03/03/2026
When I carve my lino prints, I usually have a documentary playing in the background. The films I’ve been watching lately all circle around the same core idea that our relationship with the natural world is broken in many ways, but it is also worth fighting for.
“The Rights of Nature” explores a global movement to grant legal rights to ecosystems. This shifts away from the idea that nature is simply property to be owned and extracted. Stemming from Indigenous worldviews, countries like Ecuador and New Zealand have begun recognizing rivers and landscapes as legal entities. The film does not ignore the challenges of implementing such laws, but it ultimately argues that granting rights to nature represents a necessary shift that could restore the balance between human and non-human nature.
The theme of Indigenous leadership and environmental justice is further explored in “Tribal Waters”. The film focuses on the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes and their relationship with the Wind River. There is discussion about historic injustices and water rights battles, but more than anything, the film shows resilience. The tribes’ efforts to protect the river while building a sustainable, recreation-based economy demonstrate how environmental stewardship can be implemented.
“The Nature of Nature: Biodiversity in the Hudson Valley” focuses on ecological complexity from forests to rare freshwater tidal wetlands. With the ongoing threat of climate change and biodiversity loss, the film underscores a simple but urgent truth that all living things are interconnected. Protecting ecosystems is necessary for both environmental and human well-being.
The stakes of biodiversity loss become even more tangible in “Bird of Prey”, which follows the effort to save the critically endangered Philippine Eagle. Expanding agriculture, population growth, and illegal poaching have significantly reduced the eagle’s forest habitat. The film is heartbreaking at times, but there is also an emphasis on hope by showing how dedicated conservationists can make a difference.
“Public Trust” sheds light on the fight to defend America’s public lands from extractive industries. It frames public lands as places that offer freedom, refuge, and connection. By tracing the political battles that threaten these spaces, the documentary calls on viewers to recognize that protecting public lands depends on collective responsibility and public action.
Watching these documentaries while carving reminds me that the landscapes and wildlife I take inspiration from are part of much bigger systems and stories. Through my prints, I hope to encourage others to notice and appreciate the natural world a little more. As many of these films make clear, connection is often the first step toward care, care is what drives conservation, and conservation is what helps protect the ecosystems we all depend on.
