Rewilding Earth Podcast

About Ben Levitan is a senior attorney at Earthjustice, the nation’s largest and most active public interest environmental law organization — know for its motto “Because the Earth needs a good lawyer.” As part of Earthjustice’s Biodiversity Defense Program, Ben advocates for the protection of imperiled species and ecosystems and opposes attempts to weaken environmental laws. […]

Read full article: Episode 179. The ESA Harm Rescission: Ecologically Disastrous and a Trap for Companies Attempting to Destroy the Wild — with Earthjustice’s Ben Levitan

About Michelle Lute is a wildlife scientist and conservation leader with two decades of experience in wildlife conservation, nonprofit leadership, and public policy. As executive director of Wildlife for All, she’s leading the charge to transform state wildlife governance and center justice, compassion, and democracy in conservation. Michelle holds a PhD in wildlife management and […]

Read full article: Episode 178: The High Stakes of State Wildlife Governance and the Fight for Direct Democracy with Michelle Lute

Episode Summary In this poignant and historic episode of the Rewilding Earth podcast, legendary Southwest author, activist, and audio naturalist Jack Loeffler connects with host Jack Humphrey, just ahead of Loeffler’s 90th birthday. A living thread to the bedrock of the modern conservation movement, Loeffler shares deeply personal stories of running wild rivers and backpacking […]

Read full article: Episode 177: Jack Loeffler’s Lifelong Quest to Rewild the Colorado River Watershed and Human Consciousness

Episode Summary Louise Misztal, executive director of Sky Island Alliance (SIA), sits down with Rewilding Earth podcast host Jack Humphrey to explore the unique, biodiverse, and threatened Sky Island Region of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. They discuss how these isolated mountain ranges rise out of the surrounding valleys to create a biological […]

Read full article: Episode 176: Protecting and Restoring the Wild Heart of the Sky Islands with Louise Misztal

Episode Summary Cooper Freeman, Alaska director for the Center for Biological Diversity, returns to the Rewilding Earth podcast and joins host Jack Humphrey for a transparent, gritty, and surprisingly hopeful update from the frontlines of Alaskan conservation. Navigating a relentless onslaught of fast-tracked industrial projects and regulatory procedures gutted under the current administration, Cooper outlines […]

Read full article: Episode 175: How Bedrock Environmental Laws Are Holding the Line in Alaska (For Now) with Cooper Freeman

About the Author Julie Carrick Dalton is a novelist, former journalist, and farmer whose work explores the deep, often complicated relationship between humanity and the natural world. With decades of experience telling stories rooted in fact and reality as a reporter, Julie later turned to working the land, a pivot that ultimately unlocked her passion […]

Read full article: Episode 174: How Fiction Moves the Needle on Real-World Conservation

Episode Summary Jack Humphrey and the Rewilding Earth podcast sit down with the Center for Biological Diversity’s National Public Lands Advocate Laiken Jordahl to discuss the current administration’s plan to extend border wall construction to Big Bend National Park and the West Texas borderlands. This is an immediate, gargantuan threat to one of America’s most […]

Read full article: Episode 173: Laiken Jordahl on the Battle for Big Bend

Summary In 1959, George Schaller entered the Virunga Mountains with nothing but a notebook and a folding chair. At a time when the world viewed the mountain gorilla as a savage, cinematic monster, George saw something else: a peaceful, social being whose world we were only just beginning to understand. By sitting lower than the […]

Read full article: Episode 172: “Homesick for a World Unknown: The Life of George B. Schaller” with Miriam Horn

Dr. Larry Stevens is the curator of ecology at the Museum of Northern Arizona and the director of Springs Stewardship Institute (SSI). He received his Ph.D in zoology from Northern Arizona University in 1989, and served as the ecologist for Grand Canyon National Park from 1989 to 1994. Well-respected in the field of ecology, Dr. […]

Read full article: Episode 171: The Hidden Universe of Springs with Larry Stevens

Paul Watson, Founder & Director, Paul Watson Foundation Captain Paul Watson is a marine wildlife conservation and environmental activist, renowned speaker, accomplished author, and master mariner. Watson was one of the founding members and directors of Greenpeace. In 1977, he left Greenpeace and founded the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. In 2022, he founded the Captain […]

