Butterflies & Bulldozers

Gr 9 Up—Set in the metropolitan region of the San Francisco Bay, this inspiring documentary explores the roots of contemporary American environmentalism. San Bruno Mountain is the largest undeveloped urban landmass in the United States. Through the socio-political and biological history of the mountain in the second half of the last century, viewers are oriented to an engrossing tale that demonstrates the myriad issues informing modern conservation practice. Told mainly through lively first-person narratives, bountiful archives, and current geographic imaging, this film is brimming with humor and visual beauty. Beginning with the advocacy efforts of both the "little old ladies in tennis shoes" who helped found Save the Bay and the grassroots efforts of the local citizenry, the story moves from the boardroom to the backyard, from city hall to the courtroom. While the endangered species of butterflies present on the mountain provided an attractive emblem for the struggle, the story is ultimately about the collective human efforts to protect the natural world. The story presents the wide-reaching challenges to federal laws and the damaged alliances and friendships in a balanced way that allows viewers to arrive at their own conclusions about the best direction forward. Highly recommended for public library collections, high school science and service learning programs, and college-level media collections.—Vincent M. Livoti, University of Maine at Augusta