The Nature Makers: Directed by Scott Saunders

Filmed beautifully in the Grand Canyon and on the American prairie, The Nature Makers is a film of biologists who have taken it upon themselves to defend and save wild nature. After watching it, my faith in humanity restored quite a bit because it is quite difficult to believe that nature still exists and appreciated in this world where industry, manufacturing and civilization has taken over. This documentary inspired me to want to make the world a much better place. There are three parts of this documentary, titled Sky, Water, and Land, and all showcase some of the most extreme tactics to conserve different environments that I have ever seen. The first section, “Sky” focuses on biologists located in Nebraska, whose efforts in defending nature allow Sandhill Cranes to continue their annual migration to the river bed, something they have been doing for thousands, and thousands of years. The all come together to maintain a sustainable and safe environment for the birds.

The second section, “Water” focuses on a group of biologists working to regrow the fish population in the Colorado River, which is quite essential to the sustainment of the ecosystem. The third section, “Land” is about the prairie dog population in Colorado and South Dakota, and how intentional poisonings and land development has taken more than 95% of their population. This section was unique because it showed the active rescue of the animal, which was very intense, and the slow integration of these animals back into the wild. The tactics used were ALL extreme and included burning down invasive tree species, flying in fish with a helicopter, and flushing out prairie dogs with water and grabbing and wrestling the dogs into a cage for relocation.

Honestly speaking, the cinematographer Oktay Ortabasi captures the beauty of each animal and their respective environments so perfectly. The footage of these animals proves that no species should be overlooked, and that many of us cannot recognize the importance of these animals in the modern day and age. The footage allows the viewer to see the relationships each animal has with their families and environments in a very natural way, and we are lucky to learn of their importance in such a stunning way.

My favourite aspect of this film is that it shows some of the reconstructive, amazing things that humans can do for our environment as opposed to the destructive side of things. Before watching this film, my feelings towards the relationship between humans and nature is that we tend to ruin it. After watching, however, I see that the relationship we share with nature can be so giving and fulfilling and that there are many people who fight daily to save the world in a quite literal sense, protesting for animal rights. The Nature Makers website also has all the information you need to donate to the organizations mentioned, so that viewers can do their share to help the great people dedicated to bettering our environment.