Film profiles legendary conservationist Aldo Leopold

The U.S. Forest Service and Lake Tahoe Community College will host a free screening of “Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time” On March 28. Filmmakers Ann and Steve Dunsky will be available to answer questions after the screening.

“Green Fire” profiles legendary conservationist Aldo Leopold. The award winning documentary shares highlights from Leopold’s life and extraordinary career, explaining how he transformed conservation in the twentieth century and continues to inspire people today. Leopold’s work shaped the fields of wildlife management, ecology, wilderness preservation and sustainable agriculture.

Produced by the Aldo Leopold Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Center for Humans and Nature, “Green Fire” is more than a documentary about Aldo Leopold. It reveals how Leopold’s vision links together a wide range of contemporary management issues and offers inspiration and insight for future work on National Forest System land.

Forest Service management strategies include Fuels Reduction and Forest Health, Watershed Restoration and Habitat Improvement, and Recreation and Human Responsibility. These focus areas around the Lake Tahoe Basin include projects like the Washoe Tending and Gathering Garden in the Pope-Baldwin Children’s Forest, which provides an opportunity for third- and fifth-grade students to learn about cultural history and native plant species. The Trees are Terrific program teaches kindergarten through fifth-grade classes the importance of trees and forest ecology. The Aspen Community Restoration project restores forest diversity and provides important habitat for plants and wildlife, and fuel reduction projects reduce the risk of wildfire and restore forest health. These programs and projects reveal the Forest Service commitment to land stewardship.

The Lake Tahoe premiere of “Green Fire” will take place at the Duke Theater at Lake Tahoe Community College, One College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the film begins at 7 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/​ltbmu/GreenFire or www.aldoleopold.org.

— Lisa Herron is a Public Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit