The Wild Idea

Wild Idea Media
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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.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    The Past, Present and Future of The Roadless Rule

    In this special episode, The Wild Idea brings its recent public webinar directly to podcast listeners. Join a high-powered panel of scientists, attorneys, policy veterans, and conservation advocates to examine one of the most consequential federal land protection policies in American history: the 2001 Roadless Rule. The rule has shielded 58.5 million acres of largely intact national forest land from new road construction and most commercial timber harvest for more than two decades, and it now faces a proposed rescission by the current administration. The conversation opens with Mike Dombeck, the former Forest Service chief who oversaw the rule’s development, tracing the road system’s explosive post-World War II growth and the maintenance crisis that made the moratorium on new road construction both necessary and politically viable. From there, the panel moves through the science of wildfire ignitions near roads, the rule’s flexibility for forest health treatments, the economic value of roadless areas to outdoor recreation, and the water supply those landscapes provide to more than 60 million Americans. Monte Mills and Martin Nie bring legal and policy depth to questions of tribal consultation, indigenous land rights, and the gaps that rescission would leave in existing forest plans. Vera Smith of Defenders of Wildlife walks listeners through two interactive mapping tools that illustrate which threatened and endangered species depend on roadless forests, region by region. The episode closes with the full panel reflecting on what, if anything, could be improved in the rule, and how everyday people can make their voices heard before the draft environmental impact statement is finalized. The answer that emerges, again and again, is that the public support which gave this rule its unusual durability remains the most powerful tool available to those who want to see it preserved. Learn more about today's episode and the resources mentioned at our website, thewildidea.com.

    1hr 24min
  2. The Wild Line: A Pipeline Executive Heads to Congress, SpaceX Eyes Refuge Land, and E&E News Loses a Quarter of Its Newsroom

    6 DAYS AGO

    The Wild Line: A Pipeline Executive Heads to Congress, SpaceX Eyes Refuge Land, and E&E News Loses a Quarter of Its Newsroom

    This week on The Wild Line, we're tracking Oklahoma's new energy-executive senator, a congressional push to block wilderness at Big Cypress National Preserve, a proposed federal land swap with SpaceX in South Texas, and major staff cuts at E&E News. From Capitol Hill to the Lower Rio Grande Valley, these stories highlight the accelerating pressure on federal public lands and the institutions that cover them. Get more details and the links and resources mentioned today at our website, thewildidea.com.

    14 min

  3. 24 MAR

    Trust for Public Land: Why Every Child Deserves Green Time

    In this episode, Bill and Anders sit down with two researchers and advocates who are reshaping how we think about nature and public health: Dr. Carrie Besnette Hauser, President and CEO of the Trust for Public Land, and Dr. Pooja Tandon, a pediatrician and researcher at Seattle Children's Hospital who also serves as a senior scientist with TPL. Together they bring a rare combination of policy reach and clinical grounding to one of the most urgent questions facing American families: how do we make sure every child has meaningful access to the outdoors? The conversation raises a deeper question that runs throughout the episode: what does it mean to bring wild nature to people, rather than waiting for people to come to wild nature? With 100 million Americans living more than a ten-minute walk from a park, and with school yards representing 2 million acres of largely underused civic land, both guests make a persuasive case that the opportunity to change those numbers is already in front of us. The challenge is political will, funding, and the recognition that access to green space is a matter of public health equity. Find out more about the links and resources mentioned today at our website, thewildidea.com.

    54 min
  4. The Wild Line: Congress Shields Lead Ammo, ESA Exemptions on the Table, and a Georgia Seashore Fight

    20 MAR

    The Wild Line: Congress Shields Lead Ammo, ESA Exemptions on the Table, and a Georgia Seashore Fight

    This week on The Wild Line, we're tracking Congress's move to block federal lead ammunition and tackle regulations, the first convening of the Endangered Species Act's God Squad in over 30 years, a public lands crossroads symposium in Salt Lake City, and a contested land swap at Cumberland Island National Seashore. From wildlife toxicology to oil and gas exemptions on federal waters, these stories define the current frontlines of public lands policy. Find the links and resources mentioned today at our website, thewildidea.com.

