DAVENPORT, IOWA (March 11, 2025) — In its Iowa premiere, the Columbia River Canoe Project follows cousins Robert Lester and Braxton Mitchell as they attempt a 1,300-mile canoe expedition from the Continental Divide near Butte, Montana, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The film's third character is their Bob Foote designed seventeen-foot Oberholtzer Ruby Red canoe handcrafted for their journey at Navarro Canoe Co, in Rock Island, Illinois.
Enjoy the award-winning seventy-minute coming-of-age, environmental stewardship, and adventure documentary film inside the state-of-the-art boutique independent cinema The Last Picture House in downtown Davenport, Iowa. Six film screenings are every Wednesday from March 12 to April 16, 6PM, and Q&A after with the film's local executive producers from Navarro Canoe Co, until 7:30PM.
Watch the two-minute trailer at this link here youtube.com/watch?v=8EB7bRivp-s.
From the film: “This expedition to canoe from the Continental Divide all the way through the Columbia system and out into to the Pacific, like that’s bad-ass.” — Rick Ridgway, First American to Summit K2 and Former Patagonia Environmental VP
On April 16, the final screening, the documentary film's founder and expedition leader, Robert Lester will be in attendance and available for interviews.
Tickets are $10 and can be booked online at navarrocanoe.com.
Attendees to the Columbia River Canoe Project screenings will have also have exclusive access to a post-screening reception sponsored by Marigold Resources, at Micky's Irish Pub, around the corner one block away, 7:30-9PM. After each screening, at 8PM, Navarro Canoe Co's master-builder Jeff OHern will guide attendees on the materials, woods, and new build standards he has implemented since taking over the manufacturing of the nearly fifty year Navarro Canoe Co, in 2022. Attendees will learn why it takes over 100 man-hours to handcraft and build an heirloom floating work of art that's also capable of a journey such as the Columbia River Canoe Project.
Navarro Canoe Co. Donating 20% of New Canoe Orders Made Before March 16 to Nahant Marsh
Opening Night Tickets for March 12 Are Complimentary With Coupon Code “nahant”
Nahant Marsh recently hosted its sixth annual Oberholtzer Awards recognizing conservation leaders and in support of the organization's annual fund raiser Navarro Canoe Co is donating 20% of the proceeds from new canoe orders to Nahant Marsh.
Nahant Marsh’s Oberholtzer Awards were started to recognize local Quad Cities' people who have dedicated their lives (or will dedicate their lives) to protecting our natural world. Often times these people go unnoticed, or have been largely forgotten for their contributions. The awards are a way to recognize their hard work and leadership in conservation, to bring awareness to the causes they believe in, and to inspire others to take action.
The awards are named for Ernest Carl “Ober” Oberholtzer, a Davenport, Iowa native, Harvard-educated explorer who was a founding member of the Wilderness Society. He was instrumental in protecting the wilderness and lakes of Northern Minnesota. Mr Oberholtzer died on June 6, 1977, in International Falls, Minnesota, and is buried in Oakdale Cemetery in Davenport. To learn more about Oberholtzer’s life visit: rcreader.com/art/buried-stories-ernest-oberholtzer.
This year's winners were Dilan Tholin for Future Conservation Leadership, Living Lands and Waters' Tammy Becker for Present Conservation Leadership, Sierra Club Eagle View Group's Jerry Neff for Past Conservation Leadership, and River Action's Kathy Wine for Nahant Achievement. More information on these award-winners is available at rcreader.com/local-news/2025-oberholtzer-award-winners-honored-by-nahant-marsh.
For more information on the Columbia River Canoe Project including statistics, more film footage, and bios on film-makers, visit:
https://mountain-king-industries.com/columbia-river-canoe-project
