Tate Chamberlin of I Am Interchange talks to Jack Horner, AKA the fossil hunter whose legendary findings inspired Jurassic Park and set my – and the world’s – imagination about dinosaurs on fire. Jack has also worked on all the Jurassic Park films to make sure the depictions of dinosaurs and the science discussed are as accurate as possible.

Jack is a globally renowned paleontologist and professor that we’re fortunate to have as a neighbor in Interchange’s home community of Bozeman, Montana. And on the topic of population control, he has a clear perspective: if we don’t want to go extinct, it’s an issue we need to think about and address right away.

As Jack examines, we don’t yet know what the carrying capacity of the earth is because we’ve extended our ability to live on this planet with agricultural technology and other inventions. But, he believes we’re getting close – and population control is our only option to continue living here without a radical transformation of the lifestyle we know and love. The science he’s studied and taken to a new level has shown that humans have been living on the planet for 3 million years…but lack the stewardship directive to ensure our existence continues. In the course of our conversation, Jack acknowledges we have the capability of causing our own extinction – but the question is: will we turn it around before the breaking point?

Tate Chamberlin here to kick off this episode of I Am Interchange, focused on the issue of population control, with Jacob Schreiner, a senior pastor with New Life Four Square Ministries. After a tumultuous childhood and a party-filled adolescence he had what he calls an encounter with Jesus and opted to forego material privilege and studying law to forge a closer relationship with the Christian church and Christian principles.

Jacob’s take on some key topics are outside the mainstream, for sure. He believes the Earth is approximately 10,000 years old. He also believes the idea of population control is a laughable notion – flying in the face of God’s intentions. From his perspective, God gave humans dominion over the Earth, and we have been given infinite capacity to produce the resources that meet our needs and meet challenges as they arise.

From Jacob’s perspective, the proof of our authority is in scripture – and the only way the Earth will be destroyed will be due to an act of God.

During the summer of 2018, the western United States and Canada entered what had previously been an ‘unprecedented’ wildfire season. Walls of flame threatened environments from urban neighborhoods to national parks in fires burning more intensely than we’ve seen in this lifetime. And a generations-old debate rages on: can and should humans be doing more to manage these wildfires before they get started AND while they burn? Or should we decide that 100+ years of fire suppression has led us down the wrong path, and it’s time to get out of the way of a natural process? As with anything this complicated, no one side is ever 100% wrong, so we had to take a closer look.

This conversation is not one about the details of firefighting, logging, or forest conservation efforts. It’s about entire ecosystems and community vitality – and how fires have a dynamic impact on both. Wildfires put economic security – and even human lives – on the line, so it’s no surprise perspectives on how to manage and control them evoke strong emotions. But, as with all Interchange panel discussions, we focused on bringing balanced and informed perspectives to the table. We hope you’ll learn something new, or have an opportunity to listen deeper on this challenging and sensitive topic.

We sat down with John Bielenberg, a design guru with more than 250 design awards. From working with some of the world’s top businesses to questioning the practice of design and its function in the world, John is now focused on improving the state of the world through the application of creativity and ingenuity. While humans have the capacity to effect positive change in the world, John believes dysfunctional neural pathways often get in the way. Using this sentiment as the crux behind his design thinking, John continues to inspire our youth and community to use their creative genius to positively serve the world.

Veteran Smokejumper and Interchange X-Change Panelist, Paul Chamberlin sat down with his nephew, Tate Chamberlin. His 25 years of service in an age of evolving science gives Paul a unique view on if forest fires can be managed. As Tate searches for the answer, he discovers how it feels when a noble idea stops being noble in hind site. Why we must adapt to new discoveries despite how it may contradict our pre-existing beliefs. And, how everything, including a devastating forest fire, can be both useful and “good”. This while exploring his uncle’s fears, his place in the brotherhood of Smokejumpers, and his view on Climate Change Deniers.

Photo by: Ben Johnson

With farming and ranching moving to an industrial scale and model worldwide, the mechanization of all things edible, and the ready availability of foods imported from across the globe, our relationship with our food has become more complex than ever before. Add to that the mind-melting array of different diets espoused as the best (or only) option and deciding “what’s for dinner?” has become a question of health, environmental concerns, and ethics. As with anything this complicated, no one side is ever 100% right, so we had to take a closer look.

Produced by: Thrive On Plants, Tyson Lunn, Dylan Jesse & Tate Chamberlin

Former MT Cattle Rancher, Animal Rights Activist and Interchange X-Change Panelist, Howard Lyman sat down with Tate Chamberlin. His background, one in a million surgery success story, and his ordeals being sued with Oprah by the Cattle Industry for $180 million four times gave Howard the right to voice his opinion on the strength it takes to accomplish lofty dreams. In today’s episode Howard and Tate search for the answer, are our food systems sustainable. This while exploring why farming is the way it is, how hard change can be, and why we need to keep fighting to improve life for generations to come.

I Am Interchange hosted a controversial & provocative dialogue on Machismo and the Male Identity in an age when society is coming out of the closet, and women are finding their voices. This thought-provoking conversation fosters curiosity on ideas that include, how much of your identity is entwined in your sexuality? Can a Leather Daddy be submissive? Do abuse survivors ever fully recover? Can a man be a man without being Machismo?

