Miriam Horn is an award-winning journalist and author whose work lives at the intersection of conservation, food production, and the people working—often quietly and pragmatically—to hold those worlds together. Many listeners will recognize her from her excellent book "Rancher, Farmer, Fisherman," a title that's come up repeatedly on this podcast for its nuanced look at how working lands and conservation can coexist. But her new book, "Homesick for a World Unknown: The Life of George B. Schaller," zooms out to tell the story of a man whose influence touches nearly every corner of modern wildlife biology.

If you're like I was before reading this book, you may not fully appreciate the importance of George Schaller and his work—but it's hard to overstate his impact. If you're working in wildlife science today—whether studying elk in Wyoming or snow leopards in Central Asia—you're building on a foundation he helped create. He helped shift wildlife biology away from specimen collection and distant population management toward long-term, immersive observation rooted in patience and deep respect for animals in their natural environments. And beyond his own research, his legacy lives on through the countless scientists he mentored around the world, many of whom went on to lead conservation efforts in their home countries.

In this conversation, Miriam and I explore Schaller's remarkable life and the long arc of his influence—from his early days in Alaska to his groundbreaking work with gorillas, big cats, and high-altitude species across the globe. We talk about the tension between conservation and human needs, the role of humility and local knowledge in effective wildlife protection, and what Miriam learned after nearly a decade spent researching and writing this biography. It's a wide-ranging conversation about one man's life, but also about the bigger question of how humans can live responsibly within the natural world.

"Homesick for a World Unknown" is available at your favorite bookseller now. I hope you enjoy this conversation and the book!

---

Miriam Horn
Homesick for a World Unknown: The Life of George B. Schaller
Full episode notes and links: https://mountainandprairie.com/miriam-horn

---

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.

---

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

0:00 - Introducing Miriam Horn and highlighting the Well Done Foundation
6:17 - Feedback from George
10:00 - Beginning a decade of work
15:52 - Getting George to open up
19:52 - A bit of George's biography
24:39 - Becoming a charismatic megafauna
26:53 - Putting the gun down
31:03 - Humility and hard-headedness
33:29 - Seeking the full picture
36:57 - Husband and wife team
41:00 - Not protective parents
47:30 - George and Kay to the modern-day
52:39 - How George changed Miriam
59:11 - The writers Miriam admires
1:04:54 - Words of wisdom

---

ABOUT MOUNTAIN & PRAIRIE: