About Jason Herbert
Historian. Storyteller. Student of the Land.
Dr. Jason Herbert is a historian and public scholar whose work explores the deep connections between history, landscape, and culture. Trained as an American historian, his scholarship focuses on Indigenous history and environmental history—fields that ask not just what happened in the past, but how those histories continue to shape the present.
But Herbert’s work does not stay confined to the archive. It moves outward—into conversation, into writing, and onto the land itself.
Reckoning with Jason Herbert (Podcast)
Dr. Jason Herbert is a historian and public scholar whose work explores the deep connections between history, landscape, and culture. Trained as an American historian, his scholarship focuses on Indigenous history and environmental history—fields that ask not just what happened in the past, but how those histories continue to shape the present.
But Herbert’s work does not stay confined to the archive. It moves outward—into conversation, into writing, and onto the land itself.
Writing on Substack
Herbert’s Substack expands on the themes of the podcast, offering essays that blend historical insight with personal reflection. His writing often begins with a question about the present—then traces it backward through time, revealing the deeper histories that shape our world.
At its core, his work is about connection:
between past and present,
between people and place,
between history and lived experience.
Whether reflecting on landscapes, cultural memory, or moments in American life, his essays aim to make history feel immediate, human, and necessary.
Public Service & Tribal Relations
In his professional role, Herbert serves as a Tribal Liaison with the United States Forest Service in Colorado. His work centers on building and maintaining relationships with Tribal nations, supporting government-to-government consultation, and helping ensure that Indigenous perspectives are meaningfully incorporated into the stewardship of public lands.
This work exists at the intersection of history and policy. It requires not only an understanding of the past, but a commitment to how that past informs present-day decision-making and future stewardship.
For Herbert, this is not separate from his scholarship—it is an extension of it.
From Kentucky to the Rocky Mountain West
Herbert is a native of Kentucky, where his early sense of history was shaped by place, memory, and storytelling traditions rooted in the South. That foundation continues to inform his work today.
Now living in the Rocky Mountain West, he finds himself in a landscape that constantly reminds him that history is not confined to books. It is written in mountains, rivers, and the land itself—if you know how to read it.
An Outdoorsman’s Approach to History
Outside of his academic and public work, Herbert is an outdoorsman who spends his time fly fishing, exploring the backcountry, and training in the gym. These pursuits are not separate from his intellectual life—they are part of it.
They shape how he thinks about discipline, presence, and the physical reality of place. They ground his work in experience as much as in analysis.
For Herbert, history is not just something to study. It is something to encounter.
A Different Kind of Historical Voice
Across his podcast, writing, and public service, Herbert has built a distinct voice—one that bridges scholarship and storytelling, connects past and present, and brings academic ideas into conversation with a wider audience.
His work is driven by a simple belief:
History is not behind us.
It is all around us—
in the land, in our institutions, and in the stories we choose to tell.