REGISTER NOW! 11th Annual Gila River Festival September 24 – 27, 2015
The 11th annual Gila River Festival – Finding Balance in a Changing World – planned in and around Silver City, September 24 – 27, 2015, will explore the inherent tension between modern society’s technological sophistication and our imperative to live within the bounds of the natural world. How do we balance humanity’s needs and desires while living within the confines of nature, and with respect for other living beings? What does our current imbalance mean for the Gila River and its watershed?
One of the Southwest’s premier nature festivals, the Gila River Festival attracts an audience of nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts eager to learn about and experience the Gila’s natural wonders. Festival attendees will enjoy a variety of expert-guided field trips in the Gila National Forest and along the Gila River; a keynote talk by filmmaker Godfrey Reggio, director of the acclaimed film Koyaanisqatsi; Gila Time-lapse Film Fest; panel discussion by author and activist Jack Loeffler and guests; presentations by Norm Gaume, former director of the Interstate Stream Commission, engineer Mark Stone, climate scientist David Gutzler, and fish biologist David Propst; kayaking; puppet parade and street party, featuring live music by the Roadrunners and others; a downtown art walk; and more.
World-renowned filmmaker Godfrey Reggio, director of the groundbreaking ‘Qatsi Trilogy,’ will give the keynote address, entitled “Take a Walk on the Wild Side.” His premise is that we don’t merely use technology: we live it. Einstein said, “The fish will be the last to know water,” and we will be the last to know technology.
To complement Reggio’s keynote, the Gila Time-lapse Film Festival will explore man’s relationship to nature and technology. Reggio’s three Qatsi films– Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, and Naqoyqatsi — will be screened along with films from around the world and the southwest. Desert Flower, filmed in Joshua Tree National Park, Jewel of the Dolomites filmed in northern Italy, and Light Study from Canada will be featured as part of the Gila Time-lapse Film Fest.
Hopi filmmaker Victor Masayesva will introduce three of his films: Paatuwaqatsi-H2opi Run to Mexico, Time Keepers-Calendario Desconocido, and Color of Wilderness. Guggenheim fellow Michael Berman will give a presentation on his photographic journeys in the wilderness, and also host a tour at his Mimbres photography studio.
Writer, aural-historian, and conservationist Jack Loeffler will lead “Thinking Like a Watershed,” a panel discussion with Dr. Rina Swentzell, who will represent the Puebloan sense of coherence, Dr. Enrique Lamadrid, an authority on the history of acequias, and Steve Harris, director of Rio Grande Restoration and proprietor of Far Flung Adventures. At a Saturday brunch, Jack Loeffler will regale us with stories about his decades-long friendship with the late writer Edward Abbey, “a gadfly with the wingspan of a buzzard.”
Free presentations on September 24 and 25 will impart information about different aspects of the Gila River. Water resources engineer Dr. Mark Stone will discuss how a diversion on the Gila River would affect the river’s healthy functioning, and fish biologist Dr. David Propst will talk about how the diversion would impact imperiled native fish populations. Dr. David Gutzler will present historical river flow data as compared to climate change predictions. Former Interstate Stream Commission director Norm Gaume will discuss not only the fatally flawed Gila River diversion, but also the common-sense opportunities for southwest New Mexico to meet its water needs. Fort Sill Apache leaders talk about their historic ties to the Gila River watershed.
Carrying on festival tradition, we will offer guided hikes such as birding, geology, native plants, Apache rock art, river changes, potential diversion sites, and more. Again this year, we’ll host the ever-popular Gila River kayak trip. The Monsoon Puppet Theater will lead another colorful Gila River Festival parade through downtown Silver City with handmade puppets and masks celebrating the Gila’s diversity of wildlife. The parade ends at Bullard and Yankie, where we’ll close the street for a party featuring kids’ activities, food, and music by Silver City’s own No Dam Diversions, Bayou Seco and Friends, and the Roadrunners. After dark, new media professor Peter Bill’s Gila Time-lapse Film Festival will project films onto the Murray Hotel, accompanied by street performers and musician Danny Reyes.
Other events include a bike tour of Silver City rainwater harvesting sites with restorationist Van Clothier; a fly fishing workshop led by Dutch Salmon of the Gila Conservation Coalition and Trout Unlimited’s Jason Amaro and Toner Mitchell. Art events include a self-guided tour of local galleries, and a reception for Gila River artwork at McCray Gallery. The festival concludes with contemplations and meditations at the river, facilitated by Lotus Center teachers.