Written by Olivia Brandon and Emily Carmela Nelson
This January, The Sierra Club’s Idaho chapter held its “Wild and Scenic Film Festival”. Lisa Young, director of the Idaho Sierra Club, said this was the first time Boise State hosted the event. Previously, The Egyptian Theater held the event.
“It’s a great way to engage students on campus,” Young said. “Historically, we wouldn’t get very many [students] at the Egyptian, and we’re like, ‘Man, how do we get more?’ So, definitely hoping that’s the case in the end.”
Young explained that to choose the films, a group of volunteers sit down and screen films — selecting ones that feature especially relevant environmental themes.
“We try to put together a program that speaks to a lot of different people and their experiences and opens people’s eyes to these different initiatives that are happening around the country and around the world that can really inspire people to want to do something themselves,” Young said.
Inclusivity in the outdoors
One film was created by Idaho filmmakers and spotlighted the organization’s LGBTQIA+-focused initiative OUTdoor Idaho. The film highlighted the program’s aim of inclusivity, queer joy and a love for the outdoors.
Several of the films that night focused on making outdoor recreation more widely accessible. “Soundscape”, directed by Sarah Steele featured author and global adventure athlete Erik Weihenmayer and his experiences hiking and rock climbing as a person who is blind.
Weihenmayer explained during the film that his biggest fear after becoming visually impaired was missing out on life experiences, through echo-location and other sensory experiences he has continued to enjoy the outdoors in a new way.
“Forward”, directed by Palmer Morse follows Anjelica Avella as she navigates caregiving responsibilities, her work as an educator and the sense of community she has found in her all-girl hiking group.
Avella reflected on past experiences where she was told she couldn’t accomplish certain physical feats due to being plus-size and how her journey as a hiker gave her connection and a sense of resilience.
When John Sabraw, an art professor at the University of Ohio first saw the state of Ohio’s river due to leaking coal mines, he couldn’t believe no one was doing anything about it. So he did something about it.
“Toxic Art” directed by Jason Whalen showcases Sabraw’s partnership with civil engineering professor Guy Riefler as they transformed the iron oxide pollutant into paint for artists.
“It’s not that people don’t care — it’s that they don’t know.”
Emily Iskin and Sayed Mirbacha were two of the many volunteers at the film festival. Volunteers get to select which films are shown at the festival from a vast database provided by Wild and Scenic.
“The Idaho chapter volunteers get together and watch [environmental films] to rank them and decide what makes sense for Idaho audiences, [as well as] what is important to us in the state,” Iskin said. “It puts together the program, which is really gratifying as a volunteer. It really brings in that kind of local perspective.”
As a member of The Sierra Club’s youth-led Climate Justice League since 2022, Mirbacha said his favorite part of volunteering is seeing the way that the community shows up to advocate for the things they are passionate about.
“This is the third festival that I’m participating in,” Mirbacha said. “It’s really important to inspire other people and get them to learn about the environment and how to advocate [for the environment].”
Iskin is a postdoctoral researcher and a fluvial geomorphologist in the human environmental systems department at Boise State University. As a fluvial geomorphologist, Iskin works with a team of practitioners who are aiming to restore rivers and collect data to understand what processes work.
“What I find in my work is that it’s not that people don’t care — it’s that they don’t know,” Iskin said. “One conversation, one video, one photo, one book, can change somebody’s perspective. What’s really important about events like this is that vital moment of ‘oh, I didn’t realize how much that fish, bird, river, impacts my life every day’.”
The event featured a silent auction, two and a half hours worth of environmental films and a thirty-minute intermission. During intermission, raffle tickets were drawn for grand prizes such as local business gift baskets, Tamarack Resort lift tickets, a Catalyst Art Collaborative Wheel Throwing Class and various other uniquely Idaho experiences.
Moments before the event started, Young shared what would make this event a success in her book.
“When everyone’s smiling, laughing, having a good time — because it’s not just sitting and watching the films,” Young said. “Part of the event is that we have [the] auction drawing, drinks, people are seeing old friends. They’re coming with family and friends, and they’re making a whole evening of it and having fun.”
