Birds, butterflies, beaver and antelope, wildflowers and frogs — could their survival possibly be connected to top predators like the wolf and cougar? For those who have seldom given thought to the great predators so often missing from the web of life, there is reason to reconsider.
Following in the footsteps of wolves and cougars, and the scientists working to understand their place in the rapidly changing world of nature, award-winning filmmakers Karen and Ralf Meyer of Green Fire Productions have captured the predators’ ongoing drama in their new documentary, Lords of Nature: Life in a Land of Great Predators. It will screen in Ely at the International Wolf Center on Thursday, July 30 at 7 p.m.
“This is an incredible opportunity for people to learn about scientific discoveries that can and should be incorporated into our decision-making on managing wildlife and public lands,” said Jess Edberg, Information Services Director at the International Wolf Center.
Narrated by Peter Coyote, Lords of Nature journeys to the heart of predator country. Areas examined include the Yellowstone plateau, the canyons of Zion, the farm country of northern Minnesota, and the rugged open range of central Idaho. These places have all been reoccupied by the great beasts society once banished.
Thefilmmakers traveled to Minnesota, to a land harboring 3,000 wolves — more wolves than any state in the lower 48. Here they met livestock producers raising sheep and cattle alongside their wild neighbors. They talked with deer hunters who now view their fellow predators with caution and respect. In Idaho they found a groundbreaking collaboration among ranchers, wildlife managers and conservationists testing non-lethal predator control.
Lords of Nature is a 60-minute film that will premiere in 18 cities and towns across the West and Upper Midwest. The Ely showing is a free event, open to the public. The screening will be followed by an audience Q & A session with a panel of experts.
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