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Connecting with Conservation: Daily Summaries Delivered
by jgassett
Do you enjoy angling, boating, hunting, recreational shooting or just getting outdoors and into the backcountry? Connecting with Conservation is the only podcast that delves into the business of conservation. We talk with state wildlife agency and industry experts about how conservation is achieved in the United States along with the tremendous impacts to local economies that driven by the recreational user. Join our hosts as they explore this often unknown or misunderstood aspect of how fish and wildlife conservation works in the U.S.
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- Yesterday36 min
Season 3: Episode 20: Managing Wildlife Across Two Thirds of a Continent
If you've ever wondered what it takes to manage wildlife and fish across two thirds of a continent, this episode has your answer. In Season 3, Episode 20 of Connecting with Conservation, co-hosts Jon Gassett of the Wildlife Management Institute and Jim Curcuruto of the Outdoor Stewards of Conservation sit down with Zach Lowe, Executive Director of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA). WAFWA represents 23 states, provinces, and territories stretching from Corpus Christi, Texas, to Banks Island in the Canadian Arctic, encompassing more than 1,500 species and roughly 18,000 fish and wildlife employees. Zach brings a unique perspective to the conversation, having started his career as a prairie habitat specialist and Farm Bill extension biologist before spending 13 years at the McGraw Foundation leading the Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow program, and ultimately landing in the executive director's chair at WAFWA five years ago. The conversation covers the full sweep of what makes western wildlife management genuinely different from the rest of the country, from the scale of federal land ownership and the politics of multi-jurisdictional management to the quirks of shed hunting regulations and the lottery-level odds of pulling a float permit for Hells Canyon. Zach and Jon dig into how harsh western winters drive boom-and-bust cycles in pronghorn, mule deer, and elk populations, why tag quotas are a biological necessity and not a punishment for non-residents, and how WAFWA's big game migration and connectivity initiative is working at a biome scale that most conservation organizations can't match. On the fisheries side, Zach walks through three of WAFWA's fish habitat partnerships, including the Western Native Trout Challenge, the Desert Fish Habitat Partnership, and the newly expanding Great Plains Fish Habitat Partnership, and introduces one of the most innovative fisheries tools in the conservation toolbox: the Trojan Male Fish program, which uses genetically conditioned hatchery fish to crowd out invasive brook trout and, potentially, carp from western watersheds. Whether you're a hunter chasing elk tags in Wyoming, an angler working to check off native cutthroat subspecies, or simply someone who wants to understand how the vast, complicated, and spectacular American West is managed for wildlife, this is a conversation worth your time. WAFWA may not be a household name, but the work it does shapes hunting seasons, fish populations, and habitat conservation across the largest wildlife management jurisdiction on the continent. To learn more, find us at: Wildlife Management Institute: https://wildlifemanagement.institute Outdoor Stewards of Conservation: https://stewardsofconservation.org Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies: https://wafwa.org #wildlife #wildlifeconservation #wildlifemanagement #fishing #flyfishing #hunting #westernwildlife #publiclands #habitatconservation #nativetrout #biggame #muledeer #elkhunting #pronghorn #fishandwildlife #wildlifemanagementinstitute #outdoorstewards #connectingwithconservation
- 1 weeks ago27 min
Season 3: Episode 19: Wildlife Habitat in the Intermountain West.
