Working Wild U

Today's episode is a special guest in our podcast feed, from the Down to Earth: the Planet to Plate Podcast, presented by our friends at the Quivira Coalition and Radio Café. Working Wild U cohost Jared Beaver sat down with Down to Earth host Mary-Charlotte Domandi to discuss why we started Working Wild U, why we chose to wade into a season on wolves, and the important role working lands play in s...

Today, Alex and Jared explore how livestock producers and researchers are working together to adapt old world tools into new world technologies to help reduce conflicts. They'll look at how innovative solutions can often be simple, and how new tools can help keep people, livestock, and wildlife safe. Find the show notes at workingwild.us

In this episode, Alex and Jared dive into techniques that can help ranchers reduce conflicts between wolves and livestock. They'll explore how a new spin on an old tool increases the effectiveness of fencing, how putting riders back on the range can have a multitude of benefits, and how one valley in Montana is working together to compost carcasses to reduce attractants on the landscape. But apply...

This is a special bonus episode of Working Wild U. In the northeast corner of Washington on the Colville Reservation, wildlife managers are working to ensure a balance across all wildlife species as wolves re-establish themselves. Today, Alex and Jared hear from Cody Desautel, the executive director and former natural resource director for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Full...

So far this season, we've been spending a lot of time in the Northern Rockies, in the states where grey wolves first returned to the West – by reintroduction or recolonization. But in 2008, dispersing wolves from Idaho denned in both eastern Oregon and Washington, where wolves hadn't been seen since the 1940s.  In this episode, Alex and Jared explore how different geography, politics and managemen...

When wolves disperse, they are increasingly moving through human-dominated landscapes where they often get into trouble.  In today's episode, Alex and Jared explore where wolves are, where different people think they should be, and the tricky business of managing and living with wolves in a changing world. Complete show notes are always available at workingwild.us .

Many people, when they think about wolves, think of Yellowstone National Park. And for good reason; it has some of the best wolf watching in the world. But tensions rose when changes to Montana's wolf hunt along the Park border were made just before the 2021-22 hunting season. In this episode, Alex and Jared explore wolves in and around Yellowstone National Park. They'll look at how wolves are man...

In 2021, the Montana and Idaho legislatures each passed a suite of bills liberalizing wolf hunting. These changes ignited national debate around fair chase ethics, norms of state wildlife management decision-making, and potential relisting of wolves in the Northern Rockies under the Endangered Species Act. Honing in on Montana, hosts Alex and Jared explore what these recent changes to wolf hunt re...

It's easy to see wolf management in two buckets: full protection under the Endangered Species Act or unregulated wolf hunting. But successful management of established wildlife populations is most often somewhere in the middle, with hunting used both as a tool and a conservation funding mechanism. Join Alex and Jared as they explore hunting as a management tool and take a look at how the North Ame...

Today we're introducing you to one of our favorite podcasts, Reframing Rural, a show working to "reframe the narrative on rural America." In this episode from their third season, "Groundwork," Reframing Rural producer Megan Torgerson shares the intimate journey of her family's farm succession, as well as others in her home community of Dagmar, Montana, giving listeners an inside look into the emot...

Do wolves pose a threat to people? What is "normal" wolf behavior? What happens when wolves set up shop in your neighborhood? Join hosts Alex and Jared as they explore a collection of stories about wolves getting a little too close for comfort, and the difficult choices wildlife managers face when wolves come to town. Complete Show Notes at workingwild.us

In 1995, wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park after decades of absence. It didn't take long for them to make their way to Julia Childs' ranch, located just north of the park. When wolves were reintroduced in the Northern Rockies, they were entering a complex social and political landscape that continues today. In this episode, Alex and Jared explore the nuances of the wolf reintro...

96% of wolves in the Northern Rockies live in the working wild: public and private lands where people and wildlife share the landscape. But who pays the cost of supporting biodiversity on the landscape? To find out, we explore the economics of our food system and take a look at how one ranch family is getting creative in order to share the landscape with wolves and maintain open space. Complete sh...

To understand how we got to where we are today, hosts Alex and Jared go to Albert Sommers' operation and the Green River Drift, a cattle migration in Wyoming that's been taking place for generations. We'll learn about the land management policies that shaped predator eradication, public lands, and the West we know today. Complete show notes at workingwild.us

In the western United States, wolves represent many things to many people. To some, wolves are a symbol of wildness. To others, wolves represent a very real threat to their livelihoods and well-being. Join us as we explore how people's values impact how they think about wolves. When it comes to wolves, can we find a shared vision for the future? Complete show notes: workingwild.us

Working Wild U is a new podcast that takes you out into the field, forest and range with the people and wildlife of the American West to tell you the big stories at the heart of the struggle to sustain resilient and connected landscapes and communities.   Season 1 explores wolves in the West - from extermination to recovery, to uncovering what it really means to share the landscape with these icon...