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WHAT THIS IS

The REAL Yellowstone™ is a cultural storytelling series rooted in lived experience and the people who have carried knowledge of this place forward.Season One, A Return to the Campfire, brings those stories back into the open — through film, live voices, sound, and atmosphere — creating space to listen, gather, and pass things on.

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A LINEAGE OF STEWARDSHIP

The REAL Yellowstone honors the lineage of stewardship that shaped Yellowstone — carried by people, passed across generations, and still alive today.That lineage was formed through lived responsibility: rangers, park staff, families, concessionaires, outfitters, guides, and gateway communities whose daily work shaped how this place functioned and endured.

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WHY IT MATTERS

Lived knowledge is fragile, and time does not wait. The stories of Yellowstone’s people — and the standards of care, judgment, and responsibility they carried — are slipping away.These stories were never meant for archives alone. They were passed by voice, presence, and experience. Without that exchange, something essential thins.The REAL Yellowstone exists because this knowledge matters — and because remembering carries responsibility.

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—Beginning Summer 2026—

A Return to the Campfire marks the first public gatherings of The REAL Yellowstone — Season One.Details about locations, dates, and participation TBA.

I grew up with the quiet hum of ranger life in my bones.My father wore the flat hat for 35 years in Yellowstone. My grandfather ran Camp Trails, a backcountry youth camp in the park from 1928 to 1958.This place shaped my family—and now, this project is my way of giving something back. At its core, it’s a cultural revival.A way to hold onto the presence, memory, and voice of those who knew the park by heart.I’m just one storyteller.
But I carry the echoes of many.—Lori Nuss, Founder

Behind the Camera

Braeden Meyer is a filmmaker and artist whose work explores the relationship between people, science, and the natural world. Grounded in experience across biological sciences, research, conservation, and documentary filmmaking, his approach bridges scientific inquiry and lived human experience.Working in an observational, vérité style, Braeden brings a patient and thoughtful lens to stories shaped by place, memory, and meaning. His work is guided by a belief that complex ideas — whether ecological, cultural, or historical — can be made accessible without losing their depth or integrity.

Program Production

Linda Howard—Program Production & Storyteller CoordinationLinda is a lifelong steward of public lands whose work centers on human stories and place-based memory. Her journey began in Yellowstone, where arriving for her first season “felt like going home.” She brings decades of interpretive experience, warmth, and care to shaping the storytelling at the heart of this project.

✉️ STAY IN THE CIRCLE

A RETURN TO THE CAMPFIRE

—Stewardship Starts with Remembering—