Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson
Society & Culture
About
Long-form conversations with remarkable people connected to the land, communities, and culture of the American West.•For 10+ years, host Ed Roberson has talked with writers, ranchers, scientists, artists, historians, and adventurers. Every episode is substantive, relaxed, and rich with wisdom — offering listeners fresh perspectives and a deeper connection to one of the world's most compelling places.•Past guests include Yvon Chouinard, Kris Tompkins, Nick Offerman, and Sebastian Junger.•Top 0.5% of all podcasts globally. Featured by Patagonia, The Aspen Institute, SXSW, and MeatEater.
Episodes
- Holly Bamford & Marshall Johnson - A 30-Year Vision for North America's Grasslands
This is a live episode recorded at the 2026 Great Plains Stakeholder Workshop, hosted by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The workshop brought together many of the country's leading grasslands conservationists, scientists, funder…
- Hillary Rosner - Why Wildlife Needs Room to Roam
Hillary Rosner is an award-winning journalist and author whose work combines science, storytelling, and the natural world. She's been writing about environmental issues for decades, with bylines in publications like The New York Times, The…
- Miriam Horn - George Schaller and the Transformation of Wildlife Biology
Miriam Horn is an award-winning journalist and author whose work lives at the intersection of conservation, food production, and the people working—often quietly and pragmatically—to hold those worlds together. Many listeners will recogniz…
- Meriwether Hardie - What You Learn Riding Across the West
Meriwether Hardie has built a life around long, ambitious horseback journeys through remote landscapes, and she uses those adventures as a way to better understand land, food, and the people who depend on both. In her early twenties, she r…
- Jazmine Ulloa – The Untold History of El Paso
Jazmine Ulloa is a national reporter who covers immigration for The New York Times and is the author of the new book "El Paso: Five Families and One Hundred Years of Blood, Migration, Race, and Memory." It's a sweeping, deeply researched l…
- Pete McBride - Witness to Water
Pete McBride is a photographer, filmmaker, and author whose work has taken him all over the world, but at the center of it all is a river much closer to home: the Colorado River. He's been a frequent guest on this podcast over the years, a…
- Sebastian Junger - On Meaning, Mortality, and Belonging
Sebastian Junger is an award-winning journalist, a New York Times bestselling author, and an Academy Award–nominated filmmaker. Regular listeners are surely familiar with his work, as I've mentioned his books a ridiculous number of times o…
- Darcy Chenoweth - Helping the Helpers
Darcy Chenoweth is a Montana-based Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner whose career sits at the intersection of medicine, trauma recovery, and the outdoor world. Darcy works with individuals and organizations—especially those in h…
- Our 10 Favorite Adventure Books, with Mark Kenyon
Mark Kenyon is no stranger to Mountain & Prairie listeners—he's the author of "That Wild Country," host of the Wired to Hunt podcast, and the newly minted Director of Conservation at MeatEater. He's also one of the most voracious readers I…
- Stella Maria Baer – Moons, Horses, and New Mexico Light
Stella Maria Baer is a Santa Fe–based painter whose work is deeply rooted in land, light, and place. Known for her luminous depictions of moons, desert skies, horses, and wide-open Southwestern landscapes, Stella often makes her own pigmen…
- A Joint Episode with The River Radius, featuring Sam Carter
Today's conversation is a joint episode between Mountain & Prairie and The River Radius podcast. I'm joined by Sam Carter, the creator and host of The River Radius. If you're not already familiar with The River Radius, I give it my highest…
- Kelsey Morris Returns – Going All In on Art
My guest today is Kelsey Morris, and this is her second time on the podcast—which feels long-overdue, because a lot has happened since we last talked. When Kelsey first joined me nearly five years ago, she was balancing a full-time job whi…
- Jason Gardner Returns – Fire, Leadership, and What Really Matters
Jason Gardner is a retired Navy SEAL who now works as a top-level leadership instructor with Echelon Front. Over his thirty-year career in the SEAL teams, he served in combat operations in Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, later becoming Com…
- Todd Ulizio – Farming, Attention, and a Life Well Rooted
Todd Ulizio is the co-owner of Two Bear Farm, an organic vegetable farm in Whitefish, Montana, that's quietly become a cornerstone of the Flathead Valley's local food community. Alongside his wife Rebecca, Todd has spent nearly two decades…
- Sammy Matsaw Jr. – Salmon, Sovereignty, and the Long Work of Healing
Sammy Matsaw Jr. is the Director of the Columbia Basin Program at The Nature Conservancy, where he works at the intersection of salmon recovery, tribal sovereignty, and large-scale river restoration across one of the most complex watershed…
- Ed's Appearance on "My Favorite Things"
Today's episode is a bit of a departure from the usual format. I'm re-sharing a recent conversation I had on my friend Brendan Leonard's new podcast, My Favorite Things . I'm sure most of y'all are already familiar with Brendan's work, but…
- Mike Schaedel - Restoring Balance to Fire-Adapted Landscapes
Mike Schaedel is the Western Montana Forest Restoration Director for The Nature Conservancy, where he leads some of the most ambitious and collaborative forest restoration work happening anywhere in the West. Based in Missoula, Mike works…
- SHED SESH: September & October 2025 Book Recommendations
This month marks ten full years of my bimonthly book-recommendations project—a decade of weird little paragraphs about the books that grab my scattered attention. Whether you've been here since the beginning or signed up five minutes ago,…
- Devon O'Neil — On Nature's Power and the Price of Adventure
Devon O'Neil is a journalist, author, and longtime friend of mine whose new book "The Way Out: A True Story of Survival in the Heart of the Rockies" is one of the best pieces of outdoor nonfiction I've read in years. The book tells the har…
- Carli Kierstead – Wyoming Forests and the Work of Keeping Water Flowing
Carli Kierstead is the Forest Program Director for The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming, where she leads efforts to understand and restore some of the West's most critical—and often overlooked—ecosystems. From beetle kill and wildfire to drou…
- Bex Frucht — Story Wrangler! Vibe Steward! One of a Kind!
