Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson

T.A. Barron—known as Tom to his friends—is a renowned author, a lifelong conservationist, and someone whose work sits at the intersection of two subjects that are near and dear to my heart: books and the natural world. Tom has written more than 30 books, including the internationally bestselling Merlin Saga, and his newest book, "Naming Nature: A Cabinet of Natural Curiosities for Word Lovers," gave us the perfect excuse to finally sit down together. It's a beautiful, fascinating exploration of the stories behind the names we give to plants, animals, and other parts of the natural world, and I think it's a must-read for anyone who loves nature and loves words—which probably describes most people listening to this podcast. Tom is also a deeply committed conservationist who has spent decades supporting and leading conservation efforts, so as you can imagine, we had plenty to talk about. Tom grew up first in New England and then on a ranch north of Colorado Springs, where watching the surrounding landscape disappear to development helped shape his conservation ethic at an early age. After Princeton and a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford, he initially pursued a career in business in New York City, while waking up at four or four-thirty every morning to write before work. Eventually he realized that those early-morning hours were the happiest part of his day, so despite having already endured plenty of rejection as a young writer, he left a successful business career, moved back to Colorado, and gave writing another shot. More than 30 books later, I think it's safe to say that gamble worked out. Along the way, conservation has remained a central part of his life, including his longtime involvement with The Wilderness Society and many other conservation organizations and initiatives. Tom and I talked about his adventurous parents, his childhood in Colorado, his spectacular early failures as a writer, and the decision to walk away from a successful career to pursue the work that made him feel most alive. We talked about mortality and the importance of using our limited time well; managing the constant barrage of news and social media; optimism, wonder, and our shared love of the natural world; and how Tom became so deeply involved in conservation. And, of course, we dug into "Naming Nature" and some of the wonderfully strange stories behind names like hellbender, sarcastic fringehead, narwhal, praying mantis, elephant, and even the Yeti. We also talked about why names matter, how paying closer attention can lead to caring, and how caring can ultimately lead to conservation. This was a fun, wide-ranging conversation with a thoughtful and endlessly curious guy, and I think you'll really enjoy it. --- T.A. Barron Naming Nature: A Cabinet of Natural Curiosities for Word Lovers Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/ta-barron --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust , MIRASOL: Looking at the Sun , Patagonia Books , the Rye Resurgence Project for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing T.A. Barron and highlighting the Rye Resurgence Project 6:49 - Growing up 12:47 - Tom's early writing career 16:46 - Oxford days to first novel 21:53 - The work that goes into rejection 24:56 - Plan B, 10 years later 29:18 - Keeping mortality in mind 35:10 - Good and bad tools 37:51 - His first book on the shelf 41:21 - Getting into conservation 48:02 - The new book 53:52 - Where the word "sarcastic" came from 56:31 - And a few more fun word examples 1:02:52 - The capacity to name 1:04:19 - The Yeti 1:07:38 - Cultivating stewardship 1:11:11 - Book recs 1:15:33 - Wrapping up (and a reading of Elephant) --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Kim Wiggins is a world-renowned painter from New Mexico, and one of the most recognizable artists working in the American West today. His bold, swirling canvases have made him one of the leading artistic voices of what's come to be called the New West. His work hangs in the Autry, the Booth, and the American Museum of Western Art in Denver, and this past year he won Best in Show at the Prix de West, the most prestigious award in Western art, becoming the first modernist ever to take it home. Kim comes by all of this honestly. Both sides of his family came west in covered wagons in the late 1800s and settled into ranching along the Pecos River. His mother was running two ranches and a nightclub in Arizona by her mid-twenties; his father was a photojournalist for Life and Sports Illustrated, and a bush pilot who once had to sprint back to his plane in the Amazon and count the arrows in the side of the fuselage. Kim grew up surrounded by creativity– Thomas Hart Benton paged through his sketchbook and he ate lunch with Georgia O'Keeffe at Ghost Ranch. He began focusing seriously on painting while stationed in Europe with the military and soon became the youngest member of the Society of American Impressionists — a career most artists would give an arm for, and one he walked away from completely. We talk about why he walked away, which starts with a moment at a show in St. Louis when he spotted one of his paintings across the room, hurried over, and discovered it wasn't his. We cover the lean years that followed, including knocking on doors in Lubbock in the summer heat with a car full of paintings. And we get into the ideas behind the work: why a loss of innovation is the death knell of a civilization, why he watches children in galleries instead of collectors, the paintings he made for the NAACP after his son asked him a question he couldn't answer, and his conviction that a gift, by definition, belongs to someone else. I first met Kim back in 2022 at Maxwell Alexander Gallery's ten-year show, where he was on a panel I moderated, and I've wanted a longer conversation ever since. Hope you enjoy. --- Kim Wiggins Prix de West Maxwell Alexander panel discussion (2022) Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/kim-wiggins --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust , MIRASOL: Looking at the Sun , Patagonia Books , the Rye Resurgence Project for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing Kim Wiggins 3:44 - Wiggins' family history 9:49 - Kim's dad's photojournalism travels 12:44 - Parental pressure? 17:07 - Military education 20:36 - Money v. creativity 28:36 - Making the decision to change course 34:52 - When things started to work 38:42 - It's never about Kim 43:47 - Continuous evolution 49:44 - How Kim's paintings come together 53:10 - Inspiration from his son 58:45 - Collaborative projects 1:04:26 - Blood and Thunder 1:06:21 - All the circles aligning 1:11:03 - How art has changed in the West 1:14:00 - Book recs 1:17:47 - Wrapping up --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Introducing Mountain & Prairie Reads —a book club for people who don't want to sit through another Zoom call. Every other month or so, I'll recommend a book I think is worth your time. Read it, send me your questions, and then I'll sit down with the author and ask as many of your best questions as I can. Our first selection is Water Lines: A Life on Marshes, Rivers, Seas and in the Rain by Riverhorse Nakadate. I'll be interviewing Riverhorse on September 30, so grab a copy, start reading, and submit your questions by September 29. Read a great book. Ask the author a question. Listen to the answer. --- MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE READS Water Lines: A Life on Marshes, Rivers, Seas and in the Rain by Riverhorse Nakadate Submit your questions! --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust , MIRASOL: Looking at the Sun , Patagonia Books , the Rye Resurgence Project for their generous sponsorship.

