How do we balance development with conservation? In bayous, forests, and coastal areas, follow 6 stories of people working to celebrate nature and redefine our relationships with wild spaces.&nbsp;

Growing up, Christine Hill saw the outdoors as a place that was full of bugs and too much worry. But after falling in love with climbing and discovering a sense of peace through summer camp, she decided this was something worth protecting. Now splitting her time between Washington, DC and Haines, AK, Chris is an environmental lobbyist and angler who comes alive and spreads joy while out on the river. Maybe a bit of competition too if the odds are right.

Where I Belong

Growing up, Christine Hill saw the outdoors as a place that was full of bugs and too much worry. But after falling in love with climbing and discovering a sense of peace through summer camp, she decided this was something worth protecting.

Three women set sail on a 350 mile expedition through Alaska’s vast Tongass National Forest to explore how clearcut logging in this coastal rainforest could affect wildlife, local communities, and our planet’s climate.

UNDERSTORY - A Journey Into The Tongass

Three women set sail on a 350 mile expedition through Alaska’s vast Tongass National Forest to explore how clearcut logging in this coastal rainforest could affect wildlife, local communities, and our planet’s climate.

For generations, conservation has been about keeping people out of places. Now, Save the Redwoods League and Teresa Baker ask what it would look like for conservation to include people, even those that normally are in the margins.

Here We Stand

For generations, conservation has been about keeping people out of places. Now, Save the Redwoods League and Teresa Baker ask what it would look like for conservation to include people, even those that normally are in the margins.

Houston is the “Bayou City”. It's home to 22 bayou systems, totaling over 2,500 miles of waterways throughout Harris County. However, Houston has a long and tumultuous relationship with its bayous. Since the 1930s, many of Houston’s bayous have been steadily stripped, straightened, and lined with concrete in the name of flood control. Surrounding floodplains and prairie wetlands have been filled in and paved over. Growth and development throughout the city have further degraded one of Houston’s most stunning and valuable ecosystems, and many of the ecosystem services and wildlife habitat that they once provided are now gone. Luckily, dedicated and passionate individuals within Houston’s conservation community are working to change the relationship between Houston and its bayous. Bayou City, directed and produced by Olivia Haun (Schmidt), sheds light on these issues and the work being done to solve them. Here are some organizations that viewers can support and learn more about issues related to bayou conservation: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/abncTX" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Armand Bayou Nature Center</a><a href="http://www.savebuffalobayou.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Save Buffalo Bayou</a><a href="https://www.bayoulandconservancy.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bayou Land Conservancy</a><a href="http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Houston Parks and Recreation</a> The main call to action is for viewers to learn more about and support the efforts that these conservation groups are doing, as well as inspire viewers to notice the ecosystems in their own backyard and the relationship that they have with them.

Bayou City

Houston is the “Bayou City”. It's home to 22 bayou systems, totaling over 2,500 miles of waterways throughout Harris County. However, Houston has a long and tumultuous relationship with its bayous.

When suspicious packages are found in a small town in northern California, Game Warden Pat Freeling, gets a tip about the peculiar activity. After further investigation he exposes a vast network of illegal plant poachers. These smugglers ravage the landscape as they rip thousands of the native succulent, dudleya farinosa, from their natural habitat. This small unassuming plant carries a hefty bounty on its head internationally, where a single succulent boasts a price tag in the thousands. With the help of volunteers, native plant biologists, and local government, they fight to stop this ecological destruction.

Plant Heist

When suspicious packages are found in a small town in northern California, Game Warden Pat Freeling, gets a tip about the peculiar activity. After further investigation he exposes a vast network of illegal plant poachers.

