On this episode, we head deep into Montana ranch country with the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance to figure out how an industry built on horses and grit is now running on GPS collars, data uploads, and conservation science. It’s part cowboy, part tech startup—and somehow still hanging on.

We get into the real pressures threatening ranching today: skyrocketing land prices, outside development, environmental shifts, and the uncomfortable reality that most ranchers are pushing 60. What happens when the people feeding the country start aging out?

At the same time, ranchers are doing something you probably didn’t expect—they’re quietly some of the biggest players in wildlife conservation, habitat restoration, and land management in the American West.

And we also touch on the day-to-day realities of ranch life – pulling calves, dealing with predators, and occasionally even bringing animals back to life.

Watch the full interview: ExploreBigSky.com/episodes/ranchers

Learn more about and join the RSA: RanchStewards.org

And Give Big April 30-May 1: GiveBigGV.org

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Our barn at EBS: https://www.explorebigsky.com/outlaw-podcasts

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After the winter that wasn’t, we’re all wondering how extreme wildfire season will be this summer. On this episode, Outlaw Beat is joined by a fire behavior analyst who is qualified to give us answers to all our burning questions.

Jon Trapp is the Division Chief of Wildland Fire at Big Sky Fire Department and he is fresh off a regional planning meeting for western wildfires, so it’s a great time to find out what he knows so we’re all prepared for what’s in store.

Jon talks about the various conditions and weather patterns that are lining up against us, wildfire tendencies you should definitely be aware of, plus the technological advances that are giving firefighters an edge they’ve never had before.

And we don’t let Jon leave without having him answer fireman questions poorly written by children.

Watch the full interview: ExploreBigSky.com/episodes/fire

Brush up on the Wildfire Action Guide here: https://bigskyfire.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2022HE-Big-Sky-Evacuation-Guide-R3-SINGLES.pdf

And Give Big April 30-May 1: GiveBigGV.org

Follow us on instagram: @outlawbeatpodcast

Our barn at EBS: https://www.explorebigsky.com/outlaw-podcasts

Help us corral more listeners like yourself by subscribing and then reviewing us wherever you get your podcasts.

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The Rocky Mountain area isn’t known for its lakes, but there’s one we’re all pretty proud of. It’s everyone’s favorite terminal saline lake: Utah’s Great Salt Lake that, sadly, is getting less and less great every year.

To find out why it’s shrinking, why that matters, and what we can do to turn things around, Outlaw Beat talks to lake expert Eric Edwards, senior fellow at PERC (the Property and Environment Research Center) and associate professor of agricultural and resource economics at UC Davis.

Eric dispels some major myths about the state of the lake, like how much climate change is to blame and the practicality of some of the “magic bullet” solutions that are floating around out there.

This episode matters if you care about the wildlife, clean skies, and winter sports that make Utah a special place to visit or live.

Watch the full interview: ExploreBigSky.com/episodes/GreatSaltLake

Read more about PERC’s work with the Great Salt Lake: https://perc.org/2025/04/11/optimism-for-the-great-salt-lake-starts-with-water-leasing/

And attend the Lone Peak Film Festival in Big Sky Sept. 17-20! LonePeakFilmFestival.com

Follow us on instagram: @outlawbeatpodcast

Our barn at EBS: https://www.explorebigsky.com/outlaw-podcasts

Help us corral more listeners like yourself by subscribing and then reviewing us wherever you get your podcasts.

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