#79 - Smokejumper to Montana Congressman? w/ Sam Forstag

#79 - Smokejumper to Montana Congressman? w/ Sam Forstag

In this episode, I interview Sam Forstag, a former Missoula-based Forest Service smokejumper and union local vice president now running for Congress in Montana’s 1st District, motivated by DOGE-related cuts that fired many of his co-workers and by frustration with Rep. Ryan Zinke’s lack of response. Forstag shares his upbringing, education at the University of Montana, and eight years in firefighting, arguing that gutting agencies leads to privatization, higher costs, and weaker public-land stewardship. Our conversation covers money in politics, Citizens United, tax-code inequities, and healthcare. We debate and discuss public lands issues around wildfire strategy, WUI priorities, fuels work, NEPA timelines and staffing, logging versus local milling capacity, roadless-rule repeal, and the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act. “Fuel Reduction” Logging Exacerbates Wildfire Effects and Puts Communities at Greater Risk [https://johnmuirproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/JMP-fact-sheet-thinning-and-fire-29Nov24.pdf] Rising wildfire risk to houses in the United States, especially in grasslands and shrublands [https://www.fs.usda.gov/nrs/pubs/jrnl/2023/nrs_2023_mockrin_002.pdf] Home hardening and defensible space can halve wildfire damage, study finds [https://phys.org/news/2025-08-home-hardening-defensible-space-halve.html] A More Effective Approach for Preventing Wildland-Urban Fire Disasters Jack Cohen, PhD; Research Physical Scientist; US Forest Service, retired [https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61ef51b68cfef85e3fed8d43/t/6340520e899c747a294725bf/1665159696338/Dr.+Jack+Cohen+Wildland+Urban+Fire+Primer+for+Elemental+Viewers.pdf] Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act [https://allianceforthewildrockies.org/nrepa/] 03:55 DOGE Cuts Spark Campaign 06:57 Unionizing The Forest Service 09:49 Organizing Spreads To NPS 13:56 Money In Politics 17:19 Healthcare Medicare Choice 22:22 Why Run For Congress 26:31 Life As A Smokejumper 28:31 Letting Fire Burn 31:42 WUI Home Hardening Debate 33:09 Fuels Work And Logging Nuance 36:26 Fuels Treatments 38:03 Home Hardening 41:33 WUI Definition 44:48 NEPA Timelines and Courts 53:18 Local Timber Milling 01:01:00 Restoration Jobs With NREPA 01:04:24 Roadless Rule Under Threat Get full access to Our Public Lands Podcast at ourpubliclandspodcast.substack.com/subscribe [https://ourpubliclandspodcast.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

#78 - Evicting Bison from the Public Lands w/ Alison Fox

In this episode, I interview Alison Fox, executive director of American Prairie, about the organization’s 25-year effort to build a 3.2-million-acre grassland reserve anchored by the 1.1-million-acre Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. Ali describes on-the-ground restoration including a bison herd grown from 16 animals to nearly 1,000, fence modification/removal, stream work, junk removal, and prairie dog restoration, plus wildlife successes like swift fox reintroduction and grizzly sightings. Our conversation centers on BLM’s proposed reversal of a 2022 decision allowing bison grazing on seven allotments they lease in Phillips County, introducing a new “production” standard under the Taylor Grazing Act that could affect other bison permittees and tribal herds; American Prairie has protested and is preparing further challenges while contingency-planning for herd relocation. Ali also discuss public access and hunting programs, local reactions and misconceptions, donor criticism, tribal partnerships, and a closing invitation to visit the reserve and the importance of public lands. www.americanprairie.org [http://www.americanprairie.org] 03:33 Meet Alison Fox 04:27 Alison’s Background and Montana 05:51 American Prairie Mission 06:45 Origins and Why Grasslands Matter 08:03 Acreage Breakdown and BLM Leases 09:25 On the Ground Restoration Work 11:39 Wildlife Comebacks Swift Fox 13:23 Rewilding and Grizzly Return 15:57 Land Acquisition and Ranching Leases 17:48 Anchor Ranch and Public Access 20:20 BLM Move to Rescind Bison Grazing 24:33 Taylor Grazing Act Production Standard 27:01 Precedent Risks and Next Steps 28:42 Contingency Plans 30:39 Cattle Only Permit Shift 31:05 State Land Legal Fight 31:47 Tribal Partnerships 35:20 Stocking Rate Decisions 36:08 Bison Versus Cattle 38:10 Donors And Transparency 41:55 Local Reception And Critics 44:01 Hunting Access Programs 46:05 Dispelling Bison Myths 49:13 Negative Bison Easements 50:15 Working With BLM 50:50 Visit American Prairie 51:54 Why Public Lands Matter Get full access to Our Public Lands Podcast at ourpubliclandspodcast.substack.com/subscribe [https://ourpubliclandspodcast.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

#77 - Land Less Film: Old Growth Clearcutting in the Tongass w/ Joshua Wright & Wanda Culp

