It’s Halloween on The Wild Idea! We head into Joshua Tree with author Barret Baumgart to explore the Mojave’s haunted beauty, ghost stories, and strange history. From UFO lore to forgotten desert myths, it’s a journey into the wild and the weird. Listen now at thewildidea.com or on any podcast app.

Tomorrow’s Wild Idea Halloween special heads into Joshua Tree with author Barrett Baumgart, whose book Yuck unearths the strange and haunted side of the Mojave.

Ghost stories, desert myths, and the beauty of what unsettles us. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or at thewildidea.com.

New Wild Line! The shutdown fallout deepens as Interior plans job cuts and the EPA furloughs thousands, but there’s progress too. The Senate advances new wilderness protections, and advocates hit Capitol Hill to defend public lands. Listen on any podcast app or at thewildidea.com.

What happens when we step back and let nature lead?

Philosopher and author @cjpreston.bsky.social joins us to talk about Tenacious Beasts, his hopeful look at wolves, whales, and beavers rebounding across continents when we give the wild a fighting chance.

On all the players and thewildidea.com

TOMORROW! We talk with Rachel Franchina, Executive Director of the Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals, about the people who make outdoor access possible, how to build a stronger recreation workforce, and why caring for the land starts with caring for its people. Listen at thewildidea.com.

NEW WILD LINE TODAY!
Ambler Road gets approved in Alaska despite tribal opposition, Congress votes to overturn BLM plans in MT and ND, and we look at new moves on wildfire, EPA cuts, and more.
Listen on any podcast app and subscribe to our newsletter at thewildidea.com.

New episode out today 🎙️

Joel Gill, ED at Ferncliff talks creation care — how faith and ecology come together.

From solar panels and outdoor learning to a restored stream and a rare little fish called the plains bluebelly darter, it’s a story about renewal, community, and hope.

🎧 thewildidea.com

Tomorrow! 🎙️

Bill and Anders talk with Joel Gill of Ferncliff about creation care, where faith and ecology meet, and how one Arkansas stream and a rare fish called the bluebelly darter tell a bigger story of renewal and connection.

Available on your favorite player and at thewildidea.com!

TODAY! Journalist Chris Keyes joins us to talk about RE:PUBLIC, the new nonprofit newsroom devoted to America’s public lands.

Public lands face huge pressures, and we need more voices telling their stories!

Listen on any podcast app or at thewildidea.com. Learn more at www.republic.land

Tomorrow! Chris Keyes, founder of RE:PUBLIC. This new nonprofit newsroom is focused entirely on America’s 660 million acres of public lands, with reporting on parks, wildfire, recreation access, mining, grazing, and more.

Listen starting tomorrow morning on any podcast app or at thewildidea.com
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New on The Wild Line: Trump nominees pushed through with the nuclear option, Park Service told to pull exhibits on slavery, and 26 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway reopen. We also cover California’s wildfire resilience plan, Climate Week in NYC, and 600k comments on the Roadless Rule. thewildidea.com

80+ advocates packed the room in DC for our first live recording during National Wilderness Week. Senator Tina Smith joins us to talk about the Boundary Waters, the threats facing public lands, and the power of stories, persistence, and people working together. On all the players and thewildidea.com

Tomorrow! Our first live audience recording at National Wilderness Week. Senator Tina Smith joins us to talk about why the Boundary Waters is one of America’s most treasured wild places, what it takes to defend public lands, and the power of stories. On all the players and at thewildidea.com

Advocates were on the Hill calling for stronger protections at the NWC’s advocacy week. We also cover LWCF’s renaissance and risks, record Colorado lease sales, new mining bills, Canada’s energy push in lieu, EPA rollbacks, and a wildfire agency plan. Listen on the pod apps or at thewildidea.com

TODAY! Legendary climber/conservationist Conrad Anker joins us for a wide-ranging convo on Everest, glaciers, and giving back. We get into the Sherpa-led Khumbu Climbing Center, fixed anchors in wilderness, and why imperfect advocacy still matters.

