For those who have seldom given thought to the great predators so often missing from the web of life, here is a world of reason to think again. 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.
Lords of Nature will be presented at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 17, at the Show Low Public Library, 180 N. 19th Street.
"This is an incredible opportunity for people to learn about scientific discoveries we need to consider and incorporate into our decision-making on managing wildlife and public lands," said Cheryl Ford, of the White Mountain Wildlife and Nature Center.
Narrated by Peter Coyote, Lords of Nature journeys to the heart of predator country: the Yellowstone plateau; the canyons of Zion; the farm country of northern Minnesota and the rugged open range of central Idaho - all places now resettled by the great beasts society once banished.
Here scientists discover these top carnivores as revitalizing forces of nature, keystone species whose presence in sufficient numbers can dramatically reverse the slow decay of America's wild West.
In Yellowstone National Park, the filmmakers visit a land recently inhabited again by wolves after a 70-year absence, and find a chain of life once again flourishing since their return. From restoring stream banks once again cloaked with willow and re-colonizing beavers and songbirds, to wolf leftovers drawing record-setting gatherings of scavengers, scientists find the flowering of Yellowstone magically coinciding with the return of its wolves.
And in the canyons of Zion, Filmmaker Karen Meyer states, "What I learned while making Lords of Nature is that it is time to rethink the way we look at the world. Nature is facing unprecedented challenges with the onset of climate change. Increasing the resiliency of wildlife and ecosystems is critical and to do this, we need to ensure we have healthy populations of top predators on land and in the sea."
Lords of Nature is a 60-minute film that will premiere in 18 cities and towns across the West. This is a free event and open to the public. The screening will be followed by an audience Q & A session with a panel of experts.
For a complete list of upcoming appearances and more information, visit Web site www.lordsofnature.org or www.wmnature.org.
©WMICentral 2010
The Nature Center is located at 425 S. Woodland Road in Pinetop-Lakeside, between Big Springs Environmental Study Area and Mountain Meadow Recreation Complex.
Additional information on the Nature Center, its complete schedule of programs, and the online Nature Store are available at www.wmnature.org or call (928) 358-3069.
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