Outdoor Minimalist

The Outdoor Media Summit is an annual conference for media, marketers, PR, and brands to come together to collaborate and network.

Although I've only attended the last two years, it has quickly become among my favorite industry events because of the intimate settings and ever evolving format.

In this episode, Tarin O'Donnell, from the Tarin it Up Podcast, and I recap our experience at the 2025 Outdoor Media Summit. It is ra...

In the Outdoor Minimalist public lands news briefing for the week of November 3 - 7, we cover:

- Public Lands Rule comment period ending on November 10th

Comment Here: https://www.regulations.gov/document/BLM-2025-0001-0001

- The Fight for the Roadless Rule Continues with Josh Hicks from the Wilderness Society

- Chaco Canyon in New Mexico is facing rollbacks to protections around the park with Sally Paez from the New Mexico Wilderness...

For decades, the outdoor industry has celebrated innovation through synthetics—lighter, stronger, and more technical fabrics made from petroleum-based materials. 

But as we grapple with the environmental costs of producing many synthetic products, is a shift underway? 

Wool, waxed cotton, hemp, and other natural materials might be making a comeback —not as a nostalgic throwback, but as brands and individuals innovate with them, provi...

Here's what happened during the week of October 27 - 31 with our Public Lands:

- Mike Lee's three new proposals that threaten public lands with Neal Clark from the Southwest Utah Wilderness Alliance

- National Parks remain understaffed, but open during the ongoing shutdown

- Over 500 new oil and gas permits were approved during the shutdown period

- Trump administration will open the entire 1.56 million acres of the Coastal Pla...

Depending on where you live, if you’ve ever driven a snowy mountain road or parked your car after a winter storm, you’ve probably seen that familiar crust of salt left behind. It’s easy to think of road salt as just another part of winter, and a simple fix for icy conditions. 

But that same salt, once it washes off our roads, has a far-reaching impact on the water we drink and the lakes or streams that we love.

Across the Northeast a...

After a week off from our public lands news round-up, we are back with more updates as attacks on public lands continue despite the government shutdown. 

The government shutdown has many impacts on our public lands, ranging from our National Parks and Forest Service to the Bureau of Land Management. While we spend a lot of time talking about our parks, BLM lands don’t often get as much attention. 

In this episode, we focus on how BLM...

In this episode, we visit Yosemite, Joshua Tree, and Sequoia–Kings Canyon to understand how the 2025 government shutdown is affecting park staff, local economies, and conservation efforts across the National Park System.

While some parks, like Joshua Tree, appear to be operating almost normally, others are showing the strain. Visitor centers are shuttered, maintenance is delayed, and some rangers are working without pay or support.

...

This week on our public lands news round up for October 6 - 10, we cover:

- Government shutdown enters it's 10th day with no end in sight

- Mission Ridge ski expansion outside of Wenatchee, WA faces local oppostion ft. Steven Gnam from Friends of Mission Ridge (https://www.friendsofmissionridge.org/⁠ )

- Land management plan repeals in Montana and North Dakota pass in the Senate using the Congressional Review Act ft. John R...

What if the same determination it takes to climb some of the world’s highest peaks was also the key to tackling some of the world’s biggest chemical threats?

That’s the story of today’s guest, Arlene Blum. A pioneering mountaineer who co-led the first women’s ascent of Denali and led the first American ascent of Annapurna I, Arlene later turned her focus toward another steep climb: protecting public health from harmful chemicals. 

As...

In this episode (Sept 29 – Oct 3, 2025):

When most people think about recreational vehicles– you know, RVs, campers, they picture freedom — the open road, family vacations, maybe even a way of life. 

What probably doesn’t come to mind is deforestation in Borneo. 

Yet half of all tropical plywood harvested globally ends up in RVs.

In episode 199 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we dig into how the RV industry in the United States has become a major driver of rainforest dest...

What we cover in this episode of the public lands news for the week of September 22 - 26:

Wildfires are reshaping the landscapes of the American West—and with them, the way we think about public lands and climate resilience. 

Over the past few decades, fires have grown larger, more severe, and harder to predict. As climate change accelerates and management debates intensify, the stakes couldn’t be higher for our forests.

Today, we’re digging into the science behind these trends and what they mean for the future of our pub...

This week on Public Lands News (Sept 15–19, 2025):

Estes Park, Colorado, gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, has long relied on its outdoor recreation economy.

In fact, just a few years ago, it was outpacing the rest of Colorado in tourism growth.

But in 2025, federal policy changes, including mass firings at federal agencies like the National Park Service, are raising questions:

Will communities like Estes Park be able to weather the storm?

In this episode, we visit Estes Park ...

There is just one week left to comment on the USDA’s intent to rescind the Roadless Rule.

The comment period closes September 19th. As of this recording, more than 78,000 comments have already been submitted to the Federal Register, but we need to keep that momentum going.

Link to Federal Register to Comment on the Roadless Rule: ⁠⁠https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/08/29/2025-16581/special-areas-roadless-area-conservat...

In the pilot episode of Ecocide, we look at two primary threats to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness: mining and climate change.

Spanning over 1.1 million acres of boreal forest, glacial lakes, and winding rivers, the Boundary Waters is the largest wilderness East of the Rockies (and North of the Everglades), and one of the most pristine freshwater ecosystems in the world.

But sulfide-ore copper mining and a rapidly changing...

This week's Public Lands News episode is covering public lands protections, Congressional tools, and new funding announcements, including:

• USDA Proposal to Rescind the Roadless Rule: 45 million acres of national forest at risk, including Alaska’s Tongass; public comment period closes September 19

• Congressional Review Act Threats to BLM Resource Management Plans — with John Ruple, University of Utah

• Department of the Interior S...

We've been tracking the attacks on public lands since January 20, 2025, and while this short episode only covers a few of the main events, hundreds of other things have happened specifically targeting our public lands and waters.

This video only features events through August 12, 2025. The 200th day of Trump 2.0 occurred on August 7th.

See the full timeline* document here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17DXrNFTQJRAHaU6hgO2...