NONPROFIT FILM
Trout Rescue Mission
Illuminating public-private partnerships in wildlife conservation
ROLE: DIRECTOR / DP / EDITOR / PRODUCER
Not many people will ride ATVs into a wildfire to rescue fish.
But in 2018, that’s exactly what Jim White and his team did. With flames tearing through Southern Colorado, they rushed into the San Juan River basin to save a handful of trout from extinction—fish that weren’t even supposed to exist.
When the Western Landowners Alliance and Chama Peak Land Alliance approached Day’s Edge to create a film, we didn’t know this story existed either. The client’s request was broad: highlight a successful conservation partnership in Colorado. It’s a vital but often overlooked topic—80% of threatened and endangered species in the U.S. rely on private land, and with watersheds carved into a maze of jurisdictions, teamwork and trust are critical. But how do you make land management exciting?
The answer only revealed itself once we hit the ground. As we learned about the rediscovery of the San Juan cutthroat trout, the wildfire that nearly wiped them out, and the unlikely partnership that saved them, the story sharpened before our eyes.
This wasn’t just about conservation—it was a high-stakes tale of fire, science, and collaboration. A passionate aquatic biologist working against the clock. A reclusive ranch manager battling fire on his land. And a species most people had never heard of, now given a second chance.
Our goal became clear: tell a compelling story that reflected the values of both private land managers and conservation scientists, while keeping the stakes tangible and relatable. Co-directing with Nate Dappen, I led the writing, editing, color, sound, and animation, and we set out to deliver a film that would resonate deeply with targeted audiences at film festivals and local screenings across the American West.
Challenges
Broad Scope, Short Film: When we first arrived in Colorado, the story was sprawling. We had a list of characters and themes to explore: ranchers, biologists, anglers, watersheds. The connections were there, but they weren’t clear yet.
Show, Don’t Tell: The most compelling event in our story had already happened. How could we show the stakes?
Tentative Access: Sensitivity around how our partners’ work would be portrayed required thoughtful collaboration and trust-building.
Exploration and Solutions
Development
The client shared their RFP one month before a key event: the release of San Juan Cutthroat Trout into a stream on Banded Peak Ranch. Time was short.
Working with project manager Page Buono, we developed a treatment that incorporated multiple perspectives: private land managers, government biologists, and recreational anglers.
Within weeks, we had an approved draft and shooting schedule.
Shoot 1: Autumn
A few weeks later, we traveled to the Rockies to film the trout release and interviews with five characters:
Jim White, Aquatic Biologist, Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Aaron Jones, Ranch Manager, Rancho del Oso Pardo
Gwen Kolb, New Mexico Coordinator, Partners for Fish and Wildlife
Tim Haarmann, Ranch Manager, Banded Peak Ranch
Randy Keyes, Angler and Fishing Retreat Owner
We also captured B-Roll for each character, verité-style setups, and extensive landscape and wildlife footage across both ranches.
Write & Rework
Once I reviewed the interviews and transcripts, two major issues emerged:
Too Many Characters: Each of the five people could be the subject of their own film. But with a 14-minute runtime, we couldn’t develop meaningful arcs for everyone.
No Conflict: While everyone was working together to manage land responsibly, the stakes weren’t clear enough to drive the story.
Turning Things Around
On location, Jim White had shared an intriguing backstory:
San Juan Cutthroat Trout once thrived in Southern Colorado streams before mining pollution, fishing pressure, and competition with non-native species drove them to presumed extinction—until genetic data from a 146-year-old tissue sample at the Smithsonian uncovered a holdout population in 2018.
Then disaster struck: the 416 Fire devastated the watershed, releasing toxic chemicals into the streams. Jim and his team rode ATVs into the fire to rescue the trout, saving them at the last possible moment. Now, their descendants were being released at Banded Peak Ranch.
Suddenly, the pieces clicked into place. This wasn’t just a story about collaboration. It was a high-stakes adventure featuring two unlikely partners—Jim, the self-described “fish squeezer,” and Tim Haarmann, a ranch manager with his own battle against fire.
We pitched a revised focus: highlight the partnership between Jim and Tim, with catastrophic wildfire as the central villain.
Shoot 2: Winter
With our new direction approved, we hit the road again:
In Durango, we filmed Jim at the hatchery and explored the 416 Fire burn scar.
Back at Banded Peak, we spent more time with Tim—driving the ranch, sharpening chainsaws, and burning slash piles as part of his fire mitigation work.
Revised Cut
To bring the pieces together, I rewrote the script and restructured the film:
Archival Cold Open: Real footage of the 416 Fire immediately set the stakes.
Begin in winter: The story begins during the off season, then builds toward the fall trout release.
Wildfire reenactment: I combined shots of Jim’s visit to the burn scar with footage of Tim’s prescribed burn to create a reenactment of the rescue mission.
Connections between Jim and Tim: I introduced Jim and Tim with similar humor and warmth to connect their shared passion for land stewardship
Collaboration
This project was a team effort:
Louis Wertz, Caleb Stotts, and Lesli Allison guided the story as executive producers.
Page Buono secured access, coordinated logistics, and weighed in on story direction as producer.
Nate Dappen co-directed, shot aerials, and gave editorial feedback.
Neil Losin provided feedback on cuts.
Kori Price managed production logistics.
A special thanks to Aaron Jones, Gwen Kolb, Randy Keyes, Tim Haarmann, and Jim White for their time, trust, and hospitality during production.
