Ayesha Roscoe

But outdated rules have damaged the efficacy of what was supposed to be a social safety net.

I'm Aisha Roscoe. This is the Sunday Story from Up First, where we go beyond the news of the day to bring you one big story. So, I'm a real city slicker, okay? I am not someone who you're going to catch out on a hiking trail, and I don't like to rough it. Not at all. Wherever I go, there needs to be running water, there needs to be a working toilet, and there should be some Wi-Fi, okay?

I'm Aisha Roscoe. This is the Sunday Story from Up First, where we go beyond the news of the day to bring you one big story. So, I'm a real city slicker, okay? I am not someone who you're going to catch out on a hiking trail, and I don't like to rough it. Not at all. Wherever I go, there needs to be running water, there needs to be a working toilet, and there should be some Wi-Fi, okay?

I'm Aisha Roscoe. This is the Sunday Story from Up First, where we go beyond the news of the day to bring you one big story. So, I'm a real city slicker, okay? I am not someone who you're going to catch out on a hiking trail, and I don't like to rough it. Not at all. Wherever I go, there needs to be running water, there needs to be a working toilet, and there should be some Wi-Fi, okay?

But even though I'm not a nature girl, I do like the idea of the wilderness, and I do like to see it from afar through a window in a nice heated cabin. And you know, the thing of it is, is that the wild animals that we think of often when we're thinking of wilderness, a lot of those animals would not be here at all if it weren't for this 51-year-old federal law, the Endangered Species Act.

But even though I'm not a nature girl, I do like the idea of the wilderness, and I do like to see it from afar through a window in a nice heated cabin. And you know, the thing of it is, is that the wild animals that we think of often when we're thinking of wilderness, a lot of those animals would not be here at all if it weren't for this 51-year-old federal law, the Endangered Species Act.

But even though I'm not a nature girl, I do like the idea of the wilderness, and I do like to see it from afar through a window in a nice heated cabin. And you know, the thing of it is, is that the wild animals that we think of often when we're thinking of wilderness, a lot of those animals would not be here at all if it weren't for this 51-year-old federal law, the Endangered Species Act.

The Endangered Species Act is said to be one of the strongest pieces of environmental legislation we have on the books. It's been credited with saving the lives of grizzly bears and wolves that were hunted to the brink of extinction, bald eagle populations that were decimated by pesticides, and woodpeckers affected by deforestation.

The Endangered Species Act is said to be one of the strongest pieces of environmental legislation we have on the books. It's been credited with saving the lives of grizzly bears and wolves that were hunted to the brink of extinction, bald eagle populations that were decimated by pesticides, and woodpeckers affected by deforestation.

The Endangered Species Act is said to be one of the strongest pieces of environmental legislation we have on the books. It's been credited with saving the lives of grizzly bears and wolves that were hunted to the brink of extinction, bald eagle populations that were decimated by pesticides, and woodpeckers affected by deforestation.

But there are also plenty of critics of the law, people who say it has gone too far and has caused grave harm to communities and economies across the nation. Nick Mott lives in a place where the debate over the Endangered Species Act is both relevant and very raw, Montana.

But there are also plenty of critics of the law, people who say it has gone too far and has caused grave harm to communities and economies across the nation. Nick Mott lives in a place where the debate over the Endangered Species Act is both relevant and very raw, Montana.

But there are also plenty of critics of the law, people who say it has gone too far and has caused grave harm to communities and economies across the nation. Nick Mott lives in a place where the debate over the Endangered Species Act is both relevant and very raw, Montana.

Mott's a reporter with Montana Public Radio, and he's produced the podcast, The Wide Open, which explores the country's complicated and changing relationship with the Endangered Species Act. He joins me now. Hi, Nick.

Mott's a reporter with Montana Public Radio, and he's produced the podcast, The Wide Open, which explores the country's complicated and changing relationship with the Endangered Species Act. He joins me now. Hi, Nick.

Mott's a reporter with Montana Public Radio, and he's produced the podcast, The Wide Open, which explores the country's complicated and changing relationship with the Endangered Species Act. He joins me now. Hi, Nick.

So, Nick, I'm curious, why and how did you get interested in reporting on endangered species?

So, Nick, I'm curious, why and how did you get interested in reporting on endangered species?

So, Nick, I'm curious, why and how did you get interested in reporting on endangered species?

So your podcast covers this really wide net, exploring what it means to try to balance the needs of threatened and endangered wildlife with the needs of humans like those ranchers. You start your journey in your own backyard, so to speak, up in the northern Rockies. I do wonder, like, have you encountered grizzly bears up close yet? And if so, what is that like?