The keynote of the summit was delivered by Ahearn, a freelance journalist, who left her job at the leading NPR station in Seattle and moved to rural Washington sagebrush country after the 2016 election. There, she fell in love with sage grouse. In her talk for SageCon she speaks about what these strange, troubled birds can teach us about ourselves, our relationship with nature, and the divisions we face in our country today. This keynote explores the challenge of communicating with the general public about these “wicked problems” and how she is helping play a role in the conservation of sagebrush country by telling its stories. Ashley plays excerpts from her 8-part podcast series, Grouse ([ Ссылка ]), which aired on NPR member stations across Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and Nevada.
