In this first Road Note, we cross the divide from the high-tech precision of modern industry to the layered, industrial history of the Colorado high country. Rolling east out of Montrose after Mayfly Dealer Days, Texas Josh looks past the anodized aluminum and sealed drags of the gear room to find the foundational stories of the water itself—from the 19th-century ambition of the railroads to the Greenback Cutthroat currently haunting the headwaters.

In this Signal:

• The Iron Horse Legacy: A look at the "industrial optimism" of the late 1800s and the era of "milk can" trout stocking that built the Colorado fly fishing economy from the back of a moving train.
• The Resilient Ghost: The history of the Greenback Cutthroat trout—the native jewel declared extinct in 1937 that managed to survive in the high-altitude margins of the Rockies.
• Succession in the Rockies: Reflecting on the change in the Southwest Colorado landscape, from the quiet, analog era to the high-velocity outdoor industry of today.
• Fall TV Project Teaser: A first look at the new Field Standard television project launching this autumn—covering travel, fishing, cooking, and the conservation that defines our pursuit.

Chapter Markers:
00:00:04 | The Cold Open: East out of Montrose
00:01:37 | The Frequency: Signature Intro
00:02:31 | Industrial Ambition: The Railroad Trout
00:03:29 | Resilience in the Margins: The Greenback Ghost
00:04:56 | The Mobile Signal: Fall TV Project Teaser

Join the Community For the full experience—including deep-dive articles, wild game recipes, and exclusive field notes—subscribe to our Substack: Wild Dispatch

Connect with Texas Josh
Instagram: @Texas_Josh
Website: Spoke Hollow Outfitters

Support Sporting Conservation If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps us keep the signal strong.

Broadcast from the edge of the civilized world.

In the first installment of The Wire, we track the legislative movements and conservation battles shaping our access to the outdoors. From the halls of Washington D.C. to the desert reaches of the Big Bend, the decisions made this week carry consequences that will be felt for generations.

In this Signal:

• The Lead Line: We break down House Bill 556 (the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act) and its aim to prevent blanket lead bans on federal lands. We look back at the 1991 steel shot transition to understand the real-world economics of non-toxic ammunition.
• The Boundary Waters at Risk: A look at H.J. Res 140 and the attempt to bypass 20 years of science to allow sulfide-ore copper mining at the headwaters of America’s most visited wilderness.
• The Big Bend Waiver: Why the Department of Homeland Security is waiving 28 federal laws to fast-track a border wall through Big Bend Ranch State Park, and why local sheriffs are calling for better tech over more steel.
• A River Reconnected: Celebrating a record-breaking year for American Rivers with 100 dams removed in 2025, restoring nearly 5,000 miles of free-flowing water.
• Texas Giants: The 40th Anniversary of the ShareLunker program kicks off with back-to-back heavyweight bass from Lake OH Ivy.
• Reprieve for Catalina: A major update on the Catalina Island mule deer eradication plan as a court-granted stay grounds the sharpshooters—for now.

Chapter Markers:
00:00:00 | The Frequency: A Weekly Pulse
00:01:27 | The Lead Line: House Bill 556
00:05:38 | Sulfide and Silence: The Boundary Waters
00:08:36 | Waiving the Law: Big Bend Ranch
00:10:31 | Running Free: 5,000 Miles Unlocked
00:11:08 | Heavyweight Rounds: The ShareLunker 40th
00:12:07 | The Reprieve: Catalina’s Mule Deer
00:13:49 | Accountability: Holding the Line

The wood is dry, the signal is strong.

Resources:

• Find Your Representative
• Contact Your Senator
• Join America Rivers
• Save The Boundary Waters

Join the Community For the full experience—including deep-dive articles, wild game recipes, and exclusive field notes—subscribe to our Substack: Wild Dispatch

Connect with Texas Josh
Instagram: @Texas_Josh
Website: Spoke Hollow Outfitters

Support Sporting Conservation If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps us keep the signal strong.

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From a rare (for 2026), cold February morning in the bunkhouse, Joshua Crumpton (Texas Josh) launches the debut of the Field Standard podcast. This episode explores the hidden blueprints of American conservation and the modern policy shifts affecting every hunter and angler in the field today.

In this episode:

• Federal Public Land Access: A deep dive into Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s Secretarial Order 3447 and the new "open by default" standard for BLM and National Wildlife Refuges.
• The Wire: Latest updates on the Catalina Island deer eradication approval and the rising threat of Oregon’s IP 28 ballot initiative.
• Tribute to Fox Haas: Honoring the 75-year turkey hunting legacy of the man who helped build Mossy Oak.
• Turkey Call History: From 8,000-year-old Native American wingbones to the rabies-inspired invention of the modern mouth call.
• Feature - George Bird Grinnell: Discover the "Father of American Conservation," the mentor to Theodore Roosevelt, and the man who used Forest and Stream magazine to save Yellowstone and the American bison.

Chapter Markers:
00:00:00 | The Bunkhouse: Rituals and Blueprints
00:03:41 | The Briefing: Turkey Calling and Conservation Roots
00:04:31 | The Wire: Federal Public Land Hunting and Fishing Access
00:06:10 | Tribute: Fox Haas and the Mossy Oak Legacy
00:08:14 | The Wire: Catalina Island Deer Eradication Approval
00:10:30 | The Wire: Oregon IP 28 Ballot Initiative Update
00:12:58 | Turkey Call History: From Wingbones to Mouth Calls
00:17:20 | George Bird Grinnell: The Father of American Conservation
00:30:28 | The Trail Out: Defending Wild Places

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Federal Policy: Secretarial Order 3447: Open-By-Default Public Land Access

Action Alert: Oregon IP 28 Signature Tracker & Opposition

Conservation News: Killing Catalina Video

Tribute: Fox Haas & The Mr. Fox Legacy Auction

History: George Bird Grinnell: The Father of American Conservation

Join the Community For the full experience—including deep-dive articles, wild game recipes, and exclusive field notes—subscribe to our Substack: Wild Dispatch

Connect with Texas Josh
Instagram: @Texas_Josh
Website: Spoke Hollow Outfitters

Support Sporting Conservation If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps us keep the signal strong.

Broadcast from the edge of the civilized world.