BE WILD TO REWILD What is wildness and to what extent is the concept of domestication based on a fear of the unfamiliar, of wildness? Permanently rewilding the floodplains and steep slopes in and around the Mississippi River Watershed is a priority for the environmental health of the United States. But significant changes in human consumption are also needed in order for us to live within the bounds of sustainability. In order to make those changes in our environment, we need to start with addressing our own wildness. We must learn to be more trusting, and more trustworthy. Award-winning filmmaker Dick DeAngelis offers “Be Wild to ReWild" as a glimpse into the wildness. Based on his interviews with three national rewilding and wilderness experts, this film brings to light who we are and our relationship with nature. What will it take to help all life, human and non-human, survive and thrive as we move forward?

Cedar Creek is a thought-provoking short film about one small but important creek in Jefferson County, Iowa and what happened to the water and the wildlife when the creek was altered. Written and directed by award-winning documentarian Dick DeAngelis and made possible by a Community Art Gathering grant from the BeWildReWild Fund.

This clip is an excerpt from the award-winning documentary "A Place To Grow" by filmmaker Dick DeAngellis. To watch the entire film, go to www.vimeo.com/ondemand/placetogrow NATIVE AMERICAN WOMAN SEEDKEEPERS OF IOWA In traditional Native American culture, women are connected to both the moon and water. The moon controls tides of water on earth. That refers to a woman’s fertility. When a woman is carrying a child, her belly looks like a moon and it’s filled with water. When children enter from the Spirit realm to the physical world, they enter into this world through water. Through that connection, women also have a connection to seeds because seeds are also creation and life, and they have a deep love for those seeds. So much so that they were the seed keepers of the tribe. - Marisa Miakonda Cummings, Indigenous Agriculturalist Native Seedkeeper painting by Mark Shafer

Two heroes of the Underground Railroad were James and Nancy Yancey. Hear about their story as a black couple in Fairfield, Iowa before, during and after the Civil War.

This film uncovers the Underground Railroad activities of the people of Fairfield, Iowa town during the 1830s to the 1860s. Through deep research by local and state historians, this section of the award-winning film HEROES OF FAIRFIELD tells the story of what happened here in and around the time of the CIvil War.

for more info, go to www.bigriverconnectivity.org Big River Connectivity Wildlife Crossings Project is requesting volunteers with a passion for nature to take the next step towards reconnecting parts of the Mississippi River Watershed. You can help us bring wildness back to your local area and our greater vision for a wilder, more beautiful, more biologically diverse, and more enduring Mississippi River Watershed.