Schiff Natural Lands Trust will team up with Base Camp Adventure Outfitters in Bernardsville for the fourth year to co-host the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival on Friday, June 1, and Saturday, June 2 at Schiff Nature Preserve, 339 Pleasant Valley Road, at 6:30 p.m.  

Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased online or by calling the Nature Center at 973-543-6004, as well as at Base Camp Adventure Outfitters, 30 Olcott Square, Bernardsville, and Mendham Books in the King’s Shopping Center on Route 24. Only 100 tickets will be sold for each night.

From urban agriculture to adventurers, to some very creative recycling, the award-winning, independent movies cover a variety of environmental topics and range in length from 5-25 minutes. Movie-goers may opt for a short night hike up to the theater from the Nature Center out to the theater.

“The best part of the festival is that it has become a fixture in our community,” said Marissa Hartzler, Schiff’s Executive Director. “Some fans of Schiff’s festival that consider this event the unofficial start to their summer. Our hope is that the combination of the beautiful location with these amazing films inspires viewers to explore something new in nature once the festival is over.” The festival has also attracted local sponsors such as King’s Supermarkets, The Willow School and Mendham Capital Management.

Wild & Scenic On Tour makes the films available to nonprofit organizations for fundraising and to build environmental awareness. All proceeds from the event will support Schiff, a nonprofit organization dedicated to acquiring and preserving open space, serving as a model of environmental education and stewardship, and improving the ecological value of our community’s natural areas. Schiff’s Nature Center and 14 miles of trails are open to the public for environmental education, research and passive recreational activities.

The Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival was started by the watershed advocacy group, the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL),a watershed advocacy group out of Nevada City, California, in 2003. The three-day event features over 125 award-winning films, a variety of guest speakers, celebrities and activists making it the largest environmental festival in North America. More than 90 communities host SYRCL’s festival each year and national partners include Clif Bar, Mother Jones, Osprey Packs, Patagonia and Sierra Nevada Brewing.

To purchase tickets online, visit www.schiffnaturepreserve.org/filmfest. Tickets are also available at the Schiff Nature Center, as well as Base Camp Adventure Outfitters, 30 Olcott Square, Bernardsville, and Mendham Books, Kings Shopping Center, Route 24 West, Mendham.