The Wide Open

Montana Public Radio
  • 5.0 (154)
  • NEWS
  • WEEKLY SERIES

Explore the places where we come together and fall apart. Nuanced reporting on under-covered environmental issues — with plenty of adventure, wildlife and rich sound along the way.

  1. EPISODE 1

    Five Billboards Outside Livingston, Montana

    The Endangered Species Act helped bring the Yellowstone-area grizzly population back from the brink of extinction. It also sparked controversy over a question that looms over more species than just grizzly bears: How do we balance the needs of endangered wildlife with the needs of humans?

    45 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Hell or High Water

    The first great battle over the Endangered Species Act begins. Thanks to an eclectic group of activists, a tiny fish in Tennessee halts construction on a massive dam and ends up in front of the Supreme Court.

    51 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    Sue the Bastards

    A gang of monkey-wrenching activists try a new approach in the fight to save threatened species and ecosystems: They put on suits and enter the courtroom. In doing so, they change conservation forever.

    29 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    Smoke a Pack a Day

    Wolves get trapped in the wild, loaded onto an airplane, and delivered to Montana and Idaho. When they scamper off into the wilderness, they test a question central to endangered species debates: What does it mean to recover a species?

    50 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    The Passenger Pigeon and the Chicken

    From grizzlies to wolves, hunting plays a controversial role in many Endangered Species Act stories. This time, an African animal on Texas ranchland shows how hunting does — and doesn’t — serve conservation.

    47 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    Shoot for the Moon

    A fish killing mystery that starts with the Endangered Species Act shows how state and federal wildlife law went from a weapon used against tribes, to a tool for tribes to reclaim what was stripped away.

    56 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    Poking the Bear

    A scientist realizes if sea ice keeps melting, polar bears will go extinct. To help them, the Endangered Species Act takes on climate change — and in this battle, the law may have met its match.

    43 min

  8. EPISODE 8

    Looking at the Caterpillar

    A caterpillar crosses the road. It starts a conversation about the long view of conservation, across species and across generations.

    46 min
See All Season 1 (19)

5
out of 5
154 Ratings

About

Explore the places where we come together and fall apart. Nuanced reporting on under-covered environmental issues — with plenty of adventure, wildlife and rich sound along the way.

Information

  • Creator
    Montana Public Radio
  • Episodes
    19
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    The Wide Open

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