Kick-off event January 24 features Wilderness documentary narrated by Robert Redford.
Discover Your Forest and the Deschutes National Forest will host a series of events in 2014to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Wilderness Act.
The first event will be a screening of the award winning documentary “Forever Wild” on January 24at McMenamins in Bend. Narrated by Robert Redford, this film emphasizesthe public’s role in the preservation of Wilderness. Doors open at 5:30pm and the presentation begins at 6pm.
In addition to the film, Deschutes National Forest Supervisor, John Allen, and Carol Benkosky, Prineville District Manager for the Bureau of Land Management, will be speaking about the passage of the historic Act and the role of Wilderness in public land management. Benkosky will also be highlighting the newest addition to the National Wilderness Preservation System, the Oregon Badlands Wilderness, which is managed by the BLM.The runtime of the film is 55 minutes and it is suitable for all audiences. Admission is $5 (cash only) at the door.
As a primary sponsor of the Wilderness event series, Discover Your Forest will also be accepting donations to help support a variety of programs. Discover Your Forest is a local non-profit supporting the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests and Crooked River Grassland.
The Wilderness Act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on September 3, 1964 after having passed through Congress with bipartisan support. The original Act created approximately 9 million acres of Wilderness in 13 states. Since its passing, 109,511,966 acres have been designated as Wilderness in 44 states and Puerto Rico.