Discussion was recorded for the March 2021 Environmental Film Festival. Featuring: Colin Arisman (Director, UNDERSTORY) is a documentary filmmaker dedicated to grassroots storytelling. He is the founder of Wild Confluence Media, a production company that collaborates with like-minded brands and nonprofits to elevate our planet’s most compelling causes. <a href="https://dceff.org/filmmaker/arisman-colin/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Full bio here</a>. Chris Cresci (Director, Here We Stand, Where I Belong) is a filmmaker based in Portland, OR. A recovering introvert, non-fiction filmmaking has opened Chris’ world up considerably. Having the privilege to meet and connect with humans from across the world has been one of his life’s great joys. <a href="https://dceff.org/filmmaker/cresci-chris/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Full bio here.</a> Greg Balkin (Co-Producer and Director of Photography, Here We Stand; Where I Belong) is a filmmaker and photographer from Seattle, WA. His work has shifted over the years, from photographing weddings in Los Angeles to jumping headfirst into commercial work within the outdoor industry. <a href="https://dceff.org/filmmaker/greg-balkin/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Full bio here.</a> Gabriel de Cuba (Co-director, Plant Heist) gets excited about plants, science fiction films and unexplored trails. A photography nerd and a constant student of light and shadow, he is fascinated by the mysteries of the natural world and our roles in it. Gabriel is a graduate of FullSail Film School. <a href="https://dceff.org/filmmaker/de-cuba-gabriel/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Full bio here.</a> Chelsi de Cuba (Co-director, Plant Heist) enjoys creating and collaborating on projects that have the potential to shift perspectives about the human experience and our inherent connection to nature. She directs/produces alongside her brother, Gabriel de Cuba at SiblingRivalryCreative and works as a freelance associate producer for commercial projects in the Bay Area.&nbsp;<a href="https://dceff.org/filmmaker/de-cuba-chelsi/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Full bio here.</a> Olivia Haun (Director, Bayou City) is an ecologist and conservation filmmaker from Austin, Texas. Currently the Outreach Specialist for the Wildlife Diversity Program with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Olivia is committed to helping others see the beauty in their own backyards. <a href="https://dceff.org/filmmaker/haun-olivia/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Full bio here.</a> Mara Webster (Moderator) is a programmer, producer, content curator, moderator and interviewer.&nbsp;She is the Co-Founder and Head of Programming for In Creative Company, a year-round digital talk series focusing on in depth craft driven discussions around the creative process across film, television, theater and the arts.

Filmmaker Discussion: UNDERSTORY, Here We Stand, Where I Belong, Plant Heist, Bayou City

Featuring Colin Arisman, Chris Cresci, Greg Balkin, Gabriel de Cuba, Chelsi de Cuba, & Olivia Haun

By horseback, foot, and paddleboard, three friends trek across Florida's imperiled backbone. The Lake Wales Ridge is an ancient ribbon of sand dunes that is a hotspot for biodiversity found nowhere else in the world. It is also a place steeped in a long tradition of agricultural heritage. Both are threatened by the rapid pace of change in Florida's wild interior. But can the backbone be held together? To experience this place and meet the passionate stewards who call it home offers insight and inspiration on how we may one day bridge THE WILD DIVIDE.

The Wild Divide

By horseback, foot, and paddleboard, three friends trek across Florida's imperiled backbone.

Discussion recorded during the March 2021 Environmental Film Festival. Featuring: Danny Schmidt (Co-director, The Wild Divide) is an award-winning director, producer, and cinematographer of non-fiction television, documentaries, and content for the web. He has produced, directed, and photographed documentary films for clients including PBS, National Geographic, Netflix, Smithsonian, NASA, the National Science Foundation, and many others. <a href="https://dceff.org/filmmaker/schmidt-danny/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Full bio here. </a> Eric Bendick (Co-director, The Wild Divide) is an Emmy-winning Storyteller, Director and Producer for Montana-based GRIZZLY CREEK FILMS. His work is motivated by an exploration of connectivity, conflict, intersection, and balance among the human and natural world. <a href="https://dceff.org/filmmaker/bendick-eric/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Full bio here</a>. Moderated by Brad Forder (DCEFF Director of Programming)

Filmmaker Discussion: The Wild Divide

Conservation Shorts II: Wild Spaces

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Enjoy free shorts programs all summer long featuring Selections from our March 2021 Festival!

The DC Environmental Film Festival is the world’s premier showcase of environmentally themed films. Since 1993 our mission has been to celebrate Earth and inspire understanding and stewardship of the environment through the power of film.

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