America's Grasslands: A Threatened National Treasure

One of the most threatened biomes on the planet-a biome that is in our own backyard. Explores the uniqueness of this resource, the complicated reasons we're losing grassland, and the efforts of ranchers and conservationists to protect it.
Because no other landscape on the continent is more important to waterfowl, wildlife, and cattle producers than the native prairie in the Prairie Pothole Region of the Dakotas, the project producers traveled across North Dakota to explore the uniqueness of this resource, the complicated reasons we're losing grassland, and the efforts of ranchers and conservationists to protect it. The program is funded by a grant from MDU Resources Foundation.
References:
Dr. James Rengelman; Dir. of Conservation Programs ND, SD, MT Ducks Unlimited
Missouri Coteau
Kurt Forman; US Fish & Wildlife Service, South Dakota
Dr. Scott Stephens; Dir. of Planning Ducks Unlimited
Aldo Leopold Quote: "Conservation is a state of harmony between men & land"
Michael Forsberg; Photographer
Carl Madsen; Retired, US Fish & Wildlife Service
Karen Kreil; North Dakota Natural Resources Trust
Baba Dioum Quote: "In the end we conserve only what we love. We love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught."
Leola, South Dakota
Randy Meidinger; Manager of Conservation Programs, South Dakota Ducks Unlimited
Highmore, South Dakota
Jim Falstich; Rancher, South Dakota
Harris Hoistad; US Fish & Wildlife Service
Doug Goehring; North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture
Woodworth, North Dakota
Blue-Winged Teal Duck
Goebel Ranch
Bastrop, Louisiana
Horseshoe Lake Hunting Club
Morehouse Parish, Louisiana
Jerry Holden; Dir. of conservation Programs, Souther Region Ducks Unlimited
Aldo Leopold Quote: "That the situation appears hopeless should not prevent us from doing our best."
Highmore, South Dakota
United States Government Accountability Office
Brad Magness; Rancher, Auction Market Owner, South Dakota
Huron, South Dakota
Grassland Easemnet Program
Credits;
Producers; Bob Dambach, Becky Jones Mahlum
Editor; David Geck
Narrator; Becky Jones Mahlum
Videographers; Frode Tilden, David Geck
Graphics; Ryan Sailer
Production Manager; Barbra Gravel
Holmboe Film courtesy of North Dakota State Histroical Society
Photos courtesy of Michael Forsberg
Executive Producer; Bob Dambach

[@shahanakhan4291]

It really hurt my heart by watching how our beautiful prairies are being destroyed like this. I wish people will stop doing this to nature as nature gives us a lot but we just destroy it all. I think nature lovers will agree with me.

[@leciramaraya608]

I love prairies. Sitting there on a fine sunset is on my bucketlist😊

[@liongaming7377]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYvMk4N_ftp7aKs

[@georgesheffield1580]

From a member of NATIVE PRAIRIES ASSOCIATIONS OF TEXAS . KEEPING NATIVE GRASSES NOT IMPORTED GRASS PROTECT THE SOIL AND THE AQUAFER AND THE WILDLIFE .

[@aaronjohnson718]

Let us save it all and more please

[@Nat.ImagesLarge.F.Photographer]

Marvelous😍

[@gregcrowe8885]

Thank You Pray hard fight hard

[@robertcalamusso4218]

Since Bush 1 we’ve been saying we have to protect this ecosystem What’s that ? 35 - 40 years. We can’t figute it out after 40 years. Why ? Greed

[@Chrislozano_Colorado]

Thanks for the video I'm learning about grasslands at school

[@robertcalamusso4218]

Hard work. Important work. What do we do when we lose the grasslands in the Pothole Region ?

[@Winterascent]

I would like an update on the acreage today, since this was 11 years ago. Funny how today, the message is eat the franken food so the billionaires get rich, with no mention of what is destroyed to get there.

[@chintadevi9211]

Nice video

[@PSSINSShukla]

This video is made on my year when I was bored and date also same

[@Me-or4lm]

This is a good video!!! Its very interesting!!!

[@bdlit7165]

The powers that be are intent on making grassland agriculture a thing of the past.

