Wild & Scenic Film Festival - South Lake Tahoe
One of the coolest things I get to do for work every year is putting on the Wild & Scenic Film Festival - South Lake Tahoe. WSFF combines award winning environmental and adventure films with the energy of local activism. Each year we choose powerful environmental and adventure films so that attendees are inspired to take further action regarding issues that impact our environment, ourselves and our world.
The Film Festival is the biggest fundraiser for my program, the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership. SNAP places twenty-eight AmeriCorps members at different conservation agencies and organizations throughout the Sierra Nevada to conduct watershed restoration and monitoring, watershed education, and volunteer recruitment and support.
Members serve for 11 months with different conservation organizations and agencies across the Sierra to complete watershed restoration and monitoring, watershed education, and volunteer recruitment and support.Since 2007, SNAP Members have
Restored more than 13,000 impaired watershed acres
Educated more than 155,000 individuals on environmental issues in the Sierra
Monitored more than 1,000 sites
Recruited more than 29,000 volunteers
Contributed more than 425,000 service hours!
Obviously, I think SNAP is an awesome program! In addition to supporting SNAP, the Film Festival is a super fun event. We have a silent auction with prizes like whitewater rafting trips, wine tasting, hotel stays, etc., an activism area where guests can learn about local environmental issues, a backstage VIP area, beer and wine, and a filmmaker Q&A.Most importantly, the films we show are amazing. Our goal for WSFF is "adventure with a message". We show cool people doing awesome things in beautiful locations, but the underlying message is about the importance of protecting the places we play and beyond.
Martins-Boat
This year, our first feature film is Martin's Boat by renowned filmmaker Pete McBride.
"Preeminent conservationist David Brower called him his conscience: in the 1950’s when the Bureau of Reclamation proposed two dams in the Grand Canyon—one at Marble Canyon and the other at Bridge Canyon—the late Martin Litton made sure the Sierra Club didn't acquiesce. Martin believed the best way for people to understand how important it was to preserve the Grand Canyon was to have them experience this secret world from the river, but not in just any boat. Martin pioneered whitewater dories on the Colorado River in the 1960’s and started a proud tradition of naming the boats after wild places that had been lost or compromised by the hand of man. Now, some 50 years later, America’s open-air cathedral faces continued threats from development and mining and it’s up to all of us to ensure the crown jewel of our National Park system is protected now and for future generations. Martin’s Boat is a film that honors the legacy of Martin Litton and follows the newest boat in the Grand Canyon Dories fleet, the Marble Canyon, on its maiden voyage down the legendary Colorado River through the grandest canyon on Earth."
Our other feature film is Mile for Mile, made by Patagonia and filmmaker James Q. Martin.
"Ultrarunners Krissy Moehl, Jeff Browning and Luke Nelson ran 106 miles through the newly opened Patagonia Park in Chile, to celebrate and highlight Conservacion Patagonica’s efforts to rewild and protect this vast landscape. Patagonia Park, in the Aysén Region of Chile is now open to the public. The park sweeps from the northern ice cap, down to the Baker River and out to the arid borderlands of Argentina. The park’s glaciated peaks, grasslands, beech forests, lakes, rivers and wetlands still boast all of their original species—and the rivers still run free. Patagonia, Inc. has been involved in this project from day one—helping with the first land purchases, sending volunteers down to rip up hundreds of miles of fencing and restore open grasslands, and fighting mega-dam projects on the nearby Baker and Pascua Rivers."
In addition to these two amazing features, we'll be showing 10 other short films ranging in length from 1 - 12 minutes focusing on climbing, paddling, skiing, hiking, and more, from Yosemite to the Grand Canyon to Antarctica.
We'll be hosting the 11th Annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival - South Lake Tahoe this Thursday, March 31st in the MontBleu Resort Casino Spa Showroom. If you are in the area, I highly encourage you to attend this event! You can buy tickets ahead of time online here or in person at the Patagonia store in Heavenly Village. We'll be selling tickets at the door, but there's a discount if you buy ahead of time. Doors open at 6 pm; films start at 7 pm. Tickets are only $12 for Sierra Nevada Alliance Members.Thanks for reading my schpiel about my favorite fundraiser for my favorite organization!