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Stories for Action’s mission is to spark connection around a thriving environment and strong communities. Join us for conversations with people taking bold steps, bridging divides, and creating calls to action; helping you find your role in fostering a healthy world. Find out more at www.StoriesforAction.org. Stories for Action produces documentary films, this podcast, and hosts story workshops.
Episodes
Monday Jun 06, 2022
Monday Jun 06, 2022
Pedro Marques, who has an ecology and landscape-scale restoration background, is Executive Director of the Big Hole Watershed Committee (BHWC). This organization brings together a variety of stakeholders; ranchers, anglers, agencies, scientists, community leaders, and more to collectively address challenges and benefit the health of the communities and ecosystems of the Big Hole Watershed in Southwest Montana.
Pedro speaks with us about the importance of bringing varied perspectives together, and how local solutions can address relatable pressures that are being felt around the world; droughts, increased demands on waterways, sustainability of local agriculture, wildlife habitat loss, and land development. He also shares the value in letting nature and local voices guide the work.
LINKS:
Montana Watershed Coordination Council
Heart of the Rockies Initiative
This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at LifeintheLand.org
Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction
Friday Jun 03, 2022
Friday Jun 03, 2022
Laura Nowlin grew up on her family’s ranch in Winnett, MT, in the prairies and coulees of Central Montana. After a decade away, Laura returned home and continues her family's tradition as a cattle rancher. Her passion and heart is clearly tied to not only the land and waters here, but the community of Winnett. Laura speaks to her involvements with locally led organization Winnett ACES, whose holistic approach touches on everything from ranch viability, ecosystem health, and reviving old buildings to serve the needs of the community.
She also speaks to her work with the Musselshell Watershed Coalition and the value in partnerships and local voices leading the work. In this conversation, Laura offers inspiration and insight for others who may be looking to push forward a locally-driven group in their own communities, from boosting Main Street to the health of your watershed. This segment also features Aaron Clausen, Senior Program Officer of World Wildlife Fund's Sustainable Ranching Initiative.
LINKS:
Musselshell Watershed Coalition
World Wildlife Fund's Sustainable Ranching Initiative
The Nature Conservancy's Matador Ranch grassbank
This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at LifeintheLand.org
Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction
Friday Jun 03, 2022
Friday Jun 03, 2022
Jim Magee is a biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program in the Big Hole Valley of Southwest Montana. The Partner Program provides free technical and financial assistance to landowners, managers, tribes, corporations, schools and nonprofits interested in improving wildlife habitat on their land.
For the past 28 years, Jim has been an active part of the Big Hole Watershed Committee, which brings together a variety of voices from the Valley to lead programs and provide resources to benefit the land and communities of the Big Hole Watershed.
Jim shares about creating productive relationships between agency and private landowners, the exciting work that they have been able to implement to benefit both wildlife and ranchers in the Big Hole, and the collaboration to successfully keep the Arctic grayling fish from being listed as an endangered specie. This is great information for both agency and landowners alike.
LINKS:
USFWS Partners for Fish & Wildlife Program
This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at LifeintheLand.org
Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction
Friday Jun 03, 2022
Friday Jun 03, 2022
Chet Robertson is a Range Rider in the Big Hole Valley on behalf of the Big Hole Watershed Committee. A Range Rider typically rides amongst the cattle, to keep an eye on the livestock, watch for medical issues, monitor when they need to move to new ground to prevent overgrazing, and to prevent conflict with predators. Whereas most Range Riders ride the cattle, Chet is unique in that he rides the predators, primarily wolves. As a tracker, he keeps a close connection with the area packs, to predict their movements, and to discourage their presence around grazing areas. Chet speaks about the tracker lens that he moves through the landscape with, his perspective on the social divisiveness of wolves, and his experience owning the Jackson Mercantile for the last 20 years, and the larger connections to what small towns are up against.
Links:
This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at LifeintheLand.org
Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction
Friday Jun 03, 2022
Friday Jun 03, 2022
The communities of the Big Hole Valley depend on the economies of ranching and fly fishing. In this episode, we hear from two members of the Big Hole Watershed Committee from each of those industries.
Eric Thorson owns Sunrise Fly Shop in Melrose, MT and speaks to the significance of fly fishing in the Big Hole as an economic driver and a catalyst for conservation. He also speaks to the impacts on the fishery from a changing climate.
Liz Jones is a rancher in Wise River, MT and was a founding member of the Watershed Committee. She speaks to the changes she has seen in the Valley as well as what the drought and fires of 2021 meant for ranchers.
Both Eric and Liz speak to the value and urgency in different perspectives coming together for the betterment of all life in the Valley that depend on the Big Hole River and its tributaries. The Big Hole Watershed Committee creates a space for that to happen, and can serve as a model for other watersheds to utilize this holistic, community driven approach.
This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at LifeintheLand.org
Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction
Friday May 20, 2022
Friday May 20, 2022
Piikani Lodge Health Institute (PLHI) is a community-driven organization that integrates traditional lifeways to create resiliency for the people and biosystems of the Blackfeet Nation, in Northwest Montana. They use holistic approaches and the guidance of traditional lifeways to meet community led and community focused needs. They lead programs on the ground and conduct research, integrating both Western and Indigenous Research Methodologies. Their work encompasses climate adaptation, job and career creation, opioid misuse prevention, regenerative grazing, and youth outdoor programs, recognizing the interconnectedness of community well-being with the health of the ecosystem they are a part of, and connecting to traditional lifeways. We hear from Kim Paul, Director and Founder of PLHI, on her own journey to this work, the importance of holistic approaches and efforts that are truly community-led, and the empowerment in connecting with traditional lifeways and cultural history that have been pushed away through assimilation policies of the last 200 years. We also hear from Tyrel Fenner, Hydrologist for PLHI, on his work with their climate adaptation and regenerative grazing programs, as well as Jimi Champ, Vocational and Horticulture Teacher at Browning High School, who is partnering with PLHI on a snow fence project.
