Video: “Against the Current,” Battles Over Water in the American West

Here’s a great video—made by Metamorph Films for Trout Unlimited—that explores the issue of water rights and trout conservation in the West. Using the Yellowstone River as an example, the film shows how ranching and trout conservation are often in conflict. But there are ways to irrigate crops and maintain stream flows, allowing ranchers and environmentalists to work together. It actually ends up working better for the ranchers, but it requires a willingness to look for solutions.

Spawning cutthroats return to a stream that had been dewatered by irrigation. photo courtesy Metamorph Films