The Annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival on Tour returns to South Lake Tahoe!
About the Wild & Scenic Film Festival
Sierra Nevada Alliance has been a host of the Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour since 2006. The flagship festival hosted by the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) takes place in winter and then hits the road to visit local communities! This inspiring festival combines award-winning environmental and adventure films with the energy of local activism. Each year, we share films to inspire viewers to take further action regarding issues impacting our environment, ourselves, and the world. Concerned citizens worldwide know the urgency of the many environmental crises facing our planet today, but most don’t know how they can contribute to the fight. The festival provides an opportunity for attendees in the Sierra to support their local advocates for the environment.
About the Sierra Nevada and the Alliance
Known as the Range of Light, the Sierra Nevada is a vast mountain range that lies primarily in California, with the Carson Range spur expanding into Nevada.
The collision of tectonic plates formed the Sierra Nevada around 40-100 million years ago, creating mountains and valleys through faulting and subduction. The resulting valley started to fill with water and, over time, became the lake we know and love as a result of faulting, volcanoes, and glaciers.
Today, the towering mountain range runs roughly 400 miles from Tehachapi Pass in the south to the Cascade Range, along the North Fork of the Feather River. It spans 24 counties and contains the headwaters of 24 river basins.
The Sierra is rich in natural resources. It produces 60% of California’s water supply and supplies the state with 50% of its hydroelectric energy. Wildlife is abundant with 3500 plant, 572 animal, and 321 aquatic species.
Sierra Nevada Alliance unites people by empowering and collaborating with our partners and Sierra communities. We work together to ensure that every ecosystem and community is healthy, resilient, and collectively cared for as a legacy for future generations.
Purpose: The Sierra Nevada Alliance exists to elevate and support Sierra ecosystems and communities.
Mission: We are a hub for stewardship of the Sierra Nevada, which we achieve by empowering and collaborating with our partners.
Vision: Every Sierra ecosystem and community is healthy, resilient, and collectively cared for through thriving partnerships, as a legacy for future generations.
This magnificent mountain range offers a lifetime of recreation, pleasure, and memories. We need your help to take care of the Sierra Nevada now and for generations.
You can be part of the solution to protect this special place.
Film Selection
Mû
As an essential divine water spring has dried up, a child accompanied by an otter-like creature sets out to find a cure for the life-threatening water shortage. MÛ is a 2D animated short film that poetically explores the theme of water scarcity and the importance of water as a life-giving force.
Thailand’s Last Sea Nomads
The Moken, a nomadic sea tribe living in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Thailand and Myanmar, face an uncertain future. Forced ashore by climate change and modern pressures, the Moken now survive by collecting plastic instead of fish.
The Human Side of Plastic: Abby Barrows
On Deer Isle, Maine, home to one of the world’s most productive lobster ports, warming waters and invisible microplastic pollution threaten a centuries-old way of life. As veteran lobsterman Joel Billings and his daughter Hannah reckon with the possible end of their family’s tradition, neighbor and microplastics researcher Abby Barrows offers a vision for a more sustainable future through plastic-free aquaculture.
The Golden Trout Project
All trout are beautiful, but there is something remarkable about California Golden Trout and their narrow home streams high in the southern Sierra Nevada backcountry. Our new film is a celebration of these beloved fish and the incredible partnerships of anglers, agencies, and conservationists working together to protect this iconic native trout species.
Native to The Klamath
“Native to the Klamath” is a story told through the voices of the salmon people. The Klamath River is currently going through one of the largest transformations in history. Native to the Klamath intertwines environmental restoration, reconciliation ecology, social justice, and traditional ecological knowledge. Hear the story of this river renewal through the words of the Klamath River peoples who live by the sacred obligation of stewardship.
Kelp Currency
Scientists race to measure kelp carbon sequestration, to build a new currency for restoration. Kelp Currency features groundbreaking research from the Seatrees Kelp Carbon Science Project and Scripps Institute of Oceanography to measure the carbon benefits of kelp forests.
Wild Hope: Reclaiming Bear River
Over 150 years after suffering the worst massacre in U.S. history, the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation has purchased their ancestral homeland- called Wuda Ogwa, or Bear River- with a vision to return it back to nature.
