Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Devon O'Neil is a journalist, author, and longtime friend of mine whose new book "The Way Out: A True Story of Survival in the Heart of the Rockies" is one of the best pieces of outdoor nonfiction I've read in years. The book tells the harrowing true story of a backcountry ski trip near Leadville, Colorado, that turned tragic—and the years-long process of understanding what really happened, and how a mountain town wrestled with loss, resilience, and the complicated relationship we all have with risk and wild places. It's gripping, deeply reported, and beautifully written—equal parts survival epic, community portrait, and meditation on how we find meaning in the aftermath of tragedy.

Devon has spent more than two decades as a writer and reporter based in Summit County, Colorado, covering everything from adventure sports and avalanches to the cultural and emotional undercurrents of life in mountain towns. Before turning his attention to this book project, he worked in newspapers, wrote for Outside, Men's Journal, and ESPN.com, and somehow managed to balance all of that with being a hardcore athlete and a dedicated dad and husband. He's one of those rare writers whose empathy and endurance match the people that he writes about.

In this conversation, Devon and I dig into the story behind "The Way Out"—how he first heard about the tragedy, earned the trust of a close-knit community, and spent years piecing together a complete and compassionate account. We talk about the ethical tightrope of telling other people's hardest stories, how his own brushes with danger shaped his perspective on risk, and what this project taught him about the fine line between adventure and recklessness. We also get into his childhood growing up on a sailboat in the Virgin Islands, his evolution as a journalist and athlete, and the hard-earned wisdom that comes from spending a lifetime chasing stories in the mountains.

"The Way Out" is available now wherever you get your books, so follow the links in the episode notes to grab your copy. Big thanks to Devon for the chat, and thank you for listening. Enjoy!

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• Devon O'Neil
• "The Way Out" by Devon O'Neil
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/devon-oneil/

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 2:23 – Intro and finding The Way Out story
• 6:59 – Making people comfortable
• 11:10 – The story in Devon's words
• 16:29 – Mountain town people
• 20:48 – Lifestyle overlaps
• 24:20 – Devon's own accidents
• 30:10 – It's all great until someone gets hurt
• 33:03 – The bonds of risk
• 35:18 – Adjustments
• 39:22 – Growing up on islands
• 43:43 – How Devon got to Colorado
• 47:34 – Pros and cons of different types of writing
• 51:22 – Book writing advice
• 55:42 – Not just about getting it right
• 1:00:09 – Book and writer recs

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Carli Kierstead is the Forest Program Director for The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming, where she leads efforts to understand and restore some of the West's most critical—and often overlooked—ecosystems. From beetle kill and wildfire to drought, Wyoming's forests face a range of challenges that ripple far beyond the state's borders. These high-country forests are the headwaters of several major river basins, providing water to millions of people across the American West.

In this conversation, Carli and I dig into the past, present, and future of Western forests—how management philosophies have evolved over the decades, what's threatening their health today, and what can be done to make them more resilient in a changing climate. We talk about her team's groundbreaking work using snowtography—a deceptively simple but powerful way to study how forest structure affects snowpack and water supply—and how those findings could help guide future restoration across the Colorado River Basin.

Carli also shares her personal journey from growing up in San Diego to finding her calling in Wyoming's wide-open landscapes, her insights on collaboration and trust-building in conservation, and a few book recommendations that shaped her path. It's a hopeful, science-grounded conversation about water, forests, and how collaboration can shape a more resilient future for the West.

Thanks for listening, hope you enjoy!

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• Carli Kierstead
• Wyoming forests + TNC
• Snowtography short film
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/carli-kierstead/

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This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy's leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy's impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 2:34 – Intro and Wyoming forest health
• 7:16 – Beetle issues
• 8:30 – Why forest health?
• 12:35 – Economic benefit of forests
• 16:28 – Wyoming's claim to water
• 17:10 – Snowtography
• 23:18 – Lessons from the snow
• 27:33 – On the ground impact
• 33:53 – How it scales
• 40:42 – Relationship building
• 46:08 – The tendrils of the Colorado River Basin
• 46:46 – Carli's environment obsession
• 52:01 – How to build a relationship
• 55:10 – Book recs
• 58:38 – Last thoughts

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This episode was recorded live on stage at the 2025 Old Salt Festival in Helmville, Montana, where I had the honor of sitting down with two of the people at the center of this ambitious experiment in food, land, and community: Cole Mannix who is the President and co-founder of the Old Salt Co-op and Andrew Anderson who is the manager of the J Bar L Ranch.

