I know I said that we would only be releasing Friday public lands news episodes every other week, but we have a special episode for you today covering two of the most pressing issues regarding public lands policy: the nomination of Steve Pearce to lead the BLM and the use of the CRA to roll back a 20-year mining ban in Northern MN.

Why couldn’t we cover them next Friday?

Well, both of these topics are either being voted on or discussed in Congress next week. So, we wanted to give listeners a heads up before they happen, why they’re important, and who we can contact about them.

To help us explore these important public lands stories, I am joined by Wendy Schneider.

Wendy has undertaken a number of professional endeavors over the course of her career, including working on campaigns and for elected officials on Capitol Hill, fundraising for a large national nonprofit, and practicing law at large international firms in Los Angeles.

Thrilled to now be able to call herself a conservation professional, she has been leading Friends of the Inyo since 2017.

Friends of the Inyo's mission is to protect and care for the land and water of the area we now call California's Eastern Sierra. They engage in both stewardship and advocacy work to protect healthy ecosystems and species in our working area. They always work in collaboration with many partners, including the Indigenous Community, as well as scientific, recreational, and many other local, regional, and national stakeholders.

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Friends of the Inyo: https://friendsoftheinyo.org/

Contact Senators: https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

More About Steve Pearce: https://www.wilderness.org/articles/blog/blm-nominee-steve-pearce-threat-public-lands

Save the Boundary Waters: https://www.savetheboundarywaters.org/action-center

By now, we know that our society has a problem with plastics.

They seem to have made their way into every aspect of our lives. They’re inescapable, but this is a problem that doesn’t need to last forever. It is a problem we can solve, or at least, that’s what the new book The Problem with Plastic argues.

We’ve been told for decades that recycling would solve the plastic crisis — but it hasn’t. The truth is, we can’t recycle our way out of this problem. Plastic recycling has never worked at scale, and the real solution is far more straightforward: we have to stop making so much plastic in the first place.

That change won’t happen without policy, and when everyday people use their voices to push policymakers at every level to cut plastic production and address this crisis before it’s too late.

In episode 211 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we hear from the author of THE PROBLEM WITH PLASTIC, Judith Enck.

Judith is the founder and president of Beyond Plastics, whose goal is eliminating plastic pollution everywhere. She was appointed by President Obama to serve as regional administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2009 and served as deputy secretary for the environment in the New York Governor’s Office. She is currently a professor at Bennington College and lives in upstate New York.

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The Problem with Plastics: https://www.beyondplastics.org/publications/problem-with-plastic-book

Beyond Plastics: https://www.beyondplastics.org/

Judith Enck: https://judithenck.com/

We expected the Senate vote on H.J. Res. 140, which would overturn the 20-year mining ban protecting the BWCA, to occur this week, but it was postponed until after their upcoming recess. The vote could be as early as February 23rd. This gives us more time to contact Senators and ask them to vote no on this resolution.

I’ve been posting plenty of resources and scripts to do this on our Instagram @outdoor.minimalist.book, but will also be including additional resources for this issue and others in our weekly newsletter at theoutdoorminimalist.com

This week, we are focusing on developments in Alaska.

About 60% of Alaska is public land. That’s over 200 million acres.

All of that land in Alaska faces immediate and intensified threats from expanded oil, gas, and mineral development and the dangers of climate change.

So much is happening in that one state alone, we wanted to take the time to highlight two of the largest issues the state is facing today: the Ambler Road project and the Tongass National Forest under the Roadless Rule.

To help explain the severity of these threats is lifelong Alaskan, Bjorn Dihle.

Bjorn lives in Juneau with his family, where he works as a wildlife guide and freelance multimedia professional focused on conservation.

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Salmon State: https://salmonstate.org/

Alaska Wilderness League: https://alaskawild.org/

No Ambler Road: https://noamblerroadaction.org/

Hunters and Anglers for the Brooks Range: https://huntfishbrooksrange.com/

You know full well that I am a dog lover, and I know that many of you are dog lovers, or just pet lovers in general. They are our family, and much like humans, our domesticated pets have a pretty big impact on our planet and the environment around us.

