The Jumbo Creek Conservation Society invites you to a special audiovisual presentation called Mountains, the Sacred and the Profane by Baiba and Pat Morrow at David Thompson Secondary School on November 28. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 7 p.m. Admission is by donation at the door.

The award-winning photojournalists will reflect on three decades of high adventure, from their search for sacred hidden valleys in the Himalaya to local climbs, hikes and environmental efforts aimed at keeping the mountains wild and free.

The Morrows believe that contemplation of sacred places, whether it be 6,600m Mt. Kailas in Tibet or Qat’muk in the Jumbo Valley, can help us appreciate the value of wilderness. This leads to treating the environment with care and respect, and instills pride and a sense of place.

In 2002, at the G8 Environment Ministers meeting in Banff, the Morrows presented a show based on the western world’s exploitative relationship with nature.

Part of their message was that, as spiritual and cultural values erode in our overly consumptive world, it is critical that we make every effort to rekindle our once strong connection with nature.

After covering similar ground, the upcoming presentation will take the audience on a globe-trotting journey from the sensuously carved sandstone canyons of the American Southwest to the snow peaks of the Himalaya via Mount Fuji in Japan.

Of particular interest are stills and video from a remote trek last winter into a beyul, or sacred hidden valley on the border of Tibet and Nepal (their short film Beyul examines 1,200 years of conservation efforts in the Himalaya), a Columbia Valley initiative to introduce teenagers to the joy of self-propelled outings to the summits and glaciers of the Purcells, and clips from the recently produced film Qat’muk: Where the Grizzly Bears Go to Dance.

The evening will conclude with the Jumbo Creek Conservation Society’s annual general meeting. For more information please call 250-342-3147.