Earlier this year, I spent several days with Allan Savory at Dimbangombe Conservancy in Zimbabwe and read his newly published memoir before recording more than 3.5 hours of conversations with him. This special 3-part podcast series explores the life behind the ideas. Episode 1 is now live. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas… #AllanSavory #Podcast #Conservation #Africa

Poaching had emptied the wildlife in Zambia's Lower Luano Valley. Today, thanks to the dedication of local communities, wildlife is returning. #OperationReturnofTheWild will bring Cape buffalo and Puku back #WitnessTheReturn #Conservation #Zambia #ShepherdsOfWildlife

When I bought my first piece of Montana, I thought the land was the prize. Over time I learned that places are ultimately defined by people. My latest essay tells the story of Mary Faith Hoeffner—outfitter, horsewoman, wilderness advocate, and one of the people who helped me understand Montana. “Mary Faith” is now live on Substack tomopre.substack.com/p/mary-…

Six species went locally extinct in Zambia’s Lower Luano Valley. Today, they’re beginning to come back. Conservationist Roland Norton joins me on Episode 52 of Shepherds of the Wild to discuss how commercial bushmeat poaching devastated wildlife populations, how local communities helped reverse the trend, and why buffalo and puku are now being returned through Operation Return of the Wild. This is a story about wildlife, people, biodiversity, and the future of conservation in Africa. 🎧 Watch on YouTube: youtu.be/7nZfuxSLcTA?is=A562… Also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found. #OperationReturnOfTheWild #Conservation #Zambia #ShepherdsOfTheWild

If you care about elephants, you should care about the people who live with them. The future of elephants won’t be decided in London or New York. It will be decided in the villages of Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia. When wildlife has value to local communities, wildlife survives. When it doesn’t, it disappears. That’s conservation. #ShepherdsBrief

Grasslands evolved with grazers. Bison. Wildebeest. Buffalo. Elk. Antelope. Earlier this year, I spent time with Allan Savory at Dimbangombe in Zimbabwe. The lesson was simple: healthy grasslands need animals. When grazers move across the landscape, they recycle nutrients, stimulate plant growth, build soil health, and support biodiversity. Remove grazers, and many ecosystems begin to decline. Nature is not static. It is dynamic. Mother Nature doesn’t practice conservation. People do. What conservation, wildlife, hunting, ranching, farming, or environmental question would you like addressed in a future Shepherd’s Brief? #ShepherdsBrief #Conservation #AllanSavory #Grasslands #Wildlife #Stewardship

Yesterday I posted on FB about a local precinct captain election in Montana and suggested the results might reflect broader dissatisfaction with Republican party leadership. The response was interesting. Some people agreed. Some disagreed. One person called me a traitor. Which raises a question: When did asking questions become betrayal? In my view, independent thought isn’t disloyalty. Holding leaders accountable isn’t disloyalty. Disagreeing with people on your own side isn’t disloyalty. Montana has always been full of independent-minded people who think for themselves. That’s not a weakness. That’s one of our greatest strengths.

I filmed this tonight, on the Prairie after three days of rain in central Montana. My friend @Halherring1 called it, "The symphony of things." #mtwx #afterthestorm #montana @Todayinmontana

This is what real conservation looks like. Communities stayed in the fight and poaching dropped by an estimated 80%. Wildlife returned. The land began to heal. #Conservation works when people have a reason to protect wildlife. #OperationReturnOfTheWild

Mother Nature does NOT practice wildlife #conservation, people do!

They call it the “PEACE Act.” Oregon IP 28 could criminalize activities tied to hunting, fishing, livestock production, animal husbandry, breeding, and food production. Supporters submitted roughly 120,000 signatures last week. If verified, it could be on Oregon’s November ballot. What happens in Oregon won’t stay in Oregon. Watch the first edition of #ShepherdsBrief and decide for yourself. #IP28 #PEACEAct #Conservation #Agriculture

I left home with $900 in my pocket. No connections. No guarantees. Just long days, production offices, film sets, and a willingness to outlast the obstacles. My latest essay, Nine Hundred Dollars, tells the story. tomopre.substack.com/p/nine-… #Filmmaking #Storytelling

Mother Nature does not practice conservation. People do. Join me live on Newsmax with Rick Leventhal tonight at 5:40 PM MT as we discuss the future of wildlife, conservation, and the communities that live closest to nature. @NEWSMAX Watch live: youtube.com/watch?v=oPtapPqf…

People often ask where my perspective on conservation, storytelling and media comes from. The answer has a lot to do with growing up around newspaper journalism during the collapse of Detroit’s industrial economy, helping my father produce the Detroit Free Press outdoor section, and learning firsthand how quickly stability can disappear. This is one of the more personal essays I’ve published. “The Phone Rang in My Father’s Office After Dark.” open.substack.com/pub/tomopr…

It’s been interesting going back through old memories and photo albums lately, trying to understand how I ended up where I am today. The older I get, the more I realize how much of my life was shaped long before I ever picked up a camera. Certain rooms. Certain rivers. Certain men. Conversations I probably understood far less than I imagined at the time. Funny how some of the smallest moments from childhood stay with you the longest. This first essay begins a five-part series about the people, places and experiences that quietly shaped the course of my life long before filmmaking ever entered the picture. open.substack.com/pub/tomopr…

We’re $525 away from restoring wildlife to a landscape where Cape buffalo and puku antelope were wiped out by criminal bushmeat gangs. One final push and we cross the line together. If 21 people give $25 today, we hit our goal and help bring biodiversity back to the Lower Luano in Zambia. Be part of something real. Be part of bringing the wild back.

Worth a read. open.substack.com/pub/tomopr…

Certainly a more than worthy cause. If you want to see wildlife, come back to rule Africa, then check out this video.

Bahamas trip chasing bonefish & permit. Weather shut us down early. Then perfect conditions—but water temps shifted and the flats went quiet. Saw fish. Caught a few. Nothing big. But the bigger story— A cruise/cargo terminal is planned. Marina. Mangrove dredging. ~2,000 workers. Locals already seeing offshore boats harvesting aggressively. This island will change. We’ll be back. Watching closely. #Bahamas #Bonefish #Permit #FlyFishing #Conservation #CoastalDevelopment #MarineLife #Fisheries #Environment

Dinner— Great Range Bison steak, mushrooms, Walla Walla onions, asparagus, lentils bacon. Smoked. Seared. 130–135°. Lean, high-protein, loaded with iron B12. Now in grocery stores nationwide—check their site to find one near you. Not cheap. Worth it. #GreatRangeBison #RealFood #FieldToTable #Protein