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A new documentary on the Owyhee Canyonlands helps explain the appeal of what conservationists have dubbed “Oregon’s Grand Canyon,” out in the southeastern part of the state.
The 32-minute film Resilience Rising: Echoes of Owyhee will premiere Feb. 2 at the Clinton Street Theater, followed by a panel discussion on the status of the Owyhee Canyonlands. Resilience Rising is about a group of eight BIPOC leaders, half of whom are from the Portland area, on a six-day rafting trip through the canyon.
It’s by Portland filmmaker and activist Chad Brown, who has no problem extolling the beauty of the Owyhee. (It used to be his job about a decade ago, when he was spokesman for the Oregon Natural Desert Association.)
“Seven hours from Portland, there is a place that’s the mini-Grand Canyon of Oregon and it crosses over into Idaho and it’s beautiful and its massive,” Brown says. “It’s Jurassic Park-style.”
The Canyonlands have had a heightened visibility in Portland for the last six months or so due to the campaign to designate it a nationally-protected wilderness area. There’s the gigantic billboard on the east side of the Morrison Bridge calling out Sen. Ron Wyden, and residential lawn signs that say “the time is now” to protect the canyonland. There’s been news coverage about how national legislative efforts fizzled last month when a bill aimed at protecting the Owyhee died in the House without a floor vote.
Brown, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in Desert Storm, has made it his life’s work to bring veterans and BIPOC leaders into the outdoors. He does this work with both of his nonprofit organizations: a fly-fishing one called Soul River and Love Is King, which brought the group on its trip to Owyhee for this film. Resilience Rising explores the intersection of environmental activism and racial justice, Brown says.
The screening kicks off a month of programming at Clinton Street celebrating 50 years of Black filmmakers and actors. Next up is a Feb. 6 showing of Mario Van Peebles' 1991 directorial debut New Jack City, starring Wesley Snipes. The full schedule is available here.
Despite the setbacks in Washington, D.C., Brown has not given up hope on protecting the Owyhee Canyonlands.
“It was sad to hear the news,” he says. “I know there’s a lot of work that’s been put in, but the fight’s not over. This is an opportunity where we need to, maybe, take a break and reflect and reassess on what we need to do.”
WATCH: Resilience Rising at the Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St. 971-808-3331, cstpdx.com/event/resilience-rising-echoes-of-owyhee/. 7 pm Sunday, Feb. 2. $10