Back by popular demand, Wildsight Golden presents their 2nd annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour Event at the Golden Civic Centre on Friday, October 16, 2026. This event will build on last year’s success with the reinstalment of the silent auction and a line-up of films close to their community. Their selection hopes to invite the public to act in favor of biodiversity and to lessen their impact on the climate by displaying an empowering list of initiatives all throughout the world to make our planet a better place.
Wildsight’s vision is to inspire a shared community desire to protect the natural world for future generations. Wildsight works locally, regionally, and globally to protect biodiversity and encourage sustainable communities in Canada’s Columbia and Rocky Mountain regions.
Since 1987, Wildsight has been recognized as a leader in large-scale conservation, sustainable community initiatives, and environmental education. While their work focuses on the Kootenays and has received recognition from the communities in which they work, they are renowned throughout the province and across Canada for their effective conservation and environmental education programs, excellence, and innovation in all that they do.
Wildsight has a regional team based throughout the Kootenays, from Golden to Fernie, Kimberley to Nelson. In addition, they work collaboratively with their six autonomous branches (in Creston, the Elk Valley, Golden, Invermere, Kimberley / Cranbrook, and Revelstoke). The values of the regional office and the branches align, but the operations differ. Wildsight Regional looks after regional programs (e.g. sustainable forestry practices, mining, or protecting wildlife), whereas the branches have more of a community focus (e.g. Spark, Invermere’s electric car share program or the Elk Valley’s EcoGarden in Fernie).
They are a grassroots organization, harnessing their power from the people whose lives affect and are affected by their work. They strive to inspire a conservation ethic in children and in their communities so that the future leaders of tomorrow will be equipped to deal with the challenges of sustainability.
Wildsight’s approach is unique. They not only work to shape and influence land-use decisions, but they guide practice and steward change on the ground. They work with industry, scientists, the teaching community, and all levels of government, including First Nations. They partner with other local, provincial, national, and international conservation and education organizations to achieve their goals.
Wildsight Golden’s main objective is to work to maintain biodiversity and healthy human communities in and around their region. Their focus is on protecting the high ecological values of the Columbia headwaters region, which continues to be one of the richest and most biologically diverse regions in the world. They participate effectively in government and community processes to promote the protection of clean air, forests, water, and overall biodiversity. They work in partnership with Wildsight Regional and other Wildsight branches on several of their initiatives. They also work on strengthening ties with other sector groups in the community to ensure that environmental protection is supported by a broad constituency.
Bastien Lye, a member of Wildsight Golden’s Board of Directors, says, “This event is Wildsight’s Golden branch’s biggest fundraiser, as well as its broadest outreach event. Many people in our town were not aware of our role before last year’s event, and we aim to reach an even greater number this year with our video on demand option.”
Bastien continues, “Organizing this event is a great way to bring more skills to the team. During our previous edition, none of us had experienced putting on an event of this scale, and we all feel more confident and comfortable leading to this year’s installment. Problem solving and team cohesion are definitely the highlights of this event from our perspective.”
