Druid Peak (2014) - full transcript

A troubled teen is sent to live with his estranged father, a park ranger. During his time there, he develops an unusual affinity with and passion for the wolves in a local pack.

Come on!

Give it back!

- Stop.

Dude
give me my pencil back.

- Stop it.

- Pencils down please.

Get rid of your gum, now.

Alright everybody,
see you tomorrow.

Owen?

- Grandma.

- Get to class Matt.



What's going on with you Owen?

You want to fail this class,

fine fail this class.

But don't you dare drag
my grandson down with you.

Do you hear me?

If you want to talk, I'm here.

I mean that Owen,

but I can't let you
spoil the barrel.

- Can I go?

- Mister Wagner!

Owen!

What the fuck
is wrong with you?

Come on Matt, let's
get out of here man.

- Where do we go?



- I don't know, come on.

- Where are you going?

- I don't know.

- Ready?

Where did you get this?

- Grandma gave it to me.

Does she still
wants you to go there?

- Yep.

I think I can play ball too.

Where are you going to go?

- Nowhere.

We're going to check out the
campus in a couple of weeks.

You should come with us.

Come on.

Dude, it'll be so awesome.

Come on!

Shut up man, why are you
such a fucking pussy sometimes?

Hey man

Where are you going?

Where are you going man?

Where are you going man,

are you going to
answer my question?

- Home.

- What's in the bag?

Give it to me.

Give it to me!

What you got something
special in there?

Come on man,
come on, come on slappyhead.

Big old mop.

Give it to me!

- No!

- Are these yours?

Is this yours?!

They are my
mom's man.

How about
this, is this you?

- Give it back man.

- Baby food?

Who is the baby,
are you the baby?

- Just give it back.

- You want it, baby food.

- Give it back!

- You want it?

- Owen!

Owen come on, Owen!

- Go come on!

Come on Matt, faster man.

You have to go fucking
faster than that,

let's go man let's go!

Come on let's go let's go.

Come on Matt!

Faster let's go man!

Come on buddy let's go.

Owen can
I talk to you for a second?

Owen!

Jesus what happened to you?

- Nothing, leave me alone.

I said leave me alone!

Son if
your mother is trying to have

a conversation with you, you
better sit down and listen.

- Dale!

- Goddammit!

- Everyone please be quiet.

Where is misses Zane?

Good morning.

Earlier this morning we received
some heartbreaking news.

As some of you may know there
was a car accident last night

involving two of our students.

Matt Corsen and Evan
the boys in the car lost

control of their vehicle.

As of right now Evan is
in a stable condition,

and he's going to be ok.

I am deeply saddened
to report, however,

that Matt Corsen
passed away last night.

catastrophic.

Our hearts go out
to Matt's family.

In particular to

- I know you were there.

- You don't know anything man.

Yeah well, I'm
telling, I'm going...

You say
anything I'll kill you,

I swear to God.

- HEY!

- I'll slit your throat.

- HEY!

Break it up, break it up now!

- I'll kill you.

Most pretty strong words, Owen.

Matt was a good kid.

A real good kid.

Never understood why he made
some of the choices he did.

- What choices?

Popular
kid like that doesn't

have to hang around with losers.

- Can I go?

- No.

I've got some officers
here who'd like to

ask you a couple questions.

- Well I don't know anything.

Then I guess
that's what you'll tell them.

That's a pretty mean cut
you've got on your head.

Want to tell me
how you got that?

- Dirt biking.

I fell.

- Let me see your hands.

Never knew anyone to
fall off a bike and

not scrape up their hands.

Where were you
last night Owen?

- I was at a party.

- Where'd you get that cut from?

- Glass.

- Don't lie to me Owen.

- I'm not.

Some kid threw a
bottle into the fire.

- I'm real sorry about Matt.

I just can't believe it.

God almighty I can't believe it.

- Where are we going?

- I can't do this anymore Owen.

Your father...

- My what?

Jesus why do you
have make everything

so goddamn difficult.

Just let me speak for a minute.

I don't know what
happened last night

and lord knows you're
not going to tell me.

But that boy is dead and

I'm grateful that
you are here today.

I am.

I am.

But Owen
you can't stay here.

Your father has agreed to
take you on in Wyoming.

- I'm Everett.

- What's with the cages?

- They're for wolves.

