I want you to think of your very favorite spot on public lands.

Is it a local backcountry camping site? A trail you love to hike with your friends and family? A secret location in Yellowstone National Park where you find solitude? Now, could you imagine that special spot sold off to the highest bidder and no longer accessible?

Today, this is a very real threat. Our public lands are under attack.

2025 was full of assaults on our public lands. From proposed selloffs and protection rollbacks to the nomination of anti-conservation people to lead public land agencies, we’re seeing constant threats on public lands the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades.

Still, it most certainly isn’t hopeless. Joining us on the podcast today are the Greater Yellowstone Coalition’s Executive Director Scott Christensen and Director of Conservation Kathy Rinaldi, who have been leading the charge on defending these beloved public lands. Also, we have a guest host today with GYC’s Director of Communications and Marketing Emilie Ritter.

The team covers what exactly public lands are and why they’re so special, what issues we’re seeing when it comes to protecting public lands, and what the Greater Yellowstone Coalition is doing to ensure public lands remain in public hands.

New threats emerge often, and current ones are always evolving. So while this episode was recorded in late January 2026, please check out our show notes or just head over to our website at greateryellowstone.org to learn about the most recent public lands defense news.

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is the land of 49+ Indigenous Tribes who maintain current and ancestral connections to the lands, waters, wildlife, plants, and more.

Voices of Greater Yellowstone was created by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, a conservation nonprofit dedicated to working with people to protect the lands, waters, and wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, now and for future generations.

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Podcast Artwork > Rachel Dunlap Art

Music > Redwood Trail by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)

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