In this second Southern Currents bonus episode of The Wild Idea , Bill chats with Stewart Noland, Tommie Kelly, and Martha Morris from the Ozark Society, the group that came together in 1962 to keep the Buffalo River from being dammed and went on to make it America’s first National River in 1972. They swap stories from that fight, like riding the Jubilee Bus to Washington, D.C. and floating the river with Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, and talk about how the work to protect the Buffal...
Aug 14, 2025•44 min
Environmental justice scholar Joe Whitson joins Bill and Anders to talk about how our stories about nature shape the land itself. Joe explains his concept of “wildernessing,” the process of making a place look and feel “untouched” through policy decisions, land management, and marketing, even though these landscapes have deep human histories. The conversation moves from history to the present, exploring how our cultural definition of “wilderness” has shifted over time, why climate change is chal...
Aug 12, 2025•34 min•Ep. 22
Today we report on the rollback of protections in Alaska’s North Slope, revival of a mining project near the Boundary Waters, and threats to the Land and Water Conservation Fund. We offer some good news with proposed Wild and Scenic River designations in Montana, and some bad news with Louisiana’s cancellation of a landmark coastal restoration project, plus public comments open on a controversial Forest Service reorganization plan. Find out more about the news mentioned today and links and resou...
Aug 08, 2025•13 min
In this first installment of our special Southern Currents series, Bill travels the Gulf Coast (sadly, without Anders) to explore the crisis of coastal land loss and the role of citizen science in protecting the region's future. We begin in Louisiana with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Bob Marshall , who has spent decades covering the collapse of his home state's coastal wetlands, before shifting east to the Florida panhandle, where marine biologist, author, and lifelong mischief-maker Jack R...
Aug 07, 2025•1 hr 27 min
Join us as we climb aboard the BOB, a 50-foot Catalina sailboat, with Blain and Monique Anderson—a husband-and-wife team navigating the remote waters of Southeast Alaska. As the owners of Sound Sailing, they’ve turned their love of sailing and wild places into a platform for sharing the raw beauty and singular experience found only in Alaska’s coastal wilderness. Today's episode is part travelogue, part meditation on modern wilderness, and part love letter to the wild waters of Alaska. Find the ...
Aug 05, 2025•28 min•Ep. 21
Today we zoom in on layoffs, restructuring, and reorganizations across multiple departments, and cover wins and losses for wildlife and parks. We also inventory what happened on the hill this week. Find out more about the news mentioned today and links and resources from today's episode at our website, thewildidea.com.
Aug 01, 2025•11 min
In this special 20th episode of The Wild Idea , Bill and Anders are recording face-to-face for the first time, from the deck of a sailboat in Southeast Alaska. To mark the milestone, they’re answering twenty questions submitted by listeners. The result is a wide-ranging, often hilarious, occasionally serious, and always thoughtful conversation that covers everything from their dream podcast guests and close calls in the backcountry to artificial intelligence, bipartisan conservation, screen addi...
Jul 29, 2025•53 min•Ep. 20
Today on The Wild Line: A sweeping USDA plan to restructure the Forest Service, a major executive order from President Trump aimed at fast-tracking AI data center development on federal land, the House’s latest Interior budget bill, and a legal win for conservationists. Find the resources mentioned today and more at our website, thewildidea.com .
Jul 25, 2025•18 min
Josh Jackson didn’t set out to become a champion for the Bureau of Land Management. But after stumbling into BLM lands in the deserts of California, he found himself transformed, first by the landscape, and then by the history behind it. In this episode, Josh joins Bill and Anders to talk about The Enduring Wild, his new book exploring California’s public lands, and the path that took him from “drive-by desert” skeptic to devoted pilgrim. why the desert strips us bare, how the King Range helped ...
Jul 22, 2025•38 min•Ep. 19
In this wide-ranging conversation, Dr. Cristina Eisenberg shares her perspective on the growing crisis facing our forests and why meeting this moment will take more than science alone. As the opening speaker for the Ninth American Forest Congress , Cristina reflects on how this historic gathering signals a shift in how we think about forest stewardship—and why that shift depends on blending Western science with Indigenous knowledge and local wisdom. Together with Bill and Anders, she unpacks why...