If you've been following Old Salt, you know it's much more than a beef company. It's a bold attempt to rethink how ranching families, local communities, restaurants, and consumers can work together to create a food system that's resilient, regenerative, and deeply rooted in place. What strikes me most about Cole, Andrew, and the Old Salt team is just how hard they are working to make this vision a reality. They're juggling ranching, processing, restaurants, and festivals—businesses that are notoriously difficult on their own—and somehow doing it all with an open spirit of generosity, collaboration, and humility.

In this conversation, we dig into the early days of Old Salt, the failures and lessons that shaped it, and the risks of scaling up in an industry designed to squeeze out small producers. We talk about why they chose to take the harder road of building restaurants and hosting a one-of-a-kind festival, how they measure success beyond the spreadsheet, and why they believe community is as important a product as the beef itself.

Even if you don't work in food or ranching, the lessons here resonate for anyone trying to build a purpose-driven business. We cover everything from balancing mission and margins, to leading with vulnerability, to learning how to grow without losing sight of your values.

Cole and Andrew are quick to admit they don't have it all figured out, but their candor, persistence, and vision make this a conversation I know you'll find as inspiring as I did. Enjoy!

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• Old Salt Co-op
• Old Salt Festival
• Old Salt team
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/cole-andrew/

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 0:00 - Intro, spirit of generosity
• 3:38 - Starting at the beginning of Old Salt with Cole
• 6:51 - Getting to know Andrew with J Bar L
• 10:18 - Ranching families coming together
• 14:51 - Lessons learned
• 19:29 - Getting to the festival, controversies
• 24:37 - Measuring success
• 29:20 - Realities of meat processing
• 34:47 - Restaurant business
• 38:49 - What we need to know (empower producers!)
• 42:11 - Start of audience Q&A, snack sticks
• 44:14 - Q: How did you forge this path?
• 47:26 - Q: If not the festival, what would the community touch points be?
• 49:42 - Q: Succession planning
• 54:41 - Wrapping up and thank yous

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Matt Moorhead and Galen Guerrero-Murphy are conservationists who work for The Nature Conservancy on its Southern Highs Plains Initiative (SHPI), a collaboration between five states with the shared goal of protecting the nation's grasslands. The Southern High Plains encompasses approximately 71 million acres across Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. The region is home to some of the country's most important grasslands, as well as the people and wildlife who depend on the invaluable shortgrass prairie ecosystem.

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Officially, Matt is TNC's Conservation Business & Partnership Development Advisor and Galen is TNC's Land Conservation Program Manager– but at their core, they are both relationship builders. As you'll hear in this conversation, both Matt and Galen work tirelessly to build long-term, rock-solid partnerships with landowners and conservation partners with the goal of finding win-win solutions that can be mutually beneficial for all parties.  Through genuine curiosity, creative thinking, and a deep respect for landowners and their legacy, Matt and Galen have helped to implement lasting conservation outcomes in the Southern High Plains.

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The three of us connected virtually and had a fascinating conversation about grasslands, ranching, buidling relationships, and purpose-driven work. We start out by defining exactly what constitutes the Southern High Plains and why this is such an important region for conservation. We then discuss why the large percentage of private ownership creates such a compelling case for conservation, the need for balancing conservation with various forms of energy development, the current markets around grasslands carbon sequestration, and the all-important role of TNC's partners. We also discuss Matt and Galen's mentors, how they measure conservation success, and some of their favorite books.

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I've considered Matt and Galen to be friends and mentors for many years now, so I was grateful for the opportunity to talk with them on the podcast. Hope you enjoy.

