Partner Highlight: Monty Gregg

Originally published March 21, 2023

Northwest Nature Matters podcast’s new host may not have set out to lead an upcoming podcast, but behind every podcaster is another story waiting to be told.

Monty Gregg is a Forest Wildlife Biologist for the Ochoco National Forest & Crooked River National Grassland, where he manages the wildlife program. Through his work, he supports the District Wildlife Biologists through their efforts to maintain and restore habitat function for various species endemic to the area. He’s also the new host of the NWNM podcast, produced by the Oregon Wildlife Foundation.

Gregg works at the Regional and National levels to develop partnership opportunities for the Forest Service with various wildlife conservation organizations. He has a B.S. in Wildlife Sciences from Oregon State University. So how did he find his way into podcasting?

“I’d been mulling it over… a platform to share things that are going on across the northwest and be a voice for wildlife,” said Gregg. “And it's been something of an interest of mine for a while now, especially after being interviewed on a few podcasts.” Gregg continued, “It really struck a chord with me just because of how effective certain hosts were… it seemed like a natural fit.”

Gregg is passionate about his work as a biologist. He has conducted habitat restoration efforts for locally and regionally essential species, including mule deer and elk, to federally listed species, such as the Northern Spotted Owl. An area of interest for Gregg over the past 15 years has been habitat restoration through partnership development. He’d also like to see the public become educated on the various projects agencies are undertaking, something Gregg believes the podcast will encourage.

“When you give people information or provide them some ownership in the changes we’re making, it just brings everyone into this bigger fold, and you get so much more support out of it,” said Gregg. “We really need the public to understand, why here? Why now?”

You can listen to Monty as the host of Northwest Nature Matters on most streaming platforms. For more information on the Northwest Nature Matters podcast, visit www.myowf.org/nwnaturematters.