Listen at thewildidea.com or your fave pod player.

Once abandoned shipping piers, today 85 acres of wetlands, meadows, and woodlands thrive along the East River. We talk with Rashid and Bella about how community advocacy and creative horticulture made Brooklyn Bridge Park a thriving asset to the community. Listen on podcast apps or thewildidea.com.

Congress is back and already moving against public lands. This week on The Wild Line: rollbacks in Alaska, Montana, and North Dakota, the Ambler Road fight, new bills on salmon, wolves, and mining, EPA firings, sage grouse planning, and drones blasting AC/DC to spook wolves. thewildidea.com

Episode 25! 🎙️ Bill and Anders talk with Chris Hill, CEO of the Conservation Lands Foundation. They celebrate 25 years of the National Conservation Lands, explore how community power drives conservation, and ask how we can keep joy alive while protecting the places we love. 🎧 thewildidea.com

New episode! From reluctant camper to CEO of the Conservation Lands Foundation, Chris shares how community power protects the National Conservation Lands. She talks with Bill and Anders about advocacy, equity, and finding joy even in the hard fights. On all the players and at thewildidea.com

Labor Day Bonus Episode - three former federal employees share what it meant to lose their dream jobs in public service. Alex Troutman, Liz Crandall, and Mikayla Moors reveal what’s at stake when federal workers disappear from our public lands and why it matters to all of us.

at thewildidea.com

Wrapping up our Southern Currents series with Josephus Allmond of SELC. We dig into environmental justice, access to solar, and how data centers are reshaping Virginia’s energy future. Listen on podcast apps or at thewildidea.com.

Tomorrow we wrap up our Southern Currents series with Josephus Allmond from the Southern Environmental Law Center. He and Bill dig into environmental justice, solar access, and how Virginia is handling the clean energy transition.

Hear the full episode on podcast apps or at thewildidea.com.

New episode’s up! We sit down with Theodore Roosevelt IV to talk Alaska - caribou, salmon, the Tongass rainforest, and why these places matter to us all. He also shares his work with Americans for Alaska, a coalition fighting to keep them protected.

Listen on podcast apps or at thewildidea.com.

Tomorrow on The Wild Idea, we talk with Theodore Roosevelt IV about Alaska’s wildest places - from caribou crossings to the Tongass rainforest and ANILCA. A conversation about stewardship, legacy, and protecting what belongs to all of us. At thewildidea.com or on all the podcast players!

Nearly a year after Hurricane Helene, we talk with Ben Prater, Sam Evans, Josh Kelly, and Jill Gottesman about what recovery really looks like in the Southern Appalachians—flooded towns, forests in transition, neighbors helping neighbors, and where hope can still be found.

Almost a year after Hurricane Helene, Appalachia is still finding its footing. We assembled the Conservation Dream Team to talk about loss, resilience, and most importantly, recovery in the Southern Appalachians.

🎧 Episode drops tomorrow on all podcast platforms + at thewildidea.com

New episode! We head into the Okefenokee with Kim Bednarek to talk about mining on Trail Ridge, a $60M conservation win, and the swamp’s rich cultural history. Gators included. Lots of gators...

Listen on podcast apps or at thewildidea.com.

Tomorrow we’re in the Okefenokee, where the gators get the right of way. Kim Bednarek joins us for swamp talk on mining battles, a $60M land deal, and cultural history from Indigenous roots to Swamper families. Listen on podcast apps or thewildidea.com.

Today’s episode is about a wild river, the people who love it, and the battles they keep winning to save it. From stopping dams to blocking landfills, hog farms, and other threats, the fight to protect the Buffalo National River is still going strong. Listen on any podcast app or at thewildidea.com.

Tomorrow! The Ozark Society talks 60 years of wins and battles for the Buffalo River, including a Supreme Court Justice float trip, a bus to D.C., protecting wilderness, and keeping CAFOs (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) out of the watershed.

Listen on the apps or at thewildidea.com