Grizzly on beach, Copper River Alaska 2002 Pete Lavigne © 2002

Passion For Rivers Film Debuts

Rivers Foundation debuts new film, "Passion for Rivers" by Emmy award winning filmmaker Dennis Burkhart.

We're proud to announce that our new promotional film, "Passion for Rivers" debuted last week at the Coyote Warrior event at Portland State University May 12. Produced by RFA board member and Emmy winning documentary filmmaker Dennis Burkhart, "Passion for Rivers" tells the story of our long-term visionto protect and restore rivers by investing in the people and projects necessary to protect clean water, biodiversity and human health throughout the Americas. The film opens with an evocative story from founding board member Charles Hudson, a member of the Mandan-Hidatsa tribe of North Dakota, about his childhood connection with the Missouri River and of the 45 year battle of his tribe to right the wrong done to them and the river by the Garrison dam. Hudson speaks eloquently about the importance of looking to invest thein the right people in the right place and to focus on underserved indigenous environmental efforts.

This short, 7 minute film gives a glimpse into the workings of the Rivers Foundation of the Americas, including beautiful footage of many of the river systems touched by the organization's efforts. The film includes Dr. Riki Ott, writer, activist and artist of the Copper River watershed in Alaska who talks about the importance of the Copper River in so many ways and particularly as a bird migration stepping stone of wetlands that begins with North America's largest shorebird nesting area on the Copper River Delta to places like the Sauvie Island wetlands complex in Portland, Oregon, to the Colorado River Delta-Salton Sink in Mexico and California all the way south to the Pantanal, the world's largest freshwater wetland in the Parana-Paraguay river basin of South America.

Riki Ott's testimony is followed by noted river activist Nancy Jacques of Durango, Colorado. Unbeknownst to her, Jacques, who has worked with Rivers Foundation president Pete Lavigne for many years, provided the title for the film when she said "I had a passion to found two different organizations for rivers, one grassroots and one statewide, but I didn't have the tools, I didn’t have the first idea of how to bring my passion into existence in a pragmatic way and Pete came in and taught me how."

Glen Canyon and Colorado river advocate Rich Ingebretsen, M.D., Ph.D. of Salt Lake City, Utah speaks clearly of people's many motivations to protect rivers whether it is the beauty, the animal and plant life, the recreational opportunities and, for Rich, his religious background and deep faith. Rich says "we are here on this earth as stewards of, not destroyers of this land and our ultimate duty is to be protectors of these lands and animals for future generations."

Following Ingebretsen is Dave Wegner, former head of the Glen Canyon Environmental Studies Unit of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and now chief scientist of Ecosystem Management International. Wegner along with Ingebretsen and others, is a fervent and articulate advocate for the restoration of Glen Canyon on the Colorado River. Wegner says "Restoring Glen Canyon will not only provide the restoration of the heart of the Colorado River system for many different species of birds, fish, amphibians, insects and plants, but it serves also as an opportunity for the public to understand the consequences of actions."

As a film-maker, and President of Encounter Video, Dennis Burkhart has traveled around the world -- including Nepal, Alaska, Cook Islands, Easter Island, Kenya, India, and Egypt. In each place he has attempted to capture the special essence that makes a country's culture or landscape unique. The result is a collection of entertaining films that explore the most fascinating places on earth, and have made Encounter Video synonymous with quality film-making.

Burkhart lives in Oregon. His teenage years were spent mountaineering and white water rafting. During these adventures he developed a love for the wilderness and an interest in photography. As a college student, he spent his summers as a wilderness ranger for the US Forest Service. His award-winning photos appeared in scholastic publications and eventually were published in National Geographic Magazine.

After college, Dennis traveled to Kenya, Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer. The National Museum of Kenya recruited him to lead an underwater excavation of a 17th Centry Portugese galleon. Later as a professional mountain guide, he climbed Africa's major peaks including Mt. Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro.

After returning from Africa, he worked as a National Park Ranger in Alaska, and shot his first film. Pursuing his love of wilderness areas has led him to film over 85 National Park areas. Rafting and kayaking America's challenging rivers has taken him from the Colorado River to Alaska's wilds. Another passion that combines business and pleasure is underwater photography. Encounter Video introduced one of the first productions targeted at the home video market -- "Touring Alaska". Since 1983, Encounter Video has sold over one million units of over 50 films worldwide.

Burkhart describes his filmmaking as "a way to contribute to the world and bring some of its wonders, people and places to a wider audience. Filming Passion for Rivers touches a subject dear to me and it is a way that I can substantively forward the work of the Rivers Foundation of the Americas."

To view the film "Passion for Rivers" download and install QuickTime. It is a large file so a high speed connection is best. Better yet, and ask us to bring the film to a fundraiser in your home or community You can help us build the operating budgets and endowments we need to fulfill our mission.