Children and Trees is a response of a young man named Philip Vaughan to the sudden deforestation of a beloved wooded park in Bettendorf, Iowa. At 17 years old, Vaughan produced, directed, and narrated the film with the assistance of the Conservation Foundation and the Bureau of Public Roads. He is now an environmental filmmaker and photographer, traveling across the United States and abroad. The film begins with images of children experiencing the joys of nature, where they can learn, play, and be themselves. Then one day, they arrive at the spot to find the park completely leveled. Where a 150-year old oak tree once stood is now a dirt plot. The children mourn the loss of their forest as Vaughan pleads with the viewer to “be men- not mere extensions of technology.”

TFC 16mm documentary Fort Davis National Park Archives Children and Trees Philip Vaughan Vaughan, Philip Bettendorf Iowa man

young man boy nature trees children kids environment land animals snake

grass birds wildlife woods forest plants flowers bunny rabbit bunny rabbit

fungi mushrooms oak tree deciduous trees tree house construction construction site tractors forestry foresting

lumber bulldozers smoke fire burning deforest deforestation Mr. and Mrs. Et. Vaughan Kent Larrabee Larrabee, Kent

Conservation Foundation Bureau of Public Roads Dale Smith Smith, Dale Mr. and Mrs. Elbert Smick Elbert Smith Smith, Elbert Mr. and Mrs. Packer Brown Packer Brown Brown, Packer

Mr. and Mrs. William Lonnecker William Lonnecker Lonnecker, William The National Park Service NPS 1970s 1970’s educational film environmentalism environmental activism