Environmental Film Fest: Summer Series

America’s Heartland: Wild Prairie Reborn

Expired March 29, 2021 3:45 AM
Already unlocked? for access
This virtual screening is eligible for audience awards! The voting period has closed. Stay tuned for the results!
Protected ContentThis content can only be viewed in authorized regions: United States of America, Puerto Rico.

Co-presented with the National Museum of Natural History


America’s Heartland was once an endless sea of grass, where the wind blew for a thousand miles with nothing barring its way and giant herds of animals were free to roam. Today, much of the prairie is plowed over and what little grassland remains is heavily grazed by cattle. The biodiversity of temperate grasslands has plummeted along with their acreage, but now, a new project offers hope. In America’s Heartland: Wild Prairie Reborn, we travel to the American Prairie Reserve, a piece of northern Montana that’s on track to become the largest protected ecosystem in the continental United States. The ambition is to transform this mosaic of public and private land, by restoring these grasslands to their natural state. With the help of Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists here and scientists in Canada, efforts are underway to bring bison, grizzly bears, swift foxes, and songbirds back to their prairie home on the Northern Great Plains.

  • Year
    2020
  • Runtime
    46 minutes
  • Language
    English
  • Country
    United States
  • Premiere
    World Premiere
  • Director
    Tria Thalman, Jeff Turner, Alex Burr