Romey Swanson is the Executive Director of the Devils River Conservancy, and he wears a lot of other hats too—wildlife biologist, naturalist, writer, photographer, and a leader in just about every corner of the Texas conservation world. The Devils River is generally considered the most pristine stream in Texas, and maybe in the entire Southwest—remote, spring-fed, and held together entirely by private landowners. The county it runs through leads all 254 counties in Texas in privately conserved acres, and none of it was required by regulation. If you've ever wondered how conservation gets done in a place with almost no public land, Romey and his community have built a model worth paying attention to. Romey grew up in rural West Virginia as part of what he calls the last generation of feral children—turned loose outside with instructions to be home before dark, with the creek behind the house as his best friend. His family moved to Texas when he was in junior high, and like most teenagers, he traded all of that for sports and a social life. He was a first-generation college student headed toward sports medicine when he walked past a flyer at Texas State advertising a Wildlife Society meeting—free pizza and live animals. He went for the pizza, met a faculty advisor, and changed his major that week. I've known Romey for six or seven years, and we cover a lot of ground here—his early days filling deer feeders and checking bird nest boxes, why he says waiting tables taught him as much about this work as his degrees, and whether leadership can actually be taught. We get into the threats facing the Devils River—data centers, transmission lines, and energy projects that can undo decades of voluntary conservation—and his work with the mountain lion stakeholder group in Texas, which has some obvious parallels to the wolf situation here in Colorado. There's also a good stretch on his passion projects, including his owl research in the mountains of far West Texas, and why he decided to use social media to push out something positive instead of more conflict. We wrap up with a few book recommendations and his encouragement to all of us to just pay attention. I loved this conversation... Enjoy! --- Romey Swanson Devils River Conservancy Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/romey-swanson --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust , MIRASOL: Looking at the Sun , Patagonia Books , the Rye Resurgence Project for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing Romey Swanson and highlighting Cattlemen's 6:30 - Romey describes his work 10:16 - How he got into his work 14:42 - Texas pride 17:37 - Early Romey 21:30 - First leadership opportunity 29:34 - Devils River Conservancy 35:07 - Keeping the land magical 39:14 - Devils River moving forward 42:25 - Mountain lions in Texas and wolves in CO 56:26 - Ways to keep track 1:01:15 - Sending folks to Romey's podcast 1:08:40 - Romey's Instagram 1:12:27 - Book recs 1:17:23 - Wrapping up --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Dr. Mike Bartolo is a third-generation farmer from Pueblo County, Colorado, and a retired research scientist and vegetable crops specialist at Colorado State University. Mike's grandparents immigrated from Italy in the early 1900s to work in the mines around Pueblo, and after years of backbreaking labor, they saved enough to buy a small farm on the St. Charles Mesa—the beginning of a family legacy on the land that continues to this day. Mike went on to spend more than three decades at CSU serving the farmers of the Arkansas Valley, and while he'd never claim the title himself, many consider him the developer of the legendary Pueblo Chile. I first met Mike back in 2018 through our mutual work with Palmer Land Conservancy, and ever since, I've seen him as a mentor when it comes to matters of water, farmland conservation, long-term thinking, and kindness. His combination of scientific expertise, tireless work ethic, deep humility, and fierce devotion to his family and community is something I've rarely encountered. Mike is also one of the main characters profiled in the poignant and powerful Ben Knight documentary MIRASOL: Looking at the Sun, which chronicles Pueblo County's farming community and its fight to protect its land and water—so it was an honor to finally sit down with him for this long-overdue conversation. We started with the remarkable story of his grandparents—including his grandfather Rocco, who survived being a prisoner of war in World War I before returning to Colorado to break rocks for the steel industry—and how that generation's sacrifice continues to guide Mike today. We talked about his childhood on the family farm, where he and his five siblings turned every chore into an Olympic competition, and his path to becoming a plant scientist at CSU. We discussed what makes Pueblo County's farmland world-class, the cautionary tale of Crowley County's devastating water sales, and why Mike believes educating and mobilizing the public is the key to protecting the Arkansas Valley's water. We also dug into the history of the Pueblo Chile, as well as the making of "MIRASOL," his approach to passionate-but-respectful advocacy, the spiritual connection he feels to the soil, his advice for the next generation of farmers, and much more. This was such a meaningful conversation for me, and I know you'll enjoy getting to know Mike as much as I have. Enjoy! --- Dr. Michael Bartolo MIRASOL: Looking at the Sun Palmer Land Conservancy Mike's Innovation in Conservation Award film Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/mike-bartolo --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust , MIRASOL: Looking at the Sun , Patagonia Books , the Rye Resurgence Project for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing Mike Bartolo and highlighting MIRASOL 7:03 - Reconnecting with Mike 8:16 - Mike's grandparents 12:14 - A particular kind of work ethic 17:28 - Growing up competitive 20:01 - Developing expertise 23:30 - Farmland development 28:33 - Pueblo County 30:56 - Colorado water 36:27 - Solutions? 40:57 - MIRASOL 45:20 - The Pueblo Chile 51:06 - Being an advocate 55:58 - Mike's advice to younger folks 59:03 - Time spent now 1:00:51 - Book (or video) recs and anthropology inspo 1:06:07 - Wrapping up --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

