In summer 2022, the Northeast Wilderness Trust (NEWT) partnered with Reel Quest Films to produce a series of nature videos highlighting two of their preserves in Vermont—Woodbury Mountain Wilderness Preserve and Blue Mountain Wilderness Sanctuary—and one of their preserves in Maine, Alder Stream Wilderness Preserve.

Located east of the Worcester Mountains, the only remaining undeveloped mountain range in Vermont, the land in and around Woodbury falls within Vermont’s only ‘Important Bird Area’ of global significance, according to Audubon and BirdLife International. At 6,098 acres, Woodbury Mountain Wilderness Preserve is the largest non-governmental wilderness area in the state of Vermont.

The goal of the video series was to visually capture and showcase the scale of the preserves through aerial cinematography complemented with scenic footage shot from the ground. For the Woodbury project, we spent 2 1/2 days exploring on foot, seeking forest and wetland scenes that would capture the essence of the preserve. While there is an old forest road that traverses a portion of the property, we ended up doing quite a bit of bushwhacking to find the optimal scenes. No backcountry trip is without a run in or two with wildlife, as we encountered a rather aggressive beaver on the shore of a remote pond that seemed to not appreciate our presence.

Since these videos did not include interviews or voiceover, they relied completely on compelling footage and music to tell the story.

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Thirsting for more breathtaking nature footage? Check out another video in the NEWT series shot at Blue Mountain Wilderness Sanctuary.