Voices of the Wilderness Auction features Doug Chadwick

The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation’s sixth annual Voices of the Wilderness art exhibit and silent auction takes place Nov. 9 in Kalispell.

The event starts at 7 p.m. at the Alpine Ballroom, 333 Main St. There is also an optional dinner before the main event, which will be served at the Split Rock Cafe. Dinner guests are asked to arrive between 5:30 and 6 p.m. and to purchase their dinner tickets by Oct. 31.

The exhibit and auction highlight art created by participants in the Artist-Wilderness-Connection program, which brings artists closer to wild lands by placing them in remote forest cabins for five to seven days. There they reflect and create artwork that is later presented to the public.

The event includes a silent auction, raffle and a special presentation by author Doug Chadwick, who will discuss his work to save endangered miniature grizzly bears in the Gobi Desert.

Chadwick is a widely recognized wildlife biologist, journalist and conservationist who has written 12 books and hundreds of articles, many of which have been published in National Geographic magazine. For the past two years, Chadwick has been assisting in a project working to save the Gobi grizzlies in the Mongolian Gobi Desert.

Auction items include paintings, photography, pottery, leatherwork, bronzes, fabric art, handmade jewelry, cast iron and more. A five-day pack trip with Swan Mountain Outfitters is the grand prize raffle item.

Tickets to the auction and presentation portion of the evening are $20. Tickets to the dinner at Split Rock Cafe are also $20. Tickets to either or both portions of the evening can be purchased online; tickets to the exhibit and auction will also be available at the door.

Space is limited, so guests are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. All proceeds benefit the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation for such things as trail maintenance, campsite restoration and noxious weed removal.

For more information, visit www.bmwf.org.