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• More Information: Southern High Plains Initiative
• Full episode notes & links: https://mountainandprairie.com/southern-high-plains/

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This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

On the fourth Tuesday of every month throughout 2023, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy's leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy's impactful work in Colorado and around the world, visit www.nature.org/colorado

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 3:10 - Introductions
• 6:25 - What are the Southern High Plains 
• 9:55 - Why the Southern High Plains are so critical in conservation
• 16:10 - How the patchwork of private lands in the Southern High Plains allows Matt and Galen to be effective in their conservation work
• 20:55 - The process of building relationships in private lands conservation work
• 29:10 - Balancing the potential for landowners to earn revenue through energy development with the interest in conserving landscapes
• 35:10 - Where things stand on grassland carbon sequestration as a method of generating both landowner revenue as well as conservation outcomes
• 39:10 - The importance and skills of TNC's partners
• 43:10 - Matt and Galen's mentors
• 50:10 - What progress on the Southern High Plains Initiative would make Matt and Galen happy in 10-15 years
• 53:40 - Matt and Galen's book recommendations

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Walt Morgan is a retired Navy Commander and Navy helicopter pilot, and he's also the founder of Translational Lift Coaching, where he works with individuals and teams to help them reach their full potential. Walt's wide-ranging background as a leader, teacher, student, and parent gives him a unique approach to helping people identify what they are doing well, what they could be doing better, and how to make subtle-yet-powerful adjustments that can lead to lasting change.

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Walt grew up in rural Oregon, where agriculture and working lands were an important part of his upbringing. He attended college on a military scholarship, graduated, and began flying helicopters for the Navy. After 23 rewarding years of service, Walt retired from the Navy and made his way into corporate America, where he quickly discovered his talent and passion for coaching. Today, Walt has combined his innate skills as a coach with his deep desire to help people, and he's created a meaningful second act to his already impressive career.

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I have had the great fortune of being coached by Walt for many years now, and I credit him and his guidance with helping me to identify the beliefs and ideas that are serving me well and to discard those that created friction. As you'll hear in this conversation, several of the insights I gained from Walt's coaching are what led me to leave the real estate business and fully focus on the purpose-driven work of conservation and this podcast. While I generally avoid blabbing about myself in these conversations, I feel that my personal experience with Walt speaks to the power of the work he does on a daily basis with many, many people.

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Walt and I sat down at my dining room table and had a fun conversation about his life and career, including: Walt's upbringing in rural Oregon; his decision to join the military; lessons learned from helicopters, deployments, and decades of service; his experience on the morning of 9/11 and his work in the aftermath; discovering his love of teaching; harnessing youthful wild energy into something productive; becoming a coach; the difference between coaching and therapy; the Enneagram and Integral Coaching methodology; favorite books and music; and much more.

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A big thanks to Walt for taking the time to chat and for his guidance over the years. You can find links to everything Walt is doing in the episode notes, so be sure to click through. Hope you enjoy.

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• Walt Morgan
• Translational Lift Coaching
• Walt on LinkedIn
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/walt-morgan/

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• Join Ed at the 2023 STRENUOUS LIFE RETREAT
• Support M&P on Patreon

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 3:30 - How a saddle made it into Walt's living room (a look into his upbringing)
• 8:300 - Walt's journey in college
• 10:00 - Discussing Walt's hometown of Yoncalla, OR, and the remarkable people connected to it
• 13:45 - Why Walt became involved in the military 
• 15:30 - Walt's character pivot from his 19-year-old self to now
• 18:30 - When Walt started at the US Navy post graduate school
• 19:15 - Discussing when flying helicopters became a dream of Walt's
• 21:45 - Whether or not flight school was a means for Walt to channel the negative experiences he was having in his personal life into something productive
• 23:45 - Describing Walt's missions with helicopters
• 28:15 - Where Walt was on 9/11
• 31:00 - Walt's deployments following 9/11
• 34:45 - Walt's spiritual and emotional journey in corporate America, and starting his own business
• 42:15 - People's reactions (including Ed's) to receiving the kind of coaching Walt provides 
• 48:15 - Defining Integral Coaching and the process that Ed has specifically worked through with Walt
• 53:30 - The difference  between Integral Coaching and therapy
• 56:45 - Exploring the Integral Coaching methodology further, and discussing success stories in Walt's work
• 1:05:15 - Why this coaching strategy is not widespread
• 1:08:00 - How folks can work with Walt
• 1:13:45 - Walt's book and music recommendations

