Community Outreach

The Wildlife Film Festival is committed to inspire an appreciation of wildlife and habitats through the innovative use of media arts.

ONE DAY IN JACKSON HOLE:
One Day in Jackson Hole is a true community project—our first-ever crowd-sourced film! Interviews with Muggs Shultz, Bert Raynes and Moosie Woodling link us with the Valley's history. Tom Mangelsen and Craighead Beringia South take us face to face with some of our elusive wild neighbors. From skiing Glory Bowl and a family trip to Huckleberry Hot Springs to snowmobiling into Granite and JHMR (from Lifties to Huckers), pretty much every winter sport you can imagine--even unicycling Snow King--is included. The film features local artists, performers, cutting-edge scientists, wildlife and wild living. It also features weddings (2), birthdays (4), and baby births (3). It spotlights our firefighters, ranchers, high school students and a score of adorable kiddies & pets. It is an amazing portrait of our truly remarkable and diverse community. More than 75 filmmakers (and one dog) submitted material and more than 700 people were filmed that day.
For more information or to buy the DVD, visit: www.onedayinjacksonhole.org

SUMMERQUEST:
Approximately 125 K-8th grade students attended a four-week remedial summer session. Over 70% of these students are in Elementary grades, more than half are English language learners and 10% are Special Ed students. Experiential project-based learning opportunities are particularly suitable for students who have demonstrated they have difficulty learning in the traditional classroom environment. Throughout the school year, TCSD gets tremendous community support and enrichment in arts, culture, science and technology. However, there is little community assistance offered to the district as it responds to students having the greatest academic needs in the remedial summer session. Using nature to inspire creative discovery, SUMMERQUEST aims to augment this gap with a series of “place-based” projects that bring mathematics and English language skills to life through scientific discovery, digital media, visual and literary arts. Transcending language and literacy barriers, SUMMERQUEST is built on the success and experience of JHWFF’s existing in-school programs and takes students into the field alongside professional biologists and researchers. This pilot project is being initiated in collaboration with Teton County School District, Grand Teton National Park, the National Elk Refuge, Wyoming Game & Fish, Craighead Beringia South and the Recycling Center. Photographs created by students during the summer session were showcased at the Teton County Fair.

NATUREQUEST:
Summit High School, Red Top Meadows, GAP (Girls Actively Participating) and Teton Mentor Project seek meaningful, content-rich activities for the ”at-risk” youth participating in their programs. NATUREQUEST provides seasonal science/nature photography expeditions in partnership with each organization throughout the year. Participants are provided with digital cameras and instruction and are accompanied by professional biologists and photographers. Their images will be showcased in a special exhibit during the 2011 Eco Fair/Earth Day celebration. In addition, pilot NATUREQUEST expeditions will be initiated in collaboration other with organizations serving under-represented populations.

In addition to these exciting new initiatives, we will continue our Visiting Filmmaker Screening Series and extensive in-school programs. Providing digital cameras and professional instruction in photography and filmmaking, JHWFF’s multidisciplinary programs enrich curriculum in diverse subject areas using the natural world as an outdoor classroom/laboratory for discovery and inspiration. Continuing programs include:

NATURE OF LEARNING:
DigitalKids: Introducing basic photography techniques to 160+ second graders, this immersive year-long program incorporates art with science and nature, and provides equipment and specialized instruction for both students and teachers. Building upon these basic skills, digital media instruction is incorporated in successive grades as a creative tool for learning across subject categories.

Podcasting: Inspired by field expeditions along the Snake River corridor, 120+ fifth graders illustrate their creative writing/poetry with digital photography, video, natural sound effects and music, and develop short-form filmmaking and editing skills to create original video podcasts.