Ep. 769: Can Conservation Be Non-Partisan?

The MeatEater Podcast

MeatEater

Sports, Wilderness

4.9 • 37.5K Ratings

🗓️ 29 September 2025

⏱️ 146 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Steven Rinella talks with Benji Backer, Ryan Callaghan, and Randall Williams.

Topics discussed: How wilderness is (or should be) non-partisan; pulling a B&E at Doug’s place; the latest anti-hunting crusade over Florida’s bear hunt; knocking on doors for candidates at age 10 and starting a PAC at 18; becoming disillusioned and starting Nature Is Nonpartisan; what we define as a conservation “win”; politicians being the problem; creating space for a national conservation coalition; farmers mitigating climate change; not “shitting up” America; and more.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an IHeart podcast.
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0:31.2	season. Shop now at firstlight.com. That's F-I-R-S-T-L-I-T-E.com.
0:47.7	This is the meat-eater podcast coming at you, shirtless, severely bug-bitten, and in my case, underwearless.
0:55.0	We hunt to meet a podcast.
0:57.7	You can't predict anything.
0:59.1	Brought to you by First Light.
1:01.6	When I'm hunting, I need gear that won't quit.
1:04.8	First Light builds.
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1:13.6	firstlight.com. That's f-I-R-S-T-L-I-T-E.com. We're joined today by Benji Backer of Nature is
1:25.1	nonpartisan. And we're going to talk about Can it be?
1:28.8	You're just saying it is.
1:30.3	It is.
1:31.3	That's the title.
1:32.8	I'm going to will it to existence.
1:34.7	And we're going to say, is it?
	...

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