This is Heather Hansman's third appearance on the podcast, and if you've been listening for a while, you know how much her work has shaped my own understanding of the West. Heather is an award-winning journalist and the author of "Downriver" and "Powder Days"—two books I reference constantly—and she's back today to talk about her brand-new book, Fierce Country: The Untold Story of Three Women Who Ignited America's Love for the Wild , which hits shelves the same day this episode is released. "Fierce Country" tells the stories of three women who were pivotal in shaping how we think about recreation and conservation today, yet whose stories have largely gone untold: Georgie White, one of the first Grand Canyon river guides; Anne LaBastille, an off-the-grid Adirondack guide and pioneering climate scientist; and Dolores LaChapelle, a legendary powder skier and environmental philosopher whose ideas helped launch the deep ecology movement. These are three complicated, larger-than-life characters, and Heather weaves their wild adventures together with her own personal story in a way that makes the book resonate no matter who you are. As always with Heather's work, it introduced me to ideas I didn't even know I needed to be thinking about. Heather and I talked about how she chose these three women and why their stories were left out of the history most of us learned, and we dug into some of the big ideas woven throughout the book—the heroine's journey versus the hero's journey, the superwoman myth, and the surprising research on men and women in outdoor sports. We discussed the double standards that outdoorswomen face, especially as parents, and the culture of harassment that unfortunately still exists in the outdoor world. We also chatted about Heather's recent investigative reporting on bots gaming the recreation.gov permit system, the importance of journalism and speaking truth to power, and how five years of living with these women's stories has changed the way Heather moves through the world. I loved this conversation, and I can't recommend "Fierce Country" highly enough—the book is out today, so be sure to click through to the episode notes and grab a copy. --- Heather Hansman Fierce Country: The Untold Story of Three Women Who Ignited America's Love for the Wild Heather's First and Second M&P episodes Full episode notes and links: mountainandprairie.com/heather-hansman-3 --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust , MIRASOL: Looking at the Sun , Patagonia Books , the Rye Resurgence Project for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing Heather Hansman (again) and highlighting Patagonia books 7:00 - Book number three 8:08 - Overview of Fierce Country 12:05 - Why these women 16:22 - Georgie and Anne on the wild 19:31 - Anne vs. Thoreau 23:08 - Constraint drives creativity 26:12 - Driven by hardships 28:58 - The heroine's journey 30:45 - Female and male differences 35:40- To scold or not to scold 41:41 - Pitching the book 44:08 - Outward Bound 46:56 - Recreation.gov 50:07 - Slowing down 56:48 - Bad feminism 1:04:50 - What's next for Heather --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Elif Koyutürk is a filmmaker, photographer, and all-around artist originally from Istanbul, now based in Bend, Oregon. Elif works across many mediums—photography, poetry, film, and more—but the throughline in everything she does is a drive to make people feel a story, not just read the facts of it. She brings a rare kind of power and passion to her work, and it's clear that her connection to land and place isn't just a subject for her, it's personal. Like so many fascinating people I talk to on this podcast, her path wasn't a straight line. She grew up between the massive city of Istanbul and her family's farm, raised by journalist parents and a house full of grandmothers steeped in Anatolian tradition. She taught herself photography using a camera with a moldy, secondhand 23-euro lens and won international awards with it before she ever touched professional, high-dollar gear. From there she talked her way onto a Red Bull film crew in a hotel lobby, worked in Austria, and eventually landed in Los Angeles with one suitcase and no contacts, on an "Extraordinary Ability" visa. In this conversation, we get into all of it—her childhood in Istanbul, her creative process and her synesthesia, and how she built a career from nothing through sheer resourcefulness and energy. We also spend a lot of time on her new film, Guardians of Anatolia, which premiered at Telluride Mountainfilm and follows a female-led nomadic tribe in Turkey's Taurus Mountains as they fight to hold onto a 9,000-year-old matriarchal way of life against modern water and land pressures. I hope you enjoy this one, as it hits on so many of the topics I enjoy– art, conservation, agriculture, creativity, and hard work– but with an international perspective that is now rooted here in the West. --- Elif Koyutürk Guardians of Anatolia Elif on Instagram Episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/elif-koyuturk --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Freeflow Institute , The Nature Conservancy in Colorado , and the Well Done Foundation for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing Elif Koyutürk 2:49 - Early Elif 7:36 - Artistic inclinations 11:33 - To the U.S. 18:34 - Off the plane in L.A. 22:20 - Making money 24:57 - Connections to friendships 28:50 - Being raw and clumsy 30:49 - Guardians of Anatolia origin story 37:49 - A vanishing way of life 40:23 - Emerging filmmaker 43:40 - Path forward for the film 45:54 - What's next 51:39 - Old Salt takeaways 57:15 - Plot twist: jiu jitsu! 1:02:52 - Rivers in Bend, OR 1:05:35 - Book recs 1:08:16 - Wrapping up --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

This is my second episode with Adam Cramer, CEO of the Outdoor Alliance, a coalition of ten national organizations representing the human-powered outdoor community—mountain biking, backcountry skiing, kayaking, climbing, trail running, and more. The Outdoor Alliance works to protect public lands and the places these communities love, getting deeply involved in conservation policy and empowering people to take action on behalf of the landscapes that matter to them. The last year has been a relentless one for public lands, with threats coming from every direction, and Adam and his team have been in the thick of it. Normally my episodes are "evergreen," but given everything happening right now, I wanted to bring Adam back to give us an update on the current threats—as well as some genuine bright spots. This is such a moving target with so many moving pieces that it can be really hard to keep up with everything and, most importantly, to know how to stop talking and take action. So I brought Adam in to help us make sense of it all and give us some instruction on how we can go on the offense to keep public lands public. We cover a lot of ground: the public lands sell-off that arose out of last summer's reconciliation bill and the massive, cross-partisan public blowback that killed it; the fight over the Roadless Rule; the rescinding of the BLM's Public Lands Rule; proposed changes to travel management and motorized vehicle rules; and the reorganization happening inside the land management agencies. But it's not all grim—Adam walks us through the real reasons for hope, including bipartisan efforts like the Public Lands in Public Hands Act, the EXPLORE Act, and the Legacy Restoration Fund, which is moving through Congress right now and is one of the most important places listeners can weigh in today. We also get into Adam's pragmatic, calm approach to all of this—why he refuses to be hysterical even when the stakes are high, what he's learned about strategy and compassion across the table, and how everyday people with jobs and families can stay informed and actually take action without drowning in the noise. He closes with some great book recommendations and a reminder to embrace and bask in the joy of place. And just for some context, we recorded this on June 22, 2026. I hope you enjoy it and learn as much as I did. And most importantly, I hope you'll TAKE ACTION! --- Adam Cramer Outdoor Alliance (Scroll down on the home page to sign up for their email list.) Adam's first M&P episode Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/public-lands-update/ --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Freeflow Institute , The Nature Conservancy in Colorado , and the Well Done Foundation for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing Adam Cramer and highlighting the Well Done Foundation 6:05 - Outdoor Alliance reminder 10:02 - One Big Beautiful Bill post-mortem 14:18 - The Roadless Rule 17:47 - What's the point of rescission? 19:51 - Following the herd 20:01 - Deferred maintenance 22:47 - Taking action: Roadless Rule 25:24 - Forest Service moves West 31:18 - A plethora of land types 33:34 - Just trying to protect the land 35:29 - BLM Public Lands Rule 39:36 - Swings 43:06 - Staying calm (alert: a jiu jitsu reference) 49:42 - Legacy Restoration Fund 56:08 - How to stay informed 58:54 - Motorized use 1:04:30 - Book recs 1:05:54 - Parting words --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

