Thursday, December 2, 2010

Border Film Festival in Tucson Dec. 11

Border Film Festival
The Loft Cinema
Date: Saturday, December 11, 2010
Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Address:
3233 E Speedway Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85716

If you'd like to attend this event you can RSVP online.

http://action.sierraclub.org/site/Calendar?id=148602&view=Detail

Much of the American public is unaware of the devastation caused by U.S.-Mexico border policy. The most destructive component is the newly constructed border wall. More than 600 miles of walls have been built from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, fragmenting endangered species habitat, causing erosion and flooding, and tearing apart fragile ecosystems.

The wall also has a human toll. The border wall reroutes migrants into the remote deserts of Arizona where dehydration and exposure are rampant. As a result, the number of border-crossing deaths has more than doubled since 1995.

Join us at this film festival to learn more and to find out what you can do to help.

Admission is FREE!!

Sponsored by Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, Coalition de Derechos Humanos, Defenders of Wildlife, No More Deaths, and Sky Island Alliance.

http://sierraclub.org/borderlands/

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Wild Versus Wall: The environmental impact of our border policy

Monday, November 29 · 7:00pm - 8:30pm

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St. Andrew United Methodist Church
3350 White Bay Drive
Highlands Ranch, CO

a free screening of Sierra Club's documentary Wild Versus Wall in Highlands Ranch, CO!

Much of the American public is unaware of the devastation being caused by harmful U.S border and trade policies. The most symbolic and destructive infrastructure resulting from these bad policies is the newly-constructed U.S.-Mexico border wall. Over 600 miles of border wall have been built from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexi...co, fragmenting endangered species habitat, causing erosion and flooding, and tearing apart fragile ecosystems found within Wilderness Areas and Wildlife Refuges, National Monuments and National Forests, and other protected private and public lands.

This presentation begins with a screening of the Sierra Club border film, "Wild Versus Wall," which has been newly-updated for 2010. It shows the ecological effects of enforcement and infrastructure in the four states that share boundaries with Mexico. It also showcases the unique natural landscapes of our border southwest. The film demonstrates the ineffectiveness of this kind of enforcement-only approach to border security, and stresses the importance of addressing root causes such as unfair trade policies and quality of life issues.

Following the film, Dan Millis, Borderlands Campaign Organizer for Arizona’s Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club, will present a slideshow featuring more in-depth aspects of the areas that have been affected, different types of border wall, and its costs to taxpayers.

Born and raised in Arizona, Dan has worked on border issues there since 2005. He is also a volunteer with the border humanitarian aid group No More Deaths, and is the recipient of the 2010 Derechos Humanos Corazon de Justicia Award for environmental work.

To learn more about the Sierra Club Borderlands Campaign and take action, check out their website at: http://www.sierraclub.org/borderlands/

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Sierra Club Borderlands Campaign: Continental Divide, a Photo Exhibit of the Border

November 2-5, 2010
Cabot Lodge, 2375 North State Street
Jackson, Mississippi
Located at State Street and Riverside Drive
Free!

Much of the American public is unaware of the devastation being caused by harmful U.S border and trade policies. The most symbolic and destructive infrastructure resulting from these bad policies is the newly-constructed U.S.-Mexico border wall. Over 600 miles of border wall have been built from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, fragmenting endangered species habitat, causing erosion and flooding, and tearing apart fragile ecosystems found within Wilderness Areas and Wildlife Refuges; National Monuments and National Forests; and other protected lands, both public and private.

Recently, the International League of Conservation Photographers sent a team of world-renowned photographers to the borderlands of the United States and Mexico to document the wildlife, ecology, and effect of the border wall on this landscape. This region is a shared conservation treasure of international importance that harbors some of the most biodiverse landscapes on the continent. Many species here are found nowhere else in the US, and nowhere else in Mexico and some are found nowhere else on Earth. The photographs taken are now on exhibit, touring the United States. A sample of photos in the exhibit can be viewed here.

The Borderlands Team of the Sierra Club is bringing this exhibit to Jackson, Mississippi. The team is comprised of Sierra Club staff and volunteers from across the nation. You can learn more about the team by visiting and joining the Activist Network or by visiting www.sierraclub.org/borderlands.