Read full article: Episode 170: Paul Watson Defending the Southern Ocean with Operation Krill Wars

Reba Elliott Reba Elliott is the Executive Director of Great Old Broads for Wilderness, the only national environmental network for older women. Reba also serves on the Advisory Circle of Daughters for Earth, coordinates the Movement Building Committee of the National Wilderness Coalition, and is a fellow of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. […]

Read full article: Episode 169: Reba Elliott on the Strategic Power of Older Women in Defense of Public Lands

Show Notes Sean Gerrity – Author of Wild on Purpose: The American Prairie Story and the Art of Thinking Bigger Sean Gerrity, founder and former CEO of American Prairie, discusses building the largest wildlife reserve in the Lower 48 states — bigger than Yellowstone and Glacier Parks combined. He shares how an “interim CEO” role […]

Read full article: Episode 168: American Prairie’s Sean Gerrity on the Art of Thinking Bigger to Rewild the Planet

Paul Lister, founder of the European Nature Trust and owner of Alladale Wilderness Reserve in Scotland, has spent 20 years restoring 23,000 acres through reforestation, peatland restoration, and deer management. He advocates for reducing meat consumption, addressing population growth, and redirecting wealth toward nature restoration, demonstrating through tourism and immersive experiences that rewilding degraded landscapes […]

Read full article: Episode 167: Paul Lister on Rewilding Scotland’s Highlands at Alladale Wilderness Reserve

In this episode, we explore the frontlines of coral reef rewilding with Sam Teicher, co-founder of Coral Vita. While coral reefs cover a mere fraction of the ocean floor, they are the essential architects of marine life, providing the structural foundation for a quarter of all species in the ocean. We discuss the urgent shift […]

Read full article: Episode 166: Coral Reef Restoration with Sam Teicher of Coral Vita

Episode summary Jack Humphrey interviews filmmaker Austin Alvarado about his work on the new Fin & Fur Films documentary “Borderlands Jaguar,” which documents jaguars at the Northern Jaguar Reserve in Sonora, Mexico. Austin shares his journey from river guide in West Texas to wildlife cinematographer, detailing the intense dedication required for remote camera work — […]

Read full article: Episode 165: Filming the Elusive El Tigre for “Borderlands Jaguar” with Austin Alvarado

About Valerie and Cuenca Los Ojos Valerie Gordon’s conservation work spans more than two decades focused on endangered species, water, rangeland, and wildlife habitat. Most notably, she spearheaded the transition of Cuenca Los Ojos, a family foundation started by her mother, Valer Clark, into a non-profit that promotes land restoration in the U.S. and Mexico. […]

Read full article: Episode 164: Cuenca Los Ojos – A Rewilding Success Story Still Being Written with Valerie Gordon

Dr. Steve Carver is Professor of Rewilding and Wilderness Science in the School of Geography, University of Leeds and Director of the Wildland Research Institute. He has over 30 years of experience in GIS and multi-criteria evaluation, with special interests in wilderness, wildlands, rewilding, landscape evaluation, and public participation. He has worked extensively on the […]

Read full article: Episode 163: Steve Carver on the Challenges of Implementing Rewilding Goals Across Fragmented Geographic, Cultural, and Political Landscapes

Dave is retired from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where from 1990-1999 he led the USFWS’s effort to reintroduce the endangered Mexican gray wolf to the American Southwest. His interests include the ecology and conservation of large carnivores, protection and conservation of biodiversity, and wildlands conservation at scales that fully support ecological and evolutionary […]

Read full article: Episode 162: Inside Dave Parsons’ Battle to Bring Back El Lobo and the Decades of Carnivore Advocacy That Followed

About Danny Giovale Danny Giovale is the founder and president of Kahtoola, an outdoor equipment company he established in 1999. As a native of Flagstaff, Arizona, Giovale was deeply influenced by the area’s local community and environment, which fostered a strong sense of stewardship that guides his work. Kahtoola, which specializes in winter traction products, […]

Read full article: Episode 161: Danny Giovale – The Vision to Innovate, the Passion to Rewild

Summary In this episode, Julius Purcell takes us into the heart of Spain’s Sierra Morena to explore the dramatic recovery of the Iberian Lynx, once the world’s most endangered feline. We follow the story from near-extinction to a conservation success, meet the people behind the restoration project, and examine the complex relationship between rural communities, […]