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Kathie Sever is an artist, designer, and the founder of Fort Lonesome, an Austin-based company that creates one-of-a-kind, hand-cranked, chain-stitched western wear. What started with Kathie hand-embroidering garments for friends out of her home has transformed over the years into a globally known fashion brand that is worn by well-known personalities such as Matthew McConaughey and singer-songwriter Nikki Lane. Using decades-old chain stitching machines, Kathie and her team create some of the most intricate and rich designs imaginable, and Fort Lonesome has been credited with the resurgence of Western wear's popularity in fashion circles around the world.

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Kathie was born, raised, and educated in California, but soon after graduating from art school, she took off for Montana, where she worked at a dude ranch. She worked at the ranch off and on for several years, and she took note of how the ranchers brought creativity, craftsmanship, and an artist's eye to so many of their tasks– from welding to sewing to leatherwork. Kathie loved the idea of functional art, and she has since made a career of combining handcrafted artistry with pragmatic design. And now, as the head of Fort Lonesome, she and her team continue to innovate and push the boundaries of functional art with Fort Lonesome's unique brand of what they call Cosmic Western wear.

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I loved this conversation with Kathie and could've talked with her for many more hours. We covered a lot, including Kathie's upbringing in California and how her family affected her artistic trajectory; her experience in Montana and how it laid the foundation for Fort Lonesome; her work as a pastry chef and the challenges of working in the restaurant scene of the 1990s; the power that can come as a result of negative experiences; her growth and evolution as a manager and business owner; how parenthood affected her goals; the pros and cons of working with famous people; the nervous feelings that come with creating art; our shared Enneagram personality profiles; favorite books; and much, much more.

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Whether you're interested in art, fashion, the creative process, entrepreneurship, or balancing a career with the demands of parenthood, you'll glean a lot of value from this conversation. A huge thank you to Kathie for the conversation, and thank you for listening.

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• Fort Lonesome
• Fort Lonesome on Instagram
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/kathie-sever/

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 3:15 - How Kathie's childhood led her to a career in art
• 9:00 - Kathie's goals as she went into art school
• 10:00 - How Kathie ended up in Montana
• 13:30 - Kathie's takeaways from her time in Montana
• 15:45 - When Kathie started to recognize Western wear as a creative outlet 
• 18:30 - Kathie's next steps after working at a ranch in Montana
• 20:15 - When pastry making came into the equation, and exploring the connection between pastry making and art
• 23:30 - Kathie's time in Austin and the misogyny she experienced in the restaurant scene in the late 90s
• 29:00 - Exploring the motivational power of negative experiences
• 32:00 - How having a kid impacted Kathie and how it led to her work with clothing
• 37:45 - Kathie's journey in figuring out the business side of making clothes
• 43:45 - When Kathie realized she was onto a good business idea, and how she balanced managing a small business from home while raising kids
• 1:00:00 - How oil painting impacted Kathie's embroidery work
• 1:03:45 - The first time a celebrity reached out for one of Kathie's pieces
• 1:07:15 - How Kathie balances her vision for her art with that of her clients when making clothes for performers
• 1:11:00 - Whether or not Kathie still feels nervous about putting her art into the world
• 1:18:30 - Kathie's vision for Fort Lonesome in the next 5-7 years
• 1:22:15 - Kathie's book recommendations

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This is the second of two live episodes that were recorded at the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society's 2023 annual meeting in Houston, Texas. The topic of this panel discussion was Achieving Landscape-Scale Management in a Private Land State. As you learned in the previous episode, Texas has very little public land compared to other western states, so large-landscape conservation in Texas brings with it a number of extremely unique challenges and opportunities. In this conversation, we heard from four of Texas's most respected conservation leaders– individuals who are finding ways to achieve ambitious conservation goals using their own unique skillsets and approaches.

