Landmark Stories shines a spotlight on American rangelands in a new documentary
Photo courtesy of Landmark Stories.
For many, the open range is synonymous with the American West. But the image of a lone cowboy riding across an endless grassland full of cattle reflects only a fraction of the reality of modern rangelands. "Land in the Balance: Stories from the American Rangelands," a new documentary by Arizona Experiment Station (AES)’s Landmark Stories, aims to shine a light on these varied and complex ecosystems and share the stories of the people working to preserve them.
“I think people sometimes look at rangelands and think, ‘Well, it’s too dry, too rocky, and nothing much is happening here,’” said Flavie Audoin, an assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cooperative Extension specialist and an executive producer of the film. “Actually, there is a lot happening – we just have to know how to look at it. In reality, rangelands are dynamic and highly valuable ecosystems.”
Rangelands – areas where the vegetation is made up of natural or naturalized grasses, shrubs and trees that are grazed and browsed by livestock and wildlife – cover more than half of Earth’s land surface and support 500 million pastoralists who raise livestock there. They benefit billions more through the production of milk, meat and fiber; tourism and recreation; wildlife and biodiversity conservation; renewable energy; carbon sequestration; and other ecosystem services.
The United Nations General Assembly officially declared 2026 as the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) to elevate the vital role these ecosystems play and bring attention to the challenges and threats they face.
“There’s been considerable momentum during the last five years to bring attention to the significant benefits we all receive from our rangelands, grasslands and the people who act as stewards of them,” said Barbara Hutchinson, librarian emerita in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment and a member of the IYRP secretariat. “A primary goal has been to reach new audiences, and film and video seemed to be the best way to reach the most people.”
A collaring pen at the Santa Rita Ranch.
Photo courtesy of Landmark Stories.
A "Landmark" project
Rangelands make up about 70% of Arizona’s landscape, a combination of public and private lands that include arid grasslands, desert shrublands, and open woodlands. Ranching has been deeply embedded in the region’s culture and economy for centuries, and it’s been part of the University of Arizona from the very beginning. Arizona Experiment Station launched early studies on rangeland, grazing and indigenous forage plants in the 1890s, and the Santa Rita Experimental Range was established in 1902 to conduct research on rangeland management, protection and restoration.
Research that supports healthy, sustainable rangelands continues to be a priority for AES, and translating that research for a broad audience is an essential part of that work and the U of A’s land-grant mission. That’s where Landmark Stories, a small, award-winning documentary team embedded within AES, comes in.
“So many times, academic discoveries are locked away in scientific journals, academic conferences and higher education environments,” said Matt Rahr, director of AES’s Communications and Cyber Technologies lab (CCT). “Our job at CCT is to bring science to life and package it into digital mediums. Landmark Stories does that through cinematic, character-driven documentaries that raise awareness of the tough challenges that our researchers aim to solve.”
Hutchinson, Audoin and their partners in the IYRP North American Support Group wanted to bring rangeland stories to audiences who may never have the opportunity visit a working ranch, which is how "Land in the Balance" was born.
“We know that a lot of people now get their information through social media and other visual platforms like film,” Audoin said. “We wanted to give land managers across the western U.S. a voice and an opportunity to share their personal experiences, perspectives, and day-to-day lives.”
University of Arizona students in the Tierra Seca Club got hands-on experience at a sheep shearing event at 47 Ranch.
Photo courtesy of Landmark Stories.
Lots of land, lots of stories
The film is the result of a massive collaborative effort. Early in the process, the production team created an advisory board with representation from industry, conservation groups, indigenous tribes and academics from 13 western states to identify potential themes and characters. Board members submitted over 100 potential interviewees, far more than could be included in the finished documentary.
“We ultimately had many more great stories and characters than we could fit into the film, which made some of the choices very difficult,” Audoin said. “We had to consider the substance of their stories, how they fit into the film’s themes, and their ability to connect with an audience.”
The film highlights rangelands in Arizona and across the American West as it follows pastoralists running livestock ranging from cattle, to sheep, to goats and even bison. It shows how ranchers and rangeland managers use tools like virtual fencing technology and specialized software to inform sustainable land- and herd-management practices, and it emphasizes their deep commitment to responsible stewardship and to inspiring and training future generations.
Audoin, who specializes in plant-herbivore interactions and targeted grazing, appears alongside some of her students in a segment showcasing a sheep shearing event in McNeal, Arizona.
“I’ve been bringing students to this ranch for sheep shearing since I was a graduate student at the U of A,” Audoin said. “I think it’s important for our students to gain hands-on experience with livestock, because managing rangelands requires an understanding of the connections between livestock, wildlife, vegetation and people. Including the sheep shearing event in the documentary was a great opportunity to show fiber production, community engagement, and hands-on education all in one scene.”
Reaching a broad audience
The documentary was well received by a preview audience at an advance screening hosted by Diablo Trust and Mother Road Brewing in Flagstaff, Arizona, in September 2026. Survey data from the screening showed a marked increase in audience awareness around the importance of rangelands and ranchers’ contributions to land stewardship after watching the film.
Rahr said that additional advance screenings and an official debut are in the works. Details about future screenings can be found on the film’s website, along with an interactive storymap that includes interviews that weren’t included in the film’s final cut.
“It’s important to recognize and celebrate rangelands and pastoralists because they’re incredibly important to our planet, yet they’re often overlooked and misunderstood,” Audoin said. “The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists – and this film – gives us an opportunity to help people see these landscapes differently, and to recognize the people who depend on them and care for them.”