Working Wild U: Recent Episodes
Western Landowners Alliance and Montana State University Extension
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.
We bring you immersive stories at the crossroads of culture and science focused on the challenges and successes of sharing and managing farms and ranches with wildlife.
If you are passionate about open spaces, wild places and healthy communities that sustain people and wildlife, listen in.
What if keeping cattle on public lands is also helping keep critical wildlife habitat intact?
In Wyoming's Upper Green, ranchers move cattle along the historic Green River Drift through one of the epicenters of livestock-grizzly conflict in the Northern Rockies. Public grazing helps sustain private ranchlands—including critical river bottoms and winter range that keep this landscape connected for wildlife.
As grizzlies recover, the challenge of keeping ranches viable while maintaining habitat for wildlife is growing. We ride with a range rider and hear from ranchers and wildlife managers about what it takes to keep working lands, rural livelihoods, and grizzlies on the same landscape.
Show notes
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Topics discussed: Green River Drift, Upper Green River Cattle Association, public lands grazing, private ranchlands and wildlife habitat, Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, grizzly bear recovery and livestock conflict, calf depredation and livestock losses, range riding, wildlife migration corridors, ranch economics and land development, compensation for livestock losses, conflict reduction tools, grizzly bear management, the Four Cs of conflict reduction
Featuring: Brittany Hesseltine (foreman and range rider for the Upper Green River Cattle Association), Albert Sommers (fourth-generation Upper Green rancher, former president of the Upper Green River Cattle Association, Wyoming legislator and former Speaker of the Wyoming House), Coke Landers (president of the Upper Green River Cattle Association and rancher), Dan Thompson (large carnivore supervisor with Wyoming Game and Fish), Matt Collins (Working Wild Challenge Manager, Western Landowners Alliance)
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Cover image by Matt Collins
Working Wild University is a production of Western Landowners Alliance and Dr. Jared Beaver of Montana State University Extension, and a proud part of Natural Resources University podcast network.
Hosted by Hallie Mahowald and Jared Beaver; Produced by Matt Collins and Zach Altman; Editing by Kathleen Shannon and Zach Altman; Executive producers: Louis Wertz, Jared Beaver, Hallie Mahowald and Erik Kalsta.
The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is one of the defining concepts in wildlife conservation. But where did it come from?
In the 1950s, Frank and John Craighead pioneered modern grizzly bear research, using radio telemetry to follow bears far beyond the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park. Their work revealed that grizzlies depended on a much larger, connected landscape (including working lands) and helped introduce the concept of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem - an idea that continues to guide wildlife conservation and grizzly bear management today.
Show notes
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Topics discussed: Frank and John Craighead, Aldo Leopold's 'Sand County Almanac', the birth of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem as a concept, pioneering grizzly bear research and "cowboy biology," Yellowstone's garbage dumps, the rise of ecosystem-based conservation, radio telemetry and grizzly bear research, Craighead Institute, the conflict between the Craigheads and the National Park Service, the legacy of the Craigheads' work, Endangered Species Act, Yellowstone's role in wildlife conservation
Featuring: Dan Flores (Western historian, author of Wild New World, host of Meateater's The American West, Dan Tyres ( Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear habitat coordinator for the U.S. Forest Service, adjunct professor at Montana State University), Kerry Gunther (Bear Management Biologist for Yellowstone National Park).
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Cover art: courtesy of the Craighead Institute
Working Wild University is a production of Western Landowners Alliance and Dr. Jared Beaver of Montana State University Extension, and a proud part of Natural Resources University podcast network.
Hosted by Hallie Mahowald and Jared Beaver; Produced by Zach Altman; Editing by Kathleen Shannon and Zach Altman; Executive producers: Louis Wertz, Jared Beaver, Hallie Mahowald and Erik Kalsta. Special thanks to the Archives and Special Collections at Montana State University Library for granting access to the Frank Craighead Collection.
Grizzly bears are making a remarkable comeback across the American West. After decades of recovery, they're expanding into places they haven't occupied for generations - working ranches, rural communities, and the landscapes where people make their living.
So what happens when one of North America's most iconic predators returns?
In the third season premiere of Working Wild University, we trace the story of the grizzly bear - from its deep history on the continent, through near-extirpation, to one of the greatest wildlife recoveries in U.S. history. Along the way, we explore a question that will shape the entire season: Where do grizzly bears belong, and who gets to decide?
Through conversations with historians, ranchers, wildlife experts, and community leaders, we examine how conservation success has created a new set of challenges - and why the next chapter of grizzlies is as much about people as it is about bears.
