Episode Information

The vast area of the American prairie tells the story of a 150 year experiment: the settlement of the American midwest. Nowadays, ghost towns define the appearance of deserted swathes of land. The radical vision of a scientist couple from New York sparked a new debate about the economic recovery of the region. Their plan is to make the Great Plains a public property, a common area, and reverse it to its original condition. Project Buffalo Commons is the attempt to turn back the clock to the time before the settlement. Fences should be torn down to allow hundreds of thousands of buffalos to roam freely across the vast plains. The intended goal is that a rise in tourism and a highly efficient buffalo meat production will provide people of this region with security and a new future. But is it too late, have the Plains had their day, or is there hope on the horizon?