Water, fire, sagebrush, and the vast open landscapes of the American West are at the heart of this week's conversation. In Season 3, Episode 19 of Connecting with Conservation, co-hosts Jon Gassett of the Wildlife Management Institute and Jim Curcuruto of the Outdoor Stewards of Conservation welcome two guests from the Intermountain West Joint Venture (IWJV): Hannah Nikonow, Communications and Marketing Coordinator, and Charlie Holtz, Field Delivery Capacity Coordinator. Together, they pull back the curtain on one of the largest, and least talked about, conservation partnerships in the United States, one that spans 11 states, roughly half a billion acres, and three of the West's most critical habitat types: sagebrush rangelands, working water and wetlands, and dry frequent-fire forests. Hannah and Charlie walk listeners through what the IWJV does on the ground, from helping multi-generational ranching families implement conservation practices on their working lands, to placing conservation professionals within BLM, Fish and Wildlife Service, and NRCS offices to deliver habitat programs where they're needed most. The conversation ranges from the mechanics of beaver dam analogs and low-tech stream restoration to the challenges of invasive annual grasses, encroaching conifers, big game migration corridors, and the West's intensifying water scarcity. Hannah also shares the IWJV's innovative approach to public outreach, including hands-on journalist field workshops that take reporters into sagebrush country and along the Bear River corridor to see conservation work firsthand rather than just reading a press release. Whether you're a wildlife professional, a western landowner, a hunter chasing sage grouse and pronghorn across public lands, or simply someone who wants to understand how the vast open spaces of the Intermountain West are being protected and restored, this episode delivers. The IWJV is one of conservation's unsung institutions, and this conversation is a compelling reminder that the people, partnerships, and funding mechanisms behind the work matter just as much as the work itself. Learn more and explore their stories at IWJV.org. For more Information, Visit Us at: • Wildlife Management Institute: https://wildlifemanagement.institute • Outdoor Stewards of Conservation: https://stewardsofconservation.org • Intermountain West Joint Venture: https://iwjv.org #wildlife #wildlifeconservation #wildlifehabitat #conservation #sagebrush #sagegrouse #westernwildlife #hunting #huntingconservation #publiclands #intermountainwest #habitatrestoration #wildlifemanagement #wildlifemanagementinstitute #outdoorstewards #connectingwithconservation
- 2 weeks ago48 min
Season 3: Episode 18: A Declining Icon: Mule Deer, Public Lands & the Fight to Turn the Tide
What's happening to mule deer, and why should anyone west of the Mississippi care? In this episode of Connecting with Conservation, hosts Jon Gassett of the Wildlife Management Institute and Jim Curcuruto of Outdoor Stewards of Conservation sit down with Greg Sheehan, President and CEO of both the Mule Deer Foundation and the Blacktail Deer Foundation, for a wide-ranging conversation about one of the West's most iconic, and quietly troubled, big game species. Greg brings one of the most distinguished careers in American wildlife and land management to the table. After 25 years with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, including five as its director, he served as Principal Deputy Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before returning west as Utah State Director for the Bureau of Land Management, overseeing roughly 22.8 million acres of public land. Today, leading both the Mule Deer Foundation and the Blacktail Deer Foundation, he's channeling that experience directly into species he's hunted and cared about his entire life. The conversation covers the multi-decade decline in mule deer populations, an estimated 50 to 60 percent drop across western states, and why there's no single simple answer. Habitat fragmentation, invasive plants like cheatgrass, suppressed fire regimes, migration corridor loss, surging road traffic, predator-prey dynamics, and severe winters all play a role, and Greg makes a compelling case that solutions require the same complexity as the problems themselves. The episode also touches on the North American Model of Conservation and what makes it unique globally, the importance of treating Pittman-Robertson excise tax revenue as an investment rather than a burden, the growing challenge of wildlife ballot initiatives bypassing science-based management, the