A new film tells the story of the caribous’ vanishing rain forest

There’s a new film about the mountain caribou that is hitting the big screen this summer with a possible screening date in Revelstoke this fall. David Moskowitz photo courtesy of the Mountain Caribou Initiative

There’s a new film about the mountain caribou that is hitting the big screen this summer with a definite screening date in Revelstoke this fall.

Last Stand: The Vanishing Caribou Rain Forest is an American film about the threatened ungulates in Washington, Idaho and British Columbia.

“While the team set out to explore the collapse of this magnificent species, they quickly realized this story encompasses a much larger and more complex conservation challenge,” says a news release from the Mountain Caribou Initiative about the film. “It is a challenge involving the decline of the largest remaining inland temperate rain forest on the planet.”

Marcus Reynerson said in the statement that he and the rest of the team have not only produced a documentary but also a book “highlighting the unique ecosystem that is the inland temperate rainforest of interior BC.”

“Our film will be premiering this summer on the coast (June 28 in Seattle, June 30 in Victoria and a undetermined date in Vancouver), and we’ll be on an Interior BC tour this fall,” he said, adding that the book will be out in 2018.

“In exploring this ecosystem and the complex forces undermining it, Last Stand gives voice to First Nations, scientists, foresters, conservationists, and recreationists,” the statement said. “It paints a compelling picture of the need for stronger government intervention, honoring of indigenous treaty rights, and a deepening culture of responsibility for the landscapes that we call home. With hope and realism, it challenges us to chart a new course before our chance has passed.”

The Mountain Caribou Initiative is a collaboration by photographers, writers, conservationists and naturalists telling a compelling story through visual media. David Moskowitz, the team leader, is a biologist, photographer and the author of two books, Wildlife of the Pacific Northwest and Wolves in the Land of Salmon. Educator and conservationist Marcus Reynerson is the lead instructor for the Anake program, an environmental leadership program for adults, at Wilderness Awareness School in Duvall, Washington. Kim Shelton is an avid naturalist, wildlife tracker and educator. Her family ties to the Ojibway Leech Lake Band in Minnesota inspired the creation of cultural connections to tribal and First Nations peoples in mountain caribou country. Colin Arisman is an environmental and adventure filmmaker and the co-founder of Wild Confluence Films. His work has been shown at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, and has won numerous awards.

Please click here to visit the documentary’s website where you can watch a trailer of the film.

Please click here to visit the Mountain Caribou Initiative’s Facebook page.