In this episode, I speak with George Wuerthner, wilderness activist and wildlands ecologist. George is a frequent guest of the program and a prolific writer and advocate for the wild. He has authored more than 38 books on public lands issues and conservation. We talk about predator hunting and the associated ecological and social fallout, wolf hunting exacerbating cattle grazing conflicts, Aldo Leopold and the wolf as told in his Sand County Almanac, changing the direction and missions of state fish and wildlife agencies, taking on “the old boy”hunting  network, predator management and our value systems.

We then pivot the conversation and talk about how some conservation groups have kept their mission intact after experiencing changes and growth, groups that have lost their way (and some reasons why), how to help ensure that grassroots groups stay on track, the problem with the Conservation Collaboratives and how to keep the passion going.