The Machismo Panel features fresh and diverse perspectives. Sasha Joseph Neulinger a Filmmaker / Public Speaker, Timothy Tate an Archetypal Psychotherapist, Erin Schattauer a domestic violence survivor, Mick Burling a Leather Daddy, Rodrigo Martinez Diaz a Zen practitioner, Bobbie Zenker a Trans Activist and Paola Torres a Spanish teacher.

Senate Candidate, Activist, Alliance for the Wild Rockies Board Member, and Interchange XC Change Panelist, Steve Kelly sat down with me, Tate Chamberlin. Steve’s love of the outdoors and drive to protect it grants the Green Party Candidate an interesting perspective on the question, Can Forest Fires Be Managed? As I search for a deeper understanding of how wildfires should be managed, I discover Steve’s theory on the hidden objective of the Forest Service and their famous mascot Smokey The Bear. This when asking the questions, do we even need to manage forest and forest fires? And why is Montana sending its national resources, the main reason behind our booming tourism industry, across national borders?

Tate Chamberlin sat down with Dave Atkins, a forest ecologist turned publisher who has worked across the western US for the past 40 years. Dave strives to find the balance between environmental protection and function, economic sustainability, and social needs when thinking about how to create a better world. He’ll be joining us again in May to lend his expertise surrounding wildfires, which we begin discussing during this podcast. How do we live with fire and use it effectively? How do we bear in mind the necessity to fulfill our individual and most basic needs, while also understanding our actions affect our community and environment? Can we achieve a balance?

In this episode, Tate Chamberlin sat down with Mick Burlington, a crisis counselor and life coach specializing in trauma. Mick has also been a part of the Leather Community since 1991, and has become a pillar of guidance for gay and bisexual men struggling with identity. According to Mick, there is a separation between macho, machismo, and masculinity. Stick around as he guides us through the gray area between the separation, recalling his own journey of identifying as a gay man and the role that masculinity has played throughout his life.

Produced by: Tyson Lunn & Tate Chamberlin
Music by: Nintendeaux
Writing by: Neel Sharma

Joining us today is Timothy Tate, an archetypal psychotherapist based out of Montana. Building from our previous podcast, Timothy takes us on a journey of understanding how we can both leverage and abuse machismo. Using the blending of a matriarchy and patriarchy as a model, Timothy believes the tension of opposites drive both creativity and destruction. Can we use this archetype to better understand the human experience and unshackle machismo as being a mere gender stereotype?

This episode is a precursor to a larger panel we have coming up in February. Seven people from different backgrounds will be discussing Machismo, what it means to them, and how it can be both a negative and positive tool. Hope to see you there.

Joining us in this episode is the very multi talented Erin Schattauer out of Montana. We’ll be discussing machismo, using Erin’s experience as a domestic violence survivor to shed insight on how we can shatter gender stereotypes. Promoting emotionally aware development during children’s most formative years is a part of this process, which is something Erin both teaches and practices; she’s not only a domestic violence activist, but also a mother of a young son.

Broadly speaking, the term cultural appropriation focuses on instances where elements from a minority culture are adopted by a dominant cultural and re-used outside of their traditional, historical, and native cultural contexts. In this episode of the I Am Interchange podcast, a diverse panel of artists, activists & entrepreneurs examine whether cultural exchange can happen in a way that honors unique cultures and identities, or if the history of using other cultures for financial gain makes it more difficult for an exchange to happen in an intentional and respectful manner.

Tate Chamberlin sat down with Jordan Fuller, a performance artist based out of Bozeman. From shedding the confines of his past, to retracing his roots, we’ll be exploring Jordan’s performance art as a vehicle to promote positivity. Stick around to hear more about the early stages of his latest project – using multi media to highlight living conditions on reservations across Montana.

Photo by: Ben Johnson
Produced by: Tyson Lunn & Tate Chamberlin

Rob Irizarry was part of the Interchange “Coal Town” Dialogue and Debate representing technology and artificial intelligence. In this episode, we’ll recap our live event, AI, universal basic income and other shenanigans.

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I Am Interchange and Mountain Time Arts are pleased to present, Is Water A Human Right? A community dialogue & debate fusing artists, activists and entrepreneurs with different ideas and perspectives coming together to address multiple topics and provoke thoughtful dialogue. The public was also invited to participate and give their ideas during the event.

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Meg Singer is the Indigenous Justice Outreach Coordinator for the ACLU of Montana. Meg is a native of Salt Lake City, UT, and a member of the Navajo Nation. After graduating from Westminster College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, Meg moved to Polson, MT, to work as a student advisor for Salish Kootenai College. Meg’s passion for indigenous justice and the rights of Native American and Alaskan Native people took her to Bozeman, MT, to earn her Master of Arts degree in Native American Studies.

Produced by: Lunn, Chris Griffin & Tate Chamberlin. Hear more Interchange recordings at soundcloud.com/iaminterchange.

We caught up with Lori Shaw who is the co-founder of Colstrip United, a pro-coal grassroots movement dedicated to educating the public about the importance coal and coal energy. She is also running for City Council. Check it out!

Hear more Interchange recordings at soundcloud.com/iaminterchange.