Do you value this program? I am a one-man operation and could use your support! Thank you In this episode, I am joined by Wanda Culp and Joshua Wright to discuss their new film, Land Less [http://www.LandLessFilm.com], and the “Landless Bill” (S.2554 / H.R.41), that would transfer 115,000 acres of Southeast Alaska public lands on the Tongass National Forest—about 60,000 currently protected by the Roadless Rule—to new Native corporations created under ANCSA. They describe ANCSA’s corporate model and contend past Tongass transfers, including the 2014 Sealaska Bill and the Alaska Mental Health Trust exchange, have repeatedly led to large-scale old-growth clearcut logging. They criticize major environmental groups like The Nature Conservancy and The Wilderness Society for supporting the bill, warning it functions as a workaround to NEPA and federal oversight, and discuss Sealaska’s cease-and-desist letter over a filmed boardroom scene. www.LandLessFilm.com 00:56 Episode Preview Landless Bill 02:12 Alaska Land Transfers Context 04:04 Meet Wanda and Joshua 04:24 Why Make Landless? 06:47 Wanda’s Story 09:22 Past Tongass Transfer Deals 11:41 Why Landless Enables Logging 14:41 Big Greens Backlash 18:43 Sealaska Cease and Desist 28:32 Tribal Governance and Youth 34:07 No Public Process After Transfer 38:44 Climate Crisis and Extraction 41:30 How to Take Action Get full access to Our Public Lands Podcast at ourpubliclandspodcast.substack.com/subscribe [https://ourpubliclandspodcast.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

#76 - Clearwater Country, Wilderness Values, and Forest Service Restructuring w/ Gary Macfarlane

In this episode, I speak with long-time wilderness advocate Gary MacFarlane. Gary discusses moving from Idaho to France, still active with Wilderness Watch and Friends of the Clearwater, he explains his long connection to the Northern Rockies and why the Clearwater Basin is so special to him, with diverse habitats and notable wildlife history including wolves, grizzly sightings, and the decline of woodland caribou tied to habitat change and human access. Our conversation covers threats to roadless areas, weaknesses and loopholes in the Roadless Rule, and the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act. We discuss mechanized recreation, core Wilderness Act protections, and concerns about Forest Service ties to industry, outsourcing, and reorganization harming wilderness stewardship, plus critiques of fire-logging justifications. 02:03 Idaho to France Life 03:17 Wild Places in France 05:29 Why the Clearwater Matters 07:29 Inland Rainforest Ecology 09:15 Wolves Grizzlies Caribou 14:29 Roadless Rule Loopholes 16:41 Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act 19:26 Politics Jobs and Subsidies 24:10 Recreation Versus Wilderness 29:54 What Wilderness Protects 31:46 Logging Bans Explained 32:38 Grazing and Guiding Loopholes 34:10 Chainsaws and Trail Ethics 36:33 Forest Service Reorg Fallout 38:58 Losing Wilderness Professionals 45:23 Devolution to State Control 47:29 Research Stations and Fire Science 50:32 Privatization and Canada Warning 53:25 Reform Ideas for New Agencies 58:26 Prescribed Fire and Home Hardening Get full access to Our Public Lands Podcast at ourpubliclandspodcast.substack.com/subscribe [https://ourpubliclandspodcast.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

#75 - Our Next Public Lands Champion in Congress? w/ Ryan Busse

In this episode, I speak with Ryan Busse, Democratic congressional candidate running in MT-01. He is currently projected to win the upcoming primary election in early June. On public lands issues in Congress, Ryan argues calls and letters aren’t enough without electoral change, citing the example of the recent vote on the Boundary Waters, and lays out his case as to why he’ll be a strong fighter for public lands in Washington for all Americans. We discuss “collaborative conservation” and Montana public-lands bills that protect limited wilderness acres at the expense of vast swaths of roadless forests. We discuss Montana’s logging past, new economies, the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act, restoration jobs, and a wildfire approach focused on home hardening and defensible space rather than backcountry logging. https://busseformontana.com 00:34 Guest Intro 03:36 Campaign Life on the Road 05:17 Boundary Waters Disaster 08:10 Public Lands Laws 09:40 Zinke and Daines Exit 11:57 Hunting Season Sacrifices 12:56 Public Lands Campaign Plan 15:28 Why Elect True Advocates? 17:24 Busse’s Conservation Resume 19:13 Democratic Opponents 21:20 Public Lands for All Americans 23:23 Polls and Montana’s Stakes 25:17 Public Lands on the Ballot 25:59 Collaborative Conservation 27:43 Why Collaboration Fails 29:31 Montana’s Collaborative Bills 32:45 Roadless Habitat 35:43 NREPA and Restoration Jobs 37:30 Wild Places Drive the Economy 41:30 Lumber Mill Automation and Jobs 43:42 Wildfire Science and Home Hardening 48:09 Election Stakes Get full access to Our Public Lands Podcast at ourpubliclandspodcast.substack.com/subscribe [https://ourpubliclandspodcast.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]