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I was joined on stage in front of an audience of nearly 600 people by Roel Lopez, Director of the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute; Chad Ellis, CEO of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust; Terry Anderson, co-founder of Conservation Equity Management and Conservation Equity Partners; and Billy Tarrant, Associate Director of Stewardship Services at Borderlands Research Institute. You can check out the episode notes for more information on each of the panelists and links to their respective bios and organizations.

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As you'll hear in the conversation, there are a wide range of innovative approaches and tools– from academic to non-profit to market-based– that are allowing Texas to be a trailblazer in private lands conservation in the United States. So we had a lot to cover in this hour-long session, including: The evolution and use of conservation easements, the importance of building solid relationships with landowners, new conservation tools on the horizon, how Texas has exported is private lands conservation tools to other states, data around population growth in Texas, advice for you and aspiring conservationists, and a long list of books, podcasts, and resources that have influenced these conservation leaders.

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And just before this conversation, each of the panelists did a brief presentation that summarized all of the important work they are doing in Texas. If you'd like to listen to those talks and access their Powerpoint presentations, there's a link in the episode notes. However, you don't need to listen to those presentations to get full value out of this episode– but they are there if you want to go a little deeper.

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If you're interested in conservation and learning from impressive individuals who have devoted their lives to land, stewardship, and conservation, then I know you'll enjoy this episode. Once again, thanks to John Kinsey and the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society for inviting me down to Houston and for giving me the opportunity to have these meaningful conversations. Enjoy!

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• Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society
• The Wildlife Society
• Panelists Bios
• Listen to the pre-podcast presentations
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/landscape-scale/

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 3:00 – Introduction
• 5:00 – Discussing the Conservation Easement as a tool, and how it has evolved
• 10:30 – The importance of relationships in this work
• 13:30 – What new tools do we need in private lands conservation
• 22:00 – Discussing the private lands conservation strategies that Texas has been able to export to other states
• 27:15 – Whether or not the experts predicted the population numbers and growth that Texas is seeing today
• 29:45 – Advice for young professionals who want to become better storytellers
• 40:30 – The importance of building relationships with politicians for conservation work
• 53:00 – Books, podcasts, heroes, and other resources that have influenced the panelists
• 56:30 – Where the panelists find hope and motivation

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This is the first of two live episodes that were recorded at the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society's 2023 annual meeting in Houston, Texas. The topic of this panel discussion was Equitable Access to the Outdoors, a subject that is timely and important in all areas of the West, but especially important in Texas, where 93% of the state's land is privately owned. Whether your interest is outdoor recreation, public health, climate change, or public-private conservation partnerships, the ability for people to have access to parks, trails, open spaces, and wild places is becoming more and more important with each passing year.

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For this conversation, I was joined on stage by five Texas conservation innovators– folks who are working hard to ensure that Texans of all stripes have ample opportunities to spend time outside– whether in the cities or in the state's more rural areas. In order of their appearance in this conversation, we had Jaime González, Healthy Communities Director for the Nature Conservancy; Sarah Coles, Executive Director of the Texas Children in Nature Network; Immanuel Salas, Texas Parks and Wildlife's R3 Coordinator for Hunting and Shooting Sports; Neal Wilkins, President and CEO of the East Foundation; and Joseph Fitzsimons, conservationist and owner of the San Pedro Ranch. You can check out the episode notes for more information on each of the panelists and links to their respective bios and organizations.

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I could've spent hours talking to each of the panelists individually, but as a group, we had a very informative and educational conversation– one that provided a different perspective from some of my past episodes that focused on equitable access. we covered a lot in this hour-long discussion, including: the importance of building thriving cities with ample parks, trails, and outdoor space; how these organizations are working to reverse some of the disheartening trends around children's health and their access to the outdoors; the importance of collaborative partnerships, the R3 program in Texas– what it is, why it's important, and how it is evolving; the role of private landowners in providing access opportunities; the importance of youth education; the role of government; public land in Texas; the need to engage with elected officials; favorite books; and much more.