LINKS:
Piikani Lodge Health Institute, also on FB & IG
The Blackfeet Climate Adaptation Plan
Blackfeet Agricultural Resource Management Plan, FB Page
This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at LifeintheLand.org
This episode was Co-Produced by Lailani Upham of Iron Shield Creative.
Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction
Friday May 20, 2022
Friday May 20, 2022
Kristen Kipp is a member of the Blackfeet Nation, Amskapi Piikani. Kristen is a cattle rancher, a mother, a hunter, an advocate, and so much more. She runs her own cattle operation within her family’s ranch outside of Browning, MT in the heart of Blackfeet Country in Northwest Montana. She works in Producer Outreach for the Piikani Lodge Health Institute and the Blackfeet Nation Stockgrowers Association. Kristen shares about her own connection to the land and role in stewarding it, as Amskapi Piikani, and as a rancher. She also speaks to her experience living in grizzly bear country, the Blackfeet's cultural connection to the bear, and being on the Governor’s Grizzly Bear Advisory Council, and the need for representation in all forms of advocacy.
LINKS:
Piikani Lodge Health Institute, also on FB & IG
Governor's Grizzly Bear Advisory Council
Blackfeet Nation Stockgrowers Association, also on FB & IG
This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at LifeintheLand.org
This episode was Co-Produced by Lailani Upham of Iron Shield Creative.
Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction
Friday May 20, 2022
Friday May 20, 2022
Jesse DesRosier, Amskapi Piikani, Blackfeet Tribal Member, is a teacher of the Blackfeet Language. He teaches at The Piegan Institute's Cuts Wood School and Blackfeet Community College in Browning, Montana. Jesse is also an artist, a community and cultural advocate, a Veteran, a husband, and father. Jesse shares with us about the intricate connection of the Blackfeet Language to the land and how Blackfeet ways of life are directly embodied in the language. Following two centuries of forceful assimilation policies, the existence of the Blackfeet Language was threatened as of 20 years ago, as there were no young speakers remaining. With efforts from within the community, such as The Piegan Institute, started by the late Darrell Kipp, there are over 100 new language learners who are carrying it on. Jesse shares the hope he gains from witnessing the young members of the community connecting to their culture. He also speaks to the connections to the Badger-Two Medicine area and the significance of this land being stewarded by the Blackfeet people.
Links:
Badger-Two Medicine, article from Flathead Beacon
This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at LifeintheLand.org
This episode was Co-Produced by Lailani Upham of Iron Shield Creative.
Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction
Friday May 20, 2022
Friday May 20, 2022
In this episode we are in the community of Seeley Lake, in Western Montana. We hear from Caryn Miske, the Executive Director of the Clearwater Resource Council, a locally-led entity that works to engage the community and facilitate efforts that enhance, conserve, and sustain the natural resources and rural lifestyle of the Clearwater Watershed for present and future generations. Caryn shares with us about what holistic, community-led work around climate, equity, and environmental quality can look like, the realistic challenges to starting and sustaining a local nonprofit, and as pressures on small towns and wild places increase, why the efforts are always worth it. She also shares an example of a collaborative process that did not go so well, so there's a lot of information in here for folks in other regions who are looking to embark in collaborative or locally led work in their own community or work.
LINKS:
Clearwater Resource Council You can also find them on Instagram and Facebook.
This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at LifeintheLand.org
Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. StoriesforAction.org Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction
Friday May 20, 2022
Friday May 20, 2022
We are in Seeley Lake, a community in the Clearwater Watershed, and an hour north of Missoula, hearing from Gordy Sanders (Resource Manager) and Wendy Dalrymple (Controller) of Pyramid Mountain Lumber. Pyramid is is the largest employer in Seeley Lake, and the oldest surviving family owned lumber mill in Montana.
Gordy and Wendy speak with us about what it can look like when a natural resource industry approaches its work through a stewardship lens; not only going above its expected duties as a lumber mill to be involved in work that benefits the greater ecosystem, but also to benefit the community it is a part of. Pyramid is also intrinsically very collaborative in its approach, working closely with government agency, tribal entities, conservation organizations, and private landowners. Gordy speaks with us about the value in this approach and about working with entities with different priorities.
LINKS:
Pyramid Mountain Lumber You can also find them on Instagram and Facebook.
Montana Forest Collaboration Network
Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project & legislation: www.blackfootclearwater.org
This episode is part of the Life in the Land project, which is a series of films and podcasts produced by Stories for Action, which hears from folks that interact with the complexities of Montana's landscapes, speaking to the value of locally-led work and the holistic approaches needed for the health of communities and the ecosystems they're a part of. Find out more about the project and watch the films at LifeintheLand.org
Stories for Action holds a mission to use the power of storytelling to create human connection and advance a thriving planet for all. Storiesforaction.org Follow along on our Instagram and Facebook: @StoriesforAction