Jul 15, 2025•51 min•Ep. 18
This week on The Wild Line: We’re back with a full roundup of what’s happening across all three branches of government, plus a reminder that history is written not just in laws, but in landscapes. We dive into the latest BLM approvals, two new Trump-era executive orders, a small act you can take to help save our National Park signs, and a whole lot more. Find the links and resources mentioned today on our website, thewildidea.com .
Jul 11, 2025•16 min
Conservation photographer Tony Bynum joins Bill and Anders for a wide-ranging conversation about photography, sovereignty, wild places, and what it means to tell the truth with an image. Tony's work isn’t just about capturing beauty; it’s about telling the full story of a place, pushing for protection, and reminding us what’s at stake. Today's conversation explores what makes an image meaningful, why Tony walked away from shooting for certain publications, and how photography can either glorify ...
Jul 08, 2025•44 min•Ep. 17
Bill and Anders cover the end of the budget reconciliation process which saw the public land sell-off removed, but many more major setbacks for public lands survived. The Forest Service took steps to loosen rules around following the National Environmental Policy Act, and in Montana they ceded management of 200,000 acres to the state through a new Good Neighbor Authority agreement. We track a lawsuit around the lands being used for the so-called Alligator Alcatraz. Learn more and find the resour...
Jul 04, 2025•15 min
In this bonus of The Wild Idea , we’re literally taking you to the Appalachian Trail. Anne Robinson joins us from Harpers Ferry, the symbolic halfway point of her 2,200-mile thru-hike, for a conversation about what happens when you step away from your desk and into the woods for months at a time. Anne recently left her job at Southern Environmental Law Center to take on the AT, and in this episode, she shares what she’s learning about land, history, community—and herself—along the way. Learn mor...
Jul 03, 2025•21 min
This week on The Wild Idea , we’re exploring the growing power of outdoor brands to influence public land policy. What happens when the companies that outfit our adventures decide to stand up for the places that make those adventures possible? We’re joined by Paul Hendricks , Executive Director of The Conservation Alliance , and Vince Mazzuca , Director of Marketing at Osprey , to talk about the role of the business community in conservation. Together, they offer a powerful look at how brands ar...
Jul 01, 2025•37 min•Ep. 16
Bill and Anders break down a big week for public lands. The Okefenokee Swamp is safe from mining, Arkansas banned large hog farms in the Buffalo River Watershed, and Senator Mike Lee’s latest land sell-off push has hit a snag. Major threats remain; the Trump administration moves to repeal the Roadless Rule, putting 58 million acres at risk. Plus, Senate updates, Forest Service rulemaking, and a tribute to Montana wilderness champion Pat Williams. Learn more and find the resources from today's ep...
Jun 27, 2025•17 min
Chris Wood - the godfather of the Roadless Rule and President and CEO of Trout Unlimited - joins the show to talk about how the Roadless Rule came to be, what it actually does, and why the Trump Administration’s move to undo it threatens some of the most ecologically and recreationally important backcountry we have. From fire mitigation myths to the politics of rulemaking, Wood offers a clear-eyed and hopeful reminder of what’s worth protecting, and how. Learn more and find the resources mention...
Jun 25, 2025•40 min
What does it really mean to share stewardship of public lands with tribal nations? In this episode, legal scholar Monte Mills, a leading expert on Federal Indian Law, tribal sovereignty, and Indigenous cultural protection, and public lands policy expert Martin Nie, whose work focuses on the governance of federal lands and collaborative management across tribal, state, and federal lines, unpack the complex, often misunderstood world of tribal co-management. This episode challenges assumptions, co...
Jun 24, 2025•50 min•Ep. 15
This week on The Wild Line, we’re tracking three major stories shaping the future of public lands and the communities that depend on them, including a new executive order aimed at “commonsense” wildfire prevention and response. Learn more and find the links and resources from today's episode at our website, thewildidea.com.
