The Wild Idea

Wild Idea Media

The Wild Idea is an exploration of the intersection of wild nature and our own human nature. The hosts, Bill Hodge and Anders Reynolds, through conversations with experts and thought leaders will dive into the ways that humans have both embraced and impact the function and vitality of our remaining wild places.

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142 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes142

Newest first

Jun 13, 2025 · 16 min
The Wild Line: Senate Draft Targets Millions of Acres, DOJ Clears Monument Rollbacks
This week on The Wild Line, we dive into the latest updates from the Department of Justice, look at Senate drafts impacting public lands and forests, and talk about youth efforts on behalf of Bigfoot, as well as a handful of other important topics. It's been a big week for wilderness spaces—here's what you may have missed. Find out more about today's episode and links we mentioned on the show at our website, thewildidea.com.
Jun 10, 2025 · 44 min
Randy Newberg: The Host of Fresh Tracks Offers Fresh Ideas on Advocacy and Access
Randy Newberg is one of the most trusted and strategic voices in the sportsman conservation world, and he’s got stories to prove it. In this episode, Randy joins Bill and Anders for a wide-ranging, funny, and deeply personal conversation that moves from his childhood hunting on public lands in northern Minnesota to testifying before Congress and building a media platform to fight for the places that fed and shaped him. Learn more about Randy and find links to the resources mentioned today at our website, thewildidea.com.
Jun 6, 2025 · 10 min
The Wild Line: Lee and Daines talk land sales, Interior guts Science and opens Alaska to drilling
This week on The Wild Line, Senators Lee and Daines revive dangerous land sell-off efforts, the DOI axes key science protections, and Alaska faces a new wave of oil and gas drilling, because apparently, recess doesn’t mean rest for public lands. Learn more and find the links and resources from today's episode at our website, thewildidea.com.
Jun 3, 2025 · 51 min
Andis Arietta: The Uncertainty Inherent in Wilderness
What do frozen frogs, machine learning, roadkill, and wilderness ethics have in common? According to evolutionary ecologist Dr. Andis Arietta…everything. In this wide-ranging and mind-expanding conversation, Andis joins us to explore the deep connections between ecology, evolution, climate change, and how (and whether) we manage wild places. Find the links and resources mentioned in today's conversation and learn more about Andis by visiting our website, thewildidea.com
May 30, 2025 · 11 min
The Wild Line: SCOTUS approves mine on sacred ground; Burgum rewrites history
This week on The Wild Line, despite Congress being on recess, the hits keep coming for public lands, tribal sovereignty, and environmental protections. Find the links and resources mentioned in today's episode on our website, thewildidea.com
May 29, 2025 · 34 min
Jon Jarvis: Are Our National Parks Being Set Up To Fail?
In this bonus episode of The Wild Idea, we sit down with Jon Jarvis, the 18th Director of the National Park Service, for a wide-ranging and urgent conversation about the future of America’s public lands. Drawing on his 40-year career in the Park Service—from backcountry Alaska to the corridors of D.C.—Jarvis offers a sobering look at current threats, including budget slashing, forced retirements, and what he calls a calculated push to privatize the parks. Learn more and find the links and resources mentioned in this episode at our website, thewildidea.com.
May 27, 2025 · 44 min
Ingrid Lyons: Save the Boundary Waters, Join the National Wilderness Coalition
What does it take to protect one of the most visited, and most threatened, wilderness areas in America? Executive Director of Save the Boundary Waters, Ingrid Lyons, joins us to talk about the fight to defend Minnesota’s beloved Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from dangerous copper mining proposals and the broader movement to reinvigorate wilderness advocacy nationwide. Learn more about the topics discussed in today's episode and connect with Ingrid on our website, thewildidea.com
May 23, 2025 · 7 min
The Wild Line: Burgum Defends Park Closures, Public Lands Survive Reconciliation (for now)
This week on The Wild Line, Anders and Bill break down a big development in the ongoing budget reconciliation battle, and what it means for public lands. We dive into the House Reconciliation Bill, the Trump administration’s $5 billion cut to the Department of the Interior’s budget, and more. Find the links and resources mentioned in today's episode on our website, thewildidea.com
May 22, 2025 · 17 min
Senator Tim Kaine: Walk, Ride, Paddle, Protect!
It’s not every day a sitting U.S. Senator joins us to talk about the places that shaped him. In this special bonus episode, Senator Tim Kaine reflects on his journey across Virginia—on foot, by bike, and by kayak—and how that experience shapes his approach to conservation, policy, and legacy. See the notes from today's episode and learn more by visiting our website, thewildidea.com
May 20, 2025 · 42 min
Kaitie Schneider: Wolverines Reissued
What happens when you try to bring back a mythic, misunderstood, cold-loving carnivore that most people don't even know is real? You get one of the most fascinating conservation stories in the American West. In this episode, Kaitie Schneider of Defenders of Wildlife joins us to talk about the long-awaited reintroduction of Gulo gulo, the wolverine, to Colorado. Learn more and connect with Kaitie by visiting our website, thewildidea.com
May 16, 2025 · 16 min
The Wild Line: Bipartisan Pushback on Threats to Public Lands and the Endangered Species Act