lesser-known Blacktail Deer Foundation and the species' coastal rainforest habitat from California to Alaska, and why nonprofit conservation organizations can say things in public that government agencies simply cannot. Jon draws a thought-provoking parallel between mule deer declines and the emerging turkey population struggles in the East and raises an important question about whether the wildlife management profession has the right experience base to manage declining species after a century focused almost entirely on restoration success. For more information, reach us at: Wildlife Management Institute: https://wildlifemanagement.institute Outdoor Stewards of Conservation: https://stewardsofconservation.org Mule Deer Foundation: https://muledeer.org Black-Tailed Deer Foundation: https://blacktaildeer.org #muledeer #muledeerfoundation #blacktaileddeer #publiclands #wildlifemanagementinstitute #outdoorstewards #conservation #wildlifeconservation #pittmanrobertson #westernwildlife #huntingisconservation conservation
- 4 weeks ago32 min
Season 3: Episode 17: Firearms, Conservation & the Excise Tax: How Firearm Importers Fund Wildlife
What does a firearm importer have to do with healthy deer herds, turkey populations, and public shooting ranges? More than most people realize. In this episode of Connecting with Conservation, hosts Jon Gassett of the Wildlife Management Institute and Jim Curcuruto of Outdoor Stewards of Conservation sit down with Neil Sanders, VP of Sales and Marketing at SDS Arms, to pull back the curtain on how the outdoor firearms industry quietly funds one of the most successful conservation models in the world. Neil brings more than two decades of experience in the outdoor industry — from his early days with Peterson's Publishing titles like Guns & Ammo and North American Whitetail, to long tenures at Thompson Center and Mossy Oak, to his current role growing SDS Arms and its portfolio of brands including Spandau Arms, MAC (Military Armament Corp.), Inglis, and Tokarev. Based in Texas, Neil is an avid bird and big game hunter who has built his career around connecting consumers with products they actually want — and making sure those products carry their share of the conservation load. Under his leadership, SDS Arms has grown more than 70% in four years, importing over 200,000 firearms annually, each one generating Pittman-Robertson excise tax revenue that flows directly to state wildlife agencies for habitat, access, and public shooting infrastructure. The conversation covers how the Pittman-Robertson excise tax works for importers, why firearm companies rarely get public credit for the conservation dollars they generate, how SDS Arms supports organizations like NWTF, Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl, and Quail Forever at both the national and chapter level, and what the outdoor industry needs to do differently to tell its conservation story. Jon and Jim also make the case that wildlife agencies need to do a better job recognizing their industry partners publicly, and Neil shares the story of how a novel pump-action shotgun nicknamed the "Butt Pump" went viral with 50 million social media views seemingly overnight. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE FIND US AT: Wildlife Management Institute: https://wildlifemanagement.institute Outdoor Stewards of Conservation: https://stewardsofconservation.org SDS Arms: https://sdsarms.com #wildlifemanagementinstitute #outdoorstewards #pittmanrobertson #huntingisconservation #wildlifeconservation #conservationfunding #conservation #SDSArms #firearmsconservation #wildlifefunding #nwtf #ducksunlimited #hunting #wildlifeconservation
- Apr 22, 202638 min
Season 3, Episode 16: Working Forests as Conservation Assets with Jimmy Bullock from RMS
On this episode of Connecting with Conservation, co-hosts Jon Gassett and Jim Curcuruto sit down with Jimmy Bullock, Senior Vice President of Forest Sustainability at Resource Management Service (RMS). A self-described "recovering deer biologist," Jimmy earned his stripes in the private forestry sector with Anderson-Tully Company, Union Camp Corporation, and International Paper before joining RMS — a Timber Investment Management Organization (TIMO) that today manages roughly 2.2 million acres across eight southern states and Brazil on behalf of institutional investors. Jimmy also serves on the board of the Wildlife Management Institute and is active with Boone and Crockett Club and the National Conservation Leadership Institute. The conversation explores how working forests are quietly becoming one of the most