Jun 20, 2025•14 min
Tracy Stone-Manning has spent her career at the heart of public lands policy—from field offices and statehouses to the director’s chair at the Bureau of Land Management. Now, as president of The Wilderness Society, she’s carrying that fight forward with a deep belief in collaboration, connection, and the promise our public lands represent. In this episode, she joins Bill and Anders for a wide-ranging conversation about what’s really happening inside our land management agencies, what the public ...
Jun 17, 2025•34 min•Ep. 14
This week on The Wild Line , we dive into the latest updates from the Department of Justice, look at Senate drafts impacting public lands and forests, and talk about youth efforts on behalf of Bigfoot, as well as a handful of other important topics. It's been a big week for wilderness spaces—here's what you may have missed. Find out more about today's episode and links we mentioned on the show at our website, thewildidea.com .
Jun 13, 2025•16 min
Randy Newberg is one of the most trusted and strategic voices in the sportsman conservation world, and he’s got stories to prove it. In this episode, Randy joins Bill and Anders for a wide-ranging, funny, and deeply personal conversation that moves from his childhood hunting on public lands in northern Minnesota to testifying before Congress and building a media platform to fight for the places that fed and shaped him. Learn more about Randy and find links to the resources mentioned today at our...
Jun 10, 2025•44 min•Ep. 13
This week on The Wild Line , Senators Lee and Daines revive dangerous land sell-off efforts, the DOI axes key science protections, and Alaska faces a new wave of oil and gas drilling, because apparently, recess doesn’t mean rest for public lands. Learn more and find the links and resources from today's episode at our website, thewildidea.com .
Jun 06, 2025•11 min
What do frozen frogs, machine learning, roadkill, and wilderness ethics have in common? According to evolutionary ecologist Dr. Andis Arietta…everything. In this wide-ranging and mind-expanding conversation, Andis joins us to explore the deep connections between ecology, evolution, climate change, and how (and whether) we manage wild places. Find the links and resources mentioned in today's conversation and learn more about Andis by visiting our website, thewildidea.com...
Jun 03, 2025•52 min•Ep. 12
This week on The Wild Line , despite Congress being on recess, the hits keep coming for public lands, tribal sovereignty, and environmental protections. Find the links and resources mentioned in today's episode on our website, thewildidea.com
May 30, 2025•12 min
In this bonus episode of The Wild Idea , we sit down with Jon Jarvis , the 18th Director of the National Park Service, for a wide-ranging and urgent conversation about the future of America’s public lands. Drawing on his 40-year career in the Park Service—from backcountry Alaska to the corridors of D.C.—Jarvis offers a sobering look at current threats, including budget slashing, forced retirements, and what he calls a calculated push to privatize the parks. Learn more and find the links and reso...
May 29, 2025•35 min
What does it take to protect one of the most visited, and most threatened, wilderness areas in America? Executive Director of Save the Boundary Waters , Ingrid Lyons , joins us to talk about the fight to defend Minnesota’s beloved Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from dangerous copper mining proposals and the broader movement to reinvigorate wilderness advocacy nationwide. Learn more about the topics discussed in today's episode and connect with Ingrid on our website, thewildidea.com...
May 27, 2025•45 min•Ep. 11
This week on The Wild Line, Anders and Bill break down a big development in the ongoing budget reconciliation battle, and what it means for public lands. We dive into the House Reconciliation Bill, the Trump administration’s $5 billion cut to the Department of the Interior’s budget, and more. Find the links and resources mentioned in today's episode on our website, thewildidea.com
May 23, 2025•7 min
It’s not every day a sitting U.S. Senator joins us to talk about the places that shaped him. In this special bonus episode, Senator Tim Kaine reflects on his journey across Virginia—on foot, by bike, and by kayak—and how that experience shapes his approach to conservation, policy, and legacy. See the notes from today's episode and learn more by visiting our website, thewildidea.com
May 22, 2025•18 min
What happens when you try to bring back a mythic, misunderstood, cold-loving carnivore that most people don't even know is real? You get one of the most fascinating conservation stories in the American West. In this episode, Kaitie Schneider of Defenders of Wildlife joins us to talk about the long-awaited reintroduction of Gulo gulo , the wolverine, to Colorado. Learn more and connect with Kaitie by visiting our website, thewildidea.com...
May 20, 2025•43 min•Ep. 10
