A Rally for Rangers

Written By Mike Banker

AVAILABLE TO RENT OR BUY ON FISHER CREATIVE’S VIMEO OTT CHANNEL

Over 4,000 national parks in nearly 100 countries worldwide protect some of the world’s most remote, vast, rugged, and pristine ecologically and culturally important places on earth. In some instances, ensuring this protection depends on the dedication, bravery, and sacrifice of just a handful of individual rangers with only a fraction of the necessary resources.

But a group of people from around the world is rallying to help these rangers protect the world’s special places one motorcycle at a time.

WATCH THE TRAILER

 

FROM A BROKEN BIKE

While visiting Lake Hovsgol National Park near the Mongolian-Russian border in 2013, former US park ranger Robert “Mac” McIntosh watched as a local chief ranger was unable to respond to illegal activities after his decrepit motorcycle literally fell apart. Mac learned that these sorts of occurrences routinely interfere with the abilities of rangers throughout Mongolia to successfully and safely do their jobs protecting parks from illegal poachers, miners, campers, and other park spoilers.

In response, Mac decided he was going to personally buy and ride a bike across Mongolia to donate to that ranger. Upon returning to the States, Mac and his colleague Wesley Thornberry told all their friends about the adventure and issued a challenge: “Who’s in?”

From that one broken bike, Rally for Rangers was born.

 

RALLY FOR RANGERS

One year later, in 2014, Mac and 14 other riders purchased 15 new motorcycles, shipped them to Mongolia, and personally rode them over 1,000 miles across the roadless northern steppe of Mongolia to deliver them to 15 grateful park rangers.

Since that first rally, more than 160 motorcycles have so far been delivered to rangers in Mongolia, Argentina, Chile, and Bhutan with the help of more than 100 international riders.

Rally for Rangers Group
 

ABOUT THE FILM

A Rally for Rangers follows the story of the Rally for Rangers movement and its work empowering under-equipped and often under appreciated rangers around the world with new motorcycles and equipment. The film highlights the difficulties and dangers in these rangers’ work and how the rallies are delivering critical tools to these front-line conservation heroes that help them do their jobs protecting some of the world’s most valuable, vulnerable, and sometimes life-sustaining natural and cultural resources for the benefit of us all.

A Rally for Rangers is a film by Fisher Creative in association with Mongol Ecology Center.

 

PRODUCTION TEAM

  • Mark Fisher - Executive Producer & Producer

  • Eric Daft - Director, Editor, & Cinematographer

  • Tom Medema - Co-Producer

  • Aharon Bram - Cinematographer

  • Nick Kalisz - Cinematographer

  • Will Gordon - Editor

  • Chris Liang - Sound Mix/Design

  • Erdenebat Baatar - Composer

Mike Banker
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