[@aaronjohnson718]

You know to help get more interested people don't just talk of grass a few trees the mammals along with birds and insects what about frogs toads snakes and turtles

[@selticvid]

Hi Mr. ARAB, i just wanted to say that, there's nothing better than a copy_past move to finish an article :D

[@ross2709]

Gorgeous scenes easily distilled from a gorgeous landscape. "Past the flannel plains and blacktop graphs and skylines of canted rust, and past the tobacco- brown river overhung with weeping trees and coins of sunlight through them on the water downriver, to the place beyond the windbreak, where untilled fields simmer shrilly in the a.m. heat: shattercane, lamb’s-quarter, cutgrass, sawbrier, nutgrass, jimsonweed, wild mint, dandelion, foxtail, muscadine, spinecabbage, goldenrod, creeping charlie, butter- print, nightshade, ragweed, wild oat, vetch, butcher grass, invaginate volunteer beans, all heads gently nodding in a morning breeze like a mother’s soft hand on your cheek. An arrow of starlings fi red from the windbreak’s thatch. The glitter of dew that stays where it is and steams all day. A sunflower, four more, one bowed, and horses in the distance standing rigid and still as toys. All nodding. Electric sounds of insects at their business. Ale-colored sunshine and pale sky and whorls of cirrus so high they cast no shadow. Insects all business all the time. Quartz and chert and schist and chondrite iron scabs in granite. Very old land. Look around you. The horizon trembling, shapeless. We are all of us brothers."

[@scottschaeffer8920]

At what point do we say enough? We send 96B for Ukraine’s salvation, why can’t we save our own prairies, and our own salvation? If it’s money, and it usually is, ecological processes don’t operate under that yolk, the salvation has to include more than just lousy money.

[@varun009]

7:03 Did he say ten thousand years?! I'm sure it took longer than that!

[@domib.3924]

No that's about right. Conditions after the last glacial maximum made prairies possible, also humans probably had some impact on maintaining prairies for grazing land.

[@varun009]

I would totally take care of those prairies for free. All as long as I get a house there.

[@Chrislozano_Colorado]

5hank

[@smithyman33]

If you blame everything on Cattle, don't complain about losing grasslands, the only way to make profit on grassland is grazing ruminants...

[@guloguloguy]

Prairies Do NOT Exist so that humans can "graze" their cattle on it!!! => BOYCOTT EVIL!!!! Go VEGAN!!!! :D

[@guloguloguy]

.....Prairies Do NOT Exist merely so that greedy idiots can "graze" cattle, or plow it under to grow corn , to make ethanol (just to burn it up!) on that land! ...."Co-exist with "Wildlife".... I didn't see any Wolves, Bears, Cougar, or Bison on that landscape!..... BOYCOTT EVIL!!!! => Go VEGAN!!!!

[@smithyman33]

guloguloguy But if more people go vegan and the population continues to grow there will be MORE grasslands converted to soybeans in order feed the demand for plant protein. You know nothing of agriculture and I doubt you have spent much time at all on a working ranch/farm... Humans have eaten red meat for 200,000 years, have fun getting them to stop lol

[@smithyman33]

Because working with bison is deadly... The whole point of domestication was to breed animals for docility...if I go out to a pasture to tag a bison calf the bison cow would kill me... Why would I want to deal with an animal like that on a daily basis?

[@smithyman33]

If you think tagging livestock is "about the only time you need to come into contact with them" then I know for a fact how little you know about livestock (cattle/bison/hogs etc.) management. Bison also have almost no respect for electric fencing, which you need in order to rotationally graze grasslands, which has been proven to be the superior way to improve grasslands...

[@gary77777778888888]

@wiimaster200 I have very much dislike for what the fish and game do and i have respect for some of what thay do to but we need to conserve natural resorses like habitats because if we destry the habitats for deer antilope or what evere thay starve and die off and eventualy we will need to grow feed for wild life and we just cant we need habitats to suport the wild life and we need to grow crops to suport us but we need to do it in a inteligent way.

[@jadabright4680]

What's your problem dude?

[@releventhurt]

I had preworkout and lifted late and i ate chocolate cookies and have to get up to work at 8

[@PSSINSShukla]

@@releventhurt 😆😂😂 lol

[@alio.447]

eat your greens. grow your greens. give back to the earth. yup! we don't need that gmo garbage