I am so very proud to announce a new short film that I have been working on with my colleague Darrin Gunkel for nearly a year…This Land Is Part Of Us

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A short film produced by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Conservation Northwest.

The shrubsteppe of central Washington’s Columbia Basin is a land of rich biodiversity, vibrant communities, and poignant beauty. It is a place both iconic and increasingly at-risk. Here, at the northern extent of the great “Sagebrush Sea” that once sprawled across much of the American West, growing collaboration between agencies, Native American tribes, conservation organizations, local landowners, and other partners seeks to preserve and restore shrubsteppe ecosystems while supporting cultural and economic values. Despite impacts from severe wildfires and habitat fragmentation, recovery programs are underway for species such as the Greater sage-grouse, pygmy rabbits, sharp-tailed grouse, and pronghorn antelope, while efforts including the Arid Lands Initiative and Conservation Reserve Program foster constructive partnership for the future of Washington’s shrubsteppe. For wildlife lovers, hunters and anglers, Indigenous peoples, farmers and ranchers, outdoor recreationists and so many others, this land is no desert devoid of life, This Land is Part of Us.

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Heartfelt thanks to our producers at Washington Dept. of Fish and WIldlife: Scott Downes, Elizabeth Torrey and Mark Teske, and my frequent producer Chase Gunnell at Conservation Northwest.