“Crown Jewels” Film Screening

Join REI at Bubolz Nature Preserve for a free screening of “Crown Jewels!”

The premiere of the new documentary “Crown Jewels,” directed by Alex Haraus, will take place at Bubolz Nature Preserve on September 19th at 5:30 PM. The new film, from an impact creator who has helped generate millions of petitions for environmental causes through short films on TikTok, sheds light on the critical importance of mature and old-growth forests that act as buffers against climate change and support biodiversity. “Crown Jewels” brings viewers to threatened forests in West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Oregon, and explains how people can take action to protect them. The film highlights Oregon’s threatened old-growth forests, featuring storytelling from the community who rallied behind the effort to stop the Flat Country logging project in the Willamette National Forest.

The film release coincides with the U.S. Forest Service’s kickoff of a public-comment period for a new policy that could better protect old-growth forests. The Forest Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for a proposed amendment that would update more than 120 land management plans for national forests nationwide. The proposed amendment could help the agency better conserve and steward old-growth forests in response to rapidly changing climate conditions and other threats.

Yet public comment is needed to strengthen the Forest Service’s proposed National Old Growth Amendment (NOGA). It currently lacks sufficient protections for mature and old-growth forests on federal lands from logging, leaving them vulnerable to commercial exploitation. From now until September 20th, members of the public can weigh in to call for stronger protections for these ancient, threatened trees. This event aims to empower attendees to support meaningful conservation policies and advocate for the preservation of these vital ecosystems.

What: Screening of “Crown Jewels” documentary and panel discussion on protecting mature and old-growth forests on federal public lands. View trailer here.

When: September 19th, 5:30 – 7:30 PM

Screening: 58 minutes

Where: Bubolz Nature Preserve, 4815 N Lynndale Drive, Appleton, WI 54913