Dan Yetter, Lynn Ryan, Fred Lavigne, Evelyn McKinnon
Over the past month, millions of PBS viewers have had the opportunity to see Forever Wild: Celebrating America’s Wilderness, a new film that emphasizes the vital role grassroots volunteers and organizations play in protecting America’s wilderness heritage.
On September 29, the Campaign for America’s Wilderness held a special Washington, D.C. premiere screening, which five of these wilderness heroes attended as honored guests.
Hosted by Robert Redford, and featuring breathtaking high-definition photography of some of the most stunning wild lands in the country, Forever Wild was produced by Colorado-based First Light Films, which specializes in films on environmental and social issues. “We wanted to reaffirm the power of individuals to make a difference,” said producer Chelsea Congdon,“ so we sought out some representative heroes whose efforts have led to protection of wild places they love.” The heroes whose stories are told in the film are:
Connie Harvey, Joy Caudill, and Dottie Fox
When the Wilderness Act became law 45 years ago, it immediately protected the 66,000-acre Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness in the White River National Forest near Aspen, Colorado. As related in Forever Wild, these three neighbors launched an effort to get this same strong legal protection for other wild portions of the forest. In 1967, they founded the Aspen Wilderness Workshop, one of the earliest of what are now literally thousands of local grassroots organizations working to protect wilderness. Joy, Dottie, and Connie — the “Maroon Belles,” as they came be known — recruited friends and neighbors to explore potential wilderness areas, annotate maps, and circulate petitions. As a result of this work, Congress passed laws in 1978 and in 1980 that preserved more than 400,000 acres of new wilderness. The organization continues now as the Wilderness Workshop, seeking to protect additional lands in central Colorado.
Dan Yetter and Ross Newcomb
In a classic all-volunteer campaign, Dan, who was an electrical engineer, and Ross, a retail manager, sought Wilderness Act protection for a lowland valley, the Wild River, in the White Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire. Lugging their slide show from group to group, they mobilized support, first through the Forest Service’s planning process, and then directly to their members of Congress. In 2006, Congress passed and President George W. Bush signed the law designating the 24,000-acre Wild River Wilderness.
Fred Lavigne and Evelyn McKinnon
This husband-and-wife team helped organize the Friends of the Sandwich Range, focusing on key areas they wanted to see added to New Hampshire's Sandwich Range Wilderness, which Congress established in 1984. Fred, a third-generation logger, and Evelyn, an elementary school teacher, brought special skills to the campaign. “When I’m not cutting them, I’ve hugging them,” says Fred of the trees in his favorite part of the White Mountain National Forest, while Evelyn says her skills in bridge building and mediation came in handy as they worked with the Forest Service and other stakeholders. With their leadership, nearly 11,000 acres were added to the wilderness in a 2006 law.
Lynn Ryan
Soon after moving to coastal Northern California in 1981, Lynn — who works as a nurse — discovered the King Range, along the Lost Coast, the longest stretch of undeveloped coastline in the United States outside of Alaska. Soon, with the help of the California Wilderness Coalition, Lynn took a leadership role, organizing hikes and letter-writing campaigns to defend the King Range and other nearby wild places from seemingly endless development proposals. “We kept those areas wild and roadless until they could be protected as wilderness by Congress,” she says. Success came in 2006 when Congress designated the 42,700-acre King Range Wilderness.
Forever Wild is being shown on PBS stations around the country, and is likely to be repeated — call your station to see if they will be showing it or look here. A DVD is available at cost from the Campaign for America’s Wilderness, which was a partner in the production of the film. Please send a check for $12 made payable to "Campaign for America's Wilderness" to Forever Wild, c/o Campaign for America's Wilderness, 122 C Street, NW, Suite 240, Washington, DC 20001.
We cheer the work of these wonderful wilderness heroes and encourage everyone to watch this inspirational documentary.
