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A Key to Life: A New Look at Nature's Great Predators

July 9, 2009

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.

Lords of Nature will screen in Ely at the International Wolf Center on Thursday, July 30 at 7:00pm.

"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 re-occupied 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 lands.

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 restored stream banks, re-colonizing beavers, songbirds, to wolf leftovers drawing record-setting gatherings of scavengers, scientists find the flowering of Yellowstone magically coinciding with the return of its wolves. In the canyons of Zion, scientists find flowers and trees, butterflies, frogs and fish all flourishing under the guardian watch of the cougar.

What about the human societies who once felt compelled to exterminate these powerful animals?

The filmmakers 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.

While venturing across pivotal crossroads of the American icons' return, Lords of Nature starts by tracing the path of legendary naturalist and writer, Aldo Leopold. What Leopold warned of seventy years ago, scientists from around the world now confirm: That a land lacking its top predators is a land subject to decay. We now know that a land with these great beasts in sufficient numbers is a land far more diverse and resilient. "One of the key points that we're finding for maintaining ecosystems is to have the presence of a top predator in the system, whether it's cougar in a mule deer system like Zion, or whether it's wolves in an elk system like Yellowstone National Park. The presence of that predator is crucial in maintaining that system through time," said Robert Beschta, hydrologist and professor emeritus at Oregon State University and one of the scientists interviewed in the film.

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 and Upper Midwest. The International Wolf Center will host the Ely, Minnesota premiere of the film Thursday, July 30, at 7:00pm at its Ely facility. This is a free event, 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, go to www.lordsofnature.org.

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ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL WOLF CENTER- The International Wolf Center, founded in 1985, is known worldwide as the nation's premier source for wolf education. The mission of the Center is to advance the survival of wolf populations by teaching about the wolf's life, its relationship to wildlands and the human role in its future. The Center educates through its Web site, www.wolf.org, its ambassador wolves, museum exhibits, on-site adventure and outreach programs and International Wolf magazine. Its flagship educational facility in Ely, MN, 1396 Highway 169, Ely, MN 55731. (Phone: 218-365-4695) The Center's administrative and outreach offices are at 3410 Winnetka Ave North, Minneapolis, MN 55427.