Bex Frucht is a force of nature—a storyteller and community builder whose work blends performance, land, and small-town life in the American West. Based in Livingston, Montana, she's the founder of TMI Live, a storytelling series that cele…
- Yvon Chouinard – The Perpetual Pursuit of Simplicity
Yvon Chouinard needs no introduction. The founder of Patagonia, pioneer of clean climbing, co-founder of 1% for the Planet, and lifelong advocate for simplicity and wildness, he's one of the world's most influential environmental leaders.…
- Chris Keyes – From Outside to RE:PUBLIC
Chris Keyes is the Executive Director of RE:PUBLIC and the former longtime Editor in Chief of Outside magazine. During his decades-long career in journalism, Chris helped guide Outside through some of its most iconic years—publishing award…
- Brad Johnson – Building Trust and Soil Health
Brad Johnson is the Senior Regenerative Agriculture Advisor for The Nature Conservancy, where he helps farmers across Idaho and beyond explore new ways of working the land that build healthier soils, stronger operations, and more resilient…
- Paul Hendricks – The Conservation Alliance and the Future of Public Lands
Paul Hendricks is the Executive Director of The Conservation Alliance, a coalition of more than 270 businesses working together to protect wild places across North America. Founded nearly four decades ago by Patagonia, REI, The North Face,…
- Kate Williams – Leadership Lessons from the CEO of 1% for the Planet
Kate Williams is the CEO of 1% for the Planet, the global nonprofit that has turned a simple idea into a worldwide force for good: businesses committing 1% of their annual revenue to environmental causes. If you've ever spotted that little…
- Nicholas Triolo – What the Circuitous Path Reveals
Nicholas Triolo is a writer, endurance athlete, and educator whose life and work sit at the crossroads of ecology, activism, and storytelling. For years, he's been exploring what happens when we stop charging toward the summit and start pa…
- Kelly Beevers – Connection, Collaboration, Conservation
Kelly Beevers is the Grazing Lands Partner Strategy Lead with The Nature Conservancy, where she helps guide collaborative efforts to support ranchers, strengthen communities, and conserve some of the most threatened ecosystems in North Ame…
- Cole Mannix & Andrew Anderson – The Hard Work of Building a Better Food System
This episode was recorded live on stage at the 2025 Old Salt Festival in Helmville, Montana, where I had the honor of sitting down with two of the people at the center of this ambitious experiment in food, land, and community: Cole Mannix…
- Brady Robinson Returns – Grassroots Conservation on a Global Scale
Brady Robinson is a lifelong climber, conservationist, and educator who currently serves as Director of Philanthropy for the Freyja Foundation. His career has spanned outdoor education, nonprofit leadership, and global conservation philant…
- Celene Hawkins and Taylor Hawes – Navigating the Next Era of the Colorado River
Celene Hawkins is the new Colorado River Program Director for The Nature Conservancy, stepping into the role after years of impactful work in tribal water policy and place-based conservation across the basin. She's taking the baton from Ta…
- Helen Rebanks - "The Farmer's Wife" - Live at the Old Salt Festival
This conversation with Helen Rebanks was recorded live and on stage at the 2025 Old Salt Festival, held on the Mannix Family Ranch in Helmville, Montana. If you were there, you know how special the moment was. If you weren't—well, I'm glad…
- Brendan Leonard Returns – On Writing, Teaching, and Staying Weird
Brendan Leonard is back for his third appearance on the podcast—this time recorded in person at his house in Missoula. Brendan's the creative mind behind Semi-Rad, and over the years, he's become a good friend and one of my most trusted ad…
- Sean Claffey – A Resilient Vision for Sagebrush Country
Sean Claffey is the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Conservation Coordinator at the Nature Conservancy, a role that places him at the center of one of the West's most overlooked but critically important ecosystems: the sagebrush steppe. Based…
- Adam Cramer – Fighting for the Future of Public Lands
Adam Cramer is the CEO of the Outdoor Alliance, a coalition that brings together human-powered outdoor recreation groups to protect public lands and waters. With a deep understanding of both policy and recreation, Adam has helped position…
- Tony Bynum - Showing Up for the Land
