By Land Podcast
Welcome to the By Land Podcast! My name is Emory, and this show is all about having real, honest conversations with experienced adventurers, outdoor experts, and everyday people who love spending time outside. My goal is to help you feel inspired, informed, and confident to take on your own outdoor adventures—whether you're into backpacking, hiking, hunting, camping, or just getting started.
I cover a wide range of topics like practical outdoor skills, gear, conservation, mindset, and personal growth. Each episode offers something different—whether it’s an inspiring story, hard-earned lessons, or actionable advice to help you build confidence and develop the backcountry skills you need to explore further and adventure better.
By Land is about learning, growing, and making the most of our time in the outdoors. If you’re into that kind of thing, you’re in the right place.
By Land Podcast
#125 - Why Hunting Isn't Conservation and Why It Matters with Kevin Bixby
Kevin Bixby is the Executive Director of the SW Environmental Center and recently published an article titled “Why Hunting Isn’t Conservation and Why It Matters." I asked him on the show for this episode to help me better understand what he means by this.
By no means is this an anti-hunting article, in fact, Kevin is a hunter himself and is the first to admit that hunting has played a key role in the preservation of American big game animals. That said, he feels the modern conservation model needs to change in a way that reflects the values of ALL those interested in the preservation of wildlife. If you’re interested in reading the full article, you can find a link to this article in the show notes.
SHOW NOTES:
- Introductions
- Kevin Bixby and his background
- How Kevin Bixby got into the political side of conservation
- Science versus value systems
- The rise of new value systems
- America’s Wildlife Values Survey
- The changes in cultural values
- A short history of the modern wildlife conservation model
- The need to pivot to a modern conservation model
- What’s wrong with the “hunting is conservation” argument
- How State and federal wildlife agencies receive funding
- The impact of invasive species
- Does industry impact conservation efforts?
- Game management as crop management
- The current imbalance of decision making
- The topic of wolves and predators
- The future of hunting in modern times
- The “hunting is conservation” mantra
- What keeps Kevin going year after year
- Border walls and the impact of wildlife migration
- How to follow up with Kevin Bixby and his work
- Kevin’s Original Article: https://rewilding.org/hunting-isnt-conservation/
- America's Wildlife Values Survey: https://sites.warnercnr.colostate.edu/wildlifevalues/
- Southwest Environmental Center: https://www.wildmesquite.org/index.php/
- Contact Kevin: kevin@wildmesquite.org
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