Film captures contributions of pioneer conservationist

The public is invited to a free screening of “Green Fire,” a documentary about Aldo Leopold, the biologist and writer who raised the nation’s consciousness about environmental conservation.

The film offers plenty of scenes of windy prairies, handsome forests, and purple mountains, but alos piles of elk carcasses, as it chronicles the nation during Leopold’s life in the first half of the 20th century when passenger pigeons still blotted out the sun (before being hunted to extinction), and for most Americans, shooting a wolf was more rewarding than the green fire in her eyes.

The documentary, produced by filmmakers from the U.S. Forest Service and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, will be screened at George Mason University’s JC Cinema March 15 at 7 p.m.

The Northern Virginia Conservation Trust is partnering with the George Mason University Sustainability Program, Virginia Master Naturalist Program, REI, the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, Fairfax Tree Stewards, and other organizations to offer this event.

Stan Temple, professor emeritus in conservation at the University of Wisconsin and senior fellow and science adviser with the Aldo Leopold Foundation, will lead a discussion following the film. Conservation organizations will also be on hand with information about their programs.

This event will serve as a “call to action” and networking forum for those already burning with environmental fervor. Those new to environmentalism should enjoy the compelling story of a brave man and a beautiful country.

The film was also shown to Fairfax County government employees earlier this month at a screening sponsored by the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust in partnership with the Park Authority and the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District.