Sawtooth Legacy Films
A civics course disguised as wildlife cinema
Three feature-length documentaries on the fights that decide whether wild carnivores keep a place in the American West.
The Great Predator Debate
The trilogy exists because we kept hearing the same three arguments repeated in every public hearing about delisting, depredation and reintroduction — and realized nobody had put all three sides in the same frame, edited honestly, and let the audience decide.
Film 1 — A Predator’s Dilemma
The reintroduction era. The Sawtooth Pack as a character in its own right. Interviews with the original Nez Perce reintroduction team, with the ranchers who were there, with the biologists who became federal employees, and with the kids — now adults — who grew up watching wolves come back.
Film 2 — A Nation’s Dilemma
Delisting, depredation and the modern conflict. The Owyhee years. Modern state management. Compensation programs. Fladry. Range riders. The conversations that happen after the hearing is over.
Film 3 — A Nation’s Resolve (in post-production)
The long arc. What thirty years of data actually says about coexistence. Where the next decade of the debate is heading — climate corridors, urban carnivores, the generational shift in who hunts and who does not.
How to watch
- Home viewing — purchase or rent through our partner platforms (Vimeo On Demand, select streaming services). Links go live with each release.
- Screenings — we tour the films to colleges, community groups, conservation organizations and film festivals. If you want to host one, write to Chris.
- Classroom — site licenses for high schools and universities are available at reduced rates. Contact us for the current rate card.
The production side
The trilogy is produced under our Sawtooth Legacy Films imprint. Co-production and underwriting inquiries: chris.anderson@wolfcenter.org.
Every copy of every film, and every streaming view, helps fund the Center’s field and education work. There is no separate for-profit arm.
