Dear ,
Please join us for these upcoming events, and help us to spread the word! Join Tucson Audubon and partner organizations tonight for a screening of THE MESSENGER at The Loft Cinema, with an expert panel discussion to follow. This is a great opportunity to see this epic film on the big screen, and to ask questions of the experts.
The documentary films, books and upcoming public events highlighted below provide excellent opportunities to learn more and to engage on behalf of the Earth's spectacular and irreplaceable diversity of life.
For me, Earth Day is akin to New Years Day. It is a day for gratitude, reflection, re-connection, and taking stock. If you are like
me, you may feel a post-Earth Day desire to give back to your home planet. Your region. Your backyard. Your birds. With a new Earth-year comes new possibilities and opportunities.
The global extinction crisis is driven by a tangle of inter-related environmental threats, which can be overwhelming and off-putting. However, it is only through engagement that we find the community, support and solutions we need to address these challenges. We each have our own voice, knowledge base, skill set and resources to offer. When communities engage together in a coordinated and democratic way, we can make a positive difference!
I recently re-read an
inspiring book by award-winning author Terry Tempest Williams, entitled The
Open Space of Democracy. Williams observes:
In the open space of democracy, we are listening---ears alert---we
are watching---eyes open---registering the patterns and possibilities for
engagement. Some acts are private; some are public. Our oscillations between
local, national, and global gestures map the full range of our movement. Our
strength lies in our imagination, and paying attention to what sustains life,
rather than what destroys it.
Do you see patterns and possibilities for engagement at various levels? What endeavors can you support that help to sustain life? What creatures, places or topics stimulate your imagination and passions? What gestures of generosity might you make in the coming Earth year?
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May 3rd Viewing of THE MESSENGER, Directed by Su Rynard
“Superb … awe and hard science share center stage in The
Messenger.”
–
Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter
Film Description: Often heard before seen, songbirds are
instrumental in Mother Nature’s soundtrack. From Canada’s boreal forest, to
Turkey’s wetlands, to New York’s night skies, the migration patterns of these
birds are vital links in the global ecosystem.
Current technological
advances allow scientists to track individual birds’ journeys, providing
detailed information on where and when they travel. The data is alarming, and
the causes of the songbirds’ plummeting population are numerous and
devastating. Pesticides, monoculture, the wholesale destruction of forests,
predators and city lights are killing them off at massive rates, while climate
change is happening too rapidly for them to adjust. The peril of avian species
is a literal canary in the coal mine for humans, if we’re willing to listen and
take action before they’re silenced. The elegance of these colorful creatures
is captured in stunning slow-motion flight as ecologists, enthusiasts and
everyday people work to protect them and petition for change.
Event Description: This event is co-presented by Sonoran Joint Venture and The
Loft Cinema. The event features a post-film panel discussion on the
conservation of Arizona’s migratory birds with local experts from Tucson
Audubon Society, Southern Sierra Research Station, Rain Crow Coffee and U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
This presentation is
part of “Science on Screen” at The Loft, an initiative of the Coolidge Corner
Theatre Foundation, with major support from the Alfred P. Sloane
Foundation. Science on Screen is designed to pair thought-provoking films,
old and new, with insightful contextual discussions with local experts and
academics to create illuminating and entertaining programming that will bring
the exciting world of science alive on the big screen.
When: Monday, May 3, 2016; Film starts at 7:30 PM (Film is 89 minutes)
Where: The Loft Cinema, 3233 E Speedway Blvd, Tucson, Arizona 85716
Online:
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May 5th Informational Meeting: Oak Flat Land Exchange & Resolution Mine
Event Description: The Arizona Mining Reform Coalition will host an evening
event open to the public to raise awareness regarding the land exchange and
proposed Resolution Copper Mine on the Tonto National Forest. The event will
feature an informational presentation, Q&A session and letter writing
campaign. Learn how to effectively engage in the ongoing public process for
this controversial mining proposal. View large-scale models that have been created
to visually demonstrate the projected land subsidence the proposed mine would
cause at Oak Flat, as well as what the toxic tailings pile could look like on
surrounding public lands.
When: Thursday, May 5, 2016, 6:00-8:00 PM
Where: Historic Y
(Courtyard), 738 N 5th Ave, Tucson, AZ 85705
Online:
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May 10th Oracle Road Wildlife Crossings Press Conference & Guided Walk
Event Description: A press conference will be held to announce the completion of two new wildlife dedicated crossing structures across Oracle Road in Oro Valley. Following the press conference, there
will be an event to celebrate the community's accomplishment and new infrastructure investment. Learn
more about the project from the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, Sky
Island Alliance, Tucson Audubon Society, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Pima
County, Regional Transportation Authority, and other partners. At 9:00 AM press conference will be held, followed by aone-time only guided walk up to the wildlife bridge. At 10:00 AM there will be
a celebration with refreshments at Pusch Ridge Stables and there will be an
optional hike to see the new wildlife underpass (0.6 miles round-trip).
When: Tuesday,
May 10th, 9:00 AM
Where: Santa
Catalina Catholic Church lower parking lot at 9:00 AM (14380 N Oracle Rd)
(map). After the wildlife bridge tour, join us at Pusch
Ridge Stables at 10:00 AM (13700 N Oracle Rd) for a reception with
refreshments and an optional hike to the wildlife underpass (map).
Plan to attend? Be sure to RSVP
HERE
Online:
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NOVA Special: WILD WAYS - Corridors of Life
Film Description: Four-lane highways may be a necessity to our modern society, but they can be a death traps for millions of animals that try to cross them. Around the world, wildlife need to roam for breeding, foraging, and to carry out their traditional migrations–but they are often blocked by ranches, farms, roads, and other human-made obstacles. While national parks and preserves offer some protection to wildlife, even the magnificent Serengeti and Yellowstone parks are too small to sustain healthy populations over generations. But now comes new hope for wildlife through an approach called “connectivity conservation. Explore how newly established
wildlife corridors offer hope to endangered species.
Online:
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Scientist and two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward O. Wilson
first gained fame for his study of ants. Through the years, he's moved from
small insects to big ideas, and now a very big one, one made more urgent by the
problems of climate change.
E.O. Wilson's latest
book, "Half-Earth" proposes an achievable
plan to save our imperiled biosphere: devote half the surface of the Earth to
nature.
In
order to stave off the mass extinction of species, including our own, we must
move swiftly to preserve the biodiversity of our planet, says Edward O. Wilson
in his most impassioned book to date. Half-Earth argues that the situation
facing us is too large to be solved piecemeal and proposes a solution
commensurate with the magnitude of the problem: dedicate fully half the surface
of the Earth to nature.
Online:
Watch an interview on PBS News Hour with E.O. Wilson as he discusses his new book "Half Earth"
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Film Description: Beyond the Mirage is a full feature documentary that
tells the story about the future of water in the west. This documentary is packed full of information and urgency. From that documentary, you can make your own
movie online from hundreds of quality clips.
Online:
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Film Description: This compelling short film features award-winning
photographer and author Krysta Schlyer, who explores the massive wildlife impacts of
a U.S.-Mexico border wall. One of the
most critical impacts --- the wall’s effect on migrating wildlife --- is being
overlooked in the current political discourse.
Online:
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