Predator film to screen in Twisp

The public is invited to the screening of the new film, Lords of Nature: Life in a Land of Great Predators, followed by a presentation and discussion with a panel of Northwest wildlife experts about the return of the gray wolf to the Methow Valley.

Lords of Nature is premiering in 18 cities and towns across the West and will screen in Twisp on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Twisp River Pub.

The 60-minute documentary film depicts how nature’s top predators are reversing the slow decay of America’s Wild West and how communities are learning to tolerate the once-banished beasts.

The film begins with a warning from naturalist and writer, Aldo Leopold, that a land lacking its top predators is a land subject to decay. Scientists explore the evidence that ecosystems are far more diverse and resilient when sufficient numbers of predators help maintain a natural balance.

Livestock producers, naturalists and environmental scientists explore the places where wolves have returned to their historic landscapes – Minnesota, Yellowstone National Park, the rugged open range of central Idaho. The film goes to the canyons of Zion, following the cougar and top predators’ flourishing habitat.

The screening will be followed by a question-and-answer session with a panel of experts, including Suzanne Stone from Defenders of Wildlife, Carter Niemeyer and Rick Williams, both experienced in gray wolf recovery and predator management in Idaho and Montana, and Scott Fitkin, state wildlife biologist, who will offer local history and knowledge about the Methow Valley’s Lookout Pack. Panel members will each make short presentations and answer questions from the audience.

“There’s no magic answer to having wolves in a community. We’re getting out scientific information and helping communities adapt,” said Jay Kehne, outreach associate for Conservation Northwest, one of the sponsors of the event. “We’re bringing to town a learning session. It’s not a complaint or rumor session.

“What are we going to do to adapt? There are different tactics to avoiding problems, whether it’s a bear or a rattlesnake,” said Kehne. The film and panel discussion will offer solutions learned in other communities across the West, including Idaho and Montana, where wolves were re-introduced after 70 years of extirpation.

“Ranchers, hunters and wildlife advocates all have a sense of values,” said Kehne. He said the challenge is to find common ground between people who advocate never killing a wolf and people who find it hard to accept even having to deal with the new problem.

“Nature is facing unprecedented challenges with the onset of climate change. Increasing the resiliency of wildlife and ecosystems is critical and to do this, we need to ensure we have healthy populations of top predators on the land and in the sea, stated filmmaker Karen Meyer of Green Fire Productions, in a news release announcing the Twisp premier of Lords of Nature.

Admission is free and donations are welcome.  The showing is sponsored by Conservation Northwest, Defenders of Wildlife and the Twisp River Pub.

For more information call Kehne at (509) 470-1767 or e-mail jkehne@conservationnw.org.