A new documentary, "Forever Wild," narrated by Robert Redford, will be screened at the Warren Public Library's Slater Room on Thursday, October 29 at 7 p.m. It was originally released last month by the KQED public television corporation. The showing is free to the public. Call 814-723-0620 for more info.
The documentary is being offered in support of local efforts, led by Warren-based Friends of Allegheny Wilderness, to turn a tenth of the Allegheny National Forest into wilderness, expanding the nation's smallest, and Pennsylvania's only, wilderness lands, the Allegheny River Island Wilderness into the Keystone Wilderness.
According to the film's award-winning producers:
Wilderness is at risk. Road building, mining, energy development, rural sprawl and motorized recreation on or next to public lands nibble away at the wilderness quality of these lands, and in some cases completely destroy the natural values found there. While a vast majority of Americans support wilderness preservation, many are not aware of current threats to wilderness quality lands that remain unprotected. As America grows more urban and multi-cultural, and as people spend more time indoors and on-line, long-term support for wilderness preservation will depend on finding ways to communicate the wonder and importance of wilderness to people who may never experience wild places themselves.
It's not an easy task. All of the mineral rights in the Allegheny National Forest, for example, are owned by private parties and so far, Congress has balked at purchasing these rights. And many people say it can't become wilderness because it has already been logged, drilled, and paved so there really isn't anything there to preserve.
But local wilderness supporters are undaunted: "...areas once harmed by injurious land-use practices can become candidates for wilderness preservation, where nature is allowed to reclaim them, and where visitors can find peace and solitude," Kirk Johnson, executive director for Friends of Allegheny Wilderness, told the Bradford Era newspaper on Tuesday.
You can get all the details about the local wilderness and exactly what the Friends of the Allegheny Wilderness are proposing at the screening of "Wilderness Forever" on Thursday, October 29. They will even have their own locally produced documentary about the Allegheny National Forest, "Keystone Wilderness," a 16-minute film highlighting their efforts and those of many supporting organizations who want to protect a part of the Allegheny National Forest. You can see a clip of "Keystone Wilderness" here.
Their aim is not to stop logging or drilling in the ANF, but to set aside a fraction of it for recreational and ecological reasons. They even believe it will help create a tourism destination here, thereby aiding local efforts by groups such as Kinzua Pennsylvania Pathways. Friends of Allegheny Wilderness are even willing to help negotiate purchase of mineral rights between donors and owners.
Sort of a giving back to nature, or tithing.
And it's not a bad deal. A one-time tax-deductible investment creates a tourist attraction with no maintenance or sustainability costs. Ever. I can't think of a more efficient ROI.
--Chris Lareau
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