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Stewardship with Vision – Film Internship
Applications Due Friday, September 8, 2017
The Western Landowners Alliance seeks MSU interns to profile in film a selection of conservation-minded ranchers in the North American West. These ranchers are contributing to ecosystem health while also making a living off the land. Their stories are fascinating and their lands and work are critical to the ability of wildlife to persist in our changing world. We look forward to one or more film interns per semester lending their talent to the effort to tell these important stories!
The Project
The first profile in an ongoing partnership between WLA and MSU was of Jeff Laszlo's Granger Ranches in Montana's Madison Valley, nationally-renowned for its wetland and riparian restoration work. Jeff is also serving as the internships' technical advisor. The second profile featured the stewardship of a group of ranchers in New Mexico and Arizona. The third profile illustrated the commitment of one rancher to land stewardship and collaborative leadership in Southern Colorado. Thefourth profile featured land and water stewardship in far northeastern New Mexico, and the fifth profile explored species recovery efforts in Nevada. The Fall 2017 Semester profile will focus on proactive management of a ranch south of Tucumcari, New Mexico.
Time is of the essence. The Intern would ideally be available to begin the project immediately and travel and complete on-site filming and interviews by September 23rd.WLA will provide professional input,a stipend of $3,500, and will cover four days of on-site expenses(per WLA expense and per diem policy), plus the cost of one round-trip flight and ground transportation to and from the ranch. The final product will be due by December 15, 2017.
Project goals include sharing technological breakthroughs, inspiring agricultural producers' conservation work, communicating agricultural stories to urban populations, broadening the representation of conservation-minded landowners in public policy dialogue, expanding conservation film viewing beyond the typical PBS audience, and bridging information gaps in related on-the-ground research activities and advancements. An added goal specific to this film is to help advance progressive range management in the agricultural community.
WLA will provide to the intern(s) available written information on the ranch as background information, including available information on five elements: history, operation, conservation work, making it pay (economics/markets), and questions asked and answered (applied research and results). Film profiles should also include these elements, with the added option of the students pursuing additional elements that help achieve the above goals.
Film products may be distributed through LifeOnTERRA or alternate platform, with WLA providing and advocating access to the products via broadly sharing the web links with partner and other organizations.
The Team
The intern(s) will work with WLA's Jeff Laszlo, Kathleen Williams, Rick Danvir, and Lesli Allison. Jeff will be the technical supervisor, Rick will be range and wildlife advisor, and Kathleen (primarily) and Lesli (as needed) will manage the administrative and program elements of the project. Background on each of them is below.
Mr. Jeff Laszlo’s film career began in 1978 following his graduation from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. After internships on The Warriors and Shogun with his father, Andrew Laszlo ASC, Jeff embarked on a career in film working behind the camera on documentaries, news shows, television commercials, television movies, and feature films. For over 20 years Jeff worked throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Asia in all aspects of the camera department, from assistant camera, to A Camera Operator to Director of Photography. Jeff worked alongside such well-known cinematographers as Don Peterman ASC, Dante Spinotti ASC, Jon Fauer ASC, Douglas Milsome BSC and with directors such as Joe Dante, William Friedkin, Kenny Ortega and John Hughes, to name a few. Jeff’s commercial work involved national clients such as Eastern Airlines, Busch Gardens, Chevy Trucks, Pantene and Burger King. See Jeff's film credits at In 2005, Jeff returned to manage his family’s ranch in the Madison Valley and began work on conservation measures that have been recognized as nationally significant and continue to this day.
Rick Danviris a professional wildlife biologist with a BS in Wildlife Science from Utah State University
and an Associate degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Technology from the State University of New
York. Formerly the wildlife manager at Deseret Western Ranches, he is now a private consultant
(Basin Wildlife Consulting) leading the Wildlife and Range Programs for the WesternLandowners Alliance. Board and other affiliations include the BLM National Wild Horse and Burro AdvisoryCommittee, the Utah Wildlife Board, the Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit Association, theUtah Foundation for Quality Resource Management, the Wildlife Society, the Society for Range
Management, the Quivira Coalition, and the Center for Holistic Resource Management.
Ms. Kathleen Williams has enjoyed a 33-year career in natural resources and water planning and policy across the public, private, and non-profit sectors. She serves as Associate Director of WLA and manages their Water and Watersheds program. She previously served as Executive Director of the US/Canadian Instream Flow Council, statewide Water Resources Program Manager for Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks, and lead water policy staff for the Montana Legislature. She has worked with a variety of landowners and related programs on win-win solutions for resources and operations. Kathleen has also served as a Montana legislator specializing in natural resources, local food systems, water, and agricultural policy.
Ms. Lesli Allison serves as WLA's Executive Director and has been engaged in private land conservationmanagement for 18 years. She is a founding member of the Western Landowners Alliance as well as a founding member of the Chama Peak Land Alliance in Colorado and New Mexico. Through both organizations, Lesli has worked with private landowners and multiple stakeholders to advance conservation, sustain working lands and support rural communities. Prior to her work with theseorganizations, Lesli managed 34,000 acres of private land in the southern San Juan Mountains of Colorado. During her 16-year tenure, Lesli implemented progressive conservation managementthrough award-winning programs in restoration forestry, prescribed fire, grazing, stream restoration, native trout recovery, hunting and wildlife management, and scientific research and monitoring. Shehas served as a county planning commissioner, a founding member of the Colorado Prescribed Fire Council and a public spokesperson for agriculture and conservation.
To Apply
Please send cover letter/e-mail, CV/resume, a listing of film/sound/lighting equipment at your disposal, and links to available work samples to by 5 pm on Friday September 8, 2017.
Questions?
We look forward to the creative contribution to be made by the intern(s) on this project! Contact Kathleen Williams at 406-570-1917 or with questions.