for vermejo, a 550,000 acre property of ted turner reserves, the soil grounds the operation. the conservation-focused staff monitor the seven ecosystems across the property, ranging from short-grass prairie to pinyon-juniper woodlands to alpine and more. their experts being the range monitoring process every fall to understand the diversity of the plant life, the amount of wildlife that can be sustained, and the health of areas frequently visited by humans and animals. 

this process of grass surveillance is called range monitoring and it’s been happening at vermejo for a little less than two decades. 

director of activities jason ladjevic and natural resources manager lance bernal explore how central the soil is to the success of vermejo and why the conservationists heading the project are excited to share what they find. 

editor’s note: this series was made possible with the generous support of turner reserves and contributions by the turner family. all editorial content is published independently.

planet forward’s environmental media lab led this expedition to teach the power of visual storytelling in wild spaces to convey the beauty and bounty of our planet.