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Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson

Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson

De: Ed Roberson
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 A podcast about the people shaping the future of the American West—its land, communities, and culture. • Hosted by conservationist Ed Roberson, Mountain & Prairie features in-depth conversations with leaders, innovators, and changemakers—conservationists tackling environmental challenges, authors and historians preserving the West’s stories, artists capturing the region’s spirit, entrepreneurs building place-based businesses, outdoor athletes pushing human limits, and more. Through engaging, down-to-earth discussions, Ed explores their journeys, hard-earned wisdom, and lessons learned. • Each episode offers inspiration and insight—whether a story of resilience, a fresh take on conservation, or practical lessons in leadership, creativity, and problem-solving. It’s a space for meaningful conversations about the land, the people, and the ideas shaping the modern West.Mountain & Prairie Media Ciencias Sociales Escritos y Comentarios sobre Viajes
Episodios
  • Sean Claffey – A Resilient Vision for Sagebrush Country

    Sean Claffey – A Resilient Vision for Sagebrush Country
    Jun 30 2025
    Sean Claffey is the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Conservation Coordinator at the Nature Conservancy, a role that places him at the center of one of the West’s most overlooked but critically important ecosystems: the sagebrush steppe. Based in Dillon, Montana, Sean works across public and private lands to protect and restore this sprawling, foundational landscape that serves as habitat for countless species, supports rural economies, and connects the region’s valleys and mountain ranges. Through his leadership in the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership—a collaborative effort uniting agencies, landowners, and nonprofits—Sean helps ensure that the health of this “land in between” doesn’t fall through the cracks. In this conversation, Sean and I dig into the complex threats facing sagebrush country, from invasive grasses and wildfire to conifer encroachment and land conversion. We talk about how fire suppression and ecological shifts have allowed evergreens like Douglas fir and juniper to overtake sagebrush, and how Sean’s team is using a mix of prescribed burns, manual thinning, and innovative partnerships with local mills to restore balance to the landscape. He also shares how they’re engaging young people in hands-on restoration work, creating pathways for rural youth to connect with the land and gain meaningful employment. Sean brings a unique blend of scientific insight, community-mindedness, and boots-on-the-ground experience to this work, and he’s quick to credit the collaborative culture of southwest Montana for making so much progress possible. From low-tech wet meadow restoration to building a more resilient restoration economy, this is a hopeful, grounded conversation about how conservation can succeed when it centers people, place, and purpose. If you’re a new listeners and want to go deeper on this subject, I’d encourage you to go back and listen to my earlier episode with Matt Cahill who gives an excellent crash course on the Sagebrush Sea and the epsiode with Austin Rempel and Nancy Smith, who dig deep into riparian restoration in Montana. But for this episode, be sure the check out the webpage and episode notes for some excellent videos about Sean’s work and links to everything we discuss. Thanks for listening. --- Sean ClaffeySouthwest Montana Sagebrush PartnershipMatt Cahill M&P episodeNancy Smith and Austin Rempel M&P episodeFull episode notes, video, and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/sean-claffey/ --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive. During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy’s leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond. To learn more about The Nature Conservancy’s impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 3:26 - Intro and Ed’s love of Dillon4:14 - The Sagebrush Sea7:19 - Pressures on the sea9:42 - Conifer expansion, the main reason for grassland reduction12:00 - Ecological, environmental, economical17:52 - Working with the timber industry21:59 - Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership, not just another NGO26:41 - Sean’s first priorities with SW MT Sagebrush30:11 - The way the water should flow34:47 - Youth programming40:53 - Cheatgrass, an actual cheater43:47 - Containing cheatgrass45:01 - Cheatgrass and fire47:02 - Working with private landowners52:58 - Connecting with the community58:21 - A little more about Sean1:01:10 - Career advice for people who want to make the world a better place1:03:54 - Book recs and life recs --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All EpisodesMountain & Prairie ShopMountain & Prairie on InstagramUpcoming EventsAbout Ed RobersonSupport Mountain & Prairie Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts
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    1 h y 8 m
  • Adam Cramer – Fighting for the Future of Public Lands

