Rob G. Green and the Legacy Collective
photos by Rob G. Green
Q: What issue(s) are you seeking to solve, and in what ways are you working to solve them?
I’m working to address human-wildlife conflict as it relates to grizzly bear populations across western Montana. At a time when there are more people than ever before flocking to the American West as threatened grizzly populations continue their recovery from historic lows, conflict between the two species seems almost inevitable––and it’s almost always the bear that pays the ultimate price.
My team’s approach is to create a documentary film that explores the forces behind this conflict, who are the change agents who are addressing it, and what can be done to promote habitat connectivity and a more prosperous coexistence on shared landscapes. Through this process, we hope to be able to help audiences better understand the challenges and opportunities of living alongside grizzlies from a variety of perspectives, thereby fostering empathy among stakeholder groups and a deeper respect for the landscapes that make Montana special.
Q: What do you find most challenging in your work?
For as challenging as capturing grizzly behavior on camera traps can be, the biggest challenge is trying to take a big, complicated issue and break it down into pieces that most audiences can digest. There are state and federal agencies, NGOs, working groups, tribes, and communities that all have their own stance on grizzly bear recovery and management, and trying to distill it down is our film’s greatest challenge, but also our greatest opportunity to build mutual respect across cultural and political boundaries.
Q: What do you find most rewarding?
On a personal level, there is nothing like being in the field in a place that is home to so much biodiversity. To be able to see a grizzly bear in the wild is something I take with humility and gratitude. Montana is known as the “last best place,” and for good reason. Despite the people who continue to crowd its mountains, valleys, and rivers, there is a wildness here that I appreciate, and I feel lucky to be able to work in a place I love so much.
Q: What do you wish people knew more about the issue(s) you seek to solve?
It’s easy to point fingers with environmental dilemmas. Sometimes we’d like to say, “See? It’s them that’s causing all the problems,” and use it an excuse to wash our hands from any responsibility. But human-wildlife conflict, in Montana or anywhere else, is something we’re all guilty of affecting. Our trash, our habits, the roads we use, the places we recreate, the ways we live, work, and play on a landscape has lasting impacts on the places we claim to care about deeply.
Acknowledging that we have at least some culpability is not a reason to despair, but a reason to get more engaged in the equitable solutions that can have lasting effects. I’d encourage people to think deeply about how they tread on their surrounding landscapes and get involved in ways to bolster respect and coexistence.
Q: How can people support your work?
You can follow our work on Instagram @rob_g_green or at my website, www.robggreen.com.
Q: How do you create joy and hope in your life during the ecological crisis?
Despite the fact I’m working around some heavy scenes––bears that have been hit by vehicles, relocated for getting into trash cans or birdfeeders, or bear that have been killed to reduce risk to humans––the process of working on this issue gives me joy and hope. Hope is heavy and that it is powerful. Hope isn’t just sitting and folding your hands together and thinking, “Man, I just wish things would change.” Hope is an action, and being in the field pushing the narrative forward on this issue is a way for me to manifest hope and try to encourage it in others around me at a time we need a reason to hope more than ever before.
