The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center will host the Tennessee Premiere of the acclaimed documentary PRESERVED, directed by renowned mountaineer, filmmaker and Clarksville native, Ben Clark, at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 7, 2026, ahead of the film’s nationwide release. The exclusive event will serve as a fundraiser for the Customs House Museum and is co-sponsored by Austin Peay State University’s College of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

On Saturday, March 7, the Customs House Museum will host a red-carpet premiere featuring a catered reception, film screening, and panel discussion. Attendees can upgrade their experience by purchasing VIP tickets to an additional Meet & Greet Experience with the filmmakers, Ben Clark and Executive Editor, Mary Anne Potts, that will take place prior to the film screening. VIP Meet & Greet begins at 4:30 p.m.

Tickets for the reception, film screening, and panel discussion are $35 each. Upgraded tickets are $50 each and include a Meet & Greet Experience with the filmmakers, reception, film screening and panel discussion. Both ticket options can be purchased online here: Register for Preserved Film

Panel discussion after film screening includes filmmaker Ben Clark with guests from Clarksville/Montgomery County’s conservation efforts: Michelle Rogers, faculty member in APSU’s Center of Excellence for Field Biology and Biology Department, and Dwayne Estes, Executive Director of Southeastern Grasslands Institute (SGI). More panelists will be announced soon.

As part of the museum’s partnership with APSU’s College of STEM for this event, the Customs House Museum will hold an auction for a Conservation Helicopter Tour. This experience includes a 1-hour helicopter tour of the areas of conservation in Clarksville/Montgomery County and the surrounding area for two people with an expert guide on local conservation from Austin Peay State University. The winners of the auctioned helicopter tour will be flown by someone from APSU’s Aviation Science Program in a Robinson R-44.

All proceeds from this event benefit the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center. Watch the trailer here: Preserved Film Trailer

About the Film: PRESERVED explores Vermejo, a 558,000-acre conservation success story in northern New Mexico where wildlife and ecosystems are being restored on a massive scale. Shot over more than 130 days, the film follows scientists, ranchers, and conservationists proving that environmental restoration is not only possible—it’s happening.

Directed by adventure filmmaker Ben Clark, PRESERVED features insights from leading voices including Kris Tompkins, Craig Childs, and Vermejo’s on-the-ground experts. The film is both a visually stunning documentary and a call to action for environmental stewardship.

About the Austin Peay College of STEM

The College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) provides studies for students in the areas of agriculture, astronomy, aviation science, biology, chemistry, computer science, earth and environmental sciences, engineering physics, engineering technology, information technology, mathematics, medical laboratory sciences, radiologic sciences and physics. Our outstanding, discipline-based programs are student-centered and designed to prepare students for responsible positions at all levels of research, industry, education, medicine and government positions.