Think about walking into a store like PetSmart, or even your local pet store, there are aisles and shelves lined with single use toys, plastic bones, and items destined for one use just destined for the landfill. But that’s not all, we’ve done several dog related episodes including one on the impact of our pet’s waste and another on pet food and the reliance on high impact meats. I’ll link both episodes in the description below.

Episode 39: Benefits of Insect Proteins for Us, Our Pets, and Our Planet (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/outdoor-minimalist/id1586174667?i=1000565326336)

Episode 112: Does It Matter If I Pick Up My Dog's Poop or Not? (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/outdoor-minimalist/id1586174667?i=1000634653124)

So, today, we are looking at the industry as a whole. Why it is the way it is, and what some within the industry are working to change.

Joining me to share his experience and expertise is Spencer Williams, the CEO and owner of WestPaw.

A fifth-generation Montanan, Spencer grew up on a ranch near Columbus. His love for his home state and its pristine beauty, led Williams back to Montana after receiving a bachelor’s degree in German from Middlebury College in Vermont.

Since 1996, Williams has grown the Bozeman, Montana-based West Paw into a world-class manufacturer of eco-friendly pet toys and treats. West Paw’s products are sold in over 7,500 U.S. retailers and in over 45 countries.

From its start, the company has focused on environmentally friendly business methods and product materials, including recycled, recyclable, regenerative and organic materials. Spencer is a founding board member and past board chair of the Pet Sustainability Coalition. West Paw became the first pet product manufacturer to become a certified B Corp and in 2015 became Montana’s first Benefit Corporation.

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West Paw

Website: https://www.westpaw.com/

YouTube: http://youtube.com/c/westpaw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westpawUS

Cradle to Cradle Book: https://mcdonough.com/cradle-to-cradle/

Pet Sustainabilty Coalition: https://petsustainability.org/

Where do we go from here?

Where are the leaders?

Why does it feel like no one is doing anything?

In this solo episode of The Outdoor Minimalist Podcast, we work to dismantle one of the most persistent myths about resistance: that it only looks one way — loud, visible, risky, and centered on a single kind of leader.

Drawing on history, journalism, and movement research, this episode explores why successful resistance movements don’t rely on heroes or front lines alone. They rely on ecosystems. Networks of people taking on different roles at different times, based on capacity, skill, and sustainability.

Meg situates this conversation specifically within outdoor spaces and the outdoor industry, where leadership and power have historically been framed through a narrow, often white lens. By examining who has always been forced to resist, and who has often had the privilege not to, this episode challenges listeners to reconsider where leadership already exists, and what real allyship actually requires.

Meg unpacks why neutrality can be dangerous, how “malignant normality” takes hold, and why resistance must include collective care if it’s going to last.

Finally, this episode offers a framework for understanding the many roles that show up in movements that actually work, including:

- Frontlines

- Organizers

- Caregivers

- Storytellers

- Educators

- Builders

- Supporters

And invites listeners to identify where they can contribute honestly and sustainably.

Because resistance isn’t a sprint.

It’s not even a marathon.

It’s a relay, and everyone has a role.

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Recommended Books on Resistance & Social Movements

- Erica Chenoweth & Maria J. Stephan — Why Civil Resistance Works (2011)

- Gene Sharp — The Politics of Nonviolent Action (1973)

- Sarah Jaffe — Necessary Trouble (2016)

- Judith Butler — Frames of War (2009)

- Peter Kropotkin — Mutual Aid: A Factor in Evolution (1902)

- Umberto Eco — How to Spot a Fascist (2020)

- Timothy Snyder — On Tyranny (2017)

- Saul D. Alinsky — Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals (1971)

- bell hooks — Feminism Is for Everybody (2000)

- Audre Lorde — Sister Outsider (1984)

- If They Come in the Morning: Voices of Resistance, edited by Angela Y. Davis (1971)

- Ellen Jones — Outrage (2025)

- Leah Thomas — Intersectional Environmentalist (2022)

- Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò — Elite Capture (2022)

- Rebecca Solnit — Hope in the Dark (2004)

- Rebecca Solnit — A Paradise Built in Hell (2009)

- Sara Ahmed — The Feminist Killjoy Handbook (2023)

- Omkari L. Williams — Micro Activism (2023)

- adrienne maree brown — Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good (2019)

- Arlie Russell Hochschild — Strangers in Their Own Land (2016)

- Maria Ressa — How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future (2022)

- Guy B. Johnson & James A. Dombrowski — The Highlander Folk School

- Charles Tilly — Social Movements, 1768–2004

Free Online Resources

International Center on Nonviolent Conflict — Methods of Nonviolent Action

https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/198-methods-of-nonviolent-action/

Stanford Mapping Militancy Project — Leadership & Movement Research

https://mappingmilitants.org/

Kimberlé Crenshaw — Intersectionality essays & TED Talk

https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality

If you’re new to this topic, Rebecca Solnit and Sarah Jaffe are great starting points.