Show notes
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Topics discussed: The Blackfoot Challenge, short faced bears of the ice age, Lewis and Clark's encounters with grizzly bears, grizzly bear decline and recovery, Endangered Species Act, tribal perspective (Blackfeet Nation), Richard Nixon's landmark environmental legislation, Jim Stone's ranch in the Blackfoot Valley in western Montana, how collaborative conservation works, the next chapter of grizzly bear conservation
Featuring: Jim Stone (rancher, board chair of the Blackfoot Challenge, Dan Flores (Western historian, author of Wild New World, host of Meateater's The American West, Joe Kipp (tribal leader and rancher on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana), David Diamond (leads the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee)
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Cover art: "Hunting of the Grizzly Bear," Karl Bodmer (1809–1893)
Working Wild University is a production of Western Landowners Alliance and Dr. Jared Beaver of Montana State University Extension, and a proud part of Natural Resources University podcast network.
Hosted by Hallie Mahowald and Jared Beaver; Produced by Zach Altman; Editing by Kathleen Shannon and Zach Altman; Executive producers: Louis Wertz, Jared Beaver, Hallie Mahowald and Erik Kalsta
Grizzly bears are making a comeback - and their return is one of North America's greatest conservation success stories.
But as bears expand into places they haven't occupied in generations, new questions emerge. Where do bears belong in the modern West? What does it actually take to share a landscape with a large carnivore? And who bears the costs and responsibilities of recovery?
This season on Working Wild University, we're traveling from Wyoming ranches to Montana communities, talking with ranchers, wildlife managers, scientists, tribal leaders, conservationists, and the people living and working in bear country every day.
The future of grizzly bears isn't just about bears. It's also about us.
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First episode launches Tuesday, July 28th 2026. Subscribe and never miss an episode.
Working Wild University is a production of Western Landowners Alliance and Dr. Jared Beaver of Montana State University Extension, and a proud part of Natural Resources University podcast network.
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.
In this episode, Wildlife Management professor at UC Berkeley, Dr. Arthur Middleton, joins us to dig into his recent New York Times op-ed and explore why America's predator recovery has outpaced our ability to support the people living in these landscape – and what we can do about it.
Find the show notes here: https://workingwild.us/season-2/california-wolves-87-dead-cattle-and-the-nyt-op-ed-everyones-sharing/
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.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing changes to the grizzly bear’s listing under the Endangered Species Act, and a public comment period is open until March 17th. But what exactly would this new rule mean for grizzly bear management, landowners, and the future of the species?
In this episode, Jared and Zach sit down with Shaleas Harrison, Wyoming Resources Coordinator with Western Landowners Alliance, to break down the proposed rule, the long history of grizzly bear listing and delisting efforts, and what the proposed changes could mean for people living and working in grizzly country.
Learn more about the proposed rule and submit a public comment.
Full show notes here.
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?
In this episode from our first season on wolves in the West, 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.
Show notes
New York Times The Daily podcast episode on prices in the beef market: “Who do you want controlling your food?”
John and Weston Helle’s wool apparel company, Duckworth
The Ruby Valley Strategic Alliance
Cole Mannix’s enterprise: Old Salt Co-op
The Blackfoot Challenge
Lesli Allison’s Director’s Letter in On Land: “Working lands are the future of conservation”
Find more info here
Wild pigs. Feral swine. Wild hogs. Whatever you call them, invasive wild pigs are rapidly spreading across the US and Canada - destroying crops and spreading disease along the way.
Experts are calling them one of the greatest threats to biodiversity in the country. What can we do about it?
To find out, we're talking with the show's own Dr. Jared Beaver to find out the dirty details (and solutions!) regarding wild pigs.
Find the show notes here.
Throughout this season, we’ve explored landowner- and community-led efforts to support imperiled species, from bears and birds to ferrets and fish. In the final episode of this season, we’re looking ahead to the future of imperiled pollinators on working lands.
Across the country, there is a growing crisis when it comes to pollinators. What happens when wide-ranging species that reside across vast expanses of public, private and Tribal lands, like the western bumblebee and monarch butterfly, are listed under the Endangered Species Act, as appears likely in the coming years? And what role will land stewards and working lands play in this next chapter of conservation?
Complete show notes are available at workingwild.us
How do we restore salmon spawning habitat in the Upper Salmon watershed without harming the ranching communities that rely on the river? The answer lies in locally-driven collaboration. In this episode, we explore the decades-long community effort to restore spawning grounds for Columbia Basin salmon by letting landowners take the lead. Back in the 1990s the hurdles seemed so insurmountable, rancher Merrill Beyeler likened the task to making pigs fly. Hundreds of miles upstream of where the Columbia pours into the Pacific Ocean, along the Lemhi River in Idaho, Beyeler and a huge group of partners have figured out how.
Complete show notes, as always, can be found at workingwild.us.
In the heart of America's grasslands, a battle for survival is unfolding. The lesser prairie-chicken, an iconic species of the Great Plains, is on the brink of extinction. But there's a growing network of producers and partners across the plains looking to change that.