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I learned a lot from this conversation and was honored to share a stage with such an impressive group of people who are working so hard on this all-important issue. Click the link in your podcast player to access all of the notes and links from this episode– we've listed tons of excellent resources from this episode.

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Thanks to John Kinsey and the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society for inviting me to host this event, and thank you for listening. Hope you enjoy!

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• Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society
• The Wildlife Society
• Panelists Bios
• Full episode note and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/equitable-access/

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TOPICS DISCUSSED

• 3:04 - An introduction, and then Jaime discusses his work with TNC in Houston
• 9:25 - The quantitative way that Jaime and TNC evaluate success in connecting youth with the outdoors
• 11:25 - Sarah introduces Texas Children in Nature Network
• 15:55 - Sarah explains TCINN's partnership model
• 19:10 - Immanuel discusses the R3 program and its importance
• 26:40 - Neil introduces the East Foundation
• 30:55 - How the East Foundation's educational programs have shifted over time
• 32:10 - How Joe became involved in public lands conservation work through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission
• 38:55 - The panelists' experience in dealing with politics and elected officials
• 46:40 - The panelists discuss the importance of storytelling
• 58:40 - Panelists' suggestions for books, podcasts, resources to access, etc

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Taylor Hawes is the Director of the Colorado River Program for the Nature Conservancy. As the leader of the program, she guides TNC's efforts to conserve the freshwater biodiversity of the Colorado River Basin while also meeting human demands for water– challenging objectives given the wide-ranging stresses facing the river today. But despite the challenges brought about by climate change, overallocation, and increasing demand, Taylor and her team are making great strides toward finding long-term solutions to create a sustainable future for the Colorado River and the people, plants, and animals that depend on it.

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Taylor grew up on the east coast, and, from a young age, she felt a deep connection to land, water, and natural resources. She fell in love with wide-open spaces while on a course with the National Outdoor Leadership School, and she's devoted her career to protecting land and water in the West. Prior to joining the team at TNC, she served as Associate Counsel to the Colorado River Water Conservation District on Colorado's Western Slope, working on water quality, water policy, environmental permitting, and water rights litigation.

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If you pay attention to the news, then you'll know that the Colorado River has been receiving tons of media attention for the dire conditions and projections facing the entire region. Reservoirs are at historic lows, temperatures are rising, and the need for more water is increasing. In the first part of this conversation, I ask Taylor to decipher many of the surface-level sound bytes that I've heard in the news, and she provides some much-needed context and background regarding the river basin's current challenges. We then talk about how TNC is working to solve these problems, by building community support, working collaboratively with Tribal nations, and helping agricultural producers become more efficient. And we spend the last part of the conversation talking about Taylor's professional journey– why she chooses to do this work, what gives her hope, and her goals for her work on the Colorado River.

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This was a timely conversation, and I hope it sheds some light on the challenges facing the Colorado River today– and provides some optimism about the river's future. Thanks to Taylor for taking the time to chat, and thank you for listening.

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• Taylor Hawes
• TNC's Colorado River work
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/taylor-hawes/

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This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.

On the fourth Tuesday of every month throughout 2023, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy's leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West.

To learn more about The Nature Conservancy's impactful work in Colorado and around the world, visit www.nature.org/colorado

