EP08: How We Can Still Pass Conservation Policy in 2025

Montana conservationist Whitney Tawney joins host Topher Williams for a conversation about the messy, meaningful work of protecting public lands and the relationships that make real progress possible.

Raised in Missoula by parents who founded the state’s first environmental lobby, Whitney grew up with a front-row seat to grassroots activism and long-term conservation work. Now a mother herself and former executive director of Montana Conservation Voters, she reflects on the people and places that shaped her path and how those early lessons continue to guide her leadership today.

Whitney shares the behind-the-scenes story of how she helped bring together two seemingly opposite figures, Kristi Noem and Tim Walz, to support the Sodsaver provision in the 2014 Farm Bill. What does it take to build that kind of bipartisan coalition? How do you keep conversations going when values clash? And what role does local organizing still play in moving national policy forward?

This episode explores the tension between idealism and practicality, and the quiet power of showing up again and again in rooms where trust has to be earned. Whitney’s story is rooted in Montana, but her insights stretch far beyond state lines. If you’ve ever wondered whether cooperation is still possible or whether one person can make a difference in a system that feels stuck, Topher and Whitney’s conversation offers perspective and possibility.