Adventure, ecology and a celebration of lives intertwined with nature — these are the themes showcased for over a decade at the Middle Colorado Watershed Council’s Wild and Scenic Film Festival fundraiser.

Produced by the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL), the flagship Wild and Scenic Film Festival is held annually in Nevada City and Grass Valley, California. The festival then tours the county, bringing select films to local audiences through over 100 events — including the Middle Colorado Watershed Council’s — each year. 

“It’s my favorite event in the valley,” said Kate Collins, the council’s executive director. “The cinematography and the artistry of the independent filmmakers is always…good.

“I love…the diversity of the short films,” she added. “It’s eye candy of beautiful places and habitats, wildlife and nature.”

The Wild and Scenic Film Festival is the council’s largest annual fundraiser. It introduces new audiences and welcomes longstanding supporters to its ongoing work to protect and strengthen the middle Colorado River watershed, which is 75 miles of river spanning 2,200 miles from east Glenwood Canyon to DeBeque.

The council serves as a collaborative platform for stakeholders to tackle water-related issues and works with more than 30 partners and sponsors, including Garfield County, the Roaring Fork Conservancy and the Colorado River District. It also promotes environmental education and stewardship, all while pursuing long-term sustainability for the Colorado River — ensuring future access to quality water for years to come. 

Garfield County residents can catch selections from the 2025 Wild and Scenic Film Festival on Thursday, Oct. 2 at the Glenwood Vaudeville Revue, Saturday, Oct. 4 at the Ute Theater in Rifle or virtually on-demand from Oct. 2-11. 

This year’s event will feature a dozen short, independent films curated for regional audiences from the Wild and Scenic Film Festival’s full lineup. Audiences can experience the stark beauty of Arctic landscapes in “Arctic Ice: Under the Midnight Sun,” learn about the forest restoration treatments that helped slow Colorado’s Cameron Peak Fire in “Fireforest” and watch a group of dedicated crossing guards guide frogs and salamanders across a busy road in “Friends of the Frogpool Lane” among other stories. 

Attendees in Glenwood Springs can purchase dinner and drinks starting at 6 p.m. before the film program begins at 7 p.m. The event will also feature prize drawings, which include restaurant and ice cream gift certificates, and a live auction. Auction items include Broncos tickets, ski lift tickets, a trip for four to a cabin in Lake City and much more. 

In Rifle, festival-goers can enjoy snacks, drinks and door prizes.

To encourage youth engagement, the Middle Colorado Watershed Council is partnering with Generation Wild/Garfield County Outdoors to offer free admission for Garfield Re-2 and Garfield Re-16 middle and high school students and teachers with pre-registration.

“We have seen trends of increased aridity, less predictable precipitation and increased temperatures and the data indicates that that isn’t going to change,” Collins said. “The people who will be working with (the changing world) will be our youth in the future.

“It is my hope that the youth who take advantage of the complimentary scholarship tickets will feel inspired and motivated,” she later added.

In the face of a changing climate and persistent drought, community efforts in watershed protection are more important than ever.

For Garfield County residents, the Wild and Scenic Film Festival offers more than inspiring entertainment — it’s an opportunity “to be a part of a fundraising and awareness event that is important for all of us in this watershed, in the face of increasing drought, increasing wildfire risk, and an increasing need for all of us to learn how to adapt to less water in the future,” Collins said.