Last Stand: Saving the Elwha River's Legacy Forests
Dan Herz
23 mins | 2024
When a large, ecologically sensitive legacy forest in the heart of the Elwha River Watershed was identified for harvest, activist groups began using all legal means to stop deforestation and protect the profound beauty and ecological significance of the watershed.
Sponsored by:
morpheousStudios
When a large, ecologically sensitive legacy forest in the heart of the Elwha River Watershed was identified for harvest, the Earth Law Center, Keystone Species Alliance, and Center for Whale Research began using all legal means possible against the Washington State Department of Natural Resources in an attempt to halt the impending clear-cut. Through breathtaking cinematography and intimate interviews, witness the profound beauty and ecological significance of the watershed, as well as the dire consequences of unchecked deforestation.
Against the backdrop of stunning landscapes and stirring testimonials, "Last Stand: Saving the Elwha River's Legacy Forests" captures the urgency of the environmental crisis and the power of grassroots activism to effect positive change. In the face of unbalanced resource extraction, the film serves as a poignant reminder of the Olympic Peninsula’s interconnected ecosystem and our duty to protect and preserve the natural wonders that sustain us all.
Dan Herz
Dan Herz is a San Francisco-based Emmy Award-winning writer, producer, and director with over 30 years of experience in visual storytelling. His career began as an intern on the beloved and long-running SF Bay Area television show, Bay Area Backroads. Captivated by the show, its people, and the production process, Herz spent the next 15 years traveling, learning the craft of storytelling, and working on all aspects of the show, ultimately becoming its Executive Producer.
After his tenure at Bay Area Backroads, Herz worked on a variety of productions for NBC, PBS, and the Discovery Channel, including a writer/producer role on a documentary, featuring an 86-year-old female kung fu master, filmed in the Wudang Mountains of China.
Outside of his professional endeavors, Herz is an avid outdoor enthusiast. He spends much of his free time surfing, skiing, biking, windsurfing, and rock climbing, drawing inspiration from his adventures in nature.
He currently owns and operates NIAD Productions, a full-service production company named after a notable one-day ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan, he completed in 2005.
Herz currently co-hosts, writes, produces, edits, and shoots Open Road, a weekly television series, broadcast on NBC, profiling environmentally themed stories in and around Northern California.
CREDITS
Director
Dan Herz
Writer
Dan Herz
Producer
Missy Lahren
Producer
Karie Crisp
Producer
Julia Jackson
Producer
Russell Long
Producer
Meg Ruxton
Producer
Mary Evelyn Tucker
Producer
Tillie Walton
Key Cast
Elizabeth Dunne
DIRECTOR STATEMENT
In the heart of the Pacific Northwest’s Olympic Peninsula, lies the Elwha Watershed, a sanctuary of dense, wildlife-filled forests that stand as living testaments to the rich biodiversity and natural heritage of our planet. These legacy forests, with their life-giving, towering trees and intricate ecosystems, are now under imminent threat from logging. This documentary, “Last Stand: Saving the Elwha River’s Legacy Forests,” is an important call to recognize the urgent need to protect these irreplaceable forests. As a filmmaker, my journey through the Elwha Watershed was both awe-inspiring and sobering. The beauty and majesty of these forests starkly contrast the looming threat of their destruction. This film is not just a chronicle of a battle against logging; it is a celebration of the interconnectedness of life, the resilience of nature, and the power of community activism. This film aims to give voice to the countless species that call these forests home, the indigenous communities whose cultural heritage is intertwined with these lands, and the environmental activists who tirelessly fight to safeguard them. Through their stories, we hope to inspire a deeper understanding of and appreciation for these critical forests and galvanize a movement to protect them for future generations.