On Land

If you aren't a fly fishing sicko, you might not be familiar with the Henry's Fork in eastern Idaho. This place is a trout's dream, with an incredible amount of insect and aquatic life that gets these fish to grow big, and get very, very picky. The Henry's Fork sits in some of the most productive irrigated agricultural land in the American West (Idaho potatoes are famous for a reason!) And there i...

In today's episode, WLA Communications Director Louis Wertz sits down with Aireona Raschke, who leads collaborative efforts across the West through her work with the Center for Collaborative Conservation and the Western Collaborative Conservation Network at Colorado State University. Aireona gives us a preview of this year's Confluence –a conference designed to support and connect people across th...

We talk a lot about the importance of knowing the land at Western Landowners Alliance. Walking it, talking it, being in sync with it. Perry Cabot is one of the people Colorado producers can partner with to help them know more exactly what is happening in their fields, because Perry is using cutting-edge science to understand evapotranspiration rates and how farmers and ranchers can adapt to drough...

Join the Ranch Managers Guild: https://wla.social/guild Today we're sharing an episode from our friends at the Land Investor Podcast featuring Justin Howe—President of Gates Family Ranches, which is a family-owned cattle, hospitality, and conservation operation spanning the Colorado–Wyoming border. Alongside his wife, Lissa, Justin has co-managed the A Bar A Guest Ranch since 2008. Justin is also...

In a drying West, more producers are looking for options to remain viable , which is why today we're taking a look at dryland farming.    Relying on water from the sky in the Colorado River Basin, where it feels like irrigation is the norm, is not an easy task.  That's why we're chatting with Gus Westerman, director at Colorado State University Extension and drought advisor, to learn how to make f...

A new report reveals that Western landowners invested at least $407.5 million of their own money in conservation in 2024, outpacing many of the most well-known public funding programs. This new data fills a major gap in how we understand conservation economics.   Today, WLA CEO Lesli Allison and WLA's communications director Louis Wertz walk through what the data shows, why these investments have...

Today we're sharing an episode from our friends at Reframing Rural, an award-winning documentary podcast telling honest, place-rooted stories of rural people and communities. Their new season, "Succession Stories," offers an intimate look at the family farm and ranch succession process - something rarely talked about openly, yet central to the future of working lands.   Before we roll the episode,...

Today, we're looking at the future of the Bureau of Land Management — a federal agency that oversees nearly 250 million acres of land in the West .     We're in the middle of a critical moment for public lands, especially the BLM. Staffing and budget cuts are hitting an agency that's already stretched thin, there's still no confirmed director, and a recent ProPublica investigation is once again ra...

Today we're digging into a deceptively simple tool with big impacts on water and soil health: rock weirs. Rancher and Working Wild Challenge director Erik Kalsta joins us from Montana's Big Hole Valley to explain how he uses these low-tech structures to slow water and reduce erosion on his operation. He shares what he's learned from years of observing the land — and why small interventions can cre...

California's recent decision to remove four members of a wolf pack near Lake Tahoe sparked national attention - but the story behind it is much bigger.   Today on the On Land feed, we're sharing a special episode from our sister show, Working Wild University , which WLA produces with wildlife management specialist and prof. Jared Beaver at Montana State University Extension. In this episode, Wildl...

Only 7% of philanthropic dollars goes toward rural America, and our guest today is working to change that.    Today our CEO Lesli Allison sits down with Erin Borla, executive director of the Roundhouse Foundation in Sisters, Oregon. Erin's helping reimagine what philanthropy looks like in rural and tribal communities, through both the Foundation's grantmaking and their podcast Funding Rural. Show...

The American West is changing fast, and one of the biggest forces shaping that change is development. Sprawl - those 35-acre subdivisions and ranchettes you see spreading across the landscape - can mean paradise for some, and the unraveling of communities, wildlife habitat and productive landscapes for others.   Today we're talking about what's driving that growth, what it means for landowners and...

The Endangered Species Act has helped save iconic species from extinction - but it's also created real tension for the private landowners who manage the majority of wildlife habitat in the U.S.   In this episode, WLA CEO Lesli Allison sits down with Leo Miranda, executive director of Conservation Without Conflict and former Southeast Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. From h...

