The Enduring Wild: A Journey into California's Public Lands

Recorded live at Litquake Festival 2025 Outdoor enthusiast Josh Jackson had never heard of "BLM land" before a casual recommendation from a friend led him to a free campsite in the desert—and the revelation that over 15 million acres of land in California are owned collectively by the people. Recorded live at KALW during Litquake Festival 2025, Jackson discusses his new book, The Enduring Wild, which takes us on a road trip spanning thousands of miles, crisscrossing the Golden State to seek out every parcel of public wilderness therein. Jackson tells of the Indigenous peoples who have called them home for millennia, of the threats that imperil them today, and of the grassroots organizers and political champions who have rallied to uphold mandates to protect these natural treasures for generations to come. In conversation with KALW's Marissa Ortega-Welch.