In this solo episode, I share five books that fundamentally shaped my understanding of conservation, public lands, water, ranching, and the American West. These are the books that helped transform me from a ranch broker with a growing curiosity about conservation into someone who eventually devoted much of his career – and this podcast – to exploring the people and ideas shaping the landscapes of the West. Along the way, I discuss Theodore Roosevelt, wildfire policy, regenerative grazing, Western water, and the history of conservation, while highlighting conversations from the Mountain & Prairie archive that connect to each book. Whether you're new to these topics or looking to deepen your understanding on anything from water to ranching to history, these books provide an excellent foundation. Enjoy!! THE BOOKS: Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West by Sarah Dant The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America by Timothy Egan For the Love of Land: Global Case Studies of Grazing in Nature's Image by Jim Howell Downriver: Into the Future of Water in the West by Heather Hansman The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley THE RELATED EPISODES: Sara Dant - First and Second Rob Addington Good Fire, Bad Fire Jim Howell - First and Second Heather Hansman - First and Second Douglas Brinkley --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Freeflow Institute , The Nature Conservancy in Colorado , and the Well Done Foundation for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 00:00 – Introduction & why these books matter 03:05 – Losing Eden by Sarah Dant 09:25 – The Big Burn by Timothy Egan 16:05 – For the Love of Land by Jim Howell 23:35 – Downriver by Heather Hansman 29:05 – The Wilderness Warrior by Douglas Brinkley 35:25 – Final thoughts & closing remarks --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Dillon Osleger wears a lot of hats: geologist, professional mountain biker for Specialized, trail builder, public lands policy analyst and advocate, and now first-time author. His debut book, "Trail Work: Restoring the Paths and Stories of America's Public Lands," blends science, history, and personal reflection into a look at our relationship with the places we love. It's already earned praise from the likes of Bill McKibben, Robert Moor, and former M&P guest Rick Ridgeway. And for whatever it's worth, I loved it as well. I've read a ton of books on public lands, and this one filled in many of the gaps in my knowledge on this super-important and timely issue. Raised by two geologists who moved the family from Riverside to Austin to Northern California, Dillon grew up idolizing mountain legends like Rick Ridgeway and Jeremy Jones, and he wanted nothing more than to spend his life outside. He was, by his own account, a poor student—right up until a NOLS course at fifteen showed him he could learn through the things he was passionate about. That realization helped transform him from a 2.9-GPA high school student all the way to a scientist who holds a master's in Earth Science, with a lot of biking, skiing, surfing, and fishing along the way. We recorded this at Mountainfilm in Telluride, the morning after Dillon shared a stage with literary heroes like Kevin Fedarko. We cover his mountain upbringing, how mountain biking became his way of finding clarity, why he thinks the traditional classroom can be challenging for many curious and energetic kids, and the deep connections between public lands and the rural communities around them. We also get into the writers who shaped him—John McPhee, Wendell Berry, James Rebanks—and his belief that the world is far more purple than the red-and-blue map suggests. We also talk a lot about the process of writing his book and some of the biggest lessons learned from tackling such an ambitious project. More than anything, this is a conversation about loving a place enough to do the work for it. I loved this one. Enjoy! --- Dillon Osleger Trail Work: Restoring the Paths and Stories of America's Public Lands Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/dillon-osleger --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Freeflow Institute , The Nature Conservancy in Colorado , and the Well Done Foundation for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing Dillon Osleger and highlighting TNC Colorado 6:12 - A nervous morning 8:39 - How Dillon got people interested in his book 11:12 - Growing up moving around 14:34 - Path to college 16:28 - Finding the right academia 19:16 - Mountain biking 23:30 - The question Dillon was trying to answer 28:12 - An overview of maps 34:04 - The Thomas Fire 37:12 - Public lands threats 42:30 - Real names 47:39 - Finding your why 51:13 - Bringing in jujitsu 53:16 - How writing the book changed Dillon 56:38 - The response to the book 1:02:29 - Book recs 1:09:13 - A purple world --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

My longtime partners and collaborators at The Nature Conservancy recently launched a great podcast series called " On the Move ," hosted by TNC storyteller Leah Palmer. It's all about wild animals, their migrations, and the people working to keep those journeys wild and free. If you're a longtime Mountain & Prairie listener, then many of these people, places, and conservation issues will be familiar to you. In fact, a few of the experts you'll hear over the course of the full series are past M&P guests, including Sammy Matsaw Jr., Kelsey Molloy, and Nancy Fishbein. So I'm excited to share one of my favorite episodes today: Episode 4, "Distance Champions." This episode is about creatures of the sky—sandhill cranes, Greater Sage-Grouse, Wilson's phalaropes—and it digs into why these birds migrate, how new tracking tech reveals where they actually go, and what stands in their way. You'll also hear from Ted Floyd of the American Birding Association, a good friend of TNC here in Colorado. Big thanks to The Nature Conservancy for creating such an interesting and engaging podcast series. If you enjoy it, go subscribe to "On the Move" and listen to the whole series. And as always, thanks to everyone who supports the Mountain & Prairie via Patreon, and the additional podcast support from the Freeflow Institute, The Nature Conservancy in Colorado, and the Well Done Foundation. Here's Leah Palmer and "Distance Champions." Enjoy!! --- ON THE MOVE podcast Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Subscribe on Spotify --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Freeflow Institute , The Nature Conservancy in Colorado , and the Well Done Foundation for their generous sponsorship. --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

