{"id":1019,"date":"2026-01-23T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/?p=1019"},"modified":"2026-02-09T15:41:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T20:41:39","slug":"how-to-redefine-wilderness-from-the-bronx-to-mongolia-with-dave-johnston","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/dragonfly\/2026\/01\/how-to-redefine-wilderness-from-the-bronx-to-mongolia-with-dave-johnston\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Redefine “Wilderness”: From the Bronx to Mongolia with Dave Johnston"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Dave
Dave Johnston surveys the “Land of the Big Sky.” In the Mongolia Earth Expedition, students leave the concrete jungle behind to experience a landscape where you can drive for days without seeing a single paved road.<\/em>
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Imagine driving a van across a landscape so vast it\u2019s called the “Land of the Big Sky.” You have no GPS coordinates and no specific destination. You simply drive until you spot a white felt tent\u2014a ger<\/em>\u2014on the horizon. You pull up, knock on the door, and ask a complete stranger, “Can we come in?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Mongolia, the answer is almost always yes<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the kind of immersive, human-centered conservation experience that Dave Johnston <\/strong>champions. As the Director of Professional Development at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)<\/strong>, Dave challenges the notion that conservation is just about counting animals in pristine forests. Whether it is students testing water quality next to a party on a pier in Brooklyn or sharing milk tea with nomadic herders, Dave believes that saving species starts with understanding people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this episode of Dragonfly Conversations<\/em>, we discuss the hidden ecology of New York City, the power of the “teacher multiplier effect,” and why you don’t need to be a biologist to save the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While often viewed as a concrete monolith, this view of the southern tip of Manhattan highlights the reality Dave Johnston teaches: New York is a “City of Islands” defined by its relationship with the water.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

3 Key Takeaways<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n