Who Owns America's Wild Places? Public Lands and the Fight for Truth

Welcome to Open Container, where today we're discussing one of the defining features of the American experience: our public lands. Host Doug Schnitzspahn kicks things off with a personal reflection on how these wild places are woven into our national identity and the critical roles they play, not just as recreation spaces, but as battlegrounds for conservation, resource extraction, and cultural connection.Joining Doug is Chris Keyes, former editor in chief of Outside magazine and founder of RE:PUBLIC, a new non-profit newsroom dedicated to covering the politics, people, and future of America's public lands. Together, they explore what makes the American public lands system unique in the world, how it’s managed, and why it stirs such passionate, bipartisan support. From the legacy of Indigenous stewardship to the modern pressures of population and politics, the episode asks: Who really owns America's wild places, and how do we ensure their future?00:00 Hope in Public Lands04:35 "Finding Healing on the Road"07:34 Freedom of Camping on Public Lands12:58 Bipartisan Support for Public Land Conservation13:53 Legacy of American Public Lands19:30 Journalism's Advertising Dependency Crisis20:44 Journalism: Navigating Bipartisan Challenges25:42 Nonprofit Media: Partnership Over Competition27:45 Media's Role in Legislative Awareness31:30 "Advertising Threatens Editorial Independence"33:47 Long-Form Journalism's Enduring Appeal37:13 Nature's Restorative Powers: Access EssentialClick here to learn more about RE:PUBLIC.Thanks for listening! Open Container is a production of Rock Fight, LLC. Let's Get Some!Sign up for NEWS FROM THE FRONT, Rock Fight's semi-weekly newsletter by heading to www.rockfight.co and clicking Join The Mailing List.Please follow and subscribe to Open Container and give us a 5 star rating and a written review wherever you get your podcasts.Send your feedback, questions, and comments to [email protected].