NATURAL CONNECTIONS

By Lori Roberts

The September premiere of “Spirit of the Driftless: Preserving Our Legacy” wasn’t just another night at the movies for Timothy Jacobson Beloit ’85. It was a chance to show off a land that is close to his heart. It was also an opportunity to combine his expertise in executive leadership and environmental support with his passion for filmmaking.

The documentary is the third in a series about the Driftless Region of the upper Midwest, a majestically rugged area that was untouched by the ancient continental glaciers that flattened much of the land around it. Brother Jacobson, who founded the nonprofit organization Sustainable Driftless Inc., is committed to bringing more eyes to the area and making people aware of its value.

Jacobson

A lawyer by profession, Jacobson is also an Emmy-winning filmmaker, dedicated to sharing the enigmatic beauty and the crucial conservation needs of the Driftless Region.

“The purpose of our films is to make people think more about their relationship to the earth,” Jacobson said. “Aldo Leopold, a 20th-century conservationist, talks about a concept called ‘the land ethic.’ Land is a community to which we belong. And if we feel that community, we would treat land with love and respect, as we would a family member.”

Jacobson’s career trajectory is as varied as the landscape he films. After practicing law for years, he pivoted to serve as executive director for the Mississippi Valley Conservancy. There he recognized the need to “share how special these places are in nature” in the form of short social media videos and a first short film, “Mysteries of the Driftless.” The film won a regional Emmy Award.

“We didn’t expect anything like this,” Jacobson said. “We just wanted to share the beauty of nature with people.”

Jacobson created Sustainable Driftless Inc. to continue the storytelling, releasing “Decoding the Driftless” in 2018, a feature-length film that has been broadcast around the nation on PBS. It has been shown at film festivals around the world and earned another regional Emmy Award.

Although Jacobson left the conservancy and is back to practicing law in La Crescent, Minnesota, he’s still focusing on his passion for land conservation and sharing the splendor of the natural world. Voluntary land conservation isn’t a partisan issue, Jacobson said. It’s about helping landowners realize their dreams to preserve their property in its natural state, partnering with land trusts to relinquish development rights on their property in perpetuity. He thinks he has at least five more movies in him that need to be told, assuming the organization can raise the necessary resources.

“Our goal is to celebrate what’s beautiful and precious, and who doesn’t want those things?” Jacobson said.

Jacobson grew up near the Driftless Region and came to Beloit College with an established passion for nature and the outdoors. He met many like-minded brothers in his chapter. College camping trips and other outings set the stage for what has become a 35-year tradition, with many of his core group of brothers gathering each March for a combined birthday bash in Milwaukee. Some of the group also regularly gather for canoeing, kayaking and other outdoor get-togethers, sustaining a friendship that began when they were all Phi Kappa Psi undergrads looking to spend a little time in nature.

“It’s been great to have that connection to these folks,” Jacobson said. “We’ve really bonded by spending time in nature.”