This is a live episode recorded at the 2026 Great Plains Stakeholder Workshop, hosted by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The workshop brought together many of the country's leading grasslands conservationists, scientists, funders, and policy experts to tackle a huge question: what would it look like to create a bold, practical, long-term plan for conserving North America's grasslands over the next 30 years? My guests are two people helping to lead that effort: Dr. Holly Bamford, Chief Conservation Officer at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (known as NFWF for short), and Marshall Johnson, Chief Conservation Officer for the National Audubon Society. Both have spent years working at the intersection of science, conservation, agriculture, and partnership-building, and both bring a realistic but hopeful perspective to the future of the Great Plains. In this conversation, we dig into the current state of the Great Plains and grasslands conservation more broadly– from grassland loss and declining bird populations to the creative partnerships helping ranchers, nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies work together toward solutions. We discuss the importance of voluntary conservation, the complicated economics facing ranching communities, the role of programs like the Farm Bill, and why grass-based agriculture and healthy wildlife habitat are far more interconnected than many people realize. Holly and Marshall also share stories from their own lives that explain how they each became so deeply connected to these landscapes– from prairie chicken blinds in Minnesota to the wide-open grasslands of the American West. More than anything, this conversation is about long-term thinking. What does it look like to create a 30-year vision for one of the most ecologically important and underappreciated landscapes in North America? What gives these conservation leaders hope? And what keeps them up at night? There's a lot of realism in this discussion, but there's also a surprising amount of optimism, practicality, and momentum. I learned a ton from this conversation, and I think you will too. Be sure to check out the episode notes for links to the organizations, initiatives, and resources we discuss throughout the episode. Thank you again to the amazing team at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for inviting me to moderate this discussion. --- National Fish and Wildlife Foundation National Audubon Society Dr. Holly Bamford Marshall Johnson Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/great-plains --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Freeflow Institute , The Nature Conservancy in Colorado , and the Well Done Foundation for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing a live convo 3:25 - Looking behind instead of ahead 5:40 - Why grasslands 6:57 - The state of grasslands today 10:22 - The meadowlark 12:47 - Rancher relationships 22:41 - Money is the key 25:20 - Farm Bill feelings 29:15 - Prairie potholes 36:20 - Voluntary conservation easements 39:24 - Accounting for change 43:41 - Data collection 48:40 - The next 30 years --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Hillary Rosner is an award-winning journalist and author whose work combines science, storytelling, and the natural world. She's been writing about environmental issues for decades, with bylines in publications like The New York Times, The Atlantic, and National Geographic. Her new book, "Roam: Wild Animals and the Race to Repair Our Fractured World," explores one of the most urgent—and often overlooked—challenges in conservation: the loss of connectivity across the landscape, and what that means for the movement and survival of wildlife. Like so many fascinating people, Hillary's path into this work wasn't a straight line. She grew up in New York City, far from the wide-open spaces she now writes about, but spent formative summers in the Adirondacks and Berkshires that quietly shaped her connection to nature. After getting her start in fast-paced daily journalism at places like the New York Post and The Village Voice, she realized she wanted something deeper—slower, more immersive storytelling. That shift eventually led her west to Boulder, where she pursued environmental studies and built a career focused on long-form environmental journalism. In this conversation, Hillary and I dig into the big ideas behind "Roam," including why movement is so essential to life on Earth and how human infrastructure—from highways to fences—has fractured the natural world. We talk about surprising barriers to wildlife, like roads that even birds won't cross, and explore solutions ranging from wildlife corridors to collaborative conservation efforts with local communities. We also get into the realities of modern journalism, the importance of "bearing witness" in difficult times, and why curiosity, empathy, and action are still the most powerful tools we have for building a more connected and hopeful future. I loved the book, and I loved this conversation. Hope you enjoy both as much as I did! --- Hillary Rosner Roam: Wild Animals and the Race to Repair Our Fractured World Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/hillary-rosner --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Freeflow Institute , The Nature Conservancy in Colorado , and the Well Done Foundation for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing Hillary Rosner and highlighting TNC Colorado 6:09 - Book congrats and growing up in NYC 9:03 - The heading West bug 11:20 - More long-form journalism 13:36 - Making money in journalism 16:41 - Ted Scripps fellowship 19:01 - Patagonia publishing 21:20 - Roads are only good for people 28:20 - Why this should matter to you 35:23- SLOSS 38:39 - Doing everything you can 40:52 - Fence removal project 43:50 - Virtual fencing 44:57 - Author's note 49:47 - Poignant 53:16 - Out of the box thinkers 58:15 - Book recs 1:00:36 - Wrapping up --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Miriam Horn is an award-winning journalist and author whose work lives at the intersection of conservation, food production, and the people working—often quietly and pragmatically—to hold those worlds together. Many listeners will recognize her from her excellent book "Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman," a title that's come up repeatedly on this podcast for its nuanced look at how working lands and conservation can coexist. But her new book, "Homesick for a World Unknown: The Life of George B. Schaller," zooms out to tell the story of a man whose influence touches nearly every corner of modern wildlife biology. If you're like I was before reading this book, you may not fully appreciate the importance of George Schaller and his work—but it's hard to overstate his impact. If you're working in wildlife science today—whether studying