Santa Maria Sun / Art

NatureTrack Foundation co-produces award-winning documentary, 'The Accessible Outdoors'

By Caleb Wiseblood

The Accessible Outdoors, a new, live-action documentary co-produced by the NatureTrack Foundation and Golden Cage Films, recently won Second Place for Best Short Documentary at the Hollywood Independent Filmmaker Awards and Festival. The film has been featured in several festivals, including the Oregon Documentary Film Festival, which was held at the end of January, and the upcoming Colorado Environmental Film Festival in February. 

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NATURETRACK FOUNDATION

This documentary examines the lack of access disabled individuals have to natural areas, including beaches and trails, executive producer Sue Eisaguirre explained in a press materials. 

“I wanted the film to convey the importance of connection and access to nature for all people,” said Eisaguirre, the founder of the NatureTrack Foundation—a Santa Barbara County-based nonprofit dedicated to funding outdoor field trips for local students.

The film also explores the benefits of the Freedom Trax apparatus, a motorized off-road attachment for manual wheelchairs. Eisaguirre said that NatureTrack uses this equipment for docents, teachers, and students with physical disabilities to participate in the nonprofit’s outdoor field trip program.

For more info on The Accessible Outdoors and the NatureTrack Foundation, visit naturetrack.org.