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In this interview George Wuerthner discusses the controversial proposal by the Custer Gallatin NF to log and prescribe burn the Hyalite-South Cottowood project in the Gallatin Range south of Bozeman. 

The South Cottonwood drainage, in particular, was saved from logging in the past by public acquisition of timber land holdings with the expressed purpose that the area could eventually be protected as wilderness. 

Wuerthner gives some of the history in the effort to save South Cottonwood, and discusses why the FS rationale to log as a means of precluding major wildfires is misguided. 

In this conversation, Jonathan Ratner from Sage-Steppe Wild. Jonathan discusses the often unnoticed degradation caused by livestock grazing on public lands and shares his experiences working with agencies like the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service. 

He recounts eye-opening moments from his conservation career, including detailed monitoring and documentation of ecological damage on various public lands, specifically highlighting grazing allotments in Utah and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. 

The conversation delves into the inefficiencies and challenges of current conservation policies and the importance of litigation and public involvement to achieve meaningful results. 

Jonathan emphasizes the need for on-the-ground data collection and site-specific knowledge to truly understand and advocate for the health of these ecosystems. 

In this interview George Wuerthner discusses the international significance of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and why we should expand Yellowstone NP to put much of the ecosystem under National Park Management.