The flyover area. The Big Empty. The places in between. All names for the area known colloquially as The Sagebrush Sea. At one point encompassing over 500,000 square miles, the area between the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada is often a place thought of as barren, devoid of life and uninteresting.

However, after watching PBS Nature’s newest documentary, a viewer may change their mind. The Sagebrush Sea is a wonderful documentary about the vast area between the Sierra and Rockies often ignored by many. Focusing on the endangered sagebrush grouse, the documentary uses this endangered bird as our portal into this unique area. The seasons of this vast ecosystem are explored, other wildlife is displayed, and the beauty of this unique area is fully appreciated.

The Sagebrush Sea

The Sagebrush Sea is not just a vast empty area with no life or subtlety. It is an area that has wildflowers with vibrant colors in the spring, antelope grazing in the summer grass, and birds of prey hunting in the chill autumn. The Sagebrush Sea is also a white landscape in the winter that is both harsh but beautiful at the same time.

The wide open spaces of the American West is part of the American national mythos. And, along with the Great Plains, this concept is truly experienced in the Sagebrush Sea.

Typical of the PBS Nature series, the cinematography is exquisite and engaging. Among with the scenery, the narration meshes well with the facts and insights that are conveyed in the documentary.

But the documentary is not all scenery and wildlife. The documentary aptly explains the challenges faced by the sagebrush grouse and the Sagebrush Sea in general. Energy exploration, along with the roads constructed for this exploration, is both dividing up and shrinking the habitat. Droughts in recent years, quite possibly due to climate change, is another challenge faced by the area. And this formerly desolate and isolated land is seeing population growth in a large part due to the energy boom along with traditional agriculture and grazing.

The Sagebrush Sea has less protection than our mountains, forests, and other ecosystems. But, after seeing this documentary, an outdoor enthusiast realizes that the Sagebrush Sea is an ecosystem that is as important to protect as other natural areas. The Sagebrush Sea is a critical habitat for animal migration, watersheds and as a haven in the winter versus other even harsher areas. By helping to preserve this area, currently only three-percent of which is protected, the intangibles are also preserved: The wide open spaces that stretch across the horizon, the sense of wildness and isolation often missing from the more popular mountain areas, and a night sky with only the stars and the moon above.

All part of the American West. Gone once the landscape is altered. For an excellent documentary that is thoughtful while displaying a uniquely beautiful area, watch The Sagebrush Sea.

Currently the full episode of The Sagebrush Sea is on the PBS Nature website and is available for streaming and you can find a hard copy here at Amazon.com.

Editor's Note: This article by contributor Paul Magnanti originally appeared in Issue 23 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here.