Leopold documentary to be screened at College of Lake County

A free screening of the first full-length, high-definition documentary film ever made about legendary conservationist Aldo Leopold will be held at the College of Lake County in Grayslake.

“Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time” will be shown from 7-9:15 p.m. Monday, June 27, in Room A162 at the college. Because seating is limited, an RSVP to audbirds@aol.com or (847) 362-5134 is required.

The event is sponsored by the The Lake County and Lake-Cook Audubon societies and CLC.

Leopold is regarded by many as one of the most influential conservation thinkers of the 20th century. The film explores his life in the early part of the century and the many ways his land ethic continues to be applied all over the world today.

“Green Fire” is a production of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service and the Center for Humans and Nature.

Although probably best known as the author of the conservation classic “A Sand County Almanac,” Leopold is also renowned for his work as an educator, philosopher, forester, ecologist and wilderness advocate.

The film is being shown in community screening venues like at CLC throughout 2011. It will be released on public television in early 2012.

This screening will include an opportunity for the audience to become part of the “thinking community” through small group discussions.

“What is exciting about ‘Green Fire’ is that it is more than just a documentary about Aldo Leopold,” said Buddy Huffaker, executive director of the Aldo Leopold Foundation.

“It also explores the influence his ideas have had in shaping the conservation movement as we know it today by highlighting some really inspiring people and organizations doing great work to connect people and the natural world — in ways that even Leopold might not have imagined.”

“Green Fire” illustrates Leopold’s continuing influence by exploring current projects that connect people and land at the local level.

Viewers will meet children in Chicago learning about local foods and ecological restoration; ranchers in Arizona and New Mexico who maintain healthy landscapes by working together on cooperative community conservation efforts; and wildlife biologists who are bringing back threatened and endangered species, from cranes to Mexican wolves.

The Aldo Leopold Foundation, a not-for-profit organization based in Baraboo, Wis., is distributing the film to community screeners.