- Wolves?

I guess we have a lot
of catching up to do huh?

So what did Elaine tell you?

- You mean mom?

She didn't tell me anything.

Why, what did she tell you?

- I heard you lost a friend.

Alright, here we are.

This'll be your bedroom here.

You got a closet there for
your stuff if you need it.

Hey Owen.

Here grab a seat,
I'll get you a plate.

How do you get the
wolves in the cages?

Shoot them with
a tranquilizer gun,

least favorite part of the job.

- What's your favorite part?

Probably being
alone out there.

Listening to them call back
and forth to each other.

- I saw one today.

- How close where you?

- It was like here to the sink.

He had a collar on.

- Where?

- Like off the road.

- Which road?

- I have no idea.

Here we are, did you take a
right or left out of the cabin?

- Left.

- How far did you walk?

- About two hours maybe,

found one of the woods
about an hour in.

- Probably in Lamar valley,

I'll bet that wolf you saw
was part of the Druid pack.

Here's Druid Peak,
most of the packs

are named after landmarks.

- How many packs are there?

13 now, but forming a
new pack is tough business.

It doesn't happen very often.

I'll get us some water.

In the early 1900's
predator eradication

was the official
government policy.

They shot every wolf
they could find.

Killed the last one here
in Yellowstone in 1936

and declared the
country wolf-free.

Druids were part of the first
pack we brought back, 13

animals from British Columbia,
part of three family groups.

Six of those animals took to
the valley and stayed there.

Survivors.

You know I was in the
field for two years before

I ever came as close to
a wolf as you were today.

You may think the world hasn't
caught you a single break

Owen, but you're wrong.

Just a sec.

Hey.

- How do I find them?

- Who?

I thought I'd
want to see one again.

- I'll show you.

Let's grab a pencil here.

Do you know what a
wolf track looks like?

- Like a dog's?

Yeah if it's smaller it's
probably a coyote or a fox.

Do you know what wolves eat?

Big game, elk,
bison, deer mostly.

- Ok.

So find the big game,
look for prints, like that.

- And that's it?

Well you got to get up a lot
earlier than you're used to,

best time to see them
is before sunrise.

- Hey, are you ok?

- Yeah I'm fine.

- You don't look fine.

Oh, you want
something for those?

Come on, come with me.

I'm Jillian by the way,
I work with your dad.

Must've covered some distance.

Yeah I guess, I.

- What were you looking for?

- Wolves.

- Wolves are elusive by nature,

they are some of the toughest
animals in the world to see.

I saw one yesterday,
looked right at me.

- You must have a wolf soul,

your dad has a wolf soul.

- What's with those collars?

- They're radio collars.

What kind of advice did Everett
give you about tracking?

Uhm, he told me to look for
elk and then look for prints.

Of course he did,

that's what he told me
when I first got here.

Everett thinks if you
don't learn the hard way,

you don't learn at all.

Come with me.

Ok, hold that, and
hit that power switch.

So the packs are all on
different frequencies

and the individuals are
on different channels.

We try to call out about
one to three individuals

in every pack.

So if you roll that dial, you
can scan for the frequencies.

- This one?

- Yeah.

- This good?

- Yeah.

Wait wait wait, go back.

You hear that?

Yeah, that's it,
you got the signal.

That's a wolf on the move.

Alright he can be up to
three miles in any direction.

That's a pretty big
area, how do you find them?

- Well...

Sit.

So when you pick up
your first signal,

you mark that point on the map,

and then you hike about a
mile in the opposite direction

until you pickup
the signal again

and then you mark
that point too.

Where the two points
meet, that's your wolf.

Of course, by the time you get
there he'll likely be gone.

Wolves travels twice
as fast as humans.

Really we never
know where they are,

we just know where they've been.

Why don't you
just get one that tells you

exactly where they are?

- Smart boy, GPS.

They're too expensive.

Anyway, your dad is not wrong.

If you take one of
these receivers out,

and get yourself in the
right range and then use

the skills that your dad was
talking about for tracking,

you'll see your wolves.

Here.

What happened to
the wolf in there?

The skull by your desk.

Got shot by a rancher they
don't particularly like wolves.

- Why?

They think they
kill their livestock.

- Do they?

- Yeah, sometimes.

A lot of other things
kill livestock too,

particularly disease.

