Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson Ed Roberson

Peter Gower is the Nature Conservancy’s Climate and Renewable Energy Program Director for the Western United States and Canada Divisions, and Chris Menges is the Director of Climate Action for the Colorado Chapter of the Nature Conservancy. Both Peter and Chris are on the front lines of North America’s transition from fossil fuels to renewables, working to find solutions that protect and benefit working lands, natural landscapes, wildlife, and communities.
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As you’ll hear in this episode, the transition from fossil fuels to renewables is an incredibly complex process, and Peter and Chris are highly skilled at breaking down the issues and explaining them in a substantive yet easy-to-understand manner. While the details of their work may be complicated, everything Peter and Chris do is built on the very simple foundation of strong relationships, partnerships, and trust, which has been the common theme of all of these TNC-focused episodes.
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We connected virtually and had a great conversation about The Nature Conservancy’s work in the renewables space, exploring everything from TNC’s big-picture strategies in the American West, down to a few on-the-ground examples of successful initiatives and projects. We discussed how TNC is working with Western states to help them achieve their energy goals and some of the specific renewable work being done here in Colorado.
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We also talked about the challenges of finding sites for renewable energy projects, how market incentives can be used to ensure siting that benefits both people and nature, and recently passed legislation in Colorado that addresses these issues. We chatted about TNC’s extensive research in the renewables space, including its Power of Place studies. As usual, we discuss their favorite books and some resources to learn more about the issues surrounding renewable energy.
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Renewable energy has long been one of those topics that I have never been able to fully wrap my head around, but after this conversation, I felt that I had a solid foundation of knowledge– as well as the curiosity and desire to go out and learn more.
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A huge thanks to Peter and Chris for devoting the time to have this extremely educational conversation, and thank you for listening.
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Peter Gower Chris Menges TNC’s energy work Power of Place West Report Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/peter-chris/ ---
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.

On the last Tuesday of every month throughout 2024, 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
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TOPICS DISCUSSED:
3:20 - The state of renewables in the West (Peter)
8:05 - Chris’s renewable work on the ground in CO with TNC (Chris)
12:35- Challenges and opportunities associated with finding physical sites for renewable projects (Chris)
15:50 - Examples of market incentives that Chris thinks would help develop renewable sites to the benefit of as many interests as possible (Chris and Peter) 
22:20 - Discussing the Power of Place studies (Peter)
26:35 - Other major challenges to implementing more renewable energy solutions (Peter)
33:05 - Discussing the Connected West study, to be released soon (Peter)
36:20 - Building relationships with businesses and large entities (Peter)
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Beatriz Soto is the Director of Protégete, a statewide program from Conservation Colorado, whose mission is to elevate Latino-driven solutions to protect our lands, water, air, and fight for environmental and climate justice. Prior to joining Conservation Colorado, she held a number of leadership and founding positions with conservation-focused organizations here in Colorado. At her core, Beatriz is a gifted and highly effective leader, one who combines her professional expertise with her unique personal story to act as a cultural bridge and give voices to both underrepresented communities and the threatened lands and waters of the West.
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Beatriz is originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, and she spent her childhood and youth in a bicultural setting between Mexico and the United States. She graduated from Colorado’s Basalt High School, and then went on to study architecture back in Chihuahua City, Mexico. For nearly 20 years, she applied her talents in architecture and design to a wide range of projects, from Net-Zero affordable housing projects to high-performance strawbale homes and everything in between, in locations ranging from the Pacific Coast of Mexico to Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley. But as you’ll hear in the conversation, she eventually realized that she wanted to work more directly on issues including conservation and community vitality, so she pivoted and began her new career as a conservation leader in Colorado.
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Beatriz and I connected virtually and had an inspirational and instructive conversation about her amazing life story and her present-day conservation work. We talked about her bicultural upbringing between Mexico and the US, and the realities of growing up as an undocumented child. We discussed her family’s emphasis on service and community, and how those values have expressed themselves throughout her career. We talk about the uncertainty that accompanied her transition from a career in architecture to a career in conservation and advocacy, and why she decided to apply her talents to the mission of Conservation Colorado. We discuss the mind-boggling process of becoming an American citizen, how she builds trust with community stakeholders, her favorite books, and much more. Be sure to check out the episode notes for a full list of everything we covered.
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A huge thank you to Beatriz for taking the time to share her wisdom, and thank you for listening.
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Beatriz Soto Conservation Colorado Protégete ---
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.
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TOPICS DISCUSSED:
3:30 - Beatriz’s childhood
5:30- What brought Beatriz and her family from Mexico to the US
8:30 - Reflecting on adaptation within Beatriz’s very mobile childhood
11:30 - Whether or not looking back on the US from Mexico changed Beatriz’s outlook on the US
14:00 - Beatriz’s experience growing up undocumented, and how that affected her upbringing
17:45 - Where Beatriz’s commitment to service comes from
22:45 - The importance of community
24:15 - Beatriz’s goals in college
26:30 - Beatriz’s work in design and architecture
33:00 - Beatriz’s shift away from design and architecture, and the fear that comes with transitions like that
36:30 - How long it took Beatriz to feel like it was the right move to

This is a special episode recorded live in Bozeman at the premiere of the important new short film titled "Good Fire, Bad Fire: Inside the Race to Restore America’s Forests."
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On the evening of May 16, 2024, around 200 folks gathered at Bozeman’s Museum of the Rockies to watch the 15-minute film, which captures the breathtaking beauty of our nation’s forests and delves into the urgent crisis threatening their existence. Following the screening, I moderated a panel discussion featuring an extremely impressive line-up of some of the nation’s leading conservationists and forest-health experts. The on-stage conversation gave us the opportunity to dig deeper into some of the issues raised by the film, and glean valuable insights into the importance of responsible forest management from ecological, recreational, economic, and policy perspectives.
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“Good Fire, Bad Fire” was directed by filmmaker Eric Ian, and produced by the team at the Property and Environment Research Center, better known as PERC, who also hosted the event.  The panelists you’ll hear in this episode are:
 
Brian Ferebee, Chief Executive of Intergovernmental Relations for the U.S. Forest Service
Randy Newberg, renowned conservationist and Host of Fresh Tracks and Hunt Talk with Randy Newberg
Morgan Varner, Director of Fire Research at Tall Timbers
Corey Lewellen, District Ranger for the Bozeman Ranger District
Hannah Downey, Policy Director at PERC
Brian Yablonski, CEO of PERC (and a past Mountain & Prairie podcast guest)
 
I could’ve spoken with each of these experts individually for several hours, but having them all share a stage and combine their wide range of expertise into a single conversation was a powerfully educational experience.
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While you can listen to this episode on its own, I would strongly encourage you to first spend 15 minutes watching “Good Fire, Bad Fire” as a primer.  There’s a link in the episode notes and it’s embedded on the episode webpage.
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I’d also encourage you to check out the episode notes for a full list of all of the topics we discussed, which included everything from a history of fire as a resource management tool to the Forest Service’s evolving approach to wildfires and forest health. We talked about forest health’s impact on hunting and fishing, the pros and cons of policies such as the ESA and NEPA, on-the-ground success stories, optimistic good news about the future of forest health, and much more. There were tons of resources mentioned, all of which are listed and linked on this episode’s webpage.
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A huge thanks to Brian Yablonski and the team at PERC for creating such an important film and for inviting me to participate in such an enlightening conversation. I hope you enjoy the film as much as I did, and I hope that this discussion provides some new insights into the all-important issue of forest health in the American West.
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WATCH THE FILM: "Good Fire, Bad Fire" Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/good-fire-bad-fire/ ---
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
3:15 - Introductions 
6:15 - Where the USFS stands right now on its approach to wildfire and forest health (Brian F)
8:45 - A hunter and public lands advocate’s perspective on the state of the forests (Randy)
10:30 - A brief history of how fire became a resource management tool in the US and before the US (Morgan)
13:45 - Discussing obstacles to the forest management work described in Good Fire, Bad Fire (Corey)
18:00 - How we can streamline large federal processes like the ESA and NEPA (Hannah)
21:00 - Why PERC became involved in this forestry work (Brian Y)
23:15 - What is preventing ideal progress on forest management in Montana (Brian F)
27:30 - How Randy would recommend hunters and anglers take action and advocate for forest health
31:00 - Discussing how lessons in forest management from the Southeast can

