UKIAH — Two films featured at the International Wildlife Film Festival”s post-festival tour will show Friday at the Ukiah Civic Center, 300 Seminary Ave. in Ukiah. Doors open at 6:20 p.m. when guitarists and folksingers Steve Ham and Sid Bishop will play. Films begin at 7 p.m.
America”s Great Plains were once a vibrant grassland ecosystem, akin to the great savannahs of Africa. Here, 200 years ago, Lewis and Clark stepped onto this fertile landscape and were awestruck by what they saw: herds of bison, packs of wolves, grizzlies, prairie dogs and more. Filmed over the course of two years, “American Serengeti” (50 min.) chronicles an ambitious conservation effort to restore part of this legacy and create a 3 million-acre wildlife reserve.
Friday”s screening also includes “Alien Empire” (30 min.). There exists on Earth an alien life form: ? insects. With maybe 30 million different kinds and a billion individuals alive at one time, they are the most successful group of animals on the planet. Using the latest computer animation and technology developed for the series, “Alien Empire” presents a revolutionary perspective on the natural world.
Tickets for the Wildlife Film Festival cost $10 for adults and $5 for children and are available at Mendocino Book Co. or at the door. Films are appropriate for older children. Please be advised that some films do contain some predation or procreation scenes.
Proceeds benefit the Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project (RVOEP), a community-supported program of the Ukiah Unified School District. For more information about the RVOEP and a full film festival schedule, visit www.rvoep.org.
