by Todd Wilkinson
The other day someone asked if Yellowstonian, as a non-profit media site devoted to conservation journalism, is engaged in advocacy and activism. My response was swift. Absolutely, positively, we are, but not in the way those terms are often presented. We advocate for, and are activists on behalf of providing the best fact-based information so that our readers and listeners can make informed decisions about environmental issues that matter in their lives.
No one political party, religious denomination, or special interest commands a monopoly on truth, and oftentimes the truth is uncomfortable to hear, which actually makes it important to heed.
It just so happens, and not by coincidence, that we are based in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem where the best-known national park in the world is located, and the bioregion it anchors has every major native wildlife species that was present on the land here in 1491, before Europeans arrived on the continent. Plus, populations of those species can still move across it. No other place in the Lower 48 still has this happening. It’s a startling fact that many people aren’t aware of. It’s even more startling when Americans realize that they are stakeholders in this legacy, as three quarters of the land base is public and belongs to them.
Every story we tell is rooted in some kind of struggle by underdogs for survival. You’ll get a sense of what we do in the podcasts below that we’re grateful for being a part of.
Greater Yellowstone is under siege by human pressures. This is the undeniable truth and change is occurring fast. The time to highlight the symptoms is not when it’s too costly or impossible to confront them. Why does Yellowstonian devote so much energy to that drumbeat? Because forward-minded thinking is necessary now but the window for acting on it is closing.
Recently, I was invited to appear on two different podcasts, with incredibly perceptive hosts who are not afraid to discuss the big picture. Jackie Batrus with the WILD Foundation hosts the popular and wide-ranging Voices of Wilderness podcast and Jack Humphrey is host of the far-reaching Rewilding Earth podcast sponsored by the Rewilding Institute. Click on the links above and below to give them a listen.
The second podcast, hosted by Humphrey, also features Leon Kolankiewicz, a conservation scientist who has studied the intersection of humans and natural landscapes and helped completed more than 100 environmental impact analyses and management plans for federal land and wildlife agencies.
Why is Greater Yellowstone a bellwether for thinking about wildness that still exists in the world? What is the difference between safeguarding rare and priceless wild landscapes vs. the alternative of losing them to permanent de-wilding or having to expensively try to re-wild them later. We need to elevate the way we talk and think about what’s at stake. This is what we at Yellowstonian are dedicated to doing and we’re pleased to boast we have friends in the media world who aren’t afraid to foster sometimes difficult conversations.
We hope—actually we know— you will find both podcasts to be mentally stimulating. You can listen to them at home on your phone or through your vehicle dashboard while driving through your own home landscape. The point is: let them move you.
NOTE: We encourage Yellowstonian readers to subscribe to Jackie Baltrus’ Voices of Wilderness podcast at the WILD Foundation and Jack Humphrey’s Rewilding Earth, sponsored by the Rewilding Institute. They do great work. Between the two of them, guests on the podcasts have included an array of people, from Kris Tompkins, Carl Safina, Paul Watson and many more. Every day at Yellowstonian, we are collaborating with like-minded allies to bring you not mere information but thought-provoking ideas you don’t want to forget. We appreciate your support.
