As The Wild Idea continues Roadless Month, hosts Bill Hodge and Anders Reynolds bring the conversation to the birthplace of the modern wilderness idea: the Gila Wilderness in southwest New Mexico. Designated administratively in 1924, the Gila was the first government-protected wilderness in the world, shaping conservation policy decades before the Wilderness Act and influencing how Americans understand wild, roadless land today.

Joining the conversation are Bjorn Fredrickson, Conservation Director of New Mexico Wild, and Raul Turrieta, Deputy Chief Assessor for Grant County and longtime Gila neighbor. Together, they explore why the Gila was chosen as the world’s first wilderness, how its roadless character continues to define both the landscape and the surrounding communities, and why it remains central to today’s debates over the Roadless Rule.

Learn more about today's conversation and join us all month long for Roadless Month at our website, thewildidea.com.