No. 635 Dennis Sizemore

Transcript (46 pages) of interview by Rob DeBirk with Dennis Sizemore, on 30 June 2008. Part of the Utah Environmental Oral History Project, Everett Cooley Collection tape no. U-1898Dennis Sizemore talks about good and wildlife practice. He recounts an incident involving a bear that he looks to as the one thing he's still repenting for through all his work for wilderness areas. He studied wildlife at New Mexico State and later attended the University of Montana for graduate school to work on grizzly bears and black bears. Dennis tells about his experiences on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana. He believes working with local and native people is the best way to ensure that wilderness areas will be preserved. After taking eight years off, Dennis started an organization called Round River, which works with local and native people to help them preserve wilderness areas. Dennis has Round River operations in Namibia, British Columbia, the Colorado Plateau, Ecuador, and is beginning work in southern Utah. Dennis talks about how the image of the environmentalist being a "tree-hugger" is weakening their efforts, and discusses ways to improve the image and improve the environmentalism effort itself.Utah Environmental Project. Interviewer: Rob DeBir