    Adam Cramer – Fighting for the Future of Public Lands
    Jun 16 2025
    Adam Cramer is the CEO of the Outdoor Alliance, a coalition that brings together human-powered outdoor recreation groups to protect public lands and waters. With a deep understanding of both policy and recreation, Adam has helped position the Outdoor Alliance as a powerful voice in the national conservation movement—bridging the gap between grassroots outdoor communities and high-level decision-making in Washington, DC. Before launching into public lands advocacy, Adam spent years working as an attorney in DC. But outside the office, his life was centered on outdoor adventure—he started as a skateboarder, then became a climber, and eventually a whitewater kayaker. A chance encounter in a river parking area led to his first pro bono conservation case, and that spark ultimately evolved into his full-time vocation. Adam’s story is a testament to the idea that if you care deeply about a place, there’s a way to use your unique skills to help protect it. In this conversation, we talked about the origins of the Outdoor Alliance, Adam’s evolution from attorney to coalition-builder, and why generosity—not dominance—is his guiding principle for leadership. We discussed why civic engagement matters more than ever, how outdoor recreation can build bipartisan bridges, and why showing up—even when it feels small—can make a real difference. It’s worth noting that we recorded this conversation in early June 2025, just as a wave of new legislation and political turbulence was rolling across the public lands landscape. Since then, things have continued to change rapidly. If you care about the future of outdoor recreation and conservation in this country, I highly recommend signing up for the Outdoor Alliance’s newsletter or following them on social media to stay informed and involved. Again, a big thanks to the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation for introducing me to Adam, and another big thanks to Patagonia Denver for generously letting us use their community room to record this conversation. Enjoy! --- Adam CramerOutdoor AllianceOutdoor Alliance - TAKE ACTION The latest from the Outdoor Alliance (as of 6.16.25)Outdoor Alliance on InstagramSign up for Action AlertsFull episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/adam-cramer/ --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation. To whom much is given, much is expected. This value guides the philosophy behind the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation today. Committed to its cause and infused with an entrepreneurial spirit, Mighty Arrow aims to invest in solutions that take action on climate change to build a more vibrant future, repair relationships from farm to market to table, heal our connection to the lands and waters we call home, and demand a more just and equitable society. To learn more about Mighty Arrow’s forward-thinking, optimistic, and visionary work here in the American West and beyond, please visit www.mightyarrow.org. --- TOPICS DISCUSSED: 3:05 – Intro (with a jiu jitsu connection)6:45 – Law school, then what?8:01 – The individuality of skateboarding10:38 – Billdering11:45 – Beginning of kayaking and the end of a relationship13:40 – A type of code switching16:26 – Giving back to the places23:03 – How Outdoor Alliance came together27:51 – Sticking points30:46 – Attorney mindset to strategy point-person33:13 – Leadership inspiration37:24 – A generous mindset42:49 – Who’s pro selling off public lands?45:21 – Guidepost goals49:04 – The reason Adam got on the plane to Colorado, where he’s talking with Ed48:14 - Why you should engage with your elected officials58:30 - Evidence the world doesn’t totally suck59:43 - Optimistic?1:03:40 - How to get involved1:05:06 - Book recs --- ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: Mountain & Prairie - All EpisodesMountain & Prairie ShopMountain & Prairie on InstagramUpcoming EventsAbout Ed RobersonSupport Mountain & Prairie Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts
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    1 h y 9 m
  • Tony Bynum - Showing Up for the Land

    Tony Bynum - Showing Up for the Land
    Jun 6 2025

    Tony Bynum is a conservation photographer, scientist, and advocate who’s spent decades working at the intersection of public lands, Indigenous rights, and environmental storytelling. Based in Montana, his images have helped shape national conversations around energy development, landscape protection, and the cultural importance of the Northern Rockies. His work has been published widely and used by countless conservation organizations to make the case for protecting wild places.

    Before photography became his profession, Tony spent many years working for the Yakama Nation as a senior scientist, eventually landing in Washington, D.C., where he helped shape tribal environmental policy at the highest levels of government. But his path was never linear. A born-and-bred Westerner, he’s been a cowboy, a fly fishing guide, a federal program manager, and a backcountry wanderer. His guiding principle—“Don’t just love something, do something for it”—has carried him through an unconventional but deeply impactful career.

    In this episode, Tony tells us about his winding path and the values that have guided him along the way. We dig into his time in D.C., his decision to walk away from a conventional career, and the beginnings of his conservation photography—especially his long-running effort to document proposed energy development near Glacier National Park. As you’ll hear, I stepped back a little bit in the conversation and let Tony tell his story in his own words, and the result is a thoughtful and unfiltered look at what it means to live a life rooted in land and responsibility.

    You can check out more of Tony’s work by following the link in the episode notes. Thanks so much for listening, hope you enjoy!

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    • Tony Bynum
    • Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/tony-bynum/

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    TOPICS DISCUSSED:

    • 2:02 – Intro, where Tony grew up
    • 6:21 – Photography in the early days
    • 9:15 – Just doing interesting things
    • 13:13 – Indigenous and Western takes on science
    • 18:35 – Family dynamics
    • 21:24 – Where the work ethic came from
    • 23:14 – Where Tony didn’t tread
    • 25:48 – Bureaucracy
    • 31:07 – Lessons from the copy room
    • 36:17 – Tony’s purpose in DC
    • 39:01 – And why he had to leave
    • 40:41 – Restarting in Montana
    • 42:46 – Full-time photography
    • 47:07 – A diverse portfolio
    • 50:16 – Film to digital and internet access
    • 56:05 – Finding conservation
    • 58:18 – Energy development near Glacier and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation
    • 1:02:52 – The importance of having a visual context
    • 1:04:04 – Describing the oil and gas map
    • 1:09:51 – Book recs
    • 1:18:04 – Final words

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    ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE:

    • Mountain & Prairie - All Episodes
    • Mountain & Prairie Shop
    • Mountain & Prairie on Instagram
    • Upcoming Events
    • About Ed Roberson
    • Support Mountain & Prairie
    • Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts
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    1 h y 25 m
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