This week, we shift gears to examine another thorny environmental issue in the West: Wildfire. Fires are getting bigger and more destructive, and as part of the ecosystem, they're not going away. Listen in as four wildfire experts discuss the issue at the Free Press Fest in Bozeman.

For decades, people have been trying to find the ivory-billed woodpecker, convinced it’s still out there, despite many – including the federal government – claiming it’s gone extinct. But some avid birders are convinced it still exists. Some think they’ve seen it. Today: A bird lost to extinction, or maybe just the deep, dark Southern hardwood forest. The search for the ivory-billed woodpecker.

After 50 years of legal battles testing the limits of the Endangered Species Act, the snail darter is still making a big splash. New research argues it's not a separate species and was never endangered. What does that mean for the fish, and what does it say about the Endangered Species Act?

How Thomas Jefferson’s quest to prove America’s wildlife was bigger and badder and better than anywhere else led him to face off with the idea of species going extinct.

Last week, President Trump released an order to freeze all kinds of federal rules proposed in the days before the Administration changed, including the latest grizzly bear delisting rule. The Trump Administration is reviewing what Biden tried to do with grizzlies, and deciding what’s next.

On January 8th, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made a big announcement about the future of grizzly bear management. Host Nick Mott breaks down the news and what the reaction to it means looking ahead.

Join us for a panel discussion with experts on all sides of the grizzly debates. We'll try to find a shared vision on how to coexist with bears no matter what comes next.

Two days after The Wide Open premiered, host Nick Mott had a grizzly encounter of his own.

This week we're sharing an episode of a podcast we think you'll love: "The Wild" with Chris Morgan, from our friends at KUOW in Seattle. On this episode, "The Wild" heads to the hottest place on earth: Death Valley National Park to learn about the Devil's Hole pupfish. This tiny creature, just an inch long, sparked one of the biggest water rights cases in U.S. History.

Hear from the creators of the podcast, visit with other listeners and enjoy a drink provided by the UM School of Journalism.