NEVADA CITY, CA — The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) invites the community to gather at the historic Nevada Theatre in downtown Nevada City on Tuesday, August 4, 2026 at 7:00 PM for River Tales: a special offseason screening presented by SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival. The evening brings together some of the most beloved films from the Wild & Scenic On Tour program, celebrating rivers, community action, and the environmental stories that move people to act.
River Tales arrives at a milestone moment. In February 2027, SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival celebrates its 25th anniversary — a quarter century of bringing the world’s best environmental and adventure films to the historic towns of Nevada City and Grass Valley. Born from the same community activism that secured State Wild & Scenic designation for 39 miles of the South Yuba River, the festival has grown into one of the most respected environmental film festivals in the United States, reaching over 40,000 people annually through its On Tour program across more than 125 communities nationwide. SYRCL’s River Tales program is an opportunity to celebrate that legacy together and to build the momentum that will carry the festival into its next 25 years.
The evening’s program spans rivers from the Yuba to the Klamath to the Colorado, weaving together wildlife, environmental justice, adventure, and community stewardship into a journey that reflects the breadth of what Wild & Scenic has championed since 2003.
RIVER TALES PROGRAM
- Doors Open: 6:15 PM
- Films Begin: 7:00 PM sharp
- Film Line-Up
- Yuba Salmon Dance
- River Cowboys
- Judy’s Creek
- Native to the Klamath
- Beyond Beliefs
- Water Education: Salmon Expeditions
- Intermission
- What the River Knows
- The River We Heal With
- Yuba is the Heart
- Total Film Runtime: 90 minutes (plus a brief intermission)
The program features four films on the Yuba River: Yuba Salmon Dance captures the remarkable spawning journey of Chinook salmon returning to the Yuba through breathtaking drone and underwater footage. Water Education: Salmon Expeditions, produced by Yuba Water Agency, highlights the impact SYRCL’s Salmon Expedition program has had fostering future river stewards. The River We Heal With, an art project by award-winning visual artist Julie Romano, gathers intimate, transformative stories from individuals who have experienced the healing properties of the Yuba River’s waters, weaving together personal storytelling and the restorative energy of the natural world. Finally, Yuba is the Heart — a love letter to the South Yuba River and the community that surrounds it — reflects on forty years of SYRCL’s work and the future of river protection in the face of climate change.
Along with these Yuba films, audiences will travel to Kentucky’s Red River Gorge for a community-driven tire cleanup effort, into the streambed with freshwater ecologist Dr. Judy Li, to the Klamath River’s historic restoration through the voices of its Indigenous stewards, and through the Gates of Lodore Canyon with a young woman from Cleveland facing her fear of water for the first time.
River Tales also serves as a rallying point for SYRCL’s 29th Annual Yuba River Cleanup, scheduled for Saturday, September 19, 2026. Each year, hundreds of volunteers come together to steward the landscape they love by removing trash from riverbanks, swimming holes, trails, and access points throughout the watershed. The films screening on August 4 tell exactly that story: communities who show up for their rivers, year after year, because the work is too important to leave undone. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about the Yuba River Cleanup and sign up to volunteer.
Additionally, ticket holders are invited to kick off the evening at a pre-screening happy hour from 5:00 to 6:30 PM at The Parsonage Annex, 425 Broad Street in Nevada City, just steps from the Nevada Theatre. The owners will be hosting and pouring complimentary drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase, with prizes that include a bottle of whiskey from Kathmandu Hippie, a pair of Nocs binoculars, and a full Wild & Scenic River Kit: a curated collection of outdoor gear including hydration essentials, a cooler, reusable bags, and field accessories from SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic On Tour national partners.
Tickets to River Tales are available online at wildandscenicfilmfestival.org. Audience members will get a first look at the 25th anniversary Wild & Scenic Film Festival art and meet some of our new staff members. Attendees will also have the chance to win Wild & Scenic Film Festival gear.
All proceeds from this event support SYRCL’s mission to protect and restore the Yuba River watershed.
Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Time: 7:00 – 9:00 PM PDT (Doors at 6:15)
Location: Nevada Theatre, 401 Broad Street, Nevada City, CA 95959
Tickets: wildandscenicfilmfestival.org or at the Eventive Link
For more information about River Tales and SYRCL’s Wild & Scenic Film Festival’s 25th anniversary season, visit wildandscenicfilmfestival.org. For more information about SYRCL’s Annual Yuba River Cleanup, visit yubariver.org.
ABOUT THE 2027 WILD & SCENIC FILM FESTIVAL
One of the nation’s largest environmental and adventure film festivals, SYRCL’s 25th annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival combines stellar filmmaking, cinematography, and first-rate storytelling to inform, inspire, and ignite solutions to restore the earth and human communities while creating a positive future for generations to come. Festivalgoers are treated to a wide variety of award-winning films, including those about nature, community activism, adventure, conservation, water, energy, wildlife, and environmental justice. The 2027 Wild & Scenic Film Festival is hosted and produced by South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) and takes place Feb. 18-22 in Nevada City and Grass Valley, CA and online virtually Feb. 19-28. This flagship festival kicks off a nationwide tour bringing Wild & Scenic films to more than 40,000 people annually. For more information, visit https://www.WildandScenicFilmFestival.org
ABOUT SYRCL:
The South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL, pronounced “circle”) is the leading voice for the protection and restoration of the Yuba River watershed. Founded in 1983 through a rural, grassroots campaign to defend the South Yuba River from proposed hydropower dams, SYRCL has developed into a vibrant community organization with over 3,500 members and volunteers based in Nevada City, CA. See: www.yubariver.org