Project Upland Podcast
Project Upland Podcast
Podcast Description
Project Upland presents the Project Upland Podcast, a cinematic and science-based production that delivers on the independent storytelling you have come to love. Cohosts AJ DeRosa and Gabby Zaldumbide learn from researchers, biologists, and subject matter experts about birds, nature, conservation, dogs, and more. This podcast is a glimpse into the minds of the curious, obsessive, and hard-working folks who work at Project Upland and an exploration of all the things we find that we can't always include in print.Join us as we travel into the deepest, most obscure, and nerdiest realms of the uplands. After all, these are your stories.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
Major topics include bird conservation, habitat preservation, and the interconnection between ecology and human activity, with episodes like the Great Basin Sage Grouse series examining habitat needs and human impact on species survival.
Project Upland presents the Project Upland Podcast, a cinematic and science-based production that delivers on the independent storytelling you have come to love.
Cohosts AJ DeRosa and Gabby Zaldumbide learn from researchers, biologists, and subject matter experts about birds, nature, conservation, dogs, and more. This podcast is a glimpse into the minds of the curious, obsessive, and hard-working folks who work at Project Upland and an exploration of all the things we find that we can’t always include in print.
Join us as we travel into the deepest, most obscure, and nerdiest realms of the uplands. After all, these are your stories.
Fish and Game Commissions Sit at the Intersection of Science, Politics, and Public Responsibility for Wildlife
In this “Civics of Conservation” episode of the Project Upland Podcast, AJ and Gabby are joined by veteran journalist and former Montana Fish and Wildlife commissioner Andrew McKean to explore the often misunderstood world of fish and game commissions and the powerful role they play in shaping wildlife policy across the United States.
Together, they examine how commissions function at the intersection of science, politics, and public accountability, overseeing everything from hunting seasons and regulations to agency budgets, conservation priorities, and long-term strategic planning. The conversation breaks down how commissions operate, how the public can engage with them, and why their influence reaches far beyond hunting and fishing.
AJ, Gabby, and McKean also discuss the growing pressures facing wildlife commissions as debates intensify over predator management, non-game species, scientific research, funding, and the public trust in wildlife management. Along the way, they explore how commissions increasingly serve as the front lines of both conservation and conflict, where science, public opinion, and political realities often collide.
Throughout the episode, they argue that understanding how fish and game commissions operate is essential for anyone hoping to engage meaningfully in the future of wildlife conservation, hunting, and public policy in North America.
Listen to past episodes here: Project Upland Podcast
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