Join BCAS for social time with light refreshments before this program! Doors open at 6:30.
NOTE: This program will be offered in-person only.
Ruth Wright.
Citizen Ruth: Environmental Warrior is a compelling documentary about an extraordinary environmental activist who helped achieve lasting environmental and community changes in the face of challenge and skepticism, by applying her passion, preparation, persistence, and initiative to challenges and by building relationships with adversaries. Ruth’s lifetime of activism offers hope for a better world, shows how democracy can work, and reminds us that each of us can make a difference. We’ll view the film, then have some conversation with the filmmaker and friends. Watch the film trailer here.
Ruth Wright is an elder states-mensch of Boulder’s conservation movement. Ruth was one of the initiators of Boulder’s open-space tax, making Boulder the first US municipality to tax itself to preserve the natural environment. She wrote Boulder’s building height charter amendment for a law school assignment, then helped to persuade the citizens to vote for it. She campaigned for using lottery funds to support open space and trails through Great Outdoors Colorado, and has worked tirelessly on the knotty issues of flood mitigation on South Boulder Creek. Ruth was one of the founders of PLAN-Boulder County and served on the Colorado Water Control Commission and the State Health Board. In 1980 she was elected to the state House of Representatives, where she served until 1994, including six years as Democratic minority leader, the second woman to hold that role. She and her husband Ken have published their studies of the water usage habits of prehistoric people, especially the Inca people of Peru, and their work has been honored by the government of Peru. In 2018 Boulder Audubon recognized her with a Lifetime Achievement award.
Dave Sutherland
Dave Sutherland is featured in the film as a friend and commentator. Dave is an award-winning field naturalist, now retired from the city of Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks department. In addition to nearly 30 years working in the Boulder area, Dave has led outdoor education programs in California, Idaho and Costa Rica, and has trained guides in the Galapagos Islands. He studied in Costa Rica and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras. He describes himself as a natural science geek who seeks to inspire others with his love of nature, and leads local community nature programs on topics such as birds, night sky observations, wildlife adaptations to winter, local history, and classical music. He has been training for this work since he was four years old, when he began collecting rocks and butterflies and drawing his own bird books with crayons.
Pam Hoge, photo by David Walder
Pam Hoge, director of Citizen Ruth, is an Emmy award-winning producer and director with experience in public television, educational videos, radio, photography, and fine art. Working on her own projects and as a staff producer for public television, she has interviewed people from all walks of life: politicians to authors, a 101-year-old farmer to newborn twins, environmental activists to child musicians. She has hosted a radio interview show and written articles for the Daily Camera and Earth News; sung with community choruses; spoken at the Conference on World Affairs; and served as a board member for Boulder Parks and Recreation, Ecocycle, Boulder County’s Long-Range Planning Commission, and the local Sierra Club chapter. She is a Boulder native and Duke University graduate, now relocated to North Carolina. In 2023, BCAS showed Pam’s film, Mighty Oak, about another of Boulder’s environmental giants, Oak Thorne.
In-Person Gathering - BCAS welcomes everyone back to in-person programs at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder. Doors open at 6:30 PM for socializing with light refreshments, and the program begins at 7:15. While the church is no longer requiring masks, we encourage you to wear your favorite high-quality mask, and we will provide free surgical masks for anyone who needs one. Please stay home if you feel sick, and watch the program on Zoom!