Movie Recommendation: Hoot - an adventure in urban ecology & conservation

I watched the movie Hoot the other day. I loved it, as I suspected I would.
The movie involves 3 main characters – teens who are trying to save a protected species of Burrowing Owls from an impending construction projects.

What I really like about the movie:
1. It features teens being involved and caring and taking action – not being passive. They are civically engaged.
2. It showcases the beauty of nature right in front of us and encourages people to pay attention and enjoy it.
3. It introduces young people to the concept of conservation.

But it also include some of the typical (read corny) story line of the smart kid being bullied, the bully being some overweight and unintelligent heel, the cool but rebellious troublemaker, and the smart but very mean girl. Also, one of the main characters is a serious rule breaker, despite having the best intentions and passion to care – he’s an eco-vandal or eco-avenger. For the sake of the natural resources he disrupts the building site, vandalizes the builders equipment, etc. I so relate to this kid. Who doesn’t want to undermine evil corporations who exploit land, water, plant and animal resources? But I digress.

It’s a great DVD to own for kids to watch over and over again. Plus, the bonus features include educational and service projects related to conservation and environmental education presented by the National Wildlife Federation. NWF is the educational partner for the film. I've updated my blog roll to include links to this amazing organization. Be sure to browse their site - lots of great ideas for community service projects and learning activities!

So 2 big thumbs up for this movie and the service learning projects they encourage.