Still Life For Woodpecker?

In an ironic early Native American creation myth, three species of woodpecker were sent to Earth to make sure that the place was habitable for humans. As history has shown, Earth is indeed habitable for humans. The question today is: can woodpeckers survive here? Filmed in the Kootenai region in the north of Idaho, Still Life For Woodpecker? looks at the plight of the Pileated Woodpecker, a species that lives in old growth forests and actually needs the girth of ancient trees to survive (since it can't make a large enough nesting cavity in a modern wimpy tree farm tree). Very nice photography highlights this engaging chronicle of the woodpecker and his role in the ecological balance of the region (for example, woodpecker's hollow out homes which are later used by squirrels; squirrels eat mushrooms; mushroom spores left on the forest floor stimulate tree growth; healthy trees are the artistic medium of choice for the carving woodpecker). Winner of an Award of Excellence from the AMTEC Media Festival, Still Life for Woodpecker? is a good examination of the effect of poor forestry management on one important species, which, in turn, ultimately effects us all. Recommended. (See GROWING SEASON for availability.)