It's a lot easier
to blame a wolf

than it is a
bacterial infection.

Easier to blame
something you can see

than something you can't.

- That's what my mom says.

- What's that?

She says it is easier
to blame the things

that are outside you than
the things that are inside.

Where were you guys
in the picture?

- What picture?

- Oh the picture my mom gave me.

It's of the two of you
on a bed somewhere.

- I don't remember.

Oh man...

- Everett!

I saw them hunting,
it was unbelievable.

They were chasing the elk and

they were coming right
out of the trees and

they flanked them
around to the left.

Wow wow wow son,
who did you see?

- The Druids.
- Where?

In the valley, it was
amazing, they were coming...

- How many were there?

- I don't know, a lot.

- 20?

- Less...

- 10?

- Sure, yeah, I don't know.

- Where they gray or black?

Both, can I just
tell you the story?

- Sure.

Alright so the
elk were running and

this one group split
off and the wolves

started chasing after
them for a while and then

this one elk slowed down
and right when it did,

BAM, I mean they were
right there, it was...

- How long did it take them?

- I don't know.

- Make an estimate.

- I don't fucking know!

Come with me I want
to show you something.

- Fuck you.

- Suit yourself.

Your intelligence
is a gift Owen but

your ignorance is a choice.

Hello.

Yes.

Yep he's here can you
hold on just a second?

Hey Elaine you know he's
working on something right now

and I don't want
to interrupt him.

Right, yeah he's been doing
some field observation for me.

Yes he's actually
very good at it.

Yeah I can have him
give you a call later.

Yes absolutely.

Bye.

Your mom says she loves you.

- Thanks.

These are
some of my notebooks and

not to take away anything from
what you saw out there today

but our job as
scientists isn't just

to see it's to understand.

To look for patterns in behaviors
and make sense of them.

Don't just watch, observe.

Now we know a lot
about wolves but

we still have a lot to learn.

And that's true of
every species on earth.

It's even true about
ourselves Owen.

Alright you take notes,
let me know what you learn.

Remember there is no monopoly
on scientific knowledge.

Anyone can make a discovery.

Good luck out there.

- HELL YEAH!

WOOHOO!

- Thank god, are you ok?

- Yeah, I got a bit lost.

- Let me see, hey.

You sure?

- Yeah, yeah I'm fine.

- I got him.

Yeah he just walked up.

He's fine.

Everett he's fine.

Ok.

- Where is he Jillian?

- He's out looking for you.

- Hey.

- Hey.

Is everything ok?

- Yeah.

Why don't you have
any kids, Jillian?

- I couldn't, I tried.

And when we finally
decided to give up my

husband decided he wanted
to try with somebody else.

What about dad, why
didn't he have kids?

- He has you.

- Not really.

He doesn't even talk to me.

Well yeah he doesn't talk
to the wolves either but

they understand each other.

Owen your dad has been
through a lot in his life.

Ask him some time.

But don't make presumptions
about what is going on

inside other people.

Unless you like
being wrong a lot.

- Owen.

Wake up.

It's cold out,
dress warm, these ought to fit.

Morning Danny.

- Morning Everett.

- How are you doing?

- Good, who is this fine fellow?

Danny Skirps this
is my son Owen.

- Owen.

It's a good day for flying.

Looking forward
to it, let's do it.

- Come on back.

So you
put these on and then

move the microphone
in close to your mouth

when you talk.

And when you can
hear me, say 'copy'.

- Ok.

You
know how this works,

these are your wolf packs.

Ready?

- Yeah.

- Can you hear me?

Copy.

- What do you got?

- Got nothing yet.

- Oh yeah?

Pretty far south today.

Look below you.

How many?

- Nine.

Mollie's pack.

- I don't see them.

- I got them!

- Where?

- Uhm, 10 o'clock.

- You have a good eye.

I count six.

- Copy.

Is that Mollie's pack again?

What?

- That's not good.

That low even tone is a
mortality signal it means

either the wolf or the
collar is not moving.

See anything?

- No.

We'll send
somebody in on foot.

- The Druids!

- Oh yeah.

You're good.

You got a good eye kid.

So you're not air sick?

- No way,

- Everett!

They've been calling for you.

Two down at McGill's place.

- Two?

Damn.

He's already
gone to the papers,

says he's going to
hunt in this fall

whether it's legal or not.

- I'd love to see him try that.

He's a hardheaded
son of a bitch, Everett.

Excuse me.

- Alright, well thanks Jack.

- What happened dad?

Some
took down two cattle.

- In the park?

- No outside of it but

wolves can't really
read that sign that says

'you're now leaving
Yellowstone'.

Oh y'all always quick

coming out here once the
damage has been done but

awful slow doing
anything to prevent it.

Great to
see you too Louis,

where are the carcasses?

Each one of those
animals is worth 1500 dollars.

And you can't count the damage
it does to the other stock.

They're losing weight.

Because they're running
around all night

being chased by wolves.

Are you talking to
me right now or are you

still conducting an
interview with the reporter

because I'm just looking
for the carcasses.

- Y'all never want to hear about

the damage your predators do.

Well first it's my cattle.

Next thing, they'll
be snatching kids

out of people's backyards.

When are
you going to learn to

separate fact from
fiction Louis?

Anytime you want me to
come down and educate you

about what we're
doing I'm ready.

But until then if you're
just going to stand there

and be ignorant,
telling me you don't

want wolves in the park,

I'm just going to tell
you that's too damn bad.

Yeah Zoe will take
you to the West Pasture.

- It's that way.

- Thank you.

We're going to
have them delisted Everett.

And I'm going to be first
in line to get my license.

First one.

Thanks so
much for your help.

What does
he mean delisted?

It means he
wants the wolves taken off

the endangered species list.

- So?

So if
they're not on the list,

they can be hunted.

- There is the first one.

- Anyone see the wolf?

- No-one was out here.

We can't afford to have people
out here 24 hours a day.

- Been a tough season huh?

- Yeah, you remember Cody?

- Sure I do.

- Dad had to let him go.

He came back three times
asking for his job back.

We've only got Mell and
J.D. still working here

full-time now.

Because they've been
here the longest.

But mom says of
course that doesn't

mean they work the hardest.

See these
teeth marks back here?

That's probably where
they brought him down.

Flesh ripped towards the back.

Yeah you can even
see these holes right here.

What're you thinking about?

I'm thinking if we don't
find a way to keep these wolves

away from the livestock
we're going to

have some serious
trouble on our hands.

And the numbers don't matter.

Everybody is
struggling right now,

we can compensate him for
his loss but I don't think

that's going to make
much difference.

Why, what are you
thinking about?

She's pretty isn't she?

Huh?

- Yeah.

What?

I
didn't say anything.

I have no idea
what you're talking about dad.

- Hey.

Here's your mortality signal.

Oh man that's
the second one he has dumped.

- I'm sure he had some help.

Yeah
it looks like it.

No sense in collaring
the same guy again,

let's fix it up and see if we
can put it on another animal.

- How did it go out there?

Any ideas?

No, it looks like it might
be time for another stakeout,

Louis is about ready to blow.

What about Carera?

I need him
through Thursday but

he can start over the weekend.

- Start what?

- Sitting out.

See if he can
pick up the signal for

whoever is stalking
McGill's cattle.

- I could do it.

You want to spend 24
hours a day sitting in

a truck and a cow pasture?

Am I missing something?

- Guy likes wolves.

Can't fault him for that.

- Ok.

Thanks Jillian,
we'll talk to you later.

- Bye Jillian.

- Bye.

by Bohemian Radio)

Hope you
brought your shotgun.

- Hey.

- Hey.

Mom thought you
might want some coffee.

- Thanks.

Do you want some?

- Anything?

- No.

What's your horse its name?

- Yoda.

He was steady even as a foal.

What's your truck its name?

- I'm not sure it has one.

I thought all men
named their trucks.

It's not my truck.

Well I wouldn't ride
another man's horse

without asking its name.

I'm sure it's named
but I forgot to ask.

- I got to go.

You staying on tonight?

- Yup.

I'll bring you
out some dinner.

- What's for dinner?

- Wolfburgers.

- Hey.

- Hey.

Watch this one, she kicks.

What do they do with the
wolves that kill your cow?

- Sometimes they trap them.

- And then what?

In the park I guess
they euthanize the bears

that attack humans.

- Cows aren't humans.

- Neither are wolves.

- Well I didn't say they were.

Well you don't
seem to think they're

much like cows either.

What happened to your head?

- I got in an accident.

It was a car accident.

- And your arms?

Cigarettes, it was a
game we used to play.

- You better get back out there.

- Yeah, yeah I probably should.

Do you still
play it, that game?

- No.

- Come on in.

- Could we go flying?

Not today,
I'm giving a talk.

- Can we go after?

I think it's
going to be too late by then.

What's going on Owen?

What happens to the
wolves that kill the cattle?

Well we try
to rehabilitate them.

- And if it doesn't work?

Well we remove
them from the population.

- Right, you kill them.

It's not that simple Owen,
wolves are social creatures.

The pack learns
from the individual.

You get one wolf
with a taste for cow,

and you can have a serious
problem on your hands.

- I get it.

One bad apple spoils the barrel.

- More or less.

The wolf stalking McGill's
cattle is a Druid wolf.

Sometimes that behavior
changes on its own.

- Right.

I'll get
someone out there and

see if we can't scare them off.

Hope you're
delivering coffee.

Hey, anyone
going out today?

Sure,
what's on your mind?

I want to
know if anyone spots

Druid wolf Four Six One M.

- Sounds easy enough.

Alright thanks
because it is important.

- I can tell.

- Here you go.

- You found him?

He's headed to
heavy forest area,

pretty far out by
the park border.

Couldn't see him from the air

but if you hike out there
you might have better luck.

- Thanks a lot Jack.

- You got it.

- Dad!

- Hey buddy.

- Dad.

- Is everything ok?

- Yup.

He had pups.

- What?

I found him, he had
a new mate and they had pups.

They were here,
right on the border,

with a den set, on this hill.

- Who's the mate?

- I don't know.

I mean she doesn't
have a collar on.

Could've been from any
of the surrounding packs.

How man pups were there?

- Five.

- Looks like we have a new pack!

Come here I want to
show you something.

So I entered your data
with the data collected

from other scientists
and look what we got.

Every one of these
dots represents an

observed location of the
pack and when you put them

all together you
get a complete look

of each pack's territory.

Nice work.

Let's add your pack now.

- This is the point right here.

- Right here?

- Ok.

- I should probably date it.

- Here we go, there you are.

How does it feel?

It
feels pretty good.

Good work.

I heard
there's a new pack in the park.

You
got to ask Owen about that,

he found them.

Jack found them, I
just hiked out there.

- Who is it?

It's wolf Four Six One
from the Druid Peak pack

and a mystery female.

I'm still figuring out
where she came from.

- Mollie's pack?

That's what I was
thinking but all of Mollie's

females are accounted for.

I'm thinking maybe she
came from outside the park.

Yeah we had another
pack start up that way.

In 2008.

- Yeah, Silver Lake pack.

I'm thinking it's
the same thing.

You've
done your homework, good man.

You need
my jacket buddy?

- Nah hang on.

Hello?

- Owen, is that you?

- Hi mom.

God it is good
to hear your voice.

How's everything
going out there?

- It's good.

You're not getting
into any trouble?

- Nope.

Owen, I miss you, I
want you to come back.

- Who is it?

- Owen?

- Hello?

- Hello.

- Hey Elaine.

How are you.

You forgot your jacket Owen.

Here you go.

You can really feel the
weather starting to change,

it's going to be fall
before you know it.

School is going to be starting.

- I know.

You know she's right about
you having to go to school.

- I know.

Dad?

Why did you leave?

When I met your mom I
was 30 and she was 23 and

she was the most vibrant
person I had ever met.

Pretty much swept
me off my feet.

We were foolish and reckless
and she got pregnant.

She wanted to get married.

But I never told her I
had been married before.

I got married right out of
college and had a baby boy

a couple of years after that.

Got a house in Maine,
near Acadia National Park.

I used to take my son
to watch the seals

pull themselves up
on the rocks there.

We had a nice life.

Middle of the night, I woke
up with a throbbing headache

and my chest fell like
it was about to cave in.

Whole house smelled like
gas, I went to get help

but it was too late.

I lost them both.

Lost my wife and my son.

When your mom told
me she was pregnant

with you I just panicked.

I was so scared.

- What's going on?

Three, Two, One.

Wolf hunting licenses went
on sale today in Wyoming,

Montana, Michigan and Idaho.

