Lawrence recently completed a documentary called The Harney Way, about the collaboration between bird conservationists and ranchers in the Harney Basin. Ester Lev , a wetland ecologist, was the executive producer. It was shot by Anthony Vasiliadis, sound was recorded by Kai Tillman and Nicholas Decker. Ryan Webb was the production assistant. Jason Edwards with Newkrackle Sound Design did the mix.

The Harney Way is a 30-minute documentary that celebrates the collaborative spirit in the Harney Basin of Southeastern Oregon, where ranchers and conservationists work together on a basin-wide vision that conserves wet meadow habitats in perpetuity and in turn supports flood irrigation, agricultural activities, health and survival of bird populations, and the Harney Basin economy.

 The unique, high desert hydrology of the area, sometimes flooding, sometimes dry, calls for highly adaptive responses from wildlife, plants, and humans. An important stop on the Pacific Flyway, the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and surrounding private lands call for careful management. Through the voices and activities of leading conservationists, ranching families, The Burns Paiute Tribe, and Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, we are immersed in the world of Steens Mountain and the Silvies and Donner Und Blitzen watersheds. This collaborative approach provides community optimism that this complex landscape can be maintained into the future in support of both diverse bird populations and the livelihoods of rural families and communities.

The film is dedicated to Conservationist Bob Sallinger, a major voice in the collaborative effort to integrate social, economic, and ecological values to support wetlands, streams, flood-irrigated meadows, emergent marshes, and other wetland types of the Harney Basin.  

The Harney Way was produced by wetlands ecologist Esther Lev and Portland filmmaker Lawrence Johnson and was funded through Oregon House Bill 2010 to support Harney Basin Wetlands Collaborative’s public engagement work supporting wetlands restoration in Harney Basin, for the benefit of lands, community and wildlife in southeast Oregon.

To arrange for a screening of the film, please contact Marla Polenz at the High Desert Partnership. marla@highdesertpartnership.org