Across Vermejo Reserve, the ecosystems vary from shortgrass prairie to pinyon-juniper woodlands to alpine environments and more. Ted Turner, founder of CNN, former owner of the Braves and Hawks, co-founder of the Nuclear Threat Initiative and major donor to the UN Foundation — owns this property and many others like it across the United States.

The 550,000 acre property is not only home to diverse landscapes, but also a variety of wildlife like bears, elk, bison, Rio Grande cutthroat trout, bald eagles and so much more.

Our capacity-building program teaches students through intensive workshops and experiential learning expeditions to produce video content that inspires, educates, and transports web audiences to an unbelievably beautiful natural space.

Our students will:

1. Research and prepare educational videos during the 2 weeks before the trip.
   
   
2. Travel to Vermejo Reserve in a dynamic cohort of your peers and stay at the Reserve’s state-of-the-art lodging.
   
   
3. Spend 4 days participating in video production workshops, field-interviews with conservation experts, wildlife videography, and immersing yourselves in gorgeous natural scenery.
   • Learn from and practice with industry experts in documentary, journalism, & communications.
   • Workshops include: Drone Video, Star Photography, Wildlife B-Roll, Anchor Stand-Ups, Field-Recording Audio, and more.
     
     
4. Edit and deliver educational videos for platforming and distribution on the Planet Forward site and social media networks.

Last year’s participants

Media that matters, learning that inspires

Our students leave this experience not just with acquired mastery over video production technologies, but with newfound and deepened appreciation for the natural world around them.

Editor’s Note: This Experiential Learning Opportunity is made possible with the generous support of Turner Reserves and contributions by the Turner family. All editorial content is published independently. 

Planet Forward’s Environmental Media Lab leads this program in an effort to teach the power of visual storytelling in wild spaces to convey the beauty and bounty of our planet.