Ep. 9 - Visual Storytelling as a Connection to the Land

Bonus Episode: Bruneau Dunes, Craters of the Moon, & John Day Fossil Beds

In April, my family flew to Salt Lake City to pick up a campervan we bought and road-tripped home. We stopped in Bruneau Dunes State Park [https://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/state-park/bruneau-dunes-state-park/]in Idaho, Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve [https://www.nps.gov/crmo/index.htm] also in Idaho, and John Day Fossil Bed National Monument [https://www.nps.gov/joda/index.htm]. It was a quick but lovely trip, and I recorded reflections each night of our trip to share about our experience and what we learned. Visiting the less grandiose-seeming public lands (state parks and national monuments), I realized how much I miss just by looking to visit national parks. Bruneau Dunes, especially, was a sweet find because they have an observatory where they host evening programming on weekends from Spring to Fall. Craters of the Moon was super cool as well, and was where I found one of the best interpretive signs created in partnership with the local tribes, the Shoshone-Bannock. And the John Day Fossil Beds had some wild rocks and an incredible fossil museum in their visitor center. Have you been to any of these spots? What other state parks and national monuments do you think we miss? Note: If you’re listening to this in only audio form, you can check out some footage from our trip (with some other stock footage to fill out the space, lol) on Substack. Thanks for reading Charm of the Wilderness! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit charmofthewilderness.substack.com [https://charmofthewilderness.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Ep. 9 - Visual Storytelling as a Connection to the Land

When I heard Steph Littlebird on [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/13/steph-littlebird-you-are-the-land-illustrated-book-oregon/]OPB [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/13/steph-littlebird-you-are-the-land-illustrated-book-oregon/]in March [https://www.opb.org/article/2026/03/13/steph-littlebird-you-are-the-land-illustrated-book-oregon/], I wanted to talk with her immediately—not only does she exude vibrancy, she’s so succinct and clear-eyed about why we must have a relationship with the land. And then I saw her book, and I had to reach out. As you will hear shortly on our episode, Steph is an absolute delight! She’s an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Grande Ronde and brings her Indigenous background and connection to the land of the Pacific Northwest to her visual storytelling through both her artwork and writing. Steph just published her debut book as an author, You Are the Land, which she also illustrated. You can buy the book anywhere you find books, especially your local indie bookstore. You can learn more about Steph and check out her artwork and other books at www.stephlittlebird.com [https://www.stephlittlebird.com/], you can follow her on Instagram her [https://www.instagram.com/artnerdforever/]e, and check out the exhibit she’s curating featuring the work of Indigenous artists from around the region at the Salem Art Association [https://salemart.org/] in Salem, OR the Fall! I can’t wait for you to hear from Steph! Some notes: * In our discussion, Steph also mentioned the recent news that the Department of Natural Resources approved drones to spray glyphosate over recently logged land. Here are some more details on that [https://www.wlfdc.org/post/dnr-plans-aerial-spray-of-carcinogenic-chemicals-across-2-200-acres-in-southwestern-washington]. * Travel Oregon just published an “Experience Indigenous Oregon” travel guide that for any visitors to our incredible region (and if I’m being honest, most of us locals as well), this is a great way to learn about the over 50 tribes whose land we live, work, and play on every day. Check that guide out today. [https://industry.traveloregon.com/newsroom/news/travel-oregon-publishes-updated-experience-indigenous-oregon-guide/] Thanks for reading Charm of the Wilderness! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit charmofthewilderness.substack.com [https://charmofthewilderness.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Ep. 8 - Writing National Park Fiction with Aaron Johnson

