Video and Audio

The Yaak Valley has been logged for its timber more than any other valley in the state. There are, however, 15 areas that remain untouched by loggers. Author Rick Bass has recruited dozens of writers, scientists and locals in a campaign to preserve the last of the Yaak’s forested areas as wilderness. Diane Toomey talked with him about his new collection of essays called: "The Roadless Yaak: Reflections and Observations About One of Our Last Great Wild Places."

Come March, it sometimes seems as if winter will never end. But despite the snow and mud, writer Rick Bass notices changes that indicate Spring is on its way.

Rick Bass reads from an essay-in-progress on "westernness," bringing together familiar themes of place and people, of beauty and art and their relation to the problematic idea of wilderness. His thoughts are grounded in human and economic realities of life in the Yaak valley, where he makes his home, writes, and works with the Yaak Valley Forest Council. This reading took place at the Best of Bioneers event in Bozeman on March 27, 2011.