We expected the Senate vote on H.J. Res. 140, which would overturn the 20-year mining ban protecting the BWCA, to occur this week, but it was postponed until after their upcoming recess. The vote could be as early as February 23rd. This gives us more time to contact Senators and ask them to vote no on this resolution.

I’ve been posting plenty of resources and scripts to do this on our Instagram @outdoor.minimalist.book, but will also be including additional resources for this issue and others in our weekly newsletter at theoutdoorminimalist.com

This week, we are focusing on developments in Alaska.

About 60% of Alaska is public land. That’s over 200 million acres.

All of that land in Alaska faces immediate and intensified threats from expanded oil, gas, and mineral development and the dangers of climate change.

So much is happening in that one state alone, we wanted to take the time to highlight two of the largest issues the state is facing today: the Ambler Road project and the Tongass National Forest under the Roadless Rule.

To help explain the severity of these threats is lifelong Alaskan, Bjorn Dihle.

Bjorn lives in Juneau with his family, where he works as a wildlife guide and freelance multimedia professional focused on conservation.

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Salmon State: https://salmonstate.org/

Alaska Wilderness League: https://alaskawild.org/

No Ambler Road: https://noamblerroadaction.org/

Hunters and Anglers for the Brooks Range: https://huntfishbrooksrange.com/

You know full well that I am a dog lover, and I know that many of you are dog lovers, or just pet lovers in general. They are our family, and much like humans, our domesticated pets have a pretty big impact on our planet and the environment around us.

Think about walking into a store like PetSmart, or even your local pet store, there are aisles and shelves lined with single use toys, plastic bones, and items destined for one use just destined for the landfill. But that’s not all, we’ve done several dog related episodes including one on the impact of our pet’s waste and another on pet food and the reliance on high impact meats. I’ll link both episodes in the description below.

So, today, we are looking at the industry as a whole. Why it is the way it is, and what some within the industry are working to change.

Joining me to share his experience and expertise is Spencer Williams, the CEO and owner of WestPaw.

A fifth-generation Montanan, Spencer grew up on a ranch near Columbus. His love for his home state and its pristine beauty, led Williams back to Montana after receiving a bachelor’s degree in German from Middlebury College in Vermont.

Since 1996, Williams has grown the Bozeman, Montana-based West Paw into a world-class manufacturer of eco-friendly pet toys and treats. West Paw’s products are sold in over 7,500 U.S. retailers and in over 45 countries.

From its start, the company has focused on environmentally friendly business methods and product materials, including recycled, recyclable, regenerative and organic materials. Spencer is a founding board member and past board chair of the Pet Sustainability Coalition. West Paw became the first pet product manufacturer to become a certified B Corp and in 2015 became Montana’s first Benefit Corporation.

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Where do we go from here?

Where are the leaders?

Why does it feel like no one is doing anything?

In this solo episode of The Outdoor Minimalist Podcast, we work to dismantle one of the most persistent myths about resistance: that it only looks one way — loud, visible, risky, and centered on a single kind of leader.

Drawing on history, journalism, and movement research, this episode explores why successful resistance movements don’t rely on heroes or front lines alone. They rely on ecosystems. Networks of people taking on different roles at different times, based on capacity, skill, and sustainability.

Meg situates this conversation specifically within outdoor spaces and the outdoor industry, where leadership and power have historically been framed through a narrow, often white lens. By examining who has always been forced to resist, and who has often had the privilege not to, this episode challenges listeners to reconsider where leadership already exists, and what real allyship actually requires.

Meg unpacks why neutrality can be dangerous, how “malignant normality” takes hold, and why resistance must include collective care if it’s going to last.

Finally, this episode offers a framework for understanding the many roles that show up in movements that actually work, including:

- Frontlines

- Organizers

- Caregivers

- Storytellers

- Educators

- Builders

- Supporters

And invites listeners to identify where they can contribute honestly and sustainably.

Because resistance isn’t a sprint.

It’s not even a marathon.

It’s a relay, and everyone has a role.

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Recommended Books on Resistance & Social Movements

- Erica Chenoweth & Maria J. Stephan — Why Civil Resistance Works (2011)

- Gene Sharp — The Politics of Nonviolent Action (1973)

- Sarah Jaffe — Necessary Trouble (2016)

- Judith Butler — Frames of War (2009)

- Peter Kropotkin — Mutual Aid: A Factor in Evolution (1902)

- Umberto Eco — How to Spot a Fascist (2020)

- Timothy Snyder — On Tyranny (2017)

- Saul D. Alinsky — Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals (1971)

- bell hooks — Feminism Is for Everybody (2000)

- Audre Lorde — Sister Outsider (1984)

- If They Come in the Morning: Voices of Resistance, edited by Angela Y. Davis (1971)

- Ellen Jones — Outrage (2025)

- Leah Thomas — Intersectional Environmentalist (2022)

- Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò — Elite Capture (2022)

- Rebecca Solnit — Hope in the Dark (2004)

- Rebecca Solnit — A Paradise Built in Hell (2009)

- Sara Ahmed — The Feminist Killjoy Handbook (2023)

- Omkari L. Williams — Micro Activism (2023)

- adrienne maree brown — Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good (2019)

- Arlie Russell Hochschild — Strangers in Their Own Land (2016)

- Maria Ressa — How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future (2022)

- Guy B. Johnson & James A. Dombrowski — The Highlander Folk School

- Charles Tilly — Social Movements, 1768–2004

Free Online Resources

International Center on Nonviolent Conflict — Methods of Nonviolent Action

https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/198-methods-of-nonviolent-action/

Stanford Mapping Militancy Project — Leadership & Movement Research

https://mappingmilitants.org/

Kimberlé Crenshaw — Intersectionality essays & TED Talk

https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality

If you’re new to this topic, Rebecca Solnit and Sarah Jaffe are great starting points.