elk in Wyoming or snow leopards in Central Asia—you're building on a foundation he helped create. He helped shift wildlife biology away from specimen collection and distant population management toward long-term, immersive observation rooted in patience and deep respect for animals in their natural environments. And beyond his own research, his legacy lives on through the countless scientists he mentored around the world, many of whom went on to lead conservation efforts in their home countries. In this conversation, Miriam and I explore Schaller's remarkable life and the long arc of his influence—from his early days in Alaska to his groundbreaking work with gorillas, big cats, and high-altitude species across the globe. We talk about the tension between conservation and human needs, the role of humility and local knowledge in effective wildlife protection, and what Miriam learned after nearly a decade spent researching and writing this biography. It's a wide-ranging conversation about one man's life, but also about the bigger question of how humans can live responsibly within the natural world. "Homesick for a World Unknown" is available at your favorite bookseller now. I hope you enjoy this conversation and the book! --- Miriam Horn Homesick for a World Unknown: The Life of George B. Schaller Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/miriam-horn --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Freeflow Institute , The Nature Conservancy in Colorado , and the Well Done Foundation for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing Miriam Horn and highlighting the Well Done Foundation 6:17 - Feedback from George 10:00 - Beginning a decade of work 15:52 - Getting George to open up 19:52 - A bit of George's biography 24:39 - Becoming a charismatic megafauna 26:53 - Putting the gun down 31:03 - Humility and hard-headedness 33:29 - Seeking the full picture 36:57 - Husband and wife team 41:00 - Not protective parents 47:30 - George and Kay to the modern-day 52:39 - How George changed Miriam 59:11 - The writers Miriam admires 1:04:54 - Words of wisdom --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Meriwether Hardie has built a life around long, ambitious horseback journeys through remote landscapes, and she uses those adventures as a way to better understand land, food, and the people who depend on both. In her early twenties, she rode for a year through South America, and this past summer, she spent five months traveling solo across the American West with two horses and a dog. Along the way, she's not just covering ground, she's asking questions, listening closely, and connecting with agricultural producers and rural communities. That combination of adventure, inquiry, and agriculture is also at the core of her professional work, which has spanned everything from small-scale producers to global supply chains, including time with Rainforest Alliance, all focused on building more resilient, equitable food systems. She grew up in Vermont, splitting time between her parents' farms—one centered around horses, the other around commercial beekeeping—which gave her both independence and a deep love of working landscapes. As a teenager, she attended a NOLS course in the Wind River Range, which cemented her love for wild places and outdoor education. That foundation eventually led her west to Colorado College, where she studied environmental science and journalism. After college, she received a competitive environmental journalism fellowship that funded her first major horseback expedition through Argentina—an experience that helped define her path and solidified her belief that storytelling can be a powerful tool for understanding complex issues. In this conversation, we talk about all of that, with a special focus on her most recent ride across the West—what it actually takes to pull off a trip like that, the risks and realities of traveling solo on horseback, and the incredible generosity she encountered along the way. We also talk about what she learned from the farmers and ranchers she met, from the challenges they face to the unexpected pockets of hope she discovered. This is a conversation about big, wild adventures, but it's also about the act of showing up, moving slowly through landscape, asking good questions, and listening to people who don't usually get heard. Enjoy! --- Meriwether Hardie Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/meriwether-hardie --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Freeflow Institute , The Nature Conservancy in Colorado , and the Well Done Foundation for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing Meriwether Hardie and highlighting the Freeflow Institute 5:36 - Growing up between two Vermont farms 8:15 - Bee stings 9:42 - An old, free pony 13:25 - Being a different kind of kid 15:23 - Colorado College 18:12 - NOLS in the family 21:58 - The badge of honor that is being a NOLS instructor 25:36 - First horse trip 30:04 - Asking for help 32:34 - Post-Bill McKibben grant 34:34 - Meriwether's journey across South America 40:24 - How the journey changed her 43:22 - Her current adventure 47:40 - Burnout 49:08 - Injury and change 53:55 - Navigating vast landscapes 1:00:29 - The best of humanity 1:07:04 - Celebrating generational knowledge 1:08:38 - The book process 1:17:26 - Expectations vs. reality 1:22:05 - Book recs 1:28:00 - Wrapping up --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Jazmine Ulloa is a national reporter who covers immigration for The New York Times and is the author of the new book "El Paso: Five Families and One Hundred Years of Blood, Migration, Race, and Memory." It's a sweeping, deeply researched look at one of the most overlooked regions in the American West. Born and raised in El Paso, Jazmine brings both a journalist's discipline and a personal connection to the story, weaving together archival research, oral histories, and her own family background to explore how this border community has shaped the broader story of the United States. What makes Jazmine's work especially compelling is the path she took to get here. She started reporting as a teenager, crossing the border with her grandmother to interview families affected by violence… real, high-stakes journalism while she was still in high school. From there, she worked her way up through local papers across Texas, covering crime, courts, and immigration, eventually moving into national political reporting and earning her role at The New York Times. It's a career built the old-fashioned way: curiosity, extreme hard work, and a clear sense of purpose. In this conversation, Jazmine and I focus on the long, layered history of El Paso and the surrounding borderlands—how people, cultures, and economies have moved through this region for generations, shaping the Southwest in ways that often go unrecognized. More than anything, this is a conversation about people and place. By following the lives of five families across generations, Jazmine brings a human lens to a complicated history, one that is rich with resilience, identity, and connection, and that adds real depth to our understanding of the American West. This is a thoughtful conversation with a very smart, purpose-driven author that adds some much needed historical context to this current moment in American culture. I think you'll enjoy it and learn a lot. --- Jazmine Ulloa El Paso: Five Families and One Hundred Years of Blood, Migration, Race, and Memory Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/jazmine-ulloa --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Central Grasslands Roadmap , The Nature Conservancy in Colorado , North Bridger Bison , and the Old Salt Co-op for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing Jazmine Ulloa and highlighting Good News and book recs 5:47 - How Jazmine ended up in El Paso 12:34 - Pursuing journalism as a career 18:19 - Going to the border for the story 23:02 - Getting to the New York Times 27:09 - Jazmine's speciality 30:27 - Dealing with trauma 32:38 - Getting into Jazmine's book 36:01 - Fear of the unknown 36:55 - 2019 El Paso shooting 41:29 - Seeing history reflected in the present 46:56 - Leaning into the complexity 49:33 - Focusing on family 54:20 - Knowing her hometown better? 