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Show Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, February 29-March 3, 2020 The Park Record C-3 Documentary appeals to many ‘Beaver Believers’ COURTESY OF TENSEGRITY PRODUCTIONS A beaver appears to smile at the camera during a scene in Sarah Koenigsberg’s 2018 documentary, “The Beaver Believers,” which will screen at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, at the Swaner EcoCenter. Swaner EcoCenter will screen the film Thursday, March 5 SCOTT IWASAKI The Park Record Hunter Klingensmith and the rest of the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter staff want to clear up some misconceptions about beavers and help people understand that beaver dams aren’t built just to flood basements and areas of recreation. The staff wants to show how these dams increase biodiversity and the complexity of the ecosystem with a screening of Sarah Koenigsberg’s 2018 documentary, “The Beaver Believers,” which will start at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, at the EcoCenter. Koenigsberg is an award-winning filmmaker, photographer and educator whose work focuses on stories of art, environment, and community in the American West, and her film is not a typical scientist-driven documentary, said Klingensmith, the environmental nonprofit’s visitor experience coordinator. “It’s an upbeat film about resorting the North American beaver to watersheds of the West that leaves viewers feeling hopeful,” she said. “It’s a wonderful story that focuses on a funny group of activists.” One of the main characters is a woman who is a hairdresser, who, for the past 20 years, has been humanely trapping and relocating beavers that have caused issues in residential areas, according to Klingensmith. “She finds new places where the beavers will benefit the area and live well,” she said. “You really see how much she loves the beavers.” The film also gives viewers ideas of how they can become beaver advocates, Klingensmith said. “We don’t have to be one of those long-time educated scientists, who have studied beavers for years, to have an impact on their ability to survive and improve our ecosystems,” she said. “We just need to know more about them and learn how important they are.” Klingensmith was introduced to the film through Utah State University, which oversees the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter. “Beaver Believers” When: 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 5 Where: Swaner EcoCenter, 1258 Center Drive Cost: $7 per person; free for EcoCenter members Web: swanerecocenter. org USU scientists have been immersed in beaver research, and the EcoCenter has installed some beaver dam analogs on the 2,000-acre preserve. These analogs mimic the beavers’ ecological benefits that include improving water and water-centered habitat quality, Klingensmith said. “We thought it would be a great fit here with all the beaver-related things we have been doing to get beavers back into the wetland,” she said. “They are a keystone species that can improve habitat.” Scientists have only really seen the positive impact beavers have been making on ecosystems, Klingensmith said. “They used to be so abundant in North America, but when Please see Film, C-5 PERSONAL ASSISTANT NEEDED FOR IMMEDIATE EMPLOYMENT Must be drug free and subject to background check $400 per week Send your resume to Robert on uphigher77@gmail.com Studies show that when you buy from an independent, locally owned business, rather than a nationally owned business, significantly more of your money is used to make purchases from other local businesses, service providers and farms continuing to strengthen the economic base of the community. |