Sometimes the best solutions to the biggest problems can be found in the most unexpected places. Meet the beaver believers: five scientists and a sassy, spicy hairdresser, tackling climate change, one stick at a time.
This program will be held online via Zoom, with registration required.
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Baby beaver kit, image from Sarah Koenigsberg
The Beaver Believers is the urgent yet whimsical story of an unlikely cadre of activists who share a common vision: restoring the North American Beaver, that most industrious, ingenious, bucktoothed engineer, to the watersheds of the arid West. The Beaver Believers encourage us to embrace a new paradigm for managing our western lands, one that seeks to partner with the natural world rather than overpower it. As a keystone species, beaver enrich their ecosystems, creating the complexity and resiliency our watersheds need to absorb the impacts of climate change. Beavers can show us the way and even do much of the work for us, if only we can find the humility to trust in the restorative power of nature and our own ability to play a positive role within it. Shot in eight western U.S. states, Mexico, and Canada, through desert drought, raging wildfires, spring floods, and wetland tranquility, this film will change the way you think about climate change and inspire you to step up to confront the challenges we face.
Visit the Beaver Believers web site here to watch a trailer and to learn about the film, the Believers and more.
Sarah Koenigsberg is an award-winning filmmaker, photographer, and educator whose work focuses on stories of art, environment, and community in the American West. Her films and teaching cross disciplines, illuminating the power of storytelling as a medium through which to explore complex science and policy issues. Her commercial clients include the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Discovery Channel Canada, Grand Canyon Trust, Wallowa Resources, Methow Salmon Recovery Foundation, American Rivers, and River Management Society.
Dr. Sarah Koenigsberg holding beaver kit
Koenigsberg’s work has screened across North America in venues such as the National Climate Adaptation Forum, the North American Congress for Conservation Biology, and The Wildlife Society and American Fisheries Society’s annual conference. Winner of the Green Spark Award from the American Conservation Film Festival, her feature documentary “The Beaver Believers” has screened worldwide in film festivals such as the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival, Banff World Tour, International Wildlife Film Festival, Ireland Wildlife Film Festival, Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, Environmental Film Festival at Yale, and the Portland EcoFilm Festival, among others. She loves strong coffee, dark chocolate, organizing cupboards, and finding an excuse to climb up high to “get the shot.” She detests sticky jar lids and tangled power cords.
Dr. Emily Fairfax at beaver dam
Dr. Emily Fairfax is an ecohydrologist and assistant professor of environmental science and resource management at California State University Channel Islands. She double majored in Chemistry and Physics as an undergraduate at Carleton College, then earned her PhD in Geological Sciences from the University of Colorado Boulder. Emily uses remote sensing to research how beaver activity can create drought- and fire-resistant patches in the landscape. Her students and colleagues can affirm that when Emily says she can talk about beavers for hours, she’s not kidding. Emily’s work can be followed at her web site or on twitter.