Wild Dispatch | Josh Crumpton | Substack

Refined Stories from Wild Places

Sporting Conservationist

Same Dirt, Two Truths

Two press releases, one rule, opposite verdicts. A plain, non-partisan walk-through of what the June 11 BLM rescission actually changes on the unit you…

Jun 9 • Josh Crumpton

America’s Oyster Reefs: A Sporting Conservationist’s Field Report

A field report on America’s wild oyster reefs — what’s at stake, what’s working, and how the people who eat oysters are also the ones putting them back…

May 18 • Josh Crumpton

What We Lose When the Labs Close

57 of 77 Forest Service research stations are closing. The fire models, stream data, and invasive-species work sportsmen funded for nine decades — gone…

Apr 27 • Josh Crumpton

Resurrecting the Greenback: The Truth Behind Colorado’s Lost Native

From the secret waters of Bear Creek to the Leadville Hatchery, a million-year-old lineage of cutthroat trout fights for survival.

Mar 30 • Josh Crumpton

H.R. 7264: A New Era for Our Outdoor Heritage

From waterfowl habitat conservation to trout stream restoration, see how H.R. 7264 builds a future for our pursuit.

Mar 20 • Josh Crumpton

Wildly Gourmet

Restaurant Review: Le Diplomate DC

Beyond the menu: A review of Le Diplomate’s atmosphere, craft, and why the traditional French meal is the ultimate reset for the weary traveler.

Jun 11 • Josh Crumpton

Cold Beer in a Stone Cooler

The Fisherman's Larder kickoff at Wild Dispatch — Josh's monthly food-on-the-water column.

May 30 • Josh Crumpton

Hard Cider Poached Oyster Yakisoba

Three days into a wild oyster harvest on the Olympic Peninsula, the math caught up to me. The bowl that came out: chorizo-cider broth, yakisoba noodles…

May 11 • Josh Crumpton

The April Trio: Three Spring Mignonette Recipes for Oysters

Rosemary and gin. Rhubarb and chive. Pink peppercorn and cider. Three mignonettes from a folding table on the Olympic Peninsula — built the day before…

May 9 • Josh Crumpton

How to Forage Agarita in the Texas Hill Country

The first harvest of the year in the Texas Hill Country — and a read on whoever's been working the land.

May 1 • Josh Crumpton

Journal

I Didn’t Grow Up Hunting

I didn't grow up hunting. My grandfather did. This is how I came to it the long way — late, on my own, through cooking.

May 26 • Josh Crumpton

Travelers Know Travelers

A story from the Olympic Peninsula — on fast friendships, the discipline of showing up open, and the friendships that get built somewhere neither of you…

May 14 • Josh Crumpton

Trout Unlimited, American Rivers, and the Quiet Work of Democracy

A deep dive into the "slow-cooked" result of democracy and the people like Chris Wood and Tom Kiernan keeping our rivers wild.

Mar 23 • Josh Crumpton

American Rivers: Protecting Our Water

Individual devotion to a home river is the spark, but systemic advocacy is the engine. Explore how American Rivers converts local concern into national…

Mar 20 • Josh Crumpton

Young Guns and Old Promises

Why do we care so much? A look at the deep connection between the hunt and the health of our wetlands.

Mar 16 • Josh Crumpton

Field, Fire, and Fine Living