Check your local PBS listings for showings of Rebels With A Cause.

Rebels with a Cause, a documentary that celebrates the people and passion that saved the coastal wonders that would become Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area, is airing on PBS stations this month.

With California's rapid population rise in the 1950s, the California coast seemed destined to follow the prevalent pattern of suburban development. But, these rebels changed the fate of the land. Their efforts set precedents for protecting open space and shaped the environmental movement as we know it today.

A stunningly beautiful documentary narrated by Academy Award winning actress Frances McDormand, Rebels with a Cause spotlights a group of citizens from many walks of life who fought to preserve open space, protect agriculture and wildlife, and establish public parks next to a densely populated urban center yearning for access to nature. Rebels with a Cause is a film by Nancy Kelly and Kenji Yamamoto produced in association with KRCB North Bay Public Media.

Rebels with a Cause is an inspiring model illustrating how ordinary citizens and both political parties can successfully work together; that different interests and factions can and have found ways to make American politics work. Beginning in the 1950s, a national bipartisan movement was born of principles that may seem obvious today. Unconvinced by land developers who promoted residential construction as unmitigated progress, citizens and politicians banded together to preserve open spaces near where they lived. Without these efforts, the Point Reyes National Seashore and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area would not be the coastal wonders they are today.

"People think national parks have always been here, but many don't know the story of their creation. This film tells the important story about the creation of Point Reyes National Seashore and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area," said Dayton Duncan, writer/filmmaker of The National Parks: America's Best Idea.

Cicely Muldoon, superintendent of Point Reyes National Seashore, said, "This film captures the essence of how local citizens found what it took to preserve these two national treasures, right here in the San Francisco Bay Area. What a gift to those of us who enjoy these places today, and what a gift to future generations."

An abbreviated version of the documentary that runs 21 minutes in length is being shown in the Point Reyes National Seashore Bear Valley Visitor Center upon request, any day of the week.

Use this "Where to Watch" link to find the date and time of the broadcast in your area. (It only finds upcoming broadcasts up to two weeks away.)