Searching for the GOLDSPOT-The Wild After Wildfire
“Searching for Gold Spot – The Wild After Wildfire is a film bringing to light the importance of fire to mountain forests and wildlife of the American West. The film chronicles the current research and conservation efforts of a team of biologists focusing on rare Black-backed Woodpeckers native to the Sierra Nevada-Cascades Region. While searching for these incredibly camouflaged cavity nesters, the team also finds a plethora of other wildlife in a vibrant and rapidly regenerating but threatened ecosystem – the post-fire, or “snag”, forest. Blending a visually exquisite celebration of wilderness with awareness of the challenges involved with saving it, Searching for Gold Spot will raise important questions about conservation of the wild as we know it. www.bigtrees.org
BLUEBIRD MAN
“Bluebird Man is a half hour documentary film about bluebird conservation and citizen science. The film focuses on the efforts of 91-year-old Alfred Larson, who has been monitoring and maintaining over 300 nestboxes for bluebirds in Idaho for 35 years…Bluebirds across North America faced precipitous declines during the 1950s, 60s and 70s due in part to increased competition for available nesting cavities. As a secondary cavity nester, bluebirds rely on tree cavities to build their nests and introduced species such as European Starlings and House Sparrows often outcompete bluebirds for these nesting cavities. In 1978 a group of concerned scientists and bluebird lovers established the North American Bluebird Society, a non-profit group committed to conservation of the bluebird. By launching a campaign designed to encourage citizens from all walks of life to put up nestboxes specifically designed for bluebirds, this organization has played an instrumental role in the bluebird’s recovery. Today bluebird populations are at close to historic levels all across North America. Despite this remarkable success, bluebird conservationists must find a way to motivate younger generations to continue the important work of monitoring and maintaining nestboxes for these birds or else this dramatic recovery could be lost.
Al Larson was one of the first citizen scientists to take up the North American Bluebird Society call to action back in 1978…Bluebird Man chronicles Al’s continued efforts to conserve bluebirds throughout Southern Idaho despite his advancing age. Stunning scenery, intimate conversations and breathtaking footage of all three species of bluebird create a powerful film that reveals the secret behind Al’s longevity while providing inspiration for our next generation of citizen scientists.” www.bluebirdman.com
