Two Must-See Mini Films on Rangeland Restoration Projects

Last week, Western Landowners Alliance hosted an online screening and panel discussion that showcased two thought-provoking short films showing how ranching using collaboration and holistic stewardship can restore rangelands and ecosystems.

At a time when cows are being labeled “bad” for the environment, these films show: it’s not the cow, it’s the how. How ranchers (in collaboration with other organizations) manage livestock and facilitate their interaction on land makes a huge difference and leads to very different impacts on the landscape and environment.

Below are the two featured films and links for free viewing. To better understand how animals — particularly ruminants like cows — are part of the solution to restoring healthy land, water, and carbon cycles, watching these films is a must.

First Came Collaboration: Ranching for Riparian

This film is about how the Cottonwood and Boies ranches in northeastern Nevada became models of innovation, collaboration and landscape recovery on many thousands of acres of public and private rangelands. Beginning in the mid-1990s, the two families joined with federal and state land and wildlife agencies to share in how to design each ranch’s yearly grazing plan in a collaborative consensus-based process designed to integrate ecological, economic and social considerations into a more holistic approach to livestock grazing management.

Against the Herd

Almost a century of overgrazing has degraded much of America’s public lands, but Cottonwood Ranch has discovered that cattle can actually be the key to restoring our rangelands. Now the Smith family must convince legislators and regulators that cows aren't always eco-villains, or they’re sure to lose their land. Film by Jaxon Derow.

Watch the two films here and share with others!