The Farm Bill. A piece of legislation that quietly shapes much of life in this country - especially for those of us in rural America.   The Farm Bill influences everything from food access to conservation, crop insurance to rural infrastructure. And yet, for how far-reaching it is, most Americans know very little about what's actually in it - or what's at stake when it comes up for renewal.   To h...

For Chef Joshua Drage, fire is more than a cooking method - it is a unifying ingredient in his culinary creations. Drage's passion lies in crafting dishes that pay homage to the American West; emphasizing the connection between fire and food. Drage collaborates with local producers to source the freshest ingredients skillfully blending bold flavors while championing healthy eating.   Today's episo...

Today we're chatting with Caroline and Justin Nelson, the powerhouse ranching couple behind Little Creek Feed in Townsend, Montana, and the owners of Little Creek Lamb & Beef, a direct-to-consumer meat company that prioritizes care for the land, the animals, and the people sustained by both.   We talk about what it was like to start a business while expecting their first child, why they're so comm...

The future of forests, and the communities and wildlife that depend on them, is at a crossroads. In this episode of  On Land , Western Landowners Alliance CEO Lesli Allison sits down with Dave Tenny, founding president and CEO of the National Alliance of Forest Owners, for a timely, wide-ranging conversation.   They dig into sweeping new federal directives aimed at expanding domestic timber produc...

The American West is burning. We need to adapt. But what does it really mean to live with fire?   Today's guest has spent years trying to answer that question. Nick Mott is an award-winning journalist, podcast producer (Threshold, MTPR's The Wide Open, Fireline), and now author of the book This is Wildfire: How to Protect Yourself, Your Home, and Your Community in the Age of Heat, which he co-auth...

Today we're bringing you a timely conversation with Lesli Allison, CEO of Western Landowners Alliance . With major shifts happening in federal policy—funding freezes, staffing cuts, and growing uncertainty—Lesli breaks down what these changes mean for working lands and the people who steward them.   We'll talk about the challenges landowners are facing, the opportunities to shape the future, and w...

UPDATE: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has extended the public comment period on proposed changes to the grizzly bear's Endangered Species Act listing. The new deadline is May 16. Today we're sharing an episode from Working Wild University, our award-winning documentary podcast about the people and wildlife of the American West. Western Landowners Alliance produces this show in partnership wit...

Today we dive into an illuminating conversation between Morgan Wagoner, Western Landowners Alliance's Western Water Program Director, and Zak Podmore, author of Life After Deadpool: Lake Powell's Last Days and the Rebirth of the Colorado River .   Together, they explore topics like the Colorado River's massive silt deposits, mud volcanoes and ever-resilient native species, and the urgent need to r...

Today we sit down with Dan Miller, the founder and CEO of Steward, a regenerative agriculture finance firm. Dan founded Steward to combine his background in finance, real estate, and technology with his passion for agriculture, which stems from his maternal family who have been farming on the eastern shore of Maryland since the 1880s. Find the show notes here: https://onland.link/podcast  

Today we sit down with Linda Poole, a rancher and working lands director at Western Landowners Alliance. Linda and her border collies and livestock guardian dogs care for colored finewool sheep, laying hens and sometimes cattle on a prairie homestead south of Malta, Montana. In 2023 Linda was awarded a Field Work Project grant from the LOR Foundation, which allowed her to experiment with different...

How does human-related sound impact wildlife around us? From trails to roads to cities, this question propels Dr. Jesse Barber, a leader in the emerging field of sensory ecology. Jesse Barber is a professor of biological sciences at Boise State University. He was recently appointed as the chief conservation curator and chief conservation scientist at the American Museum of Natural History in New Y...

In this episode of the On Land Podcast, we sit down with Chrissy McFarren, the owner of Badger Creek Ranch in Cañon City, Colorado. Chrissy shares her journey from a first-generation rancher, originally from California, to becoming a dedicated land steward in the American West. We explore the challenges and triumphs of managing a 6,500-acre ranch, where Chrissy and her team balance the demands of...