important conservation tools in the American South. Jimmy walks through RMS's role in reintroducing the federally endangered reticulated flatwoods salamander to private land in Santa Rosa County, Florida, the largest conservation easement ever closed in South Carolina (nearly 50,000 acres in the Pee Dee River Basin), and the shift from short-rotation pulpwood management to longer sawtimber rotations that create the open-canopy, herbaceous-ground-cover conditions many declining species need. He also explains how longleaf pine restoration, long considered economically unviable, has been made workable through an innovative easement structure that accounts for opportunity cost and perpetual management. A major thread of the episode is the NAFO Wildlife Conservation Initiative and its Working Forests for Wildlife program, a collaborative model with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that covers 44 million acres of NAFO-member land nationwide. Jimmy details how programmatic agreements and species-specific annexes have turned regulatory liability into conservation opportunity for the northern long-eared bat, Red Hills Salamander, gopher tortoise, and alligator snapping turtle. His closing message — that trust between private landowners, state agencies, and federal partners is the foundation of modern conservation — is a theme any listener working in this space will recognize. For More Information, Visit us at: Wildlife Management Institute: https://wildlifemanagement.institute Outdoor Stewards of Conservation: https://stewardsofconservation.org Resource Management Service: https://www.resourcemgt.com #wildlifemanagementinstitute #forestry #conservationfunding #wildlifeconservation #workingforests #sustainableforestry #longleafpine #privatelandconservation #endangeredspecies #gophertortoise #nafo #outdoorstewards
- Apr 17, 202630 min
Season 3: Episode 15: Pittman-Robertson & the Firearms Legacy with Luke Thorkildsen from Weatherby
What does it actually cost to keep wildlife on the landscape and who's paying for it? In this episode of Connecting with Conservation, hosts Jon Gassett and Jim Curcuruto sit down with Luke Thorkildsen, Chief Operating Officer of Weatherby, one of America's most iconic and longest-standing firearms manufacturers. Weatherby is an 81-year-old, still family-owned company that made the move from California to Sheridan, Wyoming in 2018–2019, a transition that, as Luke describes it, "almost broke" them but ultimately more than doubled their revenue and workforce. Luke walks through how Pittman-Robertson Act excise taxes work from the manufacturer's side: built into the first sale price, paid quarterly, and totaling millions of dollars annually from Weatherby alone. It's a tax the industry effectively imposed on itself and the conservation infrastructure it funds reaches far beyond most people realize. Beyond the factory floor, Luke serves as chairman of the board at the Mule Deer Foundation and brings a candid perspective on where mule deer stand right now: one of the few big game species in the U.S. that is genuinely declining. Habitat loss, weather patterns, and landscape fragmentation are all in play, and the conversation goes beyond slogans to look honestly at the challenges ahead. The episode also covers the history of the Weatherby Award, a prestigious lifetime achievement recognition in hunting that predates most people's awareness of the brand itself. It also discusses the company's full product line from the .224 Weatherby to the .460 Weatherby Mag, and the new ultralight Backcountry Capra rifle coming in at just four pounds. For anyone who's ever wondered where conservation money actually comes from, or who's behind the numbers cited in policy discussions, this episode provides a clear, grounded answer from someone who writes the check. For more information, visit us at: Wildlife Management Institute: https://www.wildlifemanagement.institute Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation: https://www.stewardsofconservation.org Weatherby Inc: https://www.weatherby.com #connectingwithconservation #Weatherby #WeatherbyFirearms #pittmanrobertson #wildlifeconservation #muledeerfoundation #muledeer #publiclands #huntersforconservation #hunting #wildlifemanagement #wmi #wildlifemanagementinstitute #outdoorstewards #excisetax #conservationfunding #backcountryhunting #FirearmsIndustry #SelfReliantHunter #WyomingHunting #biggamehunting #CapeBufalo #MarkV #BackcountryCapra #65RPM #300WeatherbyMag
- Apr 7, 202634 min
Season 3: Episode 14: Forests, Wildlife, and Private Lands: Conservation Beyond Public Ground.
