Hillary Rosner is an award-winning journalist and author whose work combines science, storytelling, and the natural world. She's been writing about environmental issues for decades, with bylines in publications like The New York Times, The Atlantic, and National Geographic. Her new book, "Roam: Wild Animals and the Race to Repair Our Fractured World," explores one of the most urgent—and often overlooked—challenges in conservation: the loss of connectivity across the landscape, and what that means for the movement and survival of wildlife.

Like so many fascinating people, Hillary's path into this work wasn't a straight line. She grew up in New York City, far from the wide-open spaces she now writes about, but spent formative summers in the Adirondacks and Berkshires that quietly shaped her connection to nature. After getting her start in fast-paced daily journalism at places like the New York Post and The Village Voice, she realized she wanted something deeper—slower, more immersive storytelling. That shift eventually led her west to Boulder, where she pursued environmental studies and built a career focused on long-form environmental journalism.

In this conversation, Hillary and I dig into the big ideas behind "Roam," including why movement is so essential to life on Earth and how human infrastructure—from highways to fences—has fractured the natural world. We talk about surprising barriers to wildlife, like roads that even birds won't cross, and explore solutions ranging from wildlife corridors to collaborative conservation efforts with local communities. We also get into the realities of modern journalism, the importance of "bearing witness" in difficult times, and why curiosity, empathy, and action are still the most powerful tools we have for building a more connected and hopeful future.

I loved the book, and I loved this conversation. Hope you enjoy both as much as I did!

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Hillary Rosner
Roam: Wild Animals and the Race to Repair Our Fractured World
Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/hillary-rosner

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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

Mountain & Prairie is listener supported via Patreon, and brought to you with support from the Freeflow Institute, The Nature Conservancy in Colorado, and the Well Done Foundation for their generous sponsorship.

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TOPICS DISCUSSED:

0:00 - Introducing Hillary Rosner and highlighting TNC Colorado
6:09 - Book congrats and growing up in NYC
9:03 - The heading West bug
11:20 - More long-form journalism
13:36 - Making money in journalism
16:41 - Ted Scripps fellowship
19:01 - Patagonia publishing
21:20 - Roads are only good for people
28:20 - Why this should matter to you
35:23- SLOSS
38:39 - Doing everything you can
40:52 - Fence removal project
43:50 - Virtual fencing
44:57 - Author's note
49:47 - Poignant
53:16 - Out of the box thinkers
58:15 - Book recs
1:00:36 - Wrapping up

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Hillary Rosner - Why Wildlife Needs Room to Roam