Calgary (Rural Roots Canada) —  “It’s one of those ecosystems that is so endangered, and it’s lost every day, acre by acre in our own backyards. We could lose that entire ecosystem in my life-time.”

Those words, coupled with the fantastic sights of the Waldron Ranch Grazing Coop in southern Alberta and some rousing music is enough to grab anyone’s attention leaving them wanting more.

Thankfully, the wait for the premiere of Guardians of the Grasslands is nearly over.

The short documentary, which is 13 minutes in length, will come out on Thursday, October 3rd.

Amie Peck is the Public and Stakeholder Engagement Specialist with the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, who are one of the organizations behind the film.

She says the short documentary talks about the role cattle play in maintaining grasslands, which is an endangered ecosystem in Canada.

“We’re seeing in the media a lot of focus on negative perceptions of the cattle industry encouraging consumers to consume less beef, and we want to tell the amazing benefits that cattle have for the environment and for your health,” Peck said.

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Peck says the documentary was a huge collaboration.

“So we have a really great producer, Story Brokers Media House. We went down to the Waldron Grazing Coop, which is 65,000 acres in one block in southern Alberta and we partnered with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Ducks Unlimited Canada to put together this project. It’s really a special project for us and represents a big collaboration with a couple of partners.”

She adds the title of the film is playing off the title of a popular movie.

“So it’s a play on Guardians of the Galaxy, we’re joking we didn’t get Chris Pratt for this film, but maybe for the next one.”

There is one message they hope everyone takes home after watching the documentary.

“Ranchers are stewards of the land, they want it to be preserved for generations as much as the health and well-being of their cattle is at the fore-front and so is the health of the grasslands, the bio-diversity, and wildlife that also live there.”

For more information on how to host a screening of Guardians of the Grasslands click here.