Filmmaker and former Oregon state senator Jason Atkinson will present a discussion and screening of the film “A River Between Us” on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. in Ice Auditorium in Melrose Hall at Linfield College.
“A River Between Us” depicts how 42 adversarial organizations came together to conserve the Klamath River. The film was shot over two years along the river and includes individual interviews with stakeholders throughout Oregon and California: farmers who need the water for irrigation; Pacific Power who manages the dams; members of the Klamath Basin Rangeland Trust who problem-solve for water use; fishermen; members of the Native Tribes who have lived and worked along the Klamath for centuries; federal, state and local politicians; and environmental advocates. The coalition that comes together over the course of the film is made up of 42 different – and many historically adversarial – organizations.
But as the disparate groups put aside their differences to sign a landmark agreement of compromise, the collective movement begins an entirely new approach to conservation, one that views community as a crucial part of the natural habitat, where people are an extension of the river rather than its controlling interest.
The film was co-produced by Atkinson and Jeff Martin, a writer, director and creative executive.
“We created this film to be a cinematic call to action on behalf of the largest restoration project in American history,” said Atkinson, who served as the Republican state senator of Oregon from 2001 to 2013. “Our goal for it is to provoke the White House into taking part in it.”
More information about this project can be found at www.ariverbetweenus.com.
The presentation is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by PLACE (Program for Liberal Arts and Community Engagement), exploring this year’s theme “Air, Water, Earth, and Fire: the ancient elements on a changing planet.” For more information, contact Jennifer Heath at jheath@linfield.edu, 503-883-2267.
