Can the power of celebrity bring more people of color into the National Parks? Yosemite Ranger Shelton Johnson thinks so and now that he’s grabbed the attention of talk show host Oprah Winfrey momentum is building to invite the rap star Snoop Dogg to go camping. A petition is being circulated in the hopes of enticing the urban music icon into the wild.
There’s a fine line between dreams and destiny. Indulge in one, insist upon the other and both are inevitable. *
Just arrived at the 35th Annual Banff Mountain Film Festival! This my second year attending and I couldn't be more excited. Just like before I’ll be reporting on the events surrounding this celebration of adventure culture and sharing the stories behind the athletes, artists and activists that inspire awe through film, literature and graphic images. But this time, by invitation of the Banff Center of Mountain Culture, I’m here as part of the program.Back in January of 2009 I had the pleasure of speaking to Ken Burns. He sat with me for an interview about his documentary film "The National Parks: America's Best Idea." A program that first aired last year on PBS television stations nation wide this five-part series reveals in stunning detail some amazing historical facts. But what came out of that conversation was an awareness for the role people of color played in the creation of my favorite wild and scenic places.
For more than 30 years documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has revealed many of the great mysteries of our uniquely American culture. Like an archaeologist he uncovers layers of time to show us through his films the artifacts of our not so distant past that shed light on the course events that has brought us to where we are today. In his latest film, The National Parks: America’s Best which airs on PBS stations nationwide on September 27th Burns demonstrates that the preservation and protection of our wild and scenic...
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