[insects chirring] [serene music] HILARY SWAIN: Imagine yourself called the headwaters And right in the heart of is the Avon Park And the west bank, surrounding ranchers that have been in sometimes for five, six, LT. COL BUCK MACLAUGHLIN: the Northern Everglades one of the most famous natural And supporting a world-class in and amongst an environment in the world.

SWAIN: Gosh, just amazing big old bold cypress.

In a lot of forestry, magnificent trees This tree has seen so much.

It's been like a sentinel In biology, it often means on the lookout, MACLAUGHLIN: It fits right in of sentinel, as well, You have to have a guard everyone.

The promise of the you have three pillars.

The military mission, and that conservation value, The combination of those a Sentinel Landscape apart.

[blades whirring] CARLTON WARD JR.: You can see in the shallows.

MACLAUGHLIN: WARD JR.: That's a MACLAUGHLIN: That is a big one.

CARLTON WARD JR.: We're flying Arbuckle Creek, so it's a pretty Big natural flood plain, the Air Force Range a national park.

It's one of the most I've experienced here Mixed in with some aircraft like Swiss cheese.

MACLAUGHLIN: This is as real The more you sweat the less you bleed in combat.

MACLAUGHLIN: When I first got you really don't get You get up above it and you get to see and how interconnected it is.

Our nation is only getting and there's more competition and Civilization is expanding to these installations.

Bases and ranges in the middle of nowhere, If you look around the country, but at our natural areas, you can really see the passion.

We have an opportunity and protect those the contribution If we don't care for the land, then we will lose [plane engine] JIMMY WOHL: We are neighbors Air Force Range.

From the time I was there's nothing get on a horse Gradually it evolved into manage the ranch.

I saw the need to preserve of openness, This is some of the last at least a dozen different on this property.

And we are going to into perpetuity.

My father served in First ranch he bought is now The Air Force Range is preserving these lands urban encroachment.

Sentinel is the soldier at and defend.

The landscape is the So I think the Sentinel a goal to achieve both.

SOLDIER: I love our mission.

I can really hang my hat is to save other people, others may live.

[blades whirring] SOLDIER 2: I've always wanted The best part about flying that you are supporting MACLAUGHLIN: So you can see some [whistle of missiles] MARTY TAGG: We're not just We're land stewards.

That stewardship goes Oh, he's looking at us now.

He's looking straight at us.

How cool.

There have been for the past 12,000 years.

The Native American tribes because rock art to them they're symbols of their You know, so you look at here, you've got the creek.

The reason that Fort Huachuca is because of the springs Which are the same reasons were here.

They would capture 12,000 years of human occupation the same way.

OPERATOR: What we have here is the Shadow 200 RQ-7 It has saved countless lives [engine buzzing] This is a phenomenal landscape JEFF JENNINGS: As an intel for intelligence, surveillance, So getting out there A corp commander can say, these eight targets, go."

So they fly fairly high, a long time and they can to find things.

These are expensive, you didn't lose this guy.

Can't replace him, So that's really important.

MARK D'AMATO: you cannot engage a target the target We're testing those systems.

Without those systems, would be kind of useless.

If you notice, this whole area everywhere, everywhere you look.

And so we're sitting in a bowl, quiet place.

So we like the fact that because if a lot of things it would create more noise.

And the more noise that the less effective There is a lot of pride because I think that what we do extends beyond us, That it makes a difference our military is.

It is foundational the mission accomplished.

JENNINGS: Because we're electromagnetic testing, Our agave are not the cattle aren't the bats aren't bothered by it.

So it's really a good symbiosis without disturbing the land and everything ELLEN WILLIAMS: and that is the drone program.

And they have the right, over our ranch.

If you're military or like some of my they consider the drones And so we work together.

I've always loved this place.

It's always been my It's worthwhile to see and we still have it in and that we're passing it on It's the largest privately Everything we do is to improve for the wildlife, and to keep it intact And that's the whole idea behind is to protect it, Preserving our wildlife, Certain grasses they like and it's usually and they'll eat them down.

So it's a matter of trying and letting those native and regrow.

A lot of different groups restoring this land KEISHA TATEM: the world's first They're the ones that are every day.

These working lands are the natural resources Once successes are realized, the landscapes changing, wildlife in abundance, conversations to replicate this SOLDIER 3: Between the and the national parks, to protect what we have left.

When you look at the map, Camp Ripley is.

There's probably some that most people have never It's beautiful.

With the training we've used a different training almost every year.

To think that you're out and then you cease-fire that's coming through.

Camp Ripley has All those things are MAN: Watch your feet.