I discovered the National Park Mystery Series a little over a year ago when a friend recommended it. Quickly, the series became my son and my nightly read-together books that got us through many months. We both became attached to the characters, middle schoolers, Jake, Amber, and Wes, and felt incredibly invested in their adventures. Deep into the series and this research, I knew I had to have the series author, Aaron Johnson on the podcast. The series takes the three main characters through ten national parks on a two-month vacation with their families. Truly a trip of a lifetime! And it takes readers through the history, landscape, and current challenges the parks face. In today’s episode, I talk with Aaron about the process of writing the books, what he loves about the national parks, and what he hopes readers will get out of the series. My son, Finch, also makes a brief appearance thanks to the interview having been scheduled on a day school was closed. You can buy the first five books of the series wherever books or sold or online at www.nationalparkmysteryseries.com [https://nationalparkmysteryseries.com/]. You can also pre-order Book 6, which comes out this summer! A special plug, when you order the books from the series’ website, you get special gifts such as stickers and bookmarks! In the episode, Aaron also mentioned that one of his favorite books that he’s read in the research for the series is I Am the Grand Canyon: The Story of the Havasupai People [https://www.grandcanyon.org/products/i-am-the-grand-canyon-5-20-10121] by Stephen Hirst. Thanks for reading Charm of the Wilderness! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit charmofthewilderness.substack.com [https://charmofthewilderness.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Ep. 7 - U.S. Fire Management & the NPS with Stephen Pyne & Tom Nichols

In the Charm of the Wilderness book project, I’m using the natural elements to shape the narrative. That theme guides each park or trip. The first of all of those was a trip to Yosemite National Park I took last year that centered on fire. The two guys I interview this week played a big role in understanding the landscape of fire and fire management in the United States and the National Park Service and I’m excited for you two get to hear from them. Stephen Pyne [https://www.stephenpyne.com/] is emeritus professor from Arizona State University and one of the preeminent fire historians in the United States. His work includes The Pyrocene: How We Created an Age of Fire, and What Happens Next [https://www.ucpress.edu/books/the-pyrocene/paper] and the book that helped me learn about fire and fire management in Yosemite, Pyrocene Park: A Journey into the Fire History of Yosemite National Park [https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/pyrocene-park]. Tom Nichols was the chief of fire and aviation for the National Park Service from 2005-2014. Worked in NPS from 1977-2014. Note: I very clearly made a error in the video/audio with Tom’s bio noting his position with the NPS was from 2015 to 2014—the correct dates are 2005 to 2014. Thanks for reading Charm of the Wilderness! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit charmofthewilderness.substack.com [https://charmofthewilderness.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Ep. 6 - Montana's Indian Education for All with Mike Jetty

In 1972, the state of Montana imposed a constitutional mandate [https://narf.org/cases/montana-indian-education-for-all/] that required all K-12 schools in the state to teach “the distinct and unique cultural heritage of the American Indians” and committed to “its educational goals to the preservation of their cultural integrity.” This was a landmark step as Montana became the only state to require Native education as a part of its curriculum. With Montana being home to eight federally recognized American Indian tribes and about 78,000 American Indian individuals, this was an incredible step to take. Yet it took years to actually implement it effectively, though. After decades of not following through with this mandate or not doing it well, tribal leaders, Indian educators, parents, and other activists lobbied the state and filed a lawsuit that led to a state law in 1999 that established Indian Education for Indian Education for All (IEFA) [https://opi.mt.gov/Educators/Teaching-Learning/Indian-Education-for-All], which is a program run through the state’s Office of Public Instruction (OPI). This is the only program of its kind in the country, making Montana uniquely alone in mandating Native education for all students in the state. On today’s podcast, I have the distinct pleasure of talking with IEFA’s Mike Jetty, an Indian Education Specialist for OPI. I actually met Mike through Alli Depuy [https://charmofthewilderness.substack.com/p/ep-1-nature-education-with-allison], who does a lot of work with IEFA, and, of course, Mike and his office have worked quite a bit with Shane Doyle [https://charmofthewilderness.substack.com/p/ep-3-indigenous-history-of-yellowstone], whose storytelling is featured in a lot of their programming. I loved talking with Mike, and I can’t wait for you all to hear from him and to be treated to his (and his dad’s) jokes and the important work that he does for Montana. Learn more about IEFA here [https://narf.org/cases/montana-indian-education-for-all/]. You can also check out videos from their programming here [https://opi.mt.gov/Educators/Teaching-Learning/Indian-Education-for-All/Indian-Education-Videos]! Thanks for reading Charm of the Wilderness! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit charmofthewilderness.substack.com [https://charmofthewilderness.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]