Tony Bynum is a conservation photographer, scientist, and advocate who's spent decades working at the intersection of public lands, Indigenous rights, and environmental storytelling. Based in Montana, his images have helped shape national…
- Jackie Miller and Carlos Fernández – A Breakthrough Moment for Colorado Conservation
Jackie Miller is the Executive Director of Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO), and Carlos Fernández is the Colorado State Director for The Nature Conservancy. Both are highly respected leaders in Colorado's conservation community, and they've…
- Sonnie Trotter – On Flow, Family, and the Long Game
Sonnie Trotter is a world-renowned rock climber, father, husband, writer, and the author of the new book "Uplifted: The Evolution of a Climbing Life." For the past three decades, Sonnie has built a career as one of the most accomplished cl…
- Cassidy Randall – The Untold Story of Denali's First All-Women's Ascent
Cassidy Randall is a journalist and author whose work explores the intersections of adventure, history, and the natural world. Her new book, "Thirty Below: The Harrowing and Heroic Story of the First All-Women's Ascent of Denali," tells th…
- Sara Domek – The Science and Story of Wyoming's Wildlife Migration
Sara Domek is Wyoming's Migration Program Director for The Nature Conservancy. Sara grew up in the small town of Kemmerer and later moved to Pinedale, giving her a rare, firsthand perspective on Wyoming's working landscapes—both from a nat…
- Cody Wellema – After the Fire, Before What's Next
Cody Wellema is a master hatmaker and the founder of Wellema Hat Co., a highly regarded, California-based custom hat business. For over a decade, Cody built a reputation as one of the country's premier craftspeople in the art of traditiona…
- Live at SXSW - Farmer-Founded Brands Will Save American Fashion
This is a special live episode recorded this past March at SXSW in Austin, Texas, and it features a conversation I had the honor of moderating with two powerhouse guests: Cate Havstad-Casad of Range Revolution and Daniel Mouw of Duckworth.…
- Elliot Ross: Where Landscape, Justice, and Storytelling Meet
Elliot Ross is a photographer and writer whose work focuses on the intersection of landscape, identity, and justice in the American West. His images have appeared in Time, National Geographic, and The New York Times, and he's known for dee…
- Aaron Citron: Crafting Conservation Policy in a Changing West
Aaron Citron is the Associate Director of External Affairs at The Nature Conservancy, where he leads state-level policy engagement across Colorado. His work spans a wide array of conservation priorities, including water management, healthy…
- David Cronenwett - Lessons from Jiu-Jitsu, On and Off the Mats
David Cronenwett is the owner of Helena Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a third-degree black belt under American Jiu-Jitsu legend Rafael Lovato Jr. David started his Jiu-Jitsu journey in Seattle in 1996, back when finding a place to train was like…
- Helen Augare Carlson & Dylan DesRosier – Land, Language, and Stewardship in the Blackfeet Nation
Helen Augare Carlson and Dylan DesRosier are leaders, community builders, and proud members of the Blackfeet Nation. Helen, the Chair of the Piikani Studies Division at Blackfeet Community College, has dedicated over two decades to educati…
- George Hodgin Returns – Risk-Taking, Leadership, and the Future of Cannabis
George Hodgin is a former Navy SEAL turned entrepreneur who is revolutionizing the world of medical cannabis research. George is the founder and CEO of BRC - Biopharmaceutical Research Company, one of the only federally legal cannabis rese…
- Ivan McClellan Returns - From Behind the Lens to Center of the Arena
Ivan McClellan is a photographer, writer, and storyteller who's shining a light on Black cowboy culture in a way that's never been done before. When we first talked back in 2020, Ivan was in the early stages of immersing himself in this wo…
- Betsy Gaines Quammen Returns - Myths, Curiosity, and Human Connection (Live at the Old Salt Festival)
Betsy Gaines Quammen is a Montana-based historian and writer whose work explores the history and myths of the American West and how those stories have endured and shaped life in the region today. Betsy joined me on the podcast several year…
- Chris Pague - Stories, Science, and the Southern High Plains
Chris Pague is the Senior Conservation Ecologist at The Nature Conservancy, and he is deeply involved in so many of the topics we discuss here on the podcast– grasslands, bison, endangered species, landscape-scale conservation, and more. F…