Driftless Region Feature Film
John Howe, the executive director of the Raptor Resource Project, hangs off of a cliff at the peregrine banding site while filming with a GoPro high definition camera on his helmet. Audiences can expect eye-popping, ultra-high definition imagery from death-defying perspectives as filmmakers scale precipitous, rocky cliffs and plunge to murky, turbulent depths in the Mighty Mississippi. (Photos submitted)
A young peregrine falcon is about to get banded.
Filming picks up for Driftless Region feature
By Ted Pennekamp
The filming of a documentary about the Driftless Region has kicked into high gear with the coming of the summer season. The feature length film, tentatively titled “Decoding the Driftless,” is being produced by area filmmakers Tim Jacobson and George Howe.
Jacobson and Howe won an Emmy Award for their acclaimed short “Mysteries of the Driftless.” The new film will allow Jacobson and Howe to go into greater depth in depicting the environment, unusual wildlife, landscape and success stories of the Driftless Region.
On May 29, Jacobson and Howe were filming for Sustainable Driftless, Inc. at a peregrine falcon banding session north of La Crescent, Minn. and got some excellent footage, some of which was captured by rappelling down the cliff face and using GoPro high definition cameras attached to helmets.
The new feature length film will employ aerial filming, underwater filming and the use of GoPro cameras in a variety of ways.
The filming of the peregrine falcon young will help to highlight the success of the Peregrine Falcon Raptor Resource Project. Other success stories will be focused upon as well, including sustainable farming practices, trout stream rehabilitation projects and organic farming and cooperatives.
“When our Driftless Environmental Education Project (DEEP) film effort merged with Julia Henley’s DriftlessNotes publishing effort early this year, we created a new nonprofit organization, Sustainable Driftless, Inc.,” said Jacobson. “Our mission is to inspire resource conservation, vibrant communities, and sustainable growth in the Driftless Region.
“We convinced the IRS to process our application for 501c3 nonprofit status on an expedited basis, and that status has been confirmed. We have secured more than $60,000 in funding to date, with a number of other potential funding partners expressing considerable interest in getting involved.
“We continue to look for local businesses, communities, individuals, and other nonprofit conservation-related organizations to join us in our effort to promote the region to visitors, potential residents, and entrepreneurs, as well as to better connect locals with our amazing landscape.”
Jacobson noted that the film is also being made through the non-profit organization Untamed Science. Rob Nelson of Untamed Science, who was the director of “Mysteries of the Driftless,” will be the on-camera personality of “Decoding the Driftless,” which will also feature the work of Academy Award winning cinematographer Neil Rettig who resides north of Prairie du Chien.
In addition to the feature-length documentary currently being filmed and expected to be completed by early 2017, other venues for the newly formed Sustainable Driftless include:
•“Sustainable Driftless Journal,” which will feature gorgeous photography and compelling writing, and is designed to be a keepsake not to be tossed away but shared.
•DriftlessNotes.com, a weekly online news aggregation and commentary which will be expanding to include restaurant reviews and the “On Common Ground” feature, along with promoting major events for each county.
•DriftlessNotesLIFE, an e-zine with original content from a variety of perspectives and expertise throughout the region.
•Sustainable Driftless social media, which constantly links and engages to help communities thrive.
Sustainable Driftless aims to inspire people with innovative film, digital, print and live communication.
Anyone interested in helping Sustainable Driftless to make the film and their range of other publications, can contact them at PO Box 1231, La Crosse, WI, 54602 or at (608) 386-2563, or log on to SustainableDriftless.org.