57:44 - Time management at its best 1:00:24 - Book recs 1:02:34 - Wrapping up --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Pete McBride is a photographer, filmmaker, and author whose work has taken him all over the world, but at the center of it all is a river much closer to home: the Colorado River. He's been a frequent guest on this podcast over the years, and his work has consistently offered one of the most thoughtful and visually compelling perspectives on the landscapes and water systems that define the American West. His latest book, "Witness to Water: One Photographer's Mission to Defend the Colorado River," is a departure from his previous photo-driven projects—it's all words, and it brings together two decades of stories, observations, and hard-earned insight from time spent on and around rivers. In this conversation, Pete and I talk about the Colorado River—where things stand today, what he's seeing across the basin, and why this moment feels especially urgent. We discuss drought, over-allocation, and the complicated, often frustrating realities of water management in the West. But we also zoom out, exploring how Pete's perspective has evolved over time—from adventure photographer chasing stories around the globe to someone deeply committed to telling one layered, long-term story about a single, essential river. We also spend quite a bit of time on the more personal side of Pete's new book. He opens up about family, the influence of his parents, and a period of his life that didn't match the outward success people might assume. It's honest, vulnerable, and, like the best stories, deeply relatable. As always, there are plenty of wild experiences and hard-earned lessons woven throughout, but what stands out most is Pete's willingness to share the full picture—the wins, the struggles, and everything in between. Pete is also a talented musician, and the song you heard at the beginning is him playing. And at the end of the episode, you can hear the full song. Be sure to check out the episodes for timestamps and links to everything we discuss, and be sure to grab a copy of "Witness to Water." Enjoy! --- Pete McBride "Witness to Water" by Pete McBride Episode notes: https://mountainandprairie.com/pete-mcbride-4 --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Central Grasslands Roadmap , The Nature Conservancy in Colorado , North Bridger Bison , and the Old Salt Co-op for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing Pete McBride and highlighting TNC Colorado 5:43 - The "all words" book 8:51 - How Pete's dad ended up in Colorado 10:50 - Resisting the Colorado River 13:36 - Working in India 18:45 - Watching the water run out 22:51 - Len and Pete's horrific death march 27:09 - Combining the reservoirs 29:31 - The deadline 35:17 - How to get informed on the water conversations 39:28 - Adventurers of the Year 44:35 - Nobody knows what they're doing 49:57 - Not nervous 51:53 - Flying nerves 55:41 - The most scared Pete has ever been 59:24 - Djibouti 1:02:02 - Discussing judgment and wrapping up --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Sebastian Junger is an award-winning journalist, a New York Times bestselling author, and an Academy Award–nominated filmmaker. Regular listeners are surely familiar with his work, as I've mentioned his books a ridiculous number of times on this podcast over the years—especially his book "Tribe," which has had a lasting influence on how I think about community, purpose, and the kinds of experiences that give people meaning. So for Episode 300, I was excited to sit down with Sebastian for a real, in-person conversation. Sebastian is the author of "The Perfect Storm," "War," "Tribe," "Freedom," and most recently "In My Time of Dying," and he's spent decades reporting from war zones and writing about how humans behave under extreme pressure. In this conversation, we start with his early experience with NOLS and use that as a jumping-off point to explore a theme that runs through much of his work: why small groups facing real adversity create such strong bonds, and why those experiences often feel more meaningful than anything in modern, comfortable life. From there, we get into boxing, jiu-jitsu, and the idea that environments with real consequences tend to strip away status and surface-level differences, leaving people to be judged on effort, character, and how they show up for others. We also spend a good amount of time on his recent powerful book, "In My Time of Dying"—including the near-death experience that led to it, how he processed it afterward, and what it changed about how he thinks about fear, mortality, and what actually matters in life. We talk about parenting, contentment versus happiness, and how different phases of life demand different kinds of attention and energy. And toward the end, we get into writing, his new Substack project (that I highly recommend), smartphones, and why he's chosen to opt out of many versions of modern technology, including social media. This one covers a lot of ground, but it all ties back to a few core questions: what makes a life feel meaningful, what we lose when things get too easy, and how to stay connected to the people around us. We recorded this in Aspen, the morning before Sebastian was scheduled to speak at the Aspen Institute, and I'm grateful he took the time to do it—especially on a such a busy day. As always, check out the episode notes for a full list of topics and links to everything we discuss. Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy! --- Sebastian Junger In My Time of Dying Sebastian's new Substack Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/sebastian-junger --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Central Grasslands Roadmap , The Nature Conservancy in Colorado , North Bridger Bison , and the Old Salt Co-op for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Intro + thank you to our sponsors 6:54 - Introducing Sebastian Junger, another NOLS grad 11:33 - A sense of duty 14:22 - The melting pot of a boxing gym 17:29 - Developing toughness 20:29 - Happiness vs. contentment 26:46 - A nice, summer day on Cape Cod 33:08 - The loneliest moment of Sebastian's life 37:46 - Processing the whole experience 40:57 - No blessing without blood 43:46 - Can't hide from death 46:54 - Being in the moment (benefit of a flip phone) 53:15 - Sebastian on Substack 1:00:09 - Dealing with the angry internet 1:02:05 - A different type of book rec segment 1:04:21 - What's new and next for Sebastian --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Darcy Chenoweth is a Montana-based Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner whose career sits at the intersection of medicine, trauma recovery, and the outdoor world. Darcy works with individuals and organizations—especially those in high-stress helping professions such as first responders, healthcare workers, and other frontline roles—to address burnout, trauma exposure, and the long-term impacts of stress. Her work blends psychotherapy, medication management, and practical tools that help people metabolize the intense experiences that often come with caring for others. Darcy grew up in Colorado's Front Range mountains, and later moved north to Missoula for college, drawn largely by the pull of the northern Rockies and the culture of Montana. Over the years, her life has included living off-grid in western Montana, working as an ER nurse in a small critical-access hospital, teaching backcountry emergency medicine around the world, and maintaining a parallel life as an artist working in ceramics. Those experiences—especially her years in emergency medicine and mountain environments—shaped her understanding of how trauma and stress accumulate in people who dedicate their lives to helping others. Today, Darcy's practice focuses on helping those individuals build awareness, resilience, and sustainable ways of engaging with difficult work while maintaining healthy lives outside of it. In this conversation, Darcy and I talk about the hidden drivers of burnout in helping professions, why community is essential for metabolizing trauma, and how modern life—despite all its conveniences—often strips away the friction and connection that humans need to stay mentally healthy. We also discuss the role of nature, trust, and shared experience in healing, along with Darcy's work supporting mountain communities through organizations like Mountain Muskox, which helps people process grief and loss connected to accidents in the mountains. Although much of Darcy's work focuses on first responders and other helping professionals, the ideas she shares in this conversation are relevant to anyone navigating stress, hardship, or big life transitions. It's a wide-ranging discussion about how humans process difficulty and how we can build lives and communities that help us come out stronger on the other side. Be sure to check out the episode notes for links to Darcy's practice, her work with Mountain Muskox, and several of the books and resources we discuss. Enjoy! --- Darcy Chenoweth, DNP, PMHNP Mountain Muskox Episode notes: https://mountainandprairie.com/darcy-chenoweth --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Central Grasslands Roadmap , The Nature Conservancy in Colorado , North Bridger Bison , and the Old Salt Co-op for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing Darcy Chenoweth and highlighting M&P supporters 6:32 - Rollinsville, Colorado and skiing 8:57 - Outdoors influence 10:58 - Darcy's plan at 17 12:39 - Adjusting to Montana 15:00 - Western medicine forays 17:47 - And a foray into ceramics and art 20:00 - How a compassionate person compartmentalizes 23:37 - What is burnout? 28:49 - Darcy's practice 32:17 - The value of community 38:20 - Finding real meaning in the real world 42:13 - Is action the anecdote? 46:01 - Alcohol advice 48:38 - And social media advice 50:20 - The change that is being a mother 52:50 - Mountain Muskox 55:28 - Darcy's role models 58:39 - Loss of structures 1:02:12 - Book recs and parting words --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts

Mark Kenyon is no stranger to Mountain & Prairie listeners—he's the author of "That Wild Country," host of the Wired to Hunt podcast, and the newly minted Director of Conservation at MeatEater. He's also one of the most voracious readers I know. Every few years, Mark and I record a special episode where we discuss our top 10 favorite books in a particular category. The first one was our top 10 conservation books, then we explored our top 10 books about the American West—you can find links to both of those episodes in the show notes. For this episode, we decided to discuss our top 10 adventure books—a category that both Mark and I love and have spent decades reading. We each brought five books that have stayed with us. Some are classics. Some are newer. Some are brutal. Some are unexpectedly funny. All of them reveal something about the human drive to embrace discomfort and move toward the unknown rather than away from it. Yes, Mark and I love reading adventure books for entertainment and enjoyment, but we also both try to extract lessons from these wild stories that can be applied to our own lives. Whether we're thinking about family, assessing risk, leadership, attitude, or simply not taking ourselves too seriously, there are important lessons to be learned from even the most outlandish adventures. So this conversation goes much deeper than a simple "Read this book because it's good"—we discuss how these books have shaped us and how they continue to influence our thinking. And if you like book recommendations, be sure to sign up for my bimonthly book recommendations email. For more than ten years, I've been sending one email every other month featuring books I recently read and highly recommend. The topics and genres are all over the place—and can admittedly be a little weird—but people seem to enjoy them, so I keep sending them. I just published my recommendations for January and February 2026, so you can find a link in the show notes and sign up if you're interested. Thanks so much for listening! --- Mark Kenyon on Instagram Ed and Mark's 10 Conservation Books Ed and Mark's 10 Books about the American West Ed's Bimonthly Book Recommendations Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/adventure-books --- THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Mountain & Prairie is listener-supported via Patreon , and brought to you with support from the Central Grasslands Roadmap , The Nature Conservancy in Colorado , North Bridger Bison , and the Old Salt Co-op for their generous sponsorship. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 0:00 - Introducing Mark Kenyon and highlighting North Bridger Bison 6:05 - Mark's new role at MeatEater 13:03 - Mark's next book timeline 18:28 - A new MeatEater podcast 21:43 - Getting into the books, starting with a Doug Peacock classic 28:17 - The first TR book Ed ever read 35:30 - The layers of Teddy Roosevelt 37:59 - Mark's next pick, a more recent option 42:21 - Ed's up, with a cliche? 47:55 - Bonus rec from Mark 50:33 - American Buffalo 1:03:03 - Navigating risk outdoors 1:07:48 - Pivoting to lighter adventure books 1:12:53 - An adventure book by a woman 1:17:57 - Mark's last choice and a caribou conversation 1:26:35 - And Ed's last choice, connecting with mountaineering 1:34:45 - Wrapping up --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes Mountain & Prairie Shop Mountain & Prairie on Instagram Upcoming Events About Ed Roberson Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts