what remains
Protect What's Worth Saving
ABOUT
Rangers Are Fighting to Save National Parks
On February 14th, 2025, the Trump administration cut over 1,000 National Park jobs in a move swiftly dubbed the “Valentine’s Day Massacre.” The sweeping layoffs sent shockwaves through the conservation world, highlighting the tension of political divides and growing neglect of America’s public lands.
What Remains explores the conflict between federal disengagement and grassroots resilience through personal accounts of devoted National Park stewards. From preserving fragile ecosystems to safeguarding cultural heritage, their battle is about more than parks, it’s about the future we choose to protect.
protect what's worth saving
In a country driven by short term economic interests and top down government policies, can preservation truly be achieved through local knowledge and collective action?
A note from the filmmakers
cultivating a bond between people
“As someone who studies film, environmental sustainability, and who has worked in conservation, I’ve always believed that storytelling has the power to shift not just perspectives, but priorities. What Remains is the intersection of those two passions, born out of a deep respect for the natural world and a drive to use film as a tool for awareness, reflection, and change.
I want people to feel connected to our world the way I do, to look at a landscape and feel not just awe, but responsibility. I want our audience to listen to the people who live closest to the land, who’ve protected it, who are being impacted now. Most importantly, I want to move away from the culture of constant defense and non-productive arguments and into a culture of care and action.
What Remains doesn’t promise solutions; it offers responsibility. It’s not a film about failure, but about taking accountability. It holds grief and grace in equal measure, asking us to reckon with the gap between what we say we value and what we’re willing to fight for. That duality, beauty and loss, love and urgency, is something I feel deeply, both as a filmmaker and an environmentalist. Ultimately, this is not just a documentary about national parks, it’s about the bond between people.”
