Episode 58 | Benny Braden on Public Lands Stewardship
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Summary
Benny Braden is a public lands advocate and accomplished long-distance hiker. In this episode, Andrew and Ryan chat with him about public lands stewardship, social media, National Park funding, and more. Also in this episode – what’s up with bagging dog poop but leaving it on the side of the trail?
Outline
- 00:00:28 – spring in the Rockies
- 00:03:30 – low snowfall in the Sierra this year
- 00:04:04 – climate change and snowpack in the Sierra and Rockies
- 00:06:14 – bagging your dog poop but leaving it on the side of the trail
- 00:09:46 – Benny Braden interview begins
- 00:14:00 – Max Patch destruction
- 00:17:38 – social media as a tool – negative vs. positive effect on public lands
- 00:22:05 – what can public lands give us vs. how we can give back to public lands
- 00:23:32 – drone footage from Max Patch
- 00:26:00 – rehabbing Max Patch
- 00:28:02 – the interface between private charity and federal agencies
- 00:31:59 – practical advice for working with federal agencies
- 00:37:00 – Save our Smokies
- 00:43:08 – why trash is so bad in the smokies
- 00:47:00 – our parks need better funding
- 00:50:19 – Responsible Stewardship
- 00:57:36 – local non-profits vs. national organization – what is Responsible Stewardship adding to the leave no trace landscape?
- 01:00:48 – internet, social media, and tagging lightly
- 01:05:34 – a brief conversation on gatekeeping
- 01:12:31 – a responsible stewardship reminder
- 01:14:19 – community kudzu
- 01:15:49 – end of Benny Braden interview
- 01:17:14 – minimizing personal impact
- 01:25: 22 – what’s new at BPL
Resources
- piece at Outside about Sierra snowpack
- Save Our Smokies
- Responsible Stewardship
- Highline Film that Benny appears in
- Benny’s Instagram account
- the Route Planning Tools and Processes Member Q&A
Max Patch
Drone footage from September 19, 2020:
Still photos:
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Credits
Executive Producer - Backpacking Light; Show Director and Host - Ryan Jordan; Producer - Chase Jordan; Theme music: Look for Me in the Mountains written by Chris Cunningham and Ryan Jordan, performed by Chris Cunningham (acoustic guitar, lead and harmony vocals, harmonica), Chad Langford (upright bass), and Tom Murphy (mandolin), produced by Basecamp Studios in Bozeman, Montana.
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Disclosure
Sponsorship Policy: Backpacking Light does not accept compensation or donated/discounted products in exchange for product mentions or placements in editorial coverage, including any podcast episode content not excplicitly identified as sponsored content. Some (but not all) of the links in these show notes may be affiliate links. Learn more about affiliate commissions, influencer marketing, and our consumer advocacy work by reading our article Stop wasting money on gear.
Discussion
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Companion forum thread to: Episode 58 | Benny Braden on Public Lands Stewardship
Andrew and Ryan talk with public lands advocate and accomplished backpacker Benny Braden about vandalism, stewardship, and social media.
Enjoy!
Listening to the podcast today so much trash everywhere, my son is in BSA and we do watershed clean up every year there is more trash, but I remember as a child in the 1970s in Illinois, my grandparents had a seasonal stream behind their house and they did not have garbage service, they just dumped their non burn able trash along the stream, they burned what could be burned but everything else was just dumped. Â I had another relative that would pull up to a ditch along side a farm field he owned and would dump his trash in the ditch instead of pay for some sort of trash service in the town he lived in. Â Believe it or not things might be better now than they were at one time.
Scott H, I believe it! This is what I was referencing when I mentioned the Cuyahoga. Like…is our current state hopeful or distressing? Kind of hard to figure it out. Thanks for listening.
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