Read full article: Episode 160: Europe’s Big Three – Wolves, Bears, Lynx. Part 3: Spain’s Missing Lynx Makes A Cautionary Comeback

Episode Summary In this episode, Julius Purcell journeys deep into the Pyrenees to explore the dramatic story of brown bears—once nearly extinct in these mountains, now at the center of a fierce cultural and ecological debate. Through vivid field reporting, interviews with conservationists, shepherds, and locals, we trace the history of Pyrenean brown bear (Ursus […]

Read full article: Episode 159: Europe’s Big Three – Wolves, Bears, Lynx. Part 2: The Brown Bear’s Rocky Return to the Pyrenees

Happy Wolf Awareness Week! Julius Purcell discovered his interest in audio while training as a journalist in the Middle East. He later worked as a deputy editor at National Geographic History magazine, a role that sparked his fascination with environmental history and rewilding. Julius’s audio series for the Rewilding Institute, “WOLF, BEAR, LYNX,” looks at […]

Read full article: Episode 158: Europe’s Big Three – Wolves, Bears, Lynx. Part 1: The Wolf’s Uneasy Return to Germany

A biologist with a lifelong dedication to conservation, Sebastián Di Martino began his involvement with environmental organizations at the age of 13. He earned a degree in Biology in his native Argentina and a Master’s in Natural Protected Areas in Spain before working with the Directorate of Natural Protected Areas of the Province of Neuquén. […]

Read full article: Episode 157: The Jaguar’s Path – Rewilding a Continental Corridor with Sebastian Di Martino

Trevor Ritland spent two years in the cloud forests of Costa Rica before returning to the United States to complete graduate work in documentary studies and science communication. His writing and video projects explore imperiled species, environmental mysteries, and ghost stories. Trevor lives with his wife and daughter (and their dog, Indiana Bones) in Flagstaff, […]

Read full article: Episode 156: The Golden Toad – Hope, Loss, and the Power of Conservation Storytelling

Russ McSpadden works to protect public lands and the wildlife who call them home in Arizona and the rest of the Southwest. Before joining the Center in 2012, Russ engaged in grassroots environmental activism. He holds a master’s degree in environmental history from Florida Atlantic University. Show Notes In this episode of the Rewilding Earth […]

Read full article: Episode 155: Jaguars, Justice, and the Border Wall – Stories from the Frontlines With Russ McSpadden

With a Master’s degree in Conservation Biology from the University of Cape Town, Ryan Olinger is a wildlife biologist as well as an award-winning photographer and videographer. He has dedicated nearly a decade to studying a variety of species and the impact of climate change, with field experience spanning the American Southwest to Africa. Ryan’s […]

Read full article: Episode 154: “The American Southwest” Elevates The Art of Storytelling In Wildlife Films

Renee Seacor is Mighty Earth’s Northeast Rewilding Director, where she oversees the campaign to reintroduce catamounts to the forests of the Northeast. Renee previously served as the Carnivore Conservation Director for Project Coyote, overseeing campaigns aimed at promoting coexistence with North America’s wild carnivore species. She has built a career in environmental advocacy, using litigation […]

Read full article: Episode 153: Preparing For A Catamount Homecoming in the Northeast

Zafeer Ahmed Shaikh is an early-career conservationist from Southern Pakistan, mainly focused on initiatives dedicated to lesser-known wildlife species found in the country. He has a unique passion for the lesser-known wild cats of Pakistan. With the country’s tiger and lion populations gone, his focus shifted to the small, elusive species that still call Pakistan […]

Read full article: Episode 152: Wild Cat Rewilding In Pakistan

Adam Weymouth is a writer and journalist whose work has been widely published, appearing in Granta, The Atlantic, The Observer, and the BBC. Adam’s features have covered subjects as diverse as illegal cedar logging in Malawi, the politics of oil in Alaska, migration in Greece, flooding in Wales, and depopulation on the Outer Hebrides. His […]

Read full article: Episode 151: Tracing The Epic Journey Of Europe’s Most Famous Wolf With Adam Weymouth

The Superior Bio-Conservancy is an ambitious plan to protect and restore the biological integrity and hydrology of the Great Lakes Region and the Laurentian Forest Province throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The conservation plan will create maps and effectively advocate for the creation of protected wildlife corridors to connect large tracts of public (Federal, State […]