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 3:15 - An overview of the situation regarding Colorado River water
• 8:00 - Discussing the "bandaid" solutions for the overallocated Colorado River implemented over the years
• 10:45 - Who is making the water allocation decisions for the Colorado River
• 12:00 - The breakdown of water use in the West
• 16:45 - Why has this situation has become an emergency right now, meriting the involvement of the federal government
• 19:30 - The timeline of Colorado river use reduction mandates
• 21:30 - The potential impacts of shrinking Colorado River on the Grand Canyon
• 23:00 - What will happen if the Colorado River Basin states do not agree on a plan to reduce water use in accordance with federal mandates
• 24:45 - How Taylor focuses on solutions regarding such a complex, difficult-to-model problem
• 28:30 - Some strategies TNC is employing to support and work with producers in reducing their water use 
• 35:00 - Discussing the difficulties and importance of relationship building in this work
• 40:15 - TNC's work supporting Tribal water challenges
• 44:45 - What drives Taylor's work and what are her goals
• 47:00 - How Taylor ended up doing this work
• 53:45 - How law school helped Taylor
• 55:45 - What keeps Taylor energized about her work and TNC
• 58:15 - How anybody can get involved in this work
• 1:02:00 - Taylor's book recommendations

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Beau Alexander is the owner and operator of Maxwell Alexander Gallery, a world-renowned art gallery that curates and celebrates "a new breed of fine art" here in the American West and beyond. Beau and his brother, the famed western artist Logan Maxwell Hagege, officially opened the gallery back in 2012, and their goals were simple: Represent one-of-a-kind artists, put the artists' interests first, and serve as a trusted resource for a wide range of collectors around the globe. After many years of scrappy hard work and outside-the-box thinking, Maxwell Alexander Gallery has become a cornerstone of the Western art world.

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Beau was born and raised in Los Angles, and from an early age, he showed a talent for entrepreneurship and marketing. He and his brother Logan started a number of businesses together, combining their proclivity for creativity with the tireless work ethic they learned from their immigrant father. As Logan's art career exploded, they both saw an opportunity to create an art gallery that takes care of its artists and clients– one that plays the long game and is deeply invested in the people behind the art… not solely focused on making a sale. So, in 2012 they opened Maxwell Alexander Gallery and have steadily risen to the top of the western contemporary art world. And just a few weeks ago, Beau was awarded the Autry Museum's John J. Geraghty Award, which recognizes an individual for his or her Advancement of Contemporary Western art.

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Beau and I met last fall in L.A. at Maxwell Alexander Gallery's 10 Year Anniversary Exhibition, so I was thrilled to have him join me for a more in-depth conversation about his journey in western art. We started by discussing his upbringing in LA and how entrepreneurship has always been a part of his life. We discuss some of the good and bad aspects of the old-school art gallery world that sparked the idea to start Maxwell Alexander Gallery. We discussed the early days of the business, and how he had to grind and be extremely creative in order to gain a foothold in the art world. We also discuss his irreverent, often times hilarious, approach to using social media as a marketing tool and the importance of introducing new collectors to western art. We discuss art valuation, the importance of treating people fairly, his other artistic influences, and his brother Logan's evolution as an artist.

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We talk a lot about Logan and the 10 Year Anniversary exhibition– you can listen to those podcasts by following the links in the episode notes. But for now, I hope you enjoy this inspiring conversation with Beau Alexander.

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• Maxwell Alexander Gallery
• Maxwell Alexander Gallery on Instagram
• Live podcast from the 10th Anniversary Exhibition
• M&P podcast with Logan Maxwell Hagege
• Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/beau-alexander/

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• 3:45 – Setting the scene in Beau's year leading up to starting the Maxwell Alexander Gallery

• 10:00 – Discussing Beau's time studying business, before which he had actually started his own business

• 14:00 – How Beau prioritizes relationships in his business

• 17:30 – Beau's process of evaluating artwork

• 21:30 – How the Maxwell Alexander Gallery is different from other art galleries

• 24:00 – When Beau figured out that the Maxwell Alexander Gallery was a unique idea to run with in the art world, and the early process of establishing the gallery

• 29:45 – Discussing Beau's unconventional ways of advertising the gallery

• 31:15 – How long it took for the established art community to recognize and embrace the Maxwell Alexander Gallery model

• 36:45 – Discussing the 10 Year Anniversary of the gallery

• 39:30 – Talking about the finances and value of art

• 49:30 – Advice for young art collectors

• 52:30 – Beau's favorite art

• 59:30 – Beau's other influences outside of painting and sculpture, as well as the impact Logan Maxwell has had on the art world

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