A free public screening and discussion of "The Greatest Good," a new documentary film made in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the U.S. Forest Service, will be presented April 13 at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The Center of the American West and the International Film Series are presenting the film at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Muenzinger Psychology building on the CU-Boulder campus. Producer and director Dave Steinke will introduce the film and answer questions from the audience.
A panel discussion following the film will include Steinke, U.S. Forest Service officials Rick Cables and James Bedwell, and CU-Boulder Professor Patricia Limerick, faculty director and chair of the Center of the American West.
Filmed in high-definition, "The Greatest Good" surveys the natural and political landscapes surrounding the Forest Service since its creation in 1905. The fate of public lands has constantly been debated by conservationists, ranchers, loggers and other stakeholders. "The Greatest Good" includes commentary from representatives of national organizations, major corporations, historians, political activists and managers of national forests and grasslands.
Steinke is assistant director for public affairs and runs the creative services department for the Forest Service's Rocky Mountain region. After working in television for a number of years, Steinke began filming for the Forest Service 24 years ago and has served in a variety of roles. He also is a qualified fire photographer and incident information officer.
Cables has been regional forester for the Rocky Mountain region since 2001, administering more than 22 million acres in 17 national forests and seven national grasslands, and managing cooperative efforts with state and private landowners in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and eastern Wyoming. He has served as forest supervisor of the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire and Maine, as well as the Pike and San Isabel National Forests and Comanche and Cimarron National Grasslands in Colorado and Kansas.
Bedwell is forest supervisor of Colorado's Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland. He leads the management of 1.7 million acres of land that host the second highest number of recreational users - 29 million visits annually - of any unit in the National Forest system. He also coordinates issues management among Colorado's six other forest managers and with the Colorado Legislature and state agencies.
Limerick was an assistant professor at Harvard University before joining the CU-Boulder history faculty in 1984. She is a Western American historian and author, with special interests in ethnic and environmental history. A MacArthur Fellow, Limerick has also won the Hazel Barnes Prize, the top teaching and research award for CU-Boulder faculty.
For more information about "The Greatest Good," visit . For more information on the CU-Boulder Center of the American West visit or call (303) 492-4879.