Welcome to the very first edition of The Wild Line, a new weekly series from The Wild Idea podcast. This show is for all of you who’ve asked to stay informed about what’s happening with our public lands, from Washington, D.C. to your own backyard. Each Friday, we’ll bring you the big stories shaping the future of our wild places, with sharp commentary, context, and some fire. This week, we’re starting with some catch-up after a whirlwind month on the public lands front. We cover promising legislation in Virginia and Arkansas, the wildfire of bad news coming out of House reconciliation efforts, attacks on the Endangered Species Act, bipartisan resistance to land sell-offs, and the gutting of our public lands workforce. Find the links and resources mentioned in today's episode on our website, thewildidea.com
May 13, 2025 · 52 min
Jose Gonzalez: Show Up and Be Curious
In this episode of The Wild Idea, we speak with José González, founder of Latino Outdoors and co-founder of The Outdoorist Oath, about identity, community, and redefining what it means to belong in wild spaces. José shares his personal journey from rural Mexico to national conservation leadership, and why the question isn’t just how to get more people outside, but why it matters who gets to belong there. Learn more and connect with José by visiting our website, thewildidea.com
May 6, 2025 · 44 min
David Gessner: Roosevelt, Resistance and Reclaiming the Wild
Today we are in conversation with David Gessner, the bestselling author of multiple books including his most recent release, The Book of Flaco. We talk about his exploration of the American West both on the page and through his own travels, along with the lasting legacy of Theodore Roosevelt and the paradox of land management in the United States. Connect with David and learn more about this conversation at our website, thewildidea.com
Apr 29, 2025 · 44 min
Tim Manley: Grizzlies, Conflict, and Coexistence
Today we're so excited to welcome Grizzly Bear Management Specialist (retired) Tim Manley to The Wild Idea podcast! In our conversation today, we talk about Tim's pioneering work capturing Grizzly behavior in the wild, the evolution of the Grizzly - Human relationship and interactions, and how human behavior is impacting Grizzly habitat and vice versa. Learn more about Tim and find the links and resources mentioned in today's episode on our website.
Apr 22, 2025 · 49 min
Drew Lanham: The Wild We Inherit, The Wild We Imagine
Today we are excited to be in conversation with J. Drew Lanham, an ecologist, poet, and professor. We dive into questions of wilderness, who determines the authenticity of an outdoor experience, how Black and Brown people are showing up outside, what the evolving government actions could mean for our common access to wild spaces, and so much more. Connect with Drew and see the links and resources mentioned in today's episode on our website.
Apr 15, 2025 · 46 min
Greg Aplet: Forests, Fire, and What is Wild
Today we're welcoming forest ecologist Greg Aplet as we dive into one of the most common points of interest when it comes to the wilderness today: forest fires and how they impact spaces both wild and human. We talk with Greg about legislation and governmental actions, the costs and benefits of allowing fires to burn, the after-effects of the Smoky the Bear campaign, and how we can further the conversation between everyone impacted by logging, forest fires, and the ecology of the wilderness. Connect with Greg and see the links and resources mentioned in today's episode on our website.
Apr 10, 2025 · 36 min
Susan Jane Brown: The (Troubled) Future of the United States Forest Service
In the midst of the current administration's efforts to target public lands for privatization, we invited Susan Jane Brown—who we'll call SJ throughout today's show—to talk about what's happening right now and what it means for all of us, in this bonus episode where we're diving deep into the current threats facing the U.S. Forest Service. After setting the stage with a framing of the government institutions that protect and caretake our public lands, we get into conversation with SJ about the entire picture of the timber industry and its intersection with public lands, from rural communities to fire management and so much more. Connect with SJ and see the links and resources mentioned in today's episode on our website.
Apr 8, 2025 · 45 min
Corina Newsome: The Wild All Around Us
Today we’re joined by wildlife scientist Corina Newsome, as we explore the roots of her passion for birds before diving into how her career has brought her into spaces of seeking environmental justice and equity and helping climate-threatened species survive in a changing world. Connect with Corina and see the links and resources mentioned in today's episode on our website.
Apr 1, 2025 · 50 min
Nate Schweber: Public Lands History That Rhymes
We're excited to welcome journalist Nate Schweber to the show! Today our conversation delves into how journalism has told the story of our public lands across the years, and Nate shares more about his recent book This America of Ours and other crucial writings about our public spaces. Connect with Nate and see the links and resources mentioned in today's episode on our website.
Mar 25, 2025 · 48 min
Hal Herring: Tailgate Conservation
In today’s episode, we’re talking with the award-winner author, conservationist, and forester Hal Herring. You’l hear about how he balances his work as a planter, a sawyer, and writer; his journey and experiences from his youth in the American South to his career in the forests of the American West, his experiences with conservation and public lands across his career, and why he considers public lands to be the soul of the American Dream. Connect with Hal and see the links and resources mentioned in today's episode on our website.