Good Neighbors Care
For decades chemical company DuPont and its subsidiary Chemours poisoned North Carolina’s drinking water through illegally dumping forever chemicals in the the Cape Fear River. On altered 16mm film, corporate promises of community care and pure water dissolve as rivers and bodies merge in a meditation on what it means to exist in an imperfect environment.
What the River Knows
What the River Knows explores this unique inflection in a centuries-long history. As the West faces the urgent need to redesign water management, we are offered the chance to restore of the planet’s most stunning landscapes.
Tickets
Wild and Scenic Film Festival On Tour tickets on sale now!
General Admission: $25
Student (with ID): $20
Youth (16 and under): $15
Guest Film & Speaker
Guest Film: Native to the Klamath
“Native to the Klamath” is a story told through the voices of the salmon people. The Klamath River is currently going through one of the largest transformations in history. Native to the Klamath intertwines environmental restoration, reconciliation, ecology, social justice, and Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge. Hear the story of this river renewal through the words of the Klamath River peoples who live by the sacred obligation of stewardship.
Produced by Michael Wier
Growing up in the Sierra Foothills, Michael was always close to nature. Spending a lot of time at lakes and rivers, he learned to fish and tie flies at a young age. Once he moved to Lake Tahoe, he began to split his time between snowboarding in the winters and fly-fishing in the summers. Michael spent 15 seasons fishing and guiding the waters of the Truckee, Carson, and Walker Rivers and their surrounding waters. In 2001, he started BURL Productions, specializing in adventure and outdoor films. Notable titles to his credit include FISH EYE Videos, Trout Bum Dairies 1, SOULFISH 1 & 2, and CALI RUSH. Michael now works for California Trout, helping to protect California’s trout, salmon, steelhead, and blue ribbon waters. Michael is also an Ambassador for Patagonia Fly-Fishing, Smith, Loon Outdoors, Galvan Reels, and Outcast boats.
Raffle, Silent Auction, & In-Kind Donors
Thank you to the following businesses for their generous in-kind donations to our raffle and silent auction:
Donnie Pereira
Humboldt Hideaway Music Festival
Mikey Wier
Thank you to Lake Tahoe Community College and their Geology Club for sponsoring our event this year!
Food & Drink
Bring your appetite, because Betty’s Balls Tapas food truck will be set up and ready to serve delicious meatballs and sliders! Vegan and vegetarian options will be available.
Thank you to Pop, Crunch, and Munch for donating locally popped popcorn for our film screening!
Emcee – Mike Peron
Mike Peron has been a familiar face in the Lake Tahoe community for over 15 years, known for wearing many different hats—and bringing passion to each of them. By day, he serves as the Content & Revenue Director for the Tahoe Daily Tribune and Sierra Sun, while also running his event and promotion company, FNCTN. Through FNCTN, Mike produces some of the region’s most recognizable events, including the annual Tahoe Bloody Mary Festival, and is one of the creators of Tahoe BrewFest. You can also catch him as the co-host of the “Tahoe TAP” Podcast, where he highlights the people, adventures, and stories that make Tahoe such a special place to live and visit.
Outside of his professional work, Mike is deeply committed to supporting the Tahoe community. He serves on the boards of organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club, Clean Up The Lake, and the Tahoe Chamber. He’s also a frequent emcee for local nonprofit events, lending his voice and energy to gatherings like the Live Violence Free Gala, Soroptimist fundraisers, Gunbarrel 25, the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, the Blue Ribbon Awards, and more.
Most importantly, Mike is a dedicated father to two beautiful daughters who keep life fun, grounded, and full of adventure. When he’s not working or hosting events, you’ll likely find him skiing, mountain biking, golfing, volunteering, or spending time with family.
Booth Fair
Thank you to the following organizations for joining us this year:
Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe
South Tahoe Public Utility District
Is your organization interested in tabling at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival? Contact Shannon to be placed on the waitlist, shannonflynn@sierranevadaalliance.org
Earth Month Activities
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Contact us to learn more about the Festival or becoming a sponsor
To get involved or learn more, please contact ShannonFlynn@sierranevadaalliance.org.
National Partners
