Brilliant Nature Documentary Premiers in Pagosa on Sept. 25

“You never know what you will find when you hunt orchids in the Rocky Mountains!”

‒ Stig Dalstrom

The Weminuche Auduban Society is proud to present the full length feature film, “Wild Orchid Man On The Rocks” on Wednesday, September 25… a film by Darryl Saffer starring Stig Dalstrom, the ‘Wild Orchid Man.’  Don’t miss the free special screening at 5:30pm at the Liberty Theatre.  Admission is free to this premiere showing.

This is the 7th feature film on the fascinating hunt for wild orchids around the globe. From the ‘Queen of Sheba’ in Western Australia to the endangered ‘Ghost Orchid’ in the Florida Everglades, from Machu Picchu to the Hudson Bay, and Tasmania, the intrepid duo have chased and recorded many of the 26,000 species that can be found with great effort, and just plain luck.

Stig, a world renowned taxonomist from Sweden (who is also an American citizen), with his friend and producer Darryl Saffer, set out to explore the Rocky Mountains in search of the elusive orchid. And some of the delicate varieties were hiding in plain sight.

That mountain exploration resulted in the current film, “Wild Orchid Man On The Rocks”, that has recently been selected for showing at international film festivals and has already won awards in London, Paris, Florence, New York and Hollywood. Their previous film, “Wild Orchid Man, Search for the Queen of Sheba” has garnered 19 documentary film prizes in international competitions.

Darryl Saffer, photographer, editor and composer, is also the creator of “Pagosa Is My Name” which has attracted world wide attention bringing home 18 awards. Both films are narrated by his wife, J. Diane Cirksena, who has received two awards for her efforts. The couple lives in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.

This latest film is more than finding rare orchids, and is more than a travelogue. It’s all of that, but also about changes the flora and fauna are experiencing due to global warming. The film touches on geology, prehistoric structures, wildlife, geothermal “hot-spots,” ornithology, herbs, climate change, and paleontology. In fact, Stig discovers a Stigosaurus! (That’s Stegosaurus, Stig!)

Venturing throughout the rugged Colorado Rockies, amidst magnificent panoramas, from Wyoming to New Mexico, the team visits many predetermined sites. We find ourselves in the old mining towns of Silverton and Summitville where Stig expounds on his second love: geology. And then we explore Elephant Rocks, Mesa Verde, Dinosaur National Monument, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Rocky Mountain National Park, Leadville and Chimney Rock National Monument, just west of Pagosa Springs, searching for the elusive wild flowers.

Along the way, many species of orchids reveal themselves satisfying Stig’s deep affection for all the children of the family Orchidaceae: little treasures like the Fairy Slippers Orchid, the Striped Coral Roots and the charismatic Yellow Lady Slipper. And then the team stumbles on a prodigious Monument Plant which can reach a height of eight feet. This unusual plant only flowers once in its long life!

All the while the Orchid Man continues a running conversation which is both educational and entertaining. Stig interviews several noted experts who share valuable information, including three from Pagosa Springs.

Keith Bruno, an Audubon Community Naturalist in Pagosa, informs us that migratory birds are dying out. “It’s a perfect storm due to climate change,” he warns. “We are now experiencing early snows, the ‘mega drought,’ fires and their thick smoke that eradicate insects — food for the birds.”  It’s estimated by US Fish and Wildlife Service that North America has lost nearly 3 billion breeding birds since 1990.

Lake McCullough, Certified Herbalist and owner of Earthsense LLC in Pagosa Springs, describes harvesting local herbs; many of which have useful medicinal properties. One can surmise that herbs as well as orchids – and all plants on the planet – are subject to the ravages of climate change. She explains how warmer winters are adversely effecting our forests.

Herb Grover, Vice President of the Weminuche Auduban Society, expounds on destructive forest fires due the mega drought, plus beetles and disease.

Terry Root, Professor Emeritus at Stanford is a climate scientist. The Professor brings it all together by making a convincing case for halting climate change before it’s too late. “Climate change is man made and the main culprit of increasing temperatures is fossil fuels. We have got to get off of our fossil fuel addiction.  It’s easy to do.  We have to change to renewable energy but we have to have the political will . . . and the personal will to change it.”  She insists that we move away from oil to renewable energy such as wind, solar, nuclear, hydro-electric and geothermal power. She blames the resistance on lobbyists and politicians. “Only 2 degrees hotter and we could lose one-half of all species…”

In short, this film shows us what a magnificent world we live in — our home in the Rocky Mountains. And to think a man from distant Sweden, and his love of the ubiquitous yet secluded wild orchid, could show us part of that world that we never knew existed, and how to save it. Thank you, Stig.

I’m looking forward to seeing “Wild Orchid Man On The Rocks” on the big screen. I’ll see you at the Liberty Theatre. And remember – free admission!

Brought to you by Studio Ray Productions and Sarasota Orchid Society.