Today on the show, can ranchers and partners work together to save the lesser prairie-chicken while supporting their livelihoods and communities? We’re headed to eastern New Mexico to find out.
Complete show notes can be found at workingwild.us.
When it comes to conservation, can a group of high school students really make a difference? Join Jared and Hallie as they dive into a story involving the Colorado River, an ancient endangered fish, and a group of high school students who are becoming the next generation of stewards.
Complete show notes are available on our website.
Finding an imperiled species on his ranch scared the daylights out of Russell Davis. What he and his neighbors did next may have saved their town.
Today on Working Wild U, join us as we return to the high plains of eastern Colorado to learn how a small ranching community transformed a migratory bird’s imperiled status from threat to opportunity.
Complete show notes are at workingwild.us
Today on Working Wild U, we're spotlighting, quite literally, one special species that calls the Great Plains home. A small predator that was thought to be extinct.... twice! Meet the black-footed ferret, the most endangered mammal in North America.
Thanks to community-driven efforts spanning the Great Plains, from dedicated ranchers in eastern Colorado to the Fort Belknap Indian Community in northern Montana, this elusive predator is staging a remarkable comeback.
As always, find our complete show notes, including links, videos and other references from the episode at workingwild.us.
Grizzly bears are expanding their range. But where are they headed? To find out, we get out on the land with ranchers Erik Kalsta and Jami Murdoch, who are working with partners to monitor wildlife – including grizzlies – on their operation in southwest Montana.
Together with Erik, Jami and Blackfeet rancher Kristen Kipp, plus a band of other experts, we explore what it really means for grizzly bears to recover under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, and the real challenges bears, and people, face as they do.
Read the complete show notes, as always, at workingwild.us.
When a section of the Big Hole River in southwest Montana ran dry in 1988, all eyes were on the future of one of the last remaining populations of arctic grayling in the lower 48.
Out of the struggle, a collaboration emerged that change the future of the Big Hole - a future where human communities, wildlife and the ecosystems they depend on can thrive. And it might even serve as a model for how we can conserve species that are headed for the brink.
Complete show notes are available at workingwild.us.
We're excited to announce the second season of Working Wild U: Imperiled.
This season we're exploring community and landowner-led wildlife conservation on working and tribal lands across the West. From grizzly bears to lesser-known species, join us as we discover the challenges and successes of how communities are working together for common-ground solutions.
We'll dive into the action, meeting individuals on the ground stewarding habitats and supporting thriving rural communities. As the Endangered Species Act turns 50, we reflect on the past and ponder the next 50 years of conservation in the US. Stay tuned for episodes dropping soon – it's a season of surprising stories and crucial questions about the future of working lands in the West.
Stay tuned for episodes dropping soon!
Working Wild University is a production of Western Landowners Alliance and Dr. Jared Beaver at Montana State University Extension and a proud part of Natural Resources Univers
In today’s bonus episode, we get an update on the Colorado wolf management plan from Hallie Mahowald with Western Landowners Alliance. Hallie was appointed as a member of the Stakeholder Advisory Group to ensure landowners and managers in Colorado were represented in providing input to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
As we explored in episode 13, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is currently drafting the wolf management plan. Part of this process involved the Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG), which was made up of people from the ranching community, wildlife advocates, guides and outfitters, hunters and anglers, and wildlife managers.
Find the show notes at workingwild.us
We’ve covered a lot this season: wolves, working lands, and some of the ideas and management practices that divide and unite the people of the American West. In our final episode of the season, Alex and Jared head to Colorado, where a ballot initiative, passed in 2020, requires Colorado Parks and Wildlife to reintroduce wolves to the western part of the state by the end of 2023.
Show notes: workingwild.us
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 supporting people and wildlife in the American West.
Thanks to Mary-Charlotte and the Quivira Coalition for welcoming Jared to their incredible interview lineup. Other recent guests on the show have included ranch manager Mark Biaggi, author Dan Flores and filmmaker John D. Liu! Check out Down to Earth: The Planet to Plate Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.
Find the show notes at workingwild.us
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 applying these tools takes know-how, money, and time. Who pays for conflict reduction efforts that support both wildlife and working lands?
See the full show notes, including links to references from the episode, at workingwild.us.
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 show notes can be found, as always, at workingwild.us.
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 management goals put wolves into the center of a tough new push-pull dynamic in the Pacific Northwest.
Full show notes can be found at workingwild.us
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 managed differently depending on where they are on a map, and what that really means for the communities around the Park. Plus, can non-consumptive users help fund wildlife conservation?
Full show notes are available at workingwild.us.
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 regulations could mean for wolf populations in the state and for people who share the landscape with wolves. Plus, they seek to understand if a collaborative, ground-up, scientifically and publicly-informed management approach could create more durable solutions that might help prevent pendulum swings in the future.
