovation over the long term.

One of the Catalyst Fund's most notable projects involves agrivoltaics, which is the simultaneous use of land for both solar energy production and agriculture. The project is called the Agrivoltaics Retrofit Partnership, and it's a Boulder-based partnership between TNC, Jack's Solar Garden, Drylands Agroecology Research, Boulder Housing Partners, and a conservation-justice / community outreach partner called FLOWS. The project aims to achieve multiple conservation and community objectives, including restoring degraded land, producing perennial plants with medicinal, economic, and indigenous cultural value, and providing a host of benefits to local marginalized community members– benefits that we discuss in this episode.

In this episode, we talk in detail about this specific agrivoltaics project, as well as some of the other innovative projects that are being pushed forward thanks to support from the Catalyst Fund. We discussed how and why TNC Colorado decided to create the Catalyst Fund in the first place, and the need to push boundaries and take risks in the conservation space. Carrie offers insights into specific Catalyst projects, such as virtual fencing for bison, and Duncan discusses all the details about this agrivoltaics project– including the genesis of the idea, the challenges of the projects, and why it has proven to be so successful and replicable. We also discuss how policy on the state and federal level is creating more opportunities for agrivoltaics, why it garners bipartisan support, and lessons learned from all of the Catalyst Fund projects.

I was so impressed with Carrie and Duncan's enthusiasm, professionalism, and commitment to innovation, and I learned so much from this conversation. Be sure to check out the episode notes to learn more about everything we discussed, and please share this episode with any friends or colleagues who might find it valuable. Thanks so much for listening, I hope you enjoy!

---

Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/catalyst/

---

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy's impactful work in Colorado and around the world, visit www.nature.org/colorado

---

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

3:30 - An overview of the Catalyst Fund
7:00 - Talking to funders about the Catalyst Fund
8:45 - How TNC evaluates what it is looking for regarding the Catalyst Fund
10:30 - Duncan's agrivoltaics project
12:45 - Duncan's job before his agrivoltaics project
14:45 - More on Duncan's project and his site
19:00 - About Boulder Housing Partners, and how they reacted to Duncan's idea
20:30 - How Duncan worked to turn the rocky land he is working into agricultural land
22:30 - The outlook for Duncan's project, and how it stacks up against his expectations
25:00 - The federal and state (CO) push for more projects like Duncan's
28:00 - Why agrivoltaics seems to garner bipartisan support
29:30 - Why everyone isn't doing agrivoltaics
31:30 - The potential for grazing under agrivoltaics
32:30 - Other synergies between solar energy and agriculture
33:30 - Carrie's outlook on Duncan's project, and some other projects funded by the Catalyst Fund
36:45 - What it's like for TNC to work with external partners
37:45 - Other projects funded through the Catalyst Funds
40:00 - Big lessons from the Catalyst Fund project
45:00 - The power of advocating for policy
47:15 - Where the Catalyst Fund is going
51:00 - Carrie and Duncan's book recommendations
53:45 - Closing thoughts

---

ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE:

David James Duncan - Live at the Old Salt Festival Aug 08, 2023

Show notes

David James Duncan is one of those Western literary legends who needs no introduction to Mountain & Prairie listeners. But for those of you who may be new to the podcast or to Western literature, David is a renowned Montana novelist, activist, and flyfisherman. He's the author of "The River Why" and "The Brothers K," and his newest novel "Sun House" hits shelves today. David is also the author of countless nonfiction essays, many of which have been compiled in books such as "My Story as Told by Water," "River Teeth," and "God Laughs & Plays."

This episode was recorded live at the first-annual Old Salt Festival, which was held on the Mannix Family Ranch in Helmville, Montana. The festival was a three-day celebration of land stewardship and wild places, and it featured live music, wood-fired cooking, and discussions about conservation, literature, and the power of place. Given that so much of David's work as an author and activist is heavily influenced by his love of land, water, and wildlife, he brought a wise and thoughtful perspective to the Festival– a perspective that was greatly appreciated by everyone in attendance.

This episode is split into two parts– first is our on-stage conversation, which took place on Saturday morning, followed by two readings from his new novel "Sun House," which took place that evening. In our conversation, I focused in on David's life as a contemplative. We talk about his upbringing in the Pacific Northwest and his eventual move to Montana, which is the place he now considers his home. We discuss the importance of being able to hold two competing ideas in your mind at once, why he felt called to become an activist, why deep friendships are such an important part of his life, and the women who have served as mentors to him. We also talk about his 16-year process of writing "Sun House," the difference between creating ideas versus receiving them, what gives David hope for the future, and much more.

The second part of the episode features two readings from "Sun House," both of which were perfectly aligned with the spirit and mood of the Old Salt Festival. From where I was sitting in the crowd, I saw many people tearing up near the end of David's reading, so I hope the power of his words and the place come through in this audio. It was a special experience that I will not soon forget.

A huge thank you to David for his kindness, generosity, and for all of his contributions to the culture and conservation of the West. Thank you to the Old Salt Festival for giving me this opportunity to talk with David. Thanks to the great Bex Frucht for the intro, and thank you for listening.

If you haven't already, I'd encourage you to pick up a copy of "Sun House"– it's available online or in your favorite local bookstore right now.

David James Duncan
"Sun House" by David James Duncan
Old Salt Festival
Full episode notes, links, and photos: https://mountainandprairie.com/djd/

---

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

4:30 - Intros
7:30 - Discussing if Montana is home to David
10:30 - How David came to write about Montana
12:30 - How to hold two ideas in your head (the brutal US past and the landscape beauty we see presently)
14:55 - David's transition from fiction to nonfiction writing
19:30 - Advice on how to take a stand
21:45 - David's friends
26:30 - David's women mentors
30:30 - Writing "Sun House"
34:30 - The benefits and challenges of writing something so emotional as "Sun House"
38:00 - Whether or not David is creating ideas or receiving them while writing
41:30 - What makes David feel good about the future
43:30 - Reading 1
58:15 - Reading 2

---

ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE:

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected