ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
Fire catalyzes rebirth in an Illinois grasslands where a group of Midwesterners reconstruct a once natural cycle to recover one of the rarest habitats in the world, the American prairie.

SYNOPSIS
“We’re putting humpty dumpty back together again from a fine powder of crushed shells,” says Bill Kleiman, director of Nachusa Grasslands. Two hours west of Chicago lies a 4,000 acre stretch of restored prairie once corn fields 30 years ago. It’s one of the best examples of restored prairie in the United States, but represents a miniscule drop in what was once a vast ocean of grasslands.

PRAIRIE SMOKE observes the ambitious endeavor to restore a Midwestern prairie of which less than 1% remains in Illinois. Told in four chapters—summer, autumn, winter and spring, each season brings with it a new wave of methodical management, once a natural process, and one dependent on a unique stewardship model. Volunteers like night-shift factory worker Jim Hodder are given responsibility over sections of the prairie, called units, and allowed to restore them in their individual ways, all under Bill’s guidance. These volunteers make up the kaleidoscope of characters that populate PRAIRIE SMOKE, their stories weaving through the yearly cycle.

But restoration is significantly more difficult than preservation. After hundreds of years of development, bringing the prairie back seems like an insurmountable task. As the steadfast leader of what’s considered the most successful prairie restoration project in the US, Bill has overseen the project since its inception. “Managing people and plants” is the job description, one he believes in deeply.

The cycle of restoration relies heavily on fire, something Bill has largely been responsible for reintroducing to the landscape. “We are the keepers of the fire, we carry that torch. You know that phrase, pass the torch? That’s what we do. We literally do it.” At stake is not only the unique flora and fauna that call this prairie home, but also our connection to the land and our identity as Americans.

PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature

DIRECTOR Ben Crosbie, Tessa Moran
PRODUCER Ben Crosbie, Tessa Moran

WEBSITE eidolonfilms.com/project/prairie-smoke