Field Reports: Backcountry Film Festival coming to Spokane this week

From staff reports

A suite of backcountry films is coming to the Garland Theater on Friday.

The Backcountry Film Festival will include a handful of short documentaries and ski movies meant to get snow lovers excited for winter.

It’s the 20th year of the festival, which is put on by Winter Wildlands Alliance with showings in dozens of cities around the west. Additional showings are planned for Sandpoint and Moscow, Idaho, in January.

The Spokane show is hosted by the Spokane Mountaineers. It will raise money for the Mountaineers, the Lands Council and the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center.

Doors open at 6 p.m. for a happy hour film entitled “Camp Blank,” produced by the Blank Collective. Lights dim at 7 p.m. for the main event.

Tickets are $12 and can be purchased atzeffy.com/ticketing/dcf93bec-ad18-4c6e-a9e8-efe06ebb745f.

Area Christmas bird counts come up soon

This year marks the 125th year of the Audubon Society’s annual Christmas bird counts. Local ornithology enthusiasts have two counts they can help with coming up.

The Spokane Audubon Society announced in a news release that it is inviting birdwatchers of all skill levels to help with a count in Cheney on Dec. 15 and another in the Spokane area on Jan. 4.

The counts take place nationwide each year between Dec. 14 and Jan. 6 and are part of the longest running census of birds in North America. Data collected contributes to ornithologists’ understanding of the status of various species, and informs actions to protect them and their habitat.

Each count is done in a circle with a diameter of 15 miles. At least 10 volunteers count in each circle. Smaller parties break up and follow specific routes that change slightly each year, and they count every bird they see.

Those interested in participating must contact the count compiler to participate.

To sign up for the Dec. 15 count in Cheney, contact Michael Woodruff by email at mkd.woodruff@gmail.com or by phone at (509) 496-7973.

For the Jan. 4 Spokane count, contact Tim O’Brien by email at kertim7179@yahoo.com or by phone at (509) 850-7114.

More information about the counts and a map of count circles are available at christmasbirdcount.org.