Ranchers have been living and working along the Rocky Mountain Front in Montana for well over a century. It’s a rugged landscape where the Northern Plains meet the Rockies. Grizzly bears still wander out onto the prairie. Wolves still howl along the ridges at night. Ranchers and small towns still stake their claims in this wild landscape.
Common Ground, the beautiful short documentary from the talented filmmaker Alexandria Bombach takes a close look at the personalities grabbling with modern issues in this stunning landscape. Through interviews with ranchers and outfitters, Bombach provides a unified voice for the rural people who live along the Rocky Mountain Front and how they feel about the 400,000 acres of public land that is unprotected and faces the threat of development.
Local ranchers, sportsmen, and conservation leaders have teamed up with state politicians to protect the wide-open spaces, massive mountains, and abundant wildlife along with the heritage of the working communities that live within this landscape. The legislation is known as the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act, and it’s in Congress now.
Common Ground is one of this year’s selected films at the Mountain Film Festival & Tour, is sure to win the minds and hearts of people who advocate for wilderness preservation.
By: Tim Gibbins