Thursday, July 30, 2009

"America's Best Idea" Coming Soon

Each Memorial Day weekend a gathering of conservationists, extreme sports enthusiasts, and advocates for Tibetan independence descends upon Telluride, Colorado, for MountainFilm, a long-running documentary film festival that kicks off a busy summer season in this high-altitude hamlet.

I've been attending for several years and have rarely been more excited than during the most recent festival which featured the premier of "The National Parks: America's Best Idea." This latest collaboration between award-winning filmmakers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan is a sprawling project was ten years in the making. It highlights the history of the National Park System through the lens of the visionaries who championed the preservation of America's amazing natural and cultural heritage.

I caught two installments of the six-part series, and was deeply moved by what I saw. As a longtime resident and educator at Grand Canyon National Park, I walked away with a renewed sense of respect for the park I call home, and for public lands everywhere.

Don't miss this series when it airs on PBS in September (2009). In my opinion it should be required viewing for every citizen of our fine country.

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