Read full article: Episode 150: Democratizing Wildlife Management Data To Protect Biodiversity And Habitat In The Superior Bio-Preserve

Henry has a background in ecology and conservation with a strong focus on quantitative, data-driven science and practice. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Ecology, Evolution, & Conservation Biology and nearly 15 years’ experience as a wildlife biologist and academic researcher. He is dedicated to gaining ground for prairie […]

Read full article: Episode 149: Rewilding The American Serengeti With Henry Pollock from Southern Plains Land Trust

Bringing together a mix of comedy, ballads and love songs, Dana’s sharp wit and beautiful voice have him performing at concert halls, festivals, conventions, fundraisers and universities across the US and around the world. Dana’s music receives crossover radio play on country, rock, alternative, community, college and oldies radio stations worldwide. “Every movement has its […]

Read full article: Episode 148: The Art of Finding Balance In Choppy Waters With Dana Lyons

With books like the bestselling “The World Without Us,” a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and translated into thirty-four languages, and “Countdown,” winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, environmental journalist Alan Weisman has established himself as one of the most prophetic voices on humanity’s relationship to the Earth. For his […]

Read full article: Episode 147: Alan Weisman On His New Book “Hope Dies Last”

Randy Hayes has been described in the Wall Street Journal as “an environmental pit bull.” He is Executive Director of Foundation Earth, an organization fostering the big rethink from the ground up to help protect the planet’s life support systems. Hayes, a former filmmaker, then founder of Rainforest Action Network, is a veteran of many high-visibility corporate accountability campaigns […]

Read full article: Episode 146: Randy Hayes’ Roadmap for an Ecological Civilization

Gregg founded Adventure Scientists in 2011 based on his passion for exploration, scientific discovery and galvanizing “the choir” to more directly participate in citizen science conservation. National Geographic named Gregg Treinish “Adventurer of the Year” in 2008 when he and a friend completed a 7,800-mile trek along the spine of the Andes mountain range, and […]

Read full article: Episode 145: Calling All Citizen Scientists! How To Make A Big Impact On Your Next Adventure With Adventure Scientists

Cooper Freeman works to protect Alaska’s wildlife, lands and oceans. Before joining the Center for Biological Diversity, he worked with Alaskan Native Tribes and Tribal organizations as a strategic planning facilitator and policy advisor, was program manager and development director at the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center in Northern California, and professionally guided class V […]

Read full article: Episode 144 | Fighting Back: Alaska’s Stand Against Trump’s Environmental Blitzkrieg

Joaquin Murrieta-Saldivar specializes in building resilience in diverse communities by enhancing the connections between people, culture, and natural resources. He brings vast experience on the multicultural border region between the US and Mexico, where he has implemented community-based approaches to watershed management, river restoration, geo-tourism, conservation of native peoples, and best practices for the ranching […]

Read full article: Episode 143: Beavering Beyond Boundaries With Joaquin Murrieta-Saldivar

Nadia Steinzor is an environmental consultant with 25 years of experience in policy analysis, research, writing, and communications. She has developed and managed projects to investigate the oil and gas industry’s impact on the climate and communities, secure governmental protections for air, water, land, and wildlife, and engage the public in advocacy efforts. Nadia works […]

Read full article: Episode 142: Nadia Steinzor On Northeast Carnivore Recovery and Coexistence Through State Wildlife Agency Plans

Since 1979, Tom Biebighauser has enthusiastically restored wetlands, lakes, streams, and rivers. He has designed over 10,000 wetland projects and successfully supervised the construction of more than 3,000 wetlands and streams in 26 states, three Canadian provinces, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, and Taiwan. He has a deep and long-standing concern for the environment and […]

Read full article: Episode 141: Tom Biebighauser Gives A Wetland Rewilding Masterclass

Wade Crowfoot serves as California’s Natural Resources Secretary, leading efforts to conserve California’s environment and natural resources. He has served as Secretary since 2019 and advises Governor Newsom as a member of his cabinet. Secretary Crowfoot oversees an agency of over 25,000 employees spread across 26 departments, commissions, and conservancies. His agency is charged with stewarding […]

Read full article: Episode 140: California’s Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot On Beavers, Rewilding Rivers, and Wildlife Crossings