Tribeca FF 2014 Films, On Your Radar: Duke and The Buffalo
by Karen Pecota

Directors: Alfredo Alcantara and Josh Chertoff

One of the largest conservation herds of bison in the United States is managed by ranch hand Duke Phillips. Owned by The Nature Conservancy the 100,000-acre stretch of land is located on the Medano-Zapata Ranch in Colorado.

To meet the challenge of keeping the endangered bison to a sustainable level, The Nature Conservancy relies on Duke, a cattle rancher and his crew of horsemen for the once a year round-up. The mission to gather the wild animals is dangerous.

Duke and his crew show us how it's done in Duke and The Buffalo. The first in a series of films about a unique partnership between The Nature Conservancy of Colorado and Ranchlands, a private ranching organization. The goal is to preserve nature and our American western heritage. There is a race against time to understand the wild animals of our past and preserve what species we have left. A big challenge awaits the American cowboy and we are privy to watch and learn.