Why would an award-winning filmmaker move to Iowa planning to retire... only to end up making one of the state's most ambitious conservation documentaries?

That's exactly what happened to Charlie Morris.

After years producing conservation films around the world—from South Africa's disappearing great white sharks to threatened forests on the East Coast—Charlie arrived in Iowa intending to leave filmmaking behind. Then he started asking a simple question:

"Why is everyone telling me not to swim in the water?"

That question led him down a rabbit hole of water quality, prairie restoration, farming, cancer rates, and the remarkable people dedicating their lives to protecting Iowa's natural resources.

His new project, The Iowa Prairie Documentary Project, is more than just a film. It's a multimedia effort combining documentary filmmaking, podcasts, interviews, articles, and eventually a book—all designed to tell the deeper story of Iowa's landscapes and the people fighting to restore them. Find more about the project: Facebook, website, podcast, YouTube

In this episode, we explore storytelling as a tool for conservation, why asking good questions matters, and how an outsider's perspective can sometimes reveal what lifelong residents no longer notice.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why Charlie abandoned retirement to make a documentary about Iowa.
• How storytelling can change minds in ways facts alone often cannot.
• The surprising advantage of approaching conservation with a beginner's mindset.
• Why Charlie believes full interviews are just as important as the finished film.
• What he's learned after interviewing more than 100 Iowans.
• The challenges of producing a documentary on a politically charged topic.
• Why Iowa's landscapes may be one of America's best-kept secrets.
• What conservation professionals can learn about telling difficult stories with courage and authenticity.

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About Parks & Restoration
Parks & Restoration is a podcast and leadership development platform exploring leadership through the lens of ecology — for the land, via the people who serve it. Each episode is designed for current and aspiring leaders in parks, conservation, and natural resources who want practical wisdom on leadership, culture, stewardship, and building organizations that thrive.