AMES, Iowa—The Ames, Iowa, not-for-profit Prairie Rivers of Iowa is presenting its Second Annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival — Where Conservation Gets Inspired. This unique event takes place on Friday, October 1 from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Ames City Auditorium. Tickets are $20 per person with children under 12 free. Sales are limited so pre-purchase is recommended online at prrcd.org or at the Prairie Rivers of Iowa office located at 2335 230th St., Suite 101, in Ames. Tickets can be purchased at the door the night of the event as available.

“Many of the festival’s six films take a look at safe and sustainable practices for farming and fishing while addressing soil and water quality challenges,” says Prairie Rivers of Iowa Event Coordinator Lisa Cassady. Anyone who enjoys the outdoors and wants to be proactive towards improving the environment will enjoy attending.

Ecologist with the National Resources Conservation Service National Plant Data Team, Chris Taliga will share a presentation about her avocation and conservation efforts that have come together during her family’s restoration of 160 acres of Iowa land into a prairie.

The festival’s finale film is the Iowa PBS documentary Iowa Land and Sky: Iowa Cities, Towns and Waterways, which explores how Iowa’s largest cities and smallest towns are often defined by waterways, flooding, and environmental challenges in the 21st century. A special presentation from one of the film’s producers Travis Graven follows.

Light food and drinks by Wheatsfield Co-op will be available for purchase and a silent auction will be held to benefit Iowa’s natural resources. Organizations working to improve Iowa’s environment will be on hand to share information and ideas with attendees.

This event is made possible by the generosity of Gina McAndrews Real Estate Team, Friends of Ada Hayden Heritage Park, City of Ames, Outdoor Alliance of Story County, Alluvial Brewing and Wheatsfield Co-op.

As a bonus, five days of online streaming following the festival (excluding the special presentations) is included for ticket holders unable to attend in person or for those who are inspired to watch it again and again!

This event is part of the three-day Ames River Town of the Year Celebration starting on Thursday, September 30 with a lecture and book signing by conservationist, CNN’s 2013 Hero of the Year and Living Lands and Water founder Chad Pregracke and then ends with a river and stream cleanup on Saturday, October 2 in Ames.

Complete information for all the events is found on the Prairie Rivers of Iowa website prrcd.org.

The Iowa PBS documentary Iowa Land and Sky: Iowa Cities, Towns and Waterways exploring how Iowa’s largest cities and smallest towns are often defined by waterways, flooding, and environmental challenges is the Wild and Scenic Film Festival’s finale documentary

Wild and Scenic Film Festival Presented by Prairie Rivers of Iowa