Well, it’s a wrap! The Wild & Scenic Film Festival has completed its 15th consecutive year, once again bringing over 100 films, film makers and activist education to Nevada County with venues spilling out all over Grass Valley and Nevada City.

For me this year was all about the quiet films that remind me of how much I love this beautiful planet and how amazing people can be when they express their love for nature, the outdoors or a very specific project they see in their backyard, documented on film. In short, some of the films shown demonstrate the best in people, and this humble writer appreciates taking a moment to recognize this….but you don’t need to take my word for it, some of these films can be seen online, at other festivals, or can be checked out by SYRCL members at their office on Railroad (hey, there’s a good reason to join up this month!).

Here are a few of my 2017 Wild & Scenic Favorites:

The Gnomist

I don’t want to spoil this short, delightful film. Take 20  minutes to view it and then see if you can remain cynical about human nature.

The Memory of Fish

Dick Goin left the Dust Bowl with his family and made a new home on the Elwha River on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Dick’s experience on the river and love of salmon made him an early and unlikely advocate for the largest dam removal project in American history.

Can You Dig This

When Ron Finley started growing food on the strip of barren land outside his home in Compton, California, he had no idea what would grow roots in this stark land of LA projects. Follow four unlikely gardeners as they learn to grow and find something unexpected in their new pursuit.

Also worth a look is Finley’s TED Talk here.

“When you put beauty in a place that has none, that’s a game changer.”

— Ron Finley, the “Gangster Gardener

Thank you Wild & Scenic Film Festival, film makers and idealists.

The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is January 14-18 in Nevada City and Grass Valley, California. Films screening Friday, January 14, include the North American Premier of “Dear Governor Brown.” Filmmaker Jon Bowermaster will be in attendance for the screening, which is part of the film session “Water in the West” at the Miner’s Foundry, Stone Hall at 7pm. This film exposes the California governor’s support, or at least tolerance, for fracking and other dangerous oil extraction techniques. While widely considered an environmentally aware lawmaker, Bowermaster reveals the discrepancy between practices occurring today in California and the typical politic-speak frequently quoted by Governor Brown.

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Dear US Army Corps or Engineers,

This is a personal letter. I was raised in the Pacific Northwest. My hometown of Bellingham Washington was homeport for many boats that routinely did the Alaska Salmon run. My neighbors were fishermen. Being raised with abundant salmon, that were part of a way of life, having toured spawning grounds from childhood, and had every manner of abundant salmon prepared in our home as part of seasonal festivities, the notion that salmon may pass away in my lifetime is huge. What does this mean for us, as a people if we let this happen? Can you have a healthy river system without native species? These are big questions, and they break down into manageable actions.

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Film maker Avi Lewis brings author Naomi Klein’s best-selling non-fiction book, “This Changes Everything” to the screen as a 90 minute documentary. Filmed over 211 shoot days in nine countries and five continents over four years, “This Changes Everything” attempts to re-imagine the vast challenge of climate change. Nevada County Climate Change Coalition, SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival and the Nevada Theatre Film Series present this special showing. “This Changes Everything” is being shown in more than 70 cities across the USA during the week of October 19, 2015.

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My slim chapbook of Yuba River photos and images has become an e-book, offered at iTunes.

Swimming Into Sunsets is available as an e-book on the iTunes book store for $4.99. 20% or more of book proceeds will be donated to the South Yuba River Citizen’s League (SYRCL). Learn more at yubariver.org/.

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Watch for articles from me at Yubanet.com, like this one on Bill McKibben and also guest blog spots at Orion Magazine blog and  Sierra Club’s Movie Review Friday.

There is much afoot, and I’ll be posting links here from time on work occurring across the boards, including footnotes on social—which filters through my twitter feed on these pages.

Happy spring and may your garden be filled with fragrant blossoms.

Photo courtesy of Ananda College of Living Wisdom

It started simply enough for me, Julia Butterfly was attending the 2006 Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival in Nevada City, California and I wanted to interview her. In that moment, my role shifted from attendee to participant. I knew it would be worth doing, but didn’t account for how incredible the stories of each film could be. These stories were the driving passion for filmmakers, often filling several years of their lives. There was so much that was brave, beautiful and hopeful going on out in the world — Wild & Scenic films bear witness to a type of engaged activism that is truly inspiring. Reviewing these underexposed films became a special project for me — a way to contribute.

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