A Letter to Congress

I originally set out to make this film as a sort of homage to Wallace Stegner and the enduring words he wrote in his famous 'Wilderness Letter' to Congress in 1960. His poetic appeal for robust and comprehensive conservation efforts of America’s wild lands gave me pause. In this current political climate his words began to take on new meaning. His plea for what wilderness can do for us is more relevant now than ever. Thousands of acres of our remaining public lands are threatened everyday. We need to stand together to protect America's wild lands from being sold off to the highest bidder. We must preserve wilderness as a "means of reassuring ourselves of our sanity as creatures, a part of the geography of hope."

Watch the film and take action:
hipcamp.com/action

Special thanks to Avocados & Coconuts, Hipcamp and everyone that contributed their amazing talents to making this film.

Read the full letter and learn more about Wallace Stegner:
wilderness.org/…/former-council-memb…/wallace-stegner

Produced by Avocados and Coconuts - avocadosandcoconuts.com

Director: Christopher Newman
Producer: Dalia Burde
Creative Director: Amani King
Production Coordinator: Bijan Rafie-Tari
Editor: Dana Shaw
Directors of Photography: Keenan Newman, David Bourke, Matthew Rome
1st AC: Troy Dickerson
Additional Footage: Devin Whetstone, Skysight, Kate Arizmendi
Water Camera: Stephen Amato
Aerials: Drew Kass
Sound Recording: Luiza Sá-Davis
Music by Daniel Hart
Color: Chris Martin (Mission Film Design)
Sound Mix: Chris Konovaliv (Audiolux)
Post Producers: Jess Manning, Angie Golden Henry

Special Thanks: Mendocino Magic, Oz Farm, Salmon Creek Ranch, Mackenzie O’Donnel, Anu Adeboje, Sarah Felker, Leah Hefner, Cooper Kenward, Gaby Scott, Fritz Jacobs, Natalie Vall-Freed

Cast: Christopher Newman

Tags: wilderness, camping, conservation, outside, outdoors, wilderness letter, environmentalism, wallace stegner, hipcamp, environment, public land and backcountry