The Wide Open
The Wide Open season one tells the story of our changing relationship with the Endangered Species Act and how it reveals as much about living with each other as it does about living with endangered species.
The Wide Open is a podcast and radio series from MTPR and the Montana Media Lab exploring the places where we come together and fall apart.
The Endangered Species Act helped bring the Yellowstone-area grizzly population back from the brink of extinction. It also sparked controversy over a question that looms over more species than just grizzly bears: How do we balance the needs of endangered wildlife with the needs of humans?
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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. -
A caterpillar crosses the road. It starts a conversation about the long view of conservation, across species and across generations. -
A scientist realizes if sea ice keeps melting, polar bears will go extinct. To help them, the Endangered Species Act takes on climate change — and in this battle, the law may have met its match.