WOMAN: Pick it up, One!

[gunfire] TODD HOLMAN: Rivers are dynamic.

You have times when the rivers and other times in the fall and mellow, If camp is 53,000 acres, is about 805,000 acres, a major watershed.

Camp Ripley protects on one side and then our Sentinel Landscape on the other side.

What we're seeing here are natural corridors, Almost in a heartbeat, put houses and other kinds of that would be not but also not compatible and it's training.

Over 2 million people are just for drinking water.

This is where the water is Mississippi River.

And so there's a... Oh, that's cool, [wings beating] We're being overrun by Absolutely spectacular.

JESSE BRUTCHERS: You know, really, really do care we're entrusted with.

We're in the low twenties So maybe try to get the try to get it done.

We only farm and I think every farmer does.

DAVE BRUTCHERS: Really was with the amount of heat we had.

BRUTCHERS: We never really the crops are all in, where we can't do any more Camp Ripley's been agriculture in the area.

This, where we're standing there will never be a house This will never be broken up And for the military, we're limiting the amount of on a landscape that we love.

MACLAUGHLIN: The Air Force has in the 10 years that I've been to have that appreciation that are here.

My opinion, it's something and protecting.

SWAIN: And it's really fun nature, and the military Here's you and I, the scientist both thinking about this land but both needing each other.

I like that our science the military mission.

A wonderful ecosystem opportunity.

The size of the Sentinel that nature works at.

It works at a scale where These are some of the and quintessential endangered in Florida.

And without the range, are diminished.

We are able to stand up we are confident that the is compatible, and that it if we're able to protect WARD JR.: I'm excited to see if It's been about two weeks camera trap out.

There are certain animals, And so by putting a camera using a series of you can make it so that you in the woods.

Let's find out.

MACLAUGHLIN: Oh, yeah, WARD JR.: These panthers if it wasn't for still being here.

I don't think the military suburban sprawl pushing up than the bears are, BRAD FULK: This is the only that we have here in Arizona, And, you know, the Army scouts actually documented these in this grassland.

We're literally in the backyard They evolved in open country 55 miles an hour And, you know, their eyesight by anything else.

I've had 'em actually you know, to cut me off.

One thing about development, it's consistent and And there's not a lot to do They've evolved in country That doe, she sat there and turned around and went back went back to it, for 45 minutes sometimes.

And they just won't go In 2011, we detected bucks, does, fawns, and that was an all-time low.

So we went to work And those efforts, brought that population up in four years.

It was almost too late, ERIC ALTENA: And we have so to speak, running right Even though it's used we still have all this We start with the and Lake Itasca, and we have the Crow Wing River, 90 miles to the northwest.

The scenic quality You know, in Minnesota, that's almost like a You know, we have a better part right in this area.

[dogs barking and yipping] ERIN BECKER: My grandpa and I the National Geographic One of the articles was and Susan Butcher, and decided that that's And then it just kind of into racing and having It's important that We have a big heritage in It goes a long way to and then the outdoor spirit Double carabiner for safety.

[chuckles] Ready?

Let's go!

There really aren't that kind of wild.

[bird calling] HOLMAN: Camp Ripley's research both on bears They have telemetry data they track and monitor them.

The bear den is part of an University of Minnesota where they have been looking MAN: In camp, we have four we're just collaring LOWELL KRUSE: We are completely This is indicative of the our environmental program, this into Sentinel Landscape.

MAN 2: See her heart moving?

It's a heart.

KRUSE: Both bears and wolves, thrived and seem to be are testimony to the resource and the surrounding area.

SWAIN: Security is very It's the sense that For a lot of people, but in a very deep and people need to be secure in that are around about them.

D'AMATO: I mean, Look how beautiful this is.

It's rugged, it's extreme, And it's teeming This kind of just grabbed me, "Wow, I love this place."

BRUTCHERS: and see how you're doing things just assume that this is So you've gotta keep your looking to the future.

TAGG: From a Paleo-Indian and then an archaic and then an old musket ball, HOLMAN: I'm not sure we can training needs will be.

But I got a sneaking we're doing through is going to protect the as military needs change WARD JR.: Think about You don't talk about in isolation without Yellowstone or another.

And so to be part of a landscape conservation that's really something TATEM: In my 23 years of working I've not met one for the land.

And that's not just of benefit that's of benefit to After all of us are gone, and great-grandchildren hopefully we'll instill in them SWAIN: The need to be secure clear water, that there's That's there's going to be This represents freedom can represent freedom.

And each draws from and Each has to learn The Sentinel Landscape possibility of uniting people, and enabling We can come together on * *