Dates exhibit is open for viewing:
Tue Nov 2 5:30pm - 8:30pm
Wed Nov 3 5:30pm - 8:30pm
Thu Nov 4 5:30pm - 8:30pm
Fri Nov 5* 9am - 9pm

* Join us for a screening of the Sierra Club produced film, Wild Versus Wall, at 5:15 pm on Friday, November 5th. The film details the ecological effects of enforcement and infrastructure in all four southern Border States. The film demonstrates the ineffectiveness of this kind of enforcement-only approach to border security, and stresses the importance of addressing root causes such as unfair trade policies. A five minute trailer for the film can be viewed here. Refreshments will be provided for the screening!

The Exhibit is being held in conjunction with the Unity Conference sponsored by MIRA and SCLC.

For more information about the Sierra Club's Borderlands Campaign, visit http://sierraclub.org/borderlands/

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Sierra Club screening Wild vs. Wall in San Diego August 21

The Sierra Club’s Borderlands Team will be screening the film Wild vs. Wall in San Diego at the Joyce Beers Uptown Community Center on Saturday, August 21, beginning at 7:30pm. Wild vs. Wall is a 20 minute documentary about the environmental effects of the border wall.

Dan Millis, who works for the Sierra Club out of Tucson, will speak after the film and answer any questions. He has extensive knowledge of the southern Arizona borderlands and the environmental and human impacts of enforcement measures border-wide.

More than 600 miles of border walls and barriers have been constructed in all four southern border states. Using the power to waive laws granted by the Real ID Act, 36 federal laws, including the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act, have been brushed aside to speed up construction. Border walls have been built through National Monuments and Wildlife Refuges, state parklands, and Nature Conservancy and Audubon sanctuaries. Wall construction has involved the condemnation and bulldozing of thousands of acres, the fragmentation of crucial habitat for endangered species, the triggering of flooding, and large-scale erosion. Border walls have also led to the deaths of thousands of immigrants by funneling them into remote, and often deadly, terrain.

Wild vs. Wall
Joyce Beers Uptown Community Center
1220 Cleveland Avenue
Suite M-100
San Diego, CA 92103


For directions and information on parking, visit http://joycebeers.com/

For those unable to attend, Wild vs. Wall can be viewed on the Borderlands Team’s website, http://sierraclub.org/borderlands/ , where you can also tour the border using Google Earth, get more information about the border wall’s impacts, learn about the Real ID Act, and find out how you can help.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

ARTE CONTRA EL MURO/ ART AGAINST THE WALL

ARTE CONTRA EL MURO/ ART AGAINST THE WALL

EXHIBITION TO OPEN IN BROWNSVILLE ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28
Hope Park, 12th and St. Charles, noon – 5 pm
Galeria 409, 409 E. 13th St.
Contact Mark Clark (956) 455-3599
Galeria409@yahoo.com
www.galeria409.com

Artists opposed to the construction of the Department of Homeland Security's new border wall will hang an exhibition of paintings and sculptures on the wall itself at noon on Sunday, February 28th at the once scenic Hope Park in historic downtown Brownsville, Texas. The exhibition is designed to draw attention to the waste of tax dollars used to produce this 18 foot tall, six hundred mile long barrier that cost an estimated 12 to 18 million dollars a mile. 34 federal, state and local laws and regulations were waived to facilitate construction of the iron fence that many Mexicans and south Texas residents now refer to as "El Berlin".

Construction of the rusting wall was recently completed through Hope Park, located at 12th and St. Charles Street, which was the site of the Homeland Security chief's press conference announcing the kickoff of the controversial project. The site was apparently selected as a backdrop for Chertoff's remarks because of its once picturesque view of the Rio Grande and the Gateway Bridge to Matamoros.

Numerous trees were removed for the right of way for the fence and historic marble plaques marking the start of the Chisolm Trail, the beginning point for many nineteenth century cattle drives, now butt up against the iron wall.

Organizers selected the date for the one day exhibition to coincide with Brownsville's annual Charro Days celebration during which Matamoros mayor Eric Silva and Brownsville's mayor Pat Ahumada came together on the bridge to exchange "abrazos", and pledges of brotherhood between the two cities.

Following the five p.m. closing of the one day outdoor show, the art work is slated to move to Galeria 409, a block away from the park at 409 East 13th Street, for a one month long run.

The Galeria 409’s laconic director, Mark Clark states he'll "do almost anything legal to oppose the border fence. It's going to block my view of the river". His 158 year old gallery building overlooks a bend in the river that will soon disappear behind this iron curtain.

Galeria 409’s hours are from twelve to five on Saturday and Sunday and by appointment during the week by calling (956) 455-3599.