See our complete show notes and more at workingwild.us
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 American model of wildlife conservation allows species to fund their own conservation and management. Plus, they’ll take a look at how Wyoming’s unique approach to managing wolves has helped increase acceptance and reduce conflicts.
Full show notes are available on our website.
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 emotional, legal and financial factors at play with succession planning.
The topic of farm and ranch succession is at the top of mind for many folks in rural America today. Around 40% of farmland in the United States is owned by people over the age of 65, meaning up to 370 million acres could change hands in the next 20 years.
To quote Megan, “The fate of rural America matters to everyone, no matter where you live.” And this show will help you understand why. Enjoy this guest episode, and Wolves in the West will be back with a new episode next week!
Listen to more Reframing Rural at www.reframingrural.org/
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 reintroduction and recovery, made possible by the Endangered Species Act. This landmark environmental law passed with bipartisan support in 1973. Join us as we untangle how the ESA became just as controversial as the wolves it would seek to protect, and what that means for the future of species recovery on the eve of its 50th anniversary.
Complete show notes: workingwild.us
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.
Links from How did we get here? Nathan Sayre's "History of Rangeland Policy" talk from Beyond Conflict, WLA event in 2021
Nathan Sayre’s book: The Politics of Scale
Threshold’s season on bison: Oh, Give Me A Home
Feature-length documentary about the Green River Drift: The Drift
CBS News segment on the Green River Drift
If you’re interested in learning more about the homesteading days in the Upper Green, you can head to the Sommers Homestead Living History Museum near Pinedale, Wyoming. The museum is located about 7 miles south of the Cora Junction on US 191 on the East Green River Road, Just west of Pinedale Wyoming. For more information, call the Museum of the Mountain Man(307-367-4101), or find it on Facebook
Credits Working Wild U is a production of Montana State University Extension and Western Landowners Alliance with support from the Arthur M Blank Family Foundation, Western SARE and listeners like you.
Today’s episode was produced by Alex Few, Jared Beaver, Matthew Collins, Zach Altman and Abby Nelson.
Hosted by Jared Beaver and Alex Few.
Directed and Edited by Zach Altman, with Mixing and Mastering by Gabe Sweeney.
Marketing by Louis Wertz. Music is from Artlist and Blue Dot Sessions.
Special thanks to Nick Mott, Albert Sommers, Ed Bangs, and Nathan Sayre.
Follow Working Wild U on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Please rate and review the show on Apple podcasts, and share this episode with a friend or neighbor!
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.
Links and references from Whose blood, sweat and tears New York Times The Daily podcast episode on prices in the beef market: "Who do you want controlling your food?"
John and Weston Helle's wool apparel company, Duckworth
The Ruby Valley Strategic Alliance
Cole Mannix's enterprise: Old Salt Co-op
The Blackfoot Challenge
Lesli Allison's Director's Letter in On Land: "Working lands are the future of conservation"
Credits Working Wild U is a production of Montana State University Extension and Western Landowners Alliance with support from the Arthur M Blank Family Foundation, Western SARE and listeners like you.
This episode was directed and edited by Zach Altman.
And produced by Matthew Collins, Zach Altman, Alex Few, Jared Beaver,and Abby Nelson.
Hosted by Jared Beaver and Alex Few.
Louis Wertz is our Executive Producer. Music is from Artlist and Blue Dot Sessions.
Special thanks to Cole Mannix, John and Weston Helle, and Nick Mott.
Follow Working Wild U on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Please rate and review the show on Apple podcasts, and share this episode with a friend or neighbor!
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?
Links and References from Defining the Problem Aldo Leopold’s land ethic
Mr. Pat O’Toole testifies on drought before Senate Energy Committee
A good place to start for background information about wolves
Oregon ranchers turn to bigger dogs to protect livestock from wolves, featuring Kim Kerns
Robert Bonnie’s paper: Understanding Rural Attitudes Toward the Environment and Conservation in America
On Land magazine’s Humans of the Working Wild series
Conservation professionals agree on challenges to coexisting with large carnivores but not on solutions
The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt on Bookshop.org
Jonathan Haidt and the Moral Matrix: Breaking Out of Our Righteous Minds from Scientific American
Credits Working Wild U is a production of Montana State University Extension and Western Landowners Alliance with support from the Arthur M Blank Family Foundation, Western SARE and listeners like you.
This episode was produced by Alex Few, Jared Beaver, Matthew Collins, Zach Altman and Abby Nelson.
Hosted by Jared Beaver and Alex Few.
Directed and Edited by Zach Altman.
Marketing support from Louis Wertz. Music is from Artlist.
Special thanks to Nick Mott.
Follow Working Wild U on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Please rate and review the show on Apple podcasts, and share this episode with a friend or neighbor!
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 iconic carnivores. Subscribe now - our first full episodes are coming soon!