Tall Timbers, 6PM
Beginning with a wine social, Tall Timbers will screen three unforgettable short films—The Last Green Thread, Queen of Red Hill, and Burn Boss—complete with film talkbacks. Group discussion on the role of visual media in conservation featuring all guests connected to the films will round out this incredible evening.
The Last Green Thread 6:45PM
In 2018 three friends set out on an expedition into the most rapidly developing landscape in Central Florida, traveling the narrowest and most imperiled wildlife corridor in the state. This powerful short film unveils a tenuous thread of wild Florida woven into the fabric of theme parks and suburbia, underscoring the importance of this link that joins the green heart of Florida to the northern reaches of the Everglades.
Queen of Red Hill 7:15PM
The star of the show is a female tortoise first measured by Dr. Jim Layne in 1968. That was the year Layne, Archbold’s first Research Director, began the long-term study of tortoises on Red Hill. Known as the ‘Queen of Red Hill’, this long-lived tortoise has presided over her sandhill kingdom for more than six decades. However, the Queen and other Red Hill residents came close to losing their unique home. The Gopher Tortoise natural history will fascinate you while being inspired by the vision and dedication of some special people who made this story possible. This is a story about time, then and now. The deliberate pace of a tortoise. Measured against the speed of human activity and change. Right here in the heart of Florida.
Burn Boss 8PM
The job of the Burn Boss is difficult—perhaps the toughest in all of professional conservation. Jennifer Brown and Into Nature Films worked shoulder-to-shoulder with Big Cypress National Preserve to tell the history of the National Park Service’s most accomplished fire program. With beautiful cinematography, fascinating interviews, and tantalizing story, this film highlights the colorful people and places in the wild heart of south Florida. Narrated and written by Rick Anderson, a descendent of Florida pioneers. Rick has dedicated his life to the use of fire for the land.
Into Nature Films