This follows a decision by the
US Fish and Wildlife service

to delist the gray wolf
population in these states.

Secretary of the Interior
Ken Salazer said today

and I quote: "The recovery
of the gray wolf population

"throughout significant
portions of its historic range

"is one of the great
success stories

"of the endangered
species act.".

But for those that oppose
the delisting, they fear

officials in Washington are
far more concerned about

the cattle vote
than the survival

of this very fragile species.

Meanwhile only 250...

- Be right back.

Zoe.

Zoe!

- Zoe come on.

- What are you doing here?

- Same thing as everyone else.

- Come with me.

- Come with you where?

- Come out in the field with me.

- Just one day.
- I can't.

- Just one day!
- I can't.

I help out at
the ranch, I can't.

- One night then.

Zoe that's
enough now come on!

- I got to go.

- I'm coming by at four.

Four AM I'll see you there.

- Thanks.

- Two licenses.

- Two?

- One is for my son.

That'll be 500 dollars.

Please fill out your
name at the bottom

and read the
restrictions on the back.

What the hell do you think

that you are doing?

Get
your hands off him.

Hey
what's going on here?

Why are you ripping
up your licenses?

- 248.

- I'm sorry?

Only 248 people will be
hunting wolves this year.

- Excuse me.

- You're late!

Can I turn on the radio?

- Sure.

No.

Grab that one.

Keep going.

- What is this?

- Wolves.

Picks up anything
within three miles.

- What are we looking at?

- That hole right there.

- That's amazing.

I've never seen a hole
in the grass before.

- Keep looking.

Where is the
rest of the pack?

It's a
new breeding pair.

It's unusual but those
pups will be their pack.

- They are so tiny.

- Zoe.

- Jesus I got to go.

- Hey Dad?

Do you think people can change?

- What do you mean?

I mean, do you think bad
people can become good people?

Well if you're talking
about Zoe, I don't think

she is a bad person,
I think she just

comes from a
different background.

No, I was talking
about myself.

I just left him there.

At least you went off
and tried to find help

for your wife and kid.

I just took off.

I don't think there are good
people or bad people Owen.

It's just the choices you make.

Make different choices.

- Thanks.

- Hey Jillian!

Hey there stranger,
I never see you anymore.

Oh yeah,
helping my dad.

We're trying to get twice as
many coordinates as last year.

- Well look at you.

Hey I picked up your wolf
outside of the park today.

I was down in Ashton
on a run and I

caught a signal on the way back.

- Huh, where?

Oh just a couple of
miles outside of the park.

- What's he doing out there?

Good question, he's not
exactly a conventional

spirit through is he?

- No he's not.

Hey dad?

Dad?

Hey dad?!

Can I go up with you tomorrow?

Sure.

- There goes summer.

- What happened to fall?

- You're looking at it.

Looks like it letting out
uh, just a little dusting.

Wagner
One to Wagner Two.

Come in Wagner Two.

- Copy.

Go for Wagner Two.

- Three o'clock.

Over here.

Beautiful aren't they?

- Amazing.

Well we're at the border
now, you got anything?

- No.

Alright we'll go a
little further but we can't

burn too much fuel out here.

We got to turn back Owen.

- Copy.

Dad.

- What do you got?

- Mortality signal.

- You see anything?

- No, do you?

Dad I got them.

Oh dad you got to put it down.

- I can't do anything.

Dad we got to go down, you
got to let me out right now.

You got to let me out dad.

- Owen I can't do that.

- Dad let me out.

Danny can you put us down
in that field right there?

Don't get too close to
him Owen if he's hurt

he could go after you.

- I'm going to kill them dad.

I'm going to fucking kill them.

Come here.

No dad.

- Listen Owen.

I know you're angry
and I'm angry too.

I saw something in you
today that I didn't see

when you first got here.

That animal taught
you something.

You should try to
hold on to that.

- Hey.

Hey.

What are you doing?

- Trying to fix it.

Why don't you just
buy another one?

- They're expensive.

- How much?

- About 700 dollars.

If they were cheap,
everyone would have one.

Can I borrow your car?

Yeah the keys are in the
ignition.

Where are you goimg?

- Hey dad!

Dad!

Jesus.

You scared me buddy.

What's up?

- Ok.

What if we give them
radio receivers?

Just slow down, take
a breath, give who what?

The ranchers, what if we
give them radio receivers

so they'll know when the
wolves are nearby and

they'll be able to go outside
and protect the cattle.

Those things are
really expensive Owen,

I don't think that's
going to work.

- Oh, we could get the money.

- How?

I don't
know, I'll find it.

And we know which
ranchers need them first.

We can look at the
map you made and see

which packs are closest to
the park borders and where.

That could work,
it's a good idea.

- You think so?

- Yeah, let's do it.

Great job.

- Alright dad come here.

- What do you got?

- It's still rough but

people will be
able to click here

if they want to donate.

How do you know
how to do that?

- Everybody knows.

Not everybody,
here let me see.

Yeah go for it.

Alright so click to scroll down.

- Yeah.

- Click right there.

- Oh that's so cool.

Yeah it's not
linked up right now

but I mean you can...

If you put your credit
card information there it

wouldn't do anything right now
but it's there essentially.

- Nice.

Good morning.

Better get dressed these
horses aren't going to

ride themselves.

- Ok.

You know
what that is right?

- Yeah it's Druid Peak.

- Yep.

You know what's interesting
is that when the wolves first

came back to Yellowstone,
the moose and the elk

didn't know how to handle
it because they were

so used to the park
being without predators.

But sure enough,
within about a year

their behavior
started to change.

And they began to
move around more

and because they were
moving around more

they stopped grazing in
the same spot all season.

Lo and behold, cottonwoods,
aspen and willow started

to sprout up in places where
there hadn't been trees before.

Those willows upstream
weren't even there

and the beavers couldn't even
build their dams without them.

And now we got 11 new
beaver colonies in the park

and their dams have created
ponds for more fish, frogs

and insects.

These aspens weren't
even here 10 years ago.

Those birds you hear
had nowhere to nest

so you wouldn't have heard them.

Every month we learn
about a small change.

Something new in one
population can affect another.

It all comes back to
this, we're all connected.

In ways we may
not even perceive.

All of us.

I've never really felt at
home anywhere but here.

I guess some people need
wild places more than others.

I don't know where you

feel like your home is Owen but

if you'd like to
stay here with me,

I'd like that a lot.

- Where would I go to school?

- Gardiner.

I know it's a drive but

you're used to early mornings.

But you know if you want to go
home we can make that happen.

- Dad.

I want to stay here.

But I have to go home first.

I have to.

Hey kid.

What happened to the dog?

- I don't know, away.

- Was it your dog?

No it was
my daddy his dog

but I used to feed it sometimes.

- How did it get away?

- Promise not to tell?

- Yeah I promise.

- I let it go.

- That's a good man.

- Promise not to tell?

Yeah I promise,
cross my heart.

I
know it's been a long day.

That's ok, there's some
fresh water for you.

Can I help you?

It's me.

- Owen?

My god I didn't recognize you.

- I've been away.

- Wyoming, so I've heard.

- I wanted to give that back.

I'm really sorry
about what happened.

When I woke up I was in
the woods and I panicked.

I was thinking about how much
trouble I would get into.

I was thinking about myself.

And I should've been
thinking about Matt.

You know I'm sorry for
bothering you, I just,

I wanted to tell you that.

- Thank you.

I hope good things
happen to you Owen.

I hope you lead a good life.

- I'm trying to.

Ok, I'll keep you
both in my prayers.

- Thank you.

Hey what's that?

Are you sure you
don't need bedsheets?

I don't need bedsheets.

- You want a ride?

- I'm ok.

- You be careful out there.

- I will.

- I love you.

- I know.

- Alright, you can go.

Well hold on a minute.

Here.

I know it's not much but...

It ought to buy one
of those transmitters.

- Thank you.

Alright
for those of you

who are still milling
around the door,

find a seat please.

Welcome to senior chemistry.

I have
a present for you.

- What is chemistry?

Chemistry is the
matter of sciences

What is that?

- or
- Just open it.

the branch
of natural sciences

dealing with the
compositions of substances

and their properties
and reactions.

Mister Wagner really?

On the first day?

Yeah I'm sorry
sir, that's uh...

Yeah ok never mind
he says but let's talk

about chemistry a
little more folks, ok?

- Hey how did it go?

- It was good.

How are you doing?

- I'm good.

Alright, oh uh I'll
be back for dinner.