A lot has been happening this year already, and while many Americans are focused on ICE terrorizing US citizens in places like Minneapolis, attacks on public lands have not slowed down, they’re just getting less attention.

With the limited time we have on the show, we have three interviews for you today.

The first is discussing management changes with greater sage-grouse followed by updates on a proposed bill to open a toxic copper sulfide mine in the watershed of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Northern Minnesota and finally, looking at the continued use of the Congressional Review Act to attempt to roll back protections for Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in Utah.

Featured Guests:

- Sarah Stellberg, Advocates for the West

- Ingrid Lyons, Save the Boundary Waters

- Steve Bloch, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

We have a lot to cover in today’s episode, and we can’t cover it all here on the podcast. So, as a reminder, we release an email newsletter with more details and public lands and sustainability stories every Friday. Subscribe for weekly updates at theoutdoorminimalist.com

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Advocates for the West: https://advocateswest.org

Save the Boundary Waters: https://www.savetheboundarywaters.org

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance: https://suwa.org

When we think about environmental impacts in the outdoors, we often focus on things we can see: litter left behind, eroded trails, overcrowded trailheads. But some of the most significant impacts are invisible, and they’re showing up in places many of us consider pristine.

In episode 208 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we’re talking about microplastics in remote wilderness areas and what new research is revealing about how they get there.

Joining me today is Dr. Tim Keyes.

Prior to joining Welch College of Business & Technology in 2019, Dr. Keyes was employed by General Electric as a Senior Risk Analytics Manager for 22 years, and for seven years prior to that he worked as a Senior Systems Engineer at Measurex/Honeywell. He now consults with banks and nonprofits through his company, Evergreen Business Analytics, LLC.

In addition to his professional work, Dr. Keyes leads adventure science expeditions with students to research air and water quality across the Northeast United States. He has summited all of the high peaks in the Adirondack and Catskill Mountains in New York, the Green Mountains in Vermont, and half, to date, of the high peaks in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

Professionally, Dr. Keyes has published more than ten professional papers and holds seventeen patents related to risk analytics. His most recent refereed research was published in 2023 in the peer-reviewed Elsevier journal Heliyon. In 2025, an adventure science expedition he led received global attention for its potential impact on environmental health and backcountry recreation.

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Learn More

Research: https://adkh2h.org/wp-content/uploads/Return-to-Lake-Tear-Expedition-Report-September-2025.pdf

Guardian Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/13/microplastics-hiking-shoes-outdoor-gear

Rozalia Project: https://www.rozaliaproject.org

Footwear Collective: https://earthdna.org/home/the-footwear-collective/

Guppy Friend: https://www.patagonia.com/product/guppyfriend-microplastic-washing-bag/4260750820839.html

Trail work is one of those things most of us benefit from, whether we realize it or not.

The smooth singletrack we ride, the well-marked hiking routes we follow, the trails that stay open season after season despite heavier use and harsher conditions. But behind every trail is a group of people showing up with tools, time, and care for the places they love.

In episode 207 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we’re talking about how everyday outdoor users can get involved in trail work and stewardship, even if you’ve never joined a workday before.

Joining me today is Chris Rizzo, who works in operations and partner coordination at Trailfunds.

Trailfunds is a new platform designed to strengthen the relationship between trail users and the nonprofit organizations that support them. Through a centralized app, Trailfunds helps streamline donations, increase transparency around trail projects, and create new ways for people to connect with the organizations caring for the places they recreate.

Their mission is to stabilize and diversify funding for trail stewardship projects while empowering local trail crews, rural communities, and land managers with consistent, sustainable financial support.

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Trailfunds

Website: https://www.trailfunds.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trailfunds/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trailfunds