What does the timber industry have to do with hunting, fishing, and wildlife conservation? More than most people realize. In this episode of Connecting with Conservation, hosts Jon Gassett and Jim Curcuruto sit down with Darren Miller, Vice President of Forestry Programs at the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) to explore how private forest lands, responsible timber management, and science-based research are quietly driving conservation outcomes across the country. Darren brings a career that bridges academia, corporate environmental stewardship, and applied wildlife science. After earning his graduate degree at Mississippi State studying black bears and wild turkeys, he spent more than 20 years as a wildlife scientist and research program lead for Weyerhaeuser Company, managing environmental research across millions of acres of southern timberlands. He joined NCASI in 2018, where he now leads a team of wildlife scientists, forest hydrologists, and carbon and climate specialists serving the forest products sector. The conversation covers the often-overlooked role of large private forest ownerships in supporting biodiversity, from game species like white-tailed deer and wild turkey to pollinators, songbirds, bats, gopher tortoises, and rare aquatic species. Darren explains how the Wildlife Conservation Initiative, a collaborative partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Alliance of Forest Owners, has documented 25 species of conservation concern on actively managed industrial forest lands in a single South Alabama landscape, and how that work is now opening doors to endangered species reintroduction on private lands. The episode also digs into practical topics: how sustainable forestry certification standards (SFI and FSC) protect wetlands, vernal pools, and unique ecological sites; how forest thinning and regeneration cycles benefit pollinators; how eDNA technology is revolutionizing rare species surveys; and the remarkable recovery of the Louisiana Black Bear — a story that started with Darren's own master's research and came full circle when a bear showed up on his Mississippi property last November. This is an episode about the science, the partnerships, and the private landowners who are making conservation work on working lands. For more information: Wildlife Management Institute: https://www.wildlifemanagement.institute Outdoor Stewards of Conservation: https://www.stewardsofconservation.org National Council for Air and Stream Improvement: https://www.ncasi.org #wildlifeconservation #PrivateLands #forestmanagement #sustainableforestry #hunting #fishing #conservation #NCASI #LouisianaBlackBear #pollinators #esa #endangeredspecies #wildlifemanagement #sfi #fsc #HunterFunding #pittmanrobertson #connectingwithconservation #wildlifemanagementinstitute #outdoorstewards
- Apr 3, 202631 min
Season 3: Episode 13: Bringing Back the Bobwhite: Quail Conservation Across the Landscape
The northern bobwhite was once a fixture of the American countryside — heard on nearly every farm, fence row, and field edge from Texas to New England. Today, populations have collapsed across most of that range, and bringing them back requires more than good intentions. It takes habitat, scale, and a lot of people willing to change how they manage their land. In this episode, Jon Gassett and Jim Curcuruto sit down with John Morgan, President and CEO of the National Bobwhite and Grassland Initiative Foundation, to dig into what's driving the decline, what recovery actually looks like on the ground, and why quail conservation matters far beyond the bird itself. John Morgan brings 20-plus years of on-the-ground experience to the conversation, from managing wildlife areas in Florida to running Kentucky Fish and Wildlife's small game program before joining NBGI. He traces the initiative's 30-year history, from a 1995 meeting of southeastern state wildlife agencies who recognized the problem was too big for any single state to solve, to today's 25-state network spanning federal agencies, state wildlife agencies, universities, and nonprofits. The conversation covers what quail actually need to survive (more edge, less mowing, and a lot more connected habitat), why five to ten percent of the right landscape can make a real difference, and how a CREP-driven restoration effort in central Kentucky once had hunters taking bag limits of wild bobwhite for the first time in two decades. The episode also tackles some of the harder questions: Why can't a small landowner just fix their own ten acres and call it done? What role does the Farm Bill play — and where does it fall short? And perhaps most importantly, how does restoring native grassland habitat connect to clean water, pollinator health, and even human wellness in ways that can build conservation support far beyond the hunting community? Whether you're a quail hunter, a wildlife professional, a farmer, or just someone who wants to understand what healthy working lands should look like, this one is worth your time. For More Information: Wildlife Management Institute: https://wildlifemanagement.institute Outdoor Stewards of Conservation: https://stewardsofconservation.org National Bobwhite and Grassland Initiative: https://nbgi.org #wildlifeconservation #bobwhite #habitatrestoration #farmbill #quail #connectingwithconservation #hunting #conservationfunding #NativeGrasslands #outdoorstewards #wildlifemanagementinstitute
About Connecting with Conservation
Do you enjoy angling, boating, hunting, recreational shooting or just getting outdoors and into the backcountry? Connecting with Conservation is the only podcast that delves into the business of conservation. We talk with state wildlife agency and industry experts about how conservation is achieved in the United States along with the tremendous impacts to local economies that driven by the recreational user. Join our hosts as they explore this often unknown or misunderstood aspect of how fish and wildlife conservation works in the U.S.
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