Join us this weekend (9/14 & 9/15) for the Wild and Scenic Film Festival at Walking Mountains Science Center! These environmental films are sure to change your world. Feature films include: Mother Nature’s Child, Nico’s Challenge, Walking the Valley: Mountain Pine Beetle and Green Fire.
Walking The Valley: This segment takes you out into the White River National Forest on Vail Mountain to discuss the life and cycle of the mountain pine beetle. You’ll discover what the makes this little creature thrive and survive in our alpine environs. Learn about the history of the infestation and find out what the experts know about biodiversity and the future of our lodge pole pine forests. The documentary includes segments from Walking Mountains, Vail Resorts and the US National Forest Service and was filmed by TV8.
Mother Nature’s Child: Calls us to consider the future of that which we hold most dear: the health and well-being of our children. Visually rich, inflected with humor and the unexpected, the film examines the benefits of unstructured outdoor play, risk-taking, urban connection with nature, healthy rites of passage, the use of technology, and what it means to educate the “whole child”. Intimate scenes with children of all ages are discussed by experts Richard Louv, David Sobel, Stephen Kellert, Jon Young, Brother Yusuf Burgess and others. The film is stirring intense discussion among parents, teachers and health professions nationwide.
Nico’s Challenge: In this Documentary Meet Nico Calabria, a 13 year-old boy who faces special challenges as he climbs mount Kilimanjaro, the worlds highest freestanding mountain. His goal, to raise money and deliver free wheelchairs to the people of Tanzania. This coming of age adventure has some unexpected twists that push this child to his limits just before reaching the summit at nineteen thousand feet above sea level.
Green Fire: The Life and Legacy of Aldo Leopold. Green Fire describes the formation of Leopold’s idea, exploring how it changed one man and later permeated through all arenas of conservation. The film draws on Leopold’s life and experiences to provide context and validity, then explores the deep impact of his thinking on conservation projects around the world today.
Saturday’s event begins with Kids Films at 5pm and is followed by a fun fair with wild and wacky science experiment stations the whole family will enjoy. The “Ice Cream Lady” will be on hand to deliver tasty treats while Walking Mountains educators display the magic and wonders of science.
Tickets are available online at www.wildandscenicvail.com or on location at Walking Mountains or the Patagonia store in Lionshead. Adults $10, Kids program $5 (for adults or children, kids 2 and under are free).
