Our world is changing.

It always has, of course, but the pace of change that we're experiencing today seems different.

And for those of us whose lives revolve around the natural world,

it's obvious that change is coming for the things that we cherish too.

Whether you hunt or fish, camp, or climb,

it's impossible not to recognize that the wild world is under immense pressure.

By one estimate, we're losing more than 2 million acres of open wild space every single year.

That's the equivalent of an entire Yellowstone National Park of open space disappearing annually.

Meanwhile, across the world, wildlife populations have declined, on average, 73% over the past 50 years.

Here at home, on America's public lands, visitation and use has skyrocketed,

reaching record levels year after year after year, with the most recent data showing nearly

1 billion recreational visits annually. But at the same time, staffing and budgets for the agencies stewarding these lands

are being slashed. And the same thing is happening to the state and federal agencies managing

our wildlife populations. Now, at the same time, though, passionate advocates and sportsmen and

women and conservationists of all types are engaging in new approaches

to stewarding and protecting our wildlife and wild places in exciting and more innovative ways

than ever. All of this raises questions, very important questions. Where are we headed?

What does the future hold for wildlife and wild places,

in public lands, and waters? What will all this mean for the hunters and anglers and outdoor

recreators of all types who depend on these wild things? The questions are obvious. The answers, less so. And that's why I've started this

project. Eldo Leopold, more than 75 years ago, wrote in his renowned book Sand County Almanac,

that there are some who can live without wild places and some who cannot. That book and this podcast are for those

...