Irvine Ranch Conservancy is thrilled to present a unique event featuring the Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour at the Quail Hill Community Center in Irvine. Join Irvine Ranch Conservancy on Saturday, August 31 at 7 p.m. and expand your ecological knowledge and perspective on conservation efforts!
The Wild & Scenic Film Festival will feature a selection of nine short films that convey various stories and experiences between humans and the environment. The films scheduled to be shown include: A Letter to Congress, Visions of the Lost Sierra, Too Precious to Mine, The Curve of Time, A New View of the Moon, Brothers of Climbing, Chandalar, For the Love of Mary and Big World. The evening will also include Irvine Ranch Conservancy’s own short film titled Irvine Ranch Natural Landmarks: Mountains to Sea.
Tickets are $15.00 each and must be purchased in advance as there will be no tickets sold at the door. To purchase tickets, visit BrownPaperTickets.com. All proceeds will support hosting the Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour and Irvine Ranch Conservancy.
More information about each of the nine films presented by Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour can be found below.
A Letter to Congress
Wallace Stegner’s 1960 letter to Congress about the importance of wilderness is the framework for a new message, one in which our unified voice can help prevent the transfer of our most valuable heritage – our public lands – to private and corporate interests. (3 min.)
Visions of the Lost Sierra
This film examines the past, present, and future of the Middle Fork of the Feather River, one of the eight rivers protected by the Wild & Scenic Act in 1968. Through the eyes of local Maidu, fisherman, and conservationists, viewers will experience this unique place and understand the hopes and dreams of those who are working to keep it wild. (14 min.)
Too Precious to Mine
The Havasupai – the people of the blue-green waters – have lived at the bottom of the Grand Canyon for centuries. But now uranium mining on the canyon’s rims is putting the tribe’s drinking water and its way of life at risk. What would you do to protect your home from uranium contamination? (10 min.)
The Curve of Time
Due to climate change, ski seasons will be markedly shorter by 2050. Lower elevations will receive significantly less snowfall. Professional skiers Greg Hill and Chris Rubens peer into the future and have a conversation with their future selves, contemplating the sobering forecast and the impact their thirst for adventure has on the very environment that sustains and fulfills them. With an eye on the clock, they launch themselves into an experiment: can they each remain committed skiers while significantly reducing their carbon footprints? (23 min.)
A New View of the Moon
Become reacquainted with awe alongside strangers interacting with a telescope trained on the moon. Watch as Wylie Overstreet takes a telescope around the streets of Los Angeles to give passersby an up-close look at a familiar object: a new view of the moon. (3 min.)
Brothers of Climbing
How can you be what you can’t see? Mikhail Martin, co-founder of Brothers of Climbing said, ‘I literally typed, ‘Are there black climbers?’ in Google...someone said, ‘black people don’t climb.’ A small group of climbers began to challenge that thought. The Brothers of Climbing is a crew that’s making the climbing community more welcoming. Watch to see how they created a community where one wasn’t. (7 min.)
Chandalar
On a clear morning in Portland, Oregon, fourteen youth with oversized backpacks await a long day of travel. Along with five veterans, a few volunteers and ‘Axe the Service Dog,’ they are headed to Fairbanks, Alaska. From there they will pile into bush planes and fly into the Arctic Circle. This is Soul River, a non-profit organization founded by decorated Navy veteran Chad Brown, and their three-week deployment to the Chandalar River is the culmination of outdoor conservation education, collective strengthening, leadership development, healing, and a whole lot of fly fishing. (15 min.)
For the Love of Mary
First-time 97-year-old runner, George Etzweiler, completed the race up the northeast’s tallest peak, Mount Washington, when he was 69 years old. Despite having a pacemaker, the State College, Pennsylvania resident competes in the grueling 7.6-mile race up nearly 4,700 feet of paved road, breaking his own record each year for the oldest finisher. In addition to his ancient, lucky, green running shorts, Etzweiler carries something else special with him: The memory of his late wife of 68 years, Mary. (6 min.)
Big World
As parents, how do we teach our kids that there is a world beyond social media, standardized tests and soccer practice? Join Eddie Bauer athlete David Morton and his seven-year-old son Thorne on a week-long stand up paddle boarding journey down the Karnali and Bheri Rivers in Western Nepal. “There’s a basic paradox to parenting,” says David. “You have to keep your kids safe, but you have to teach them to take risks and follow curiosity. Life is undeniably richer with a little bit of daring.” (13 min.)
To learn more about the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, please visit WildAndScenicFilmFestival.org. Visit LetsGoOutside.org to learn more about getting involved with upcoming conservation activities with Irvine Ranch Conservancy.