Video: The Story of Place - A Journey Through Canyonlands

As we head into the weekend, this is the short film I want to close out the day on. It is an amazing video that takes us into the heart of the Greater Canyonlands region of Utah, to explore that amazing setting, while also showing us the threats that now face that iconic place. This area is not part of Canyonlands National Park, and is unprotected. Outside interests are looking to exploit the land there, while the good people at Our Canyon Lands work hard to preserve these landscapes. Truly an important story, and one that needs to be shared.

The Story of Place from Our Canyon Lands on Vimeo.

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Video: XPLORE - Saving Landscapes by Capturing them on Film

This video is a teaser-trailer of sorts for a project put together by a team of filmmakers who want to capture some of the world's most endangered landscapes in order to preserve them for future generations. They took their cameras to a number of beautiful locations, many of which are threatened by a variety of things, including extreme draught, glacial melt, tectonic activity, and so on. The timelapse imagery that they captured in these places is nothing short of stunning. The clip below gives us a glimpse of their work, which will eventually comprise a 90-minute documentary that they are looking to get funded on IndieGoGo.

XPLORE - A Time-lapse Story of our World from Drew Geraci (District 7 Media) on Vimeo.

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Video: John of the Forest

Here's a wonderful short film that has some good messages for all of us. It features a man named John who is a retired organic farmer that lives in New South Wales, Australia on Mount Warning. His land is covered in dense, beautiful forest that looks like a spectacular place to call home. John shares his philosophy of connecting with nature, and the importance of recognizing that we are all part of the environment, with the need to work towards protecting it. The short video is thoughtful with its narration and imagery.

John of the Forest from PALATE on Vimeo.

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Video: The Snows of the Nile

This is a fantastic short film that introduces viewers to the Rwenzori Mountains of Uganda, a series of 5000 meter peaks that rise up from the African plains. These peaks were once covered in some of the few equatorial glaciers that exist on the planet, but those glaciers are in rapid retreat as climate change and global warming impact the environment there. In the short documentary, two researchers travel to the "Mountains of the Moon" to investigate what is happening.

Thanks to the Adventure Journal for sharing.

Snows of the Nile from Connect4Climate on Vimeo.

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Adventurous Couple Paddling to DC to Save Their Favorite Wilderness

Dave and Amy Freeman are quite the inspirational couple. Over the course of their adventures, they have traveled more than 30,000 miles (48,280 km) by canoe, kayak, and dogsled through some incredibly remote wilderness areas ranging from the Amazon to the Arctic. They've also covered some incredible distances on foot too. Last year, they wrapped up an 11,647-mile (18,744 km) expedition across North America, which earned them National Geographic Adventurers of the Year status. With that project behind them, you knew it was only a matter of time before the set out on their next journey, and in late August they did just that. The couple is now on another long distance journey, this time Paddling to DC to save one of their favorite outdoor wilderness area.

Dave and Amy are residents of the state of Minnesota, which is home to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This spectacularly beautiful and remote place is truly a fantastic escape for outdoor enthusiasts looking to get back in touch with nature. Surrounded by the Superior National Forest, it is a fantastic place for a paddling expedition by kayak or canoe. It is also being threatened by sulfide mining on its borders, which could have potentially disastrous consequences for the environment there. 

To protest this mining activity, and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act – which created the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness – Dave and Amy have taken on a 100-day paddling journey from those waters, that will eventually end with their arrival in Washington, D.C. All told, they will cover approximately 2000 miles (3218 km) along the way, as they carry their important message about the dangers of sulfide mining along with them. 

So far, they have covered about 160 miles of paddling through the Boundary waters, and have now started to sail across a 200-mile section of Lake Superior. The couple are posting regular updates to their blog, and will be sharing stories from the journey at the National Geographic Adventure Blog as well. You can follow them as they paddle all the way to DC.

The video below explains a bit more about their cause. 

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