Tales from Planet Earth - A Wilderness Act

What does “wilderness” mean to you? Join us for a free screening and panel discussion of the award-winning short documentary film, A Wilderness Act. Guided by the wisdom of Anishinaabe graduate student Nisogaabokwe Melonee Montano and university professor Evan Larson, learn how the very definitions penned to protect our country’s most precious landscapes can instead perpetuate injustice and lead to the impoverishment of both ecosystems and human cultures. Inspired by the Red Pine forests of the Great Lakes area, including Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area, the two join together to educate current and future generations about how returning fire to the land, and returning the land to its people, can be healing for all.

Presented in partnership with the Nelson Institue for Environmental Studies and the Foundation for Dane County Parks. 

Agenda (feel free to attend one or all of these activties)

• 3:30–4:30 p.m. Join us for family-friendly programming to explore the cultural and ecological importance of fire:
  • Storytime: Reading of Ishkode: A Story of Fire with Nisogaabokwe Melonee Montano
  • Learn about fire! What does fire need to exist? When is it safe? What changes can fire make?
    
    
• 4:45–5:15 p.m. Guided walk: Explore the Wisconsin landscape through fire. Join voices from the film on a walk through Lake Farm County Park and learn about the landscape as it relates to fire.
  
  
• 5:30 - 7 pm Screening & Panel 

Join us for free pizza before the film and a fire gathering with s’mores afterwards. Registration recommended. 

Accessibility and Language Access:

• Wheelchair accessible
• Accessible parking and level walkway to building
• Men's, Women's and All-Gender, indoor, ADA compliant bathrooms
• Drinking water access
• Our department is committed to providing meaningful access to our programs and resources to all individuals, regardless of primary language or ability. If you need language assistance services or an accessibility modification for this program, please submit this request form a minimum of 10 business days before the program to make the request. Please note, it is not possible for all programs to be modified.