The Landscape

The Landscape

News, interviews, and history with newsmakers and environmental advocates, focused on parks and public lands across the American West. Produced by the Center for Western Priorities, formerly known as Go West, Young Podcast.

Recent Episodes

May 21, 2026

How a private billionaires’ club took over the Crazy Mountains

Floodlight News reporter Evan Simon joins Aaron and Kate to break down a controversial Forest Service land swap in Montana’s Crazy Mountains that quietly gave Yellowstone Club — a private club for billionaires — near-exclusive access to what should be public land, and how Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s involvement in the club raises serious questions. In the news this week: House Natural Resources Committee members put Doug Burgum through a brutal hearing, calling him out on everything from h
May 7, 2026

Jennifer Rokala on 11 years fighting for public lands at CWP

In this special episode of The Landscape, the entire Center for Western Priorities team joins us for an interview with Jennifer Rokala, CWP’s outgoing executive director, to celebrate her 11 years leading the organization. Jen reflects on key victories throughout her tenure at CWP, the organization’s evolution as a communications-driven conservation hub, and her advice for Aaron as he steps into the role of executive director. Plus, the team talks about the best food in the West. Here are the r
April 30, 2026

Borderlands part 2: The fight against a border wall at Big Bend

In the second part of our series on the borderlands, Aaron and Lilly are joined by Bob Krumenaker, former superintendent of Big Bend National Park and current chair of Keep Big Bend Wild. They discuss the proposal for a border wall through one of America’s national treasures, the bipartisan coalition rallying to stop it, and what’s at stake for the park, communities, and local economy. Plus, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum struggles to defend a 38% cut to the National Park Service maintenance bud
April 28, 2026

Borderlands part 1: The threats to public lands at the border

In the first installment of a two-part series on the borderlands, Aaron and Lilly are joined by Laiken Jordahl, National Public Lands Advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, to discuss his work protecting public lands along the U.S.-Mexico border. Laiken shares a boots-on-the-ground perspective on what makes these places special and how border wall construction is actively impacting our public lands. Plus, Kate returns to the pod! She and Aaron cover updates for BLM and National Park S
April 17, 2026

The dangerous rush to consolidate America’s wildfire response

Producers Lauren Bogard and Lilly Bock-Brownstein are joined by Timothy Ingalsbee of Firefighters United for Safety, Ethics, and Ecology (FUSEE). Timothy explains why the Trump administration’s rushed reorganization of federal firefighting is so risky, what it means for the firefighters already heading into a dangerous season short-staffed, and why he sees the whole effort as less like reform and more like sabotage. In the news this week, the Senate voted to open the Boundary Waters to copper m
April 2, 2026

What the off-road community stands to lose on public lands

In this week’s episode, Aaron is joined by guest co-host Lauren Bogard for a conversation with Jonathon Klein, editor-in-chief of RideApart, an online news source for the motorized vehicle community. Jonathon makes the case that the OHV and powersports community has more at stake in the public lands fight than many of its members realize. He argues that the current moment is a rare opportunity for outdoor recreation communities to unite. Also this week: The Trump administration moves to relocat