    17 min

  5. 17 MAR

    Tim Mahoney: The Irish Wilderness and the Art of Passing a Bill

    Tim Mahoney has spent five decades navigating the corridors of Congress on behalf of wild places. A veteran of The Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club, and the Pew Charitable Trusts, he is one of the most experienced wilderness lobbyists of his generation. In this special St. Patrick’s Day episode, co-hosts Bill Hodge and Anders Reynolds sit down with the man Anders credits as his political mentor to trace the arc of a career built on the belief that the strongest protection you can give land is to protect it in law. The centerpiece of the conversation is the Irish Wilderness in Missouri’s Mark Twain National Forest, designated by Congress in 1984. Mahoney walks through the full legislative history of that campaign: the bipartisan coalitions and back-room alliances, the opposition from the mining industry, the procedural losses in the House, the creative use of appropriations riders to forestall mineral leasing, and the formal conference committee that ultimately split the difference on acreage. Mahoney does not pretend to know what the next twenty years will bring, but he is clear on what he values: the skills required to pass wilderness legislation, the willingness to work across deep ideological divides, and the humility to take a partial win over a virtuous defeat. His parting challenge to a new generation of advocates is as practical as it is pointed. Learn more about today's conversation at our website, thewildidea.com.

    52 min
  6. The Wild Line: Oil Drilling in Alaska’s Arctic Refuge, California Pipeline Restart, Scientists Release Suppressed Nature Report

    13 MAR

    The Wild Line: Oil Drilling in Alaska’s Arctic Refuge, California Pipeline Restart, Scientists Release Suppressed Nature Report

    This week on The Wild Line: the federal government advances twin lease sale plans in Alaska’s Arctic Refuge and Western Arctic, the Department of Interior finalizes revised NEPA procedures, the Trump Administration moves to restart a spill-prone California pipeline, and a slate of state-level public lands stories from Virginia, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, and British Columbia. The independently released Nature Record warns of cascading consequences from continued environmental degradation. Listen to the full episode for context, commentary, and what to watch next. Find the links and resources mentioned today at our website, thewildidea.com.

    11 min

  7. 10 MAR

    Terry Tempest Williams: Wildness, Ancestors, and the Holy Ordinary

    Terry Tempest Williams is a writer, conservationist, and longtime voice for wild lands whose work bridges story, spirit, and public life. In this conversation, she joins Bill Hodge and Anders Reynolds to reflect on her newest book, The Glorians: Visitations from the Holy Ordinary, and to explore what it means to remain present in a time marked by ecological crisis, political strain, and personal loss. Rather than offering easy optimism, Terry reframes hope as something active, something rooted in engagement. Drawing on experiences from the pandemic, her advocacy for the Great Salt Lake, the fight for Bears Ears, and life in Castle Valley, Utah, she speaks about neighbors, ritual, ancestors, and the importance of local love. In a moment when outrage dominates public discourse, Terry invites us back to attention, reciprocity, and the discipline of presence. Learn more and find the links and resources mentioned in today's episode at our website, thewildidea.com.

    54 min
  8. The Wild Line: Border Wall through Big Bend, Proposed Forest Service Prescribed Fire in Wilderness, Montana Political Moves Impacting Public Lands

    6 MAR

    The Wild Line: Border Wall through Big Bend, Proposed Forest Service Prescribed Fire in Wilderness, Montana Political Moves Impacting Public Lands

    This week on The Wild Line, we're tracking House Natural Resources Committee approvals on sequoia stewardship and scenic trail designation, tensions over the farm bill's nutrition title and conservation programs, Trump administration moves on public lands leadership, Montana political shifts affecting conservation policy, border wall threats to Big Bend National Park, prescribed burn controversies in Illinois wilderness, and efforts to overturn the Grand Staircase-Escalante management plan. From shifting congressional priorities to landscape-level threats, these stories highlight the accelerating pace of federal public lands policy in 2026. Find out more and access links and resources from today's conversation at our website, thewildidea.com.

    16 min
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Wild Idea Media
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    106
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Wild Idea Media
  • Show Website
    The Wild Idea

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