One of the films will focus on Stewart Udall, a conservationist who served as U.S. secretary of the interior from 1961 to 1969 and helped establish national parks throughout his tenure. Udall urged Americans to focus less on consumerism and economic growth and more on quality of life and environmental appreciation. He authored and co-authored 19 books, many of which covered environmental issues. “Our natural resources are one of the biggest selling points in Sauk County and contribute to it being the fastest growing county in the region,” UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County campus director Steven Swallen said. “UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County takes pride in being part of this, and in being both a contributor to and a steward of these resources.” David Olson, an instructor at UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County who also serves on Baraboo’s Common Council, said Sauk County is “one of the major conservation hotspots in Wisconsin.” Students at the university have worked with the Aldo Leopold Foundation, International Crane Foundation and other conservation organizations in the county, Olson added. The first film of the festival will be “Rise Up Again: Exploring our Shared Humanity,” which Schlupp said explores an increased sense of community and togetherness following the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting social isolation. Schlupp is a co-director of “Running Free: The Baraboo River Restoration Story,” which was released in 2021 and is being shown at the festival for the second time. The film was made as a 20-year dedication to the last dam removal from the river, which took place in 2001 after area conservation groups decided to remove dams in the late 1990s. “It was free-flowing, which hadn’t been the case since the 1930s or even earlier than that,” Schlupp said. The Sauk Soil and Water Improvement Group has a nine-minute film dedicated to its work with farmers and community partners. Soil health and water quality improvement through education and agriculture methods are the organization’s primary focuses. “We have a lot of people who enjoy our natural resources,” Schlupp said, adding that the films raise a litany of environmental issues and present solutions. Preservation of bee and other pollinator populations, preventing soil erosion, reducing excess energy consumption, emphasizing local meat production and purchases, and wildfires will also be covered. “Breaking Trail,” the story of Emily Ford, who hiked the entire 1,200-mile Ice Age Trail, is also scheduled. “We’re eager to host the 2023 Conserve Sauk Film Festival on campus on Nov. 4,” Swallen said, adding that the previous two events have been at the campus. The festival will also host discussions on the films, Swallen said, adding that he expects between 200 and 300 people to attend.

A group of Sauk County institutions and organizations are coming together for the third time in four years to bring awareness of the county’s landscape and environment through film.

The Conserve Sauk Film Festival will air 22 environmental-themed films, most of them locally produced, in five rooms at the Umhoefer Building at UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 4. Topics include farming and food production, wildlife preservation, Indigenous peoples and their relationship with the land, and restoration of the Baraboo River since the removal of dams.

“We are going to be featuring a lot of films that are based on conservation,” said Melissa Schlupp, conservation manager for Sauk County Land Resources and Environment. “It might be related to pollinators or water resources or forestry.”

The Conserve Sauk Film Festival was presented in 2019 and 2021. Schlupp said the event was planned for 2020 but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers then decided to convert it into an event that takes place every other year. The scheduled films range in length from five to 80 minutes.

One of the films will focus on Stewart Udall, a conservationist who served as U.S. secretary of the interior from 1961 to 1969 and helped establish national parks throughout his tenure. Udall urged Americans to focus less on consumerism and economic growth and more on quality of life and environmental appreciation. He authored and co-authored 19 books, many of which covered environmental issues.

“Our natural resources are one of the biggest selling points in Sauk County and contribute to it being the fastest growing county in the region,” UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County campus director Steven Swallen said. “UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County takes pride in being part of this, and in being both a contributor to and a steward of these resources.”

David Olson, an instructor at UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County who also serves on Baraboo’s Common Council, said Sauk County is “one of the major conservation hotspots in Wisconsin.” Students at the university have worked with the Aldo Leopold Foundation, International Crane Foundation and other conservation organizations in the county, Olson added.

The first film of the festival will be “Rise Up Again: Exploring our Shared Humanity,” which Schlupp said explores an increased sense of community and togetherness following the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting social isolation.

Schlupp is a co-director of “Running Free: The Baraboo River Restoration Story,” which was released in 2021 and is being shown at the festival for the second time. The film was made as a 20-year dedication to the last dam removal from the river, which took place in 2001 after area conservation groups decided to remove dams in the late 1990s.

“It was free-flowing, which hadn’t been the case since the 1930s or even earlier than that,” Schlupp said.

The Sauk Soil and Water Improvement Group has a nine-minute film dedicated to its work with farmers and community partners. Soil health and water quality improvement through education and agriculture methods are the organization’s primary focuses.

“We have a lot of people who enjoy our natural resources,” Schlupp said, adding that the films raise a litany of environmental issues and present solutions.

Preservation of bee and other pollinator populations, preventing soil erosion, reducing excess energy consumption, emphasizing local meat production and purchases, and wildfires will also be covered. “Breaking Trail,” the story of Emily Ford, who hiked the entire 1,200-mile Ice Age Trail, is also scheduled.

“We’re eager to host the 2023 Conserve Sauk Film Festival on campus on Nov. 4,” Swallen said, adding that the previous two events have been at the campus.

The festival will also host discussions on the films, Swallen said, adding that he expects between 200 and 300 people to attend.