Posts Tagged ‘being good stewards of our world is NOT the exclusive purview of dope smoking hippy riff-raff’

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Elam Stoltzfus

Yesterday was Earth Day. And I think it goes without saying, Earth is definitely my favorite planet. It’s as true for the cosmos as it is in real estate: location, location, location. Seriously, if I were God, Earth would definitely be on my mantle (wait, maybe we are…). Friends would come over, and I’d play all casual: ‘Oh that? I call it ‘Earth’. Thanks, I like it, too. Those little moving things? I call them ‘people.’ They do bear my likeness, thank you for noticing. Oh, but here’s the crazy part: Guess how long it took me to make. Just guess.’

Another big fan of the Earth is accomplished documentary filmmaker Elam Stoltzfus. His passion for nature has led him to create a long list of award-winning nature films. I had the pleasure to meet Elam many, many years ago and am now attached to script his next documentary, this one concerning an incredibly rare and threatened natural phenomenon. I’m including an article on Elam and said project below in this post. If you like stories about people following their dreams, this is a good read.

Oh, and if you happen to be in Central Florida this Sunday, you can actually meet Elam (and acclaimed nature photographer Clyde Butcher) in person at the Orlando Museum of Art. Details below, just above the article.

Have a great weekend, everybody. See you here next week for Great Quote Monday!

- Matthew Porter

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[from the Orlando Museum of Art]

Earth Day is day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for our environment. A highlight of the Orlando Museum of Art’s (OMA’s) Changing Landscapes, Changing Visions project, Earth Day will be a chance to explore conservation issues with nature photographer Clyde Butcher and filmmaker Elam Stoltzfus. On April 25, at 1:30pm, they will discuss several topics including their working relationship, the evolution of their work, techniques of photography and filmmaking, as well as environmental issues and conservation awareness.

Photographer Clyde Butcher (left) and filmmaker Elam Stoltzfus

Clyde Butcher: Big Cypress Swamp and the Western Everglades is the third of four exhibitions focusing on the environment, that are part of the