Year of Award

2012

Document Type

Thesis - Campus Access Only

Degree Type

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Name

Environmental Studies

Department or School/College

Environmental Studies Program

Committee Chair

Len Broberg

Commitee Members

Jeremy Roberts, Tom Roy

Keywords

adventure, corridors, crossing structures, cycling, documentary film, wildlife connectivity

Abstract

Davis, Douglas, M.S., Spring 2012 Environmental Studies Abstract: Rabbit/Rides: Connecting a Continent by Bike Chairperson: Dr. Len Broberg In the summer of 2011, I set out on an ambitious documentary film expedition, Connecting the Continent. For sixty-five days and 2,700-miles I pedaled a mountain bike from Mexico to Canada along the spine of the Rocky Mountains. Throughout the expedition I documented both my adventure and the wildlife of the West with vivid stills and video imagery. My goals for the expedition were multifaceted: to showcase the beauty of the West, to meditate on the connections we find in nature, and to illuminate new audiences about how we are destroying connectivity for wildlife, and how we might alter our course with improved vision and technology. In documenting this expedition from the seat of a bicycle, my hope is to lure vicarious viewers into the heart of the West, and in the process raise awareness and support for improved wildlife connectivity and human powered recreation. The documentary will be used as my thesis for my Masters in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana. This documentary will be entered in the Banff Mountain, Boulder Adventure, Big Sky, Wild and Scenic, and Sundance Film Festivals. Through the dissemination of this film, I hope to initiate new discussions about wildlife connectivity, provoke action for the creation of more crossing structures, and inspire others to take to the trail under their own human power and find connections in nature.

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© Copyright 2012 Douglas Augustus Davis