This is a special Shed Session episode, normally published exclusively for Mountain & Prairie Patreon supporters. In it, I answer the most common question I receive, which is some variation of "How do I start a podcast?"
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In this episode I answer that question in excruciating detail, laying out everything I know about it, based on my own bumbling, meandering, eight-year journey through Podcastlandia.
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I hope this episode will provide a little bit of actionable guidance that will allow you to put your own unique ideas into the world.
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To listen to all past, present, and future Patreon-exclusive episodes, you can sign up at www.mountainandprairie.com/patreon. Memberships start at as little as $2 per month.
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Back to the regular episodes next week!!
 
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TOPICS DISCUSSED:
[2:15] - Intro
[6:55] - Disclaimers
[10:00] - How and why I started Mountain & Prairie
[22:13] - Intentions
[28:12] - Getting started + endurance
[39:25] - Finding your voice, authenticity, enthusiasm
[52:55] - Finding an audience
[1:03:09] - Interview techniques
[1:08:48] - Finding guests
[1:11:40] - Dealing with negative feedback
[1:15:14] - Equipment and editing
[1:21:38] - Money (least important!)
[1:25:54] - Further reading
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RESOURCES:
All Patreon-Exclusive Podcast Episodes Ed's 2024 Freeflow Course on the Rogue River Seth Godin Books: Purple Cow, Tribes, This is Marketing, The Practice Steven Pressfield Books: The War of Art, Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh!t Originals by Adam Grant 1000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly Conan interviewing Jack White Spreadsheet with all my podcast equipment

Dan Stellar is the State Director for the Arizona Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, where he leads the organization’s efforts across a wide range of cutting-edge initiatives, including forest health, water conservation, resilient cities, healthy grasslands, and more. Arizona is one of the nation’s largest and most biodiverse states, which creates a host of extremely unique conservation challenges and opportunities– both in its arid, wide-open landscapes and densely populated urban centers. As you’ll hear, Dan and his team are implementing conservation solutions that not only benefit people and nature specifically in Arizona, but they are also creating actionable conservation frameworks that can be applied all over the American West.
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Dan was born and raised on the East Coast, and he has spent his career in the non-profit sector, applying his talents to important issues both domestically and abroad.  He began his tenure at TNC Arizona in 2016, when he assumed the role of Deputy State Director. He quickly fell in love with Arizona and TNC’s critical work in the state, and, in 2020, he assumed the role of State Director. Dan is also a committed endurance athlete, and he’s run a mind-blowing number of marathons and half-marathons. And on top of all of that, he’s a dedicated father, husband, and family man.
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Dan and I share so many common interests in conservation, endurance sports, and family, so I was super excited to have the opportunity to learn more about the specifics of his work and his fascinating personal and professional journey. We started the conversation with an overview of what makes Arizona such a unique place from a conservation perspective, then we dug into the details of TNC’s work in forest heath, rivers, aquifers, outdoor recreation, and resilient cities. We talked about some of the lessons he learned from traveling and working internationally, why he chooses to push himself so hard athletically, and how he goes about building such strong relationships with stakeholders, partner organizations, and his TNC team members. Dan is also a voracious reader, so we obviously chatted about books, and he wrapped up the conversation with very wise parting words.
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I really felt like I’d met a real kindred spirit in Dan, and I greatly appreciate everything that he and his team are doing to make Arizona– and the West– a better place. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.
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Dan Stellar TNC Arizona's 2023 Annual Report Spring 2024 Field Notes Magazine Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/dan-stellar/ ---
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.

On the last Tuesday of every month throughout 2024, 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
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TOPICS DISCUSSED:
3:30 - Setting the scene for conservation work in Arizona
8:45 - Forest health work in Arizona
15:00 - Aligning profit motives with forest health goals
22:00 - Whether or not there are down-sides to forest thinning
25:15 - Discussing the Verde River
31:15 - Discussing the Big Chino Aquifer 
35:00 - Collaborating with the Trust for Public Land to build a new park in Arizona
39:45 - TNC’s work with cities in Arizona
46:00 - Dan’s passion for running, and his attraction to doing hard

Sandy Colhoun is the President of the National Outdoor Leadership School, also known as NOLS.
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Founded in 1965 by legendary mountaineer Paul Petzolt, NOLS is widely considered to be the world’s premier wilderness school, and its mission is “to be the leading source and teacher of wilderness skills and leadership that serve people and the environment.” NOLS operates in many of the world’s wildest outdoor classrooms, and it provides the highest quality instruction in many outdoor skills, including wilderness travel, mountaineering, rock climbing, sea kayaking, and more. But perhaps most importantly, through these outdoor adventures, NOLS students learn the foundational and all-important life skills of leadership, teamwork, humility, and responsibility.
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Sandy was named the seventh President of NOLS in October of 2023, after serving as the interim President and, before that, as a member of the NOLS Board of Trustees. Prior to his work with NOLS, he had spent much of his career in the worlds of education and journalism, most notably leading a $750 million fundraising campaign at Colby College in Maine. Sandy is also a proud graduate of a NOLS Wind River Mountaineering course, and he’s no stranger to hardcore outdoor adventures– he worked as a ski patroller in Park City, climbed in Alaska, Nepal, and Bolivia, and cycled up and over the Himalayas from Tibet to Nepal. As you’ll hear in our conversation, he’s focused, driven, and lots of fun, and he’s s fully committed to leading NOLS into the future.
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I’m a proud graduate of a 1999 semester-long NOLS course, which was hands-down one of the most formative and valuable experiences of my entire life. Yes, I learned plenty of outdoor skills that have served me well for nearly 25 years now, but the most important lessons were those that taught me the value of good exhibition behavior, being comfortable in uncomfortable situations, and keeping a positive attitude when life gets difficult. If not for that semester, I highly doubt I would’ve ever moved out west, worked in conservation, or started this podcast. So, I’m obviously a superfan of all things NOLS.
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I was so excited to chat with Sandy, and we covered a lot in our hour-long conversation. We discussed the history of NOLS, what separates NOLS from other wilderness schools, risk management, exhibition behavior, expanding one’s comfort zone, a description of the ideal NOLS student, Sandy’s own leadership style, his vision for the future of NOLS, how he will measure success, leaders that Sandy admires, favorite books, and much more. Be sure to check out the episode notes for links to everything we discuss.
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A huge thank you to Sandy for being so generous with his time and for everything he and the entire team at NOLS do to make the world a better place. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy!
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NOLS Sandy Calhoun Ed's Freeflow Institute Workshop Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/sandy-colhoun/ ---
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
4:00 - A brief history of NOLS
8:15 - What sets NOLS apart from other outdoor schools
10:30 - Discussing NOLS’ partnerships
13:00 - How NOLS manages risk
16:30 - The talent of NOLS instructors
19:00 - What “expedition behavior” is
22:15 - How NOLS recruits students in a world that prioritizes job opportunities and career advancement
24:45 - How NOLS expands one’s comfort zone
28:45 - The ideal NOLS student
30:15 - Determining the next chapter of NOLS in the early 2020s
33:30 - Sandy’s career pre-NOLS
37:00 - Sandy’s leadership style
42:30 - How Sandy got his mind around the task of taking the helm at NOLS
46:00 - Measuring future success at NOLS
49:00 - Leaders that Sandy admires
52:15 - Sandy’s book recommendations
58:15 - Sandy’s parting words of wisdom, and how you can support NOLS
 
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