Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson

Carlos Fernandez is the State Director for the Nature Conservancy in Colorado, where he and his team build alliances that advance conservation outcomes both in Colorado and around the world. Building on his formal training as an attorney, Carlos has had a long and successful career in conservation that extends far beyond the American West. He has worked extensively in his home country of Argentina...

David Gessner is back for his third appearance on the podcast, and this time we are discussing his brand new book "Leave It As It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt's American Wilderness." Most long-time listeners will remember David's past two episodes-- we discussed everything from Edward Abbey and Wallace Stegner to his daily writing rituals and his hand-built coastal writing shack. If yo...

Becky Edwards is the Executive Director of the Mountain Mamas, an organization whose mission is to amplify women's voices into a movement to ensure that kids grow up in a healthy climate with clean air and access to public lands. Operating out of both Montana and Colorado—and currently expanding throughout the West—the Mountain Mamas harness the power of mothers to advocate to solve some of the We...

Ivan McClellan is a professional photographer and the creator of the Eight Seconds Project, a storytelling project with the goal of extending the cowboy icon to include people of color. Ivan started the project back in 2015, after a series of chance encounters led him to an all-black rodeo in Oklahoma. Over the course of photographing the event, he became enamored with the black cowboy way of life...

Gabe Vasquez is the founder of the Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project and currently serves as a city councilor in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Gabe has devoted his entire career to advocacy and conservation, specifically for the people and places in the border region of New Mexico. He's worked for Senator Martin Heinrich, the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, and recently drafted New Mexico's Outdoor Eq...

Chris La Tray is a writer, poet, and musician, as well as the author of the award-winning book "One Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays from the World at Large." Chris is also an enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe—a Native American tribe that was just recently recognized by the United States government, and prior to the recognition was known as the "landless Indians of Montana." Chris'...

Rachel VandeVoort is the Director of the Montana Office of Outdoor Recreation, an office that advocates for the outdoor recreation industry and works to leverage its numerous benefits to the state. The office was created in 2016 by Montana Governor Steve Bullock, and he tapped Rachel to be its first director, where she built the office from the ground up. Since then, the office has experienced ama...

Chris Burkard is a world-renowned photographer, filmmaker, and storyteller whose work captures the beauty and rawness of some of the earth's wildest places. Whether documenting iconic climbs in Yosemite or frigid surf trips deep in the Arctic Circle, Chris has established himself as a committed artist who is willing to suffer extensively to get the perfect shot. And because of his love and respect...

Dan Prenzlow is the Director of Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) , the agency charged with managing wildlife, lands, natural resources, and outdoor recreation throughout the great state of Colorado. Dan started with the agency back in 1986 as a District Wildlife Manager and steadily worked his way through the ranks, assuming the role of Director in the spring of 2019. Born and raised in Colorado,...

Callan Wink is a writer, novelist, fishing guide, and surfer who currently splits his time between Livingston, Montana and Santa Cruz, California. He's the author of the newly released novel August , as well as the highly regarded short story collection Dog Run Moon , books that I recently read and thoroughly enjoyed. Callan's writing speaks for itself, but if you're looking for credentials, he's...

Rebecca Jewett is President and CEO of Palmer Land Trust , a conservation organization that works to conserve land and water resources in southeastern Colorado. Palmer Land Trust is one of the twenty largest land trusts in the nation based on acreage conserved, with over 135,000 acres of land protected in perpetuity.  Rebecca has led the organization since 2014, expanding and diversifying its cons...

George Hodgin is the founder and CEO of Biopharmaceutical Research Company (BRC), a California-based business with the mission of providing federally legal cannabis for approved researchers in the United States. Prior to starting BRC, George served as a US Navy SEAL officer, leading counterterrorism operations in combat zones such as Afghanistan. And to top it all off, he's a graduate of the Stanf...

Kyle Richardson is a Colorado-based professional runner and mountain athlete who is best known for his high-stakes, high-speed endurance feats in the Rocky Mountains. Over the past two years, Kyle has set several Fastest Known Time ("FKT") records in the Colorado mountains—most notably on Boulder's First and Third Flatirons, as well as the renowned LA Freeway route that stretches from Longs Peak t...

Daniela Ibarra-Howell is the CEO and a co-founder of the Savory Institute , an organization whose mission is to regenerate the world's grasslands through holistic management. By restoring and protecting grasslands-- both in the American West and around the globe-- Daniela and her team at Savory effectively address pressing issues such as climate change, economic well-being, and food and water inse...

Andrew Ramiro Tirado is a Colorado-based artist who is best known for his award-winning large-scale sculptures and paintings of human hands. Using wood, metal, or traditional paint and canvas, Andrew combines his unique artistic eye with decades of experience as a craftsman to create remarkable pieces that are stunning in both their size and presentation. His hand sculptures can exceed ten feet in...

Jessica Ilalaole is a New Mexico-based artist who specializes in handcrafted jewelry inspired by the natural world and the landscapes of the American West. Through her online store CobraCult Jewelry , Jessica has built a loyal following of customers and admirers who are drawn to her uniquely stunning designs, as well as her authentic and unconventional lifestyle. Jessica's personality is a unique...

Kate Kavanaugh is an entrepreneur and regenerative agriculture advocate who co-owns and operates Western Daughters Butcher Shoppe in Denver, Colorado. Along with her partner Josh Curtiss, Kate sells fresh, local, grass-fed and pasture-raised meats that are all raised and harvested within 150 miles of Denver. Although she has been featured in such notable publications as "The New York Times" and "F...

Peter Heller is a renowned novelist, as well as an award-winning adventure writer and former contributing editor to "Outside," "Men's Journal," and "National Geographic Adventure." Since age eleven, Peter has been committed to the craft of writing, and his lifelong love of words and stunning prose are the threads that connect all of his work– from fiction to non-fiction to poetry. His most recent...

Hal Herring is an award-winning journalist and writer whose work has appeared in such notable publications as the Atlantic, the Economist, and Orion.  He is also a contributing editor at Field and Stream and a regular contributor to High Country News. Most recently, Hal has made a name for himself in the podcast world as the host of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers' popular podcast, called the Podc...

Mark Kenyon is a conservationist, outdoorsman, and author of the fantastic new book " That Wild Country: An Epic Journey through the Past, Present, and Future of America's Public Lands ." For years, Mark has been well-known and respected in the hunting world, thanks in part to his website, blog, and podcast called Wired to Hunt , which focuses on the finer points of big game hunting. Mark and Wire...

Matt Skoglund and his wife Sarah are bison ranchers and the owners of the North Bridger Bison Ranch , which is located in Montana's iconic Shields Valley. The Skoglund's bison operation is deeply rooted in Holistic Management and Regenerative Agriculture principles, and their goal is to produce healthy and delicious meat, while simultaneously improving the land, helping the environment, and contri...

Becca Aceto is an Idaho-based conservationist and is currently the Communications and Outreach Coordinator for the Idaho Wildlife Federation . Prior to this position with IWF, she worked in a variety of jobs closely connected to Idaho'sIdaho's rugged landscapes—as a naturalist, Forest Service wilderness ranger, and a Forest Service Wildlife Technician. Given her professional commitment to the land...

Duke Phillips III is the founder and CEO of Ranchlands , a Colorado-based, family-owned ranch management company. If Ranchlands sounds familiar, that's because last week's episode was with Duke's son, Duke Phillips IV. You may remember that the younger Duke referenced his father's philosophies around business and leadership several times, so I thought it would be fun to have the elder Duke on the...

Duke Phillips IV is the Chief Operating Officer of Ranchlands, a Colorado-based ranching and ranch management company that is widely celebrated for its deep conservation ethic. Duke oversees all operations across Ranchlands' properties, which include the renowned 87,000-acre Chico Basin Ranch and the 103,000-acre Medano Zapata Ranch. Working closely with his father Duke III and his sister Tess, th...

This episode is a special recording from a Mountain & Prairie live podcast in Bozeman, Montana. On August 30th more than 300 folks gathered at the historic Ellen Theatre in downtown Bozeman to watch, listen, and participate in a wide-ranging conversation with four amazing women of the West—hat-maker and farmer Cate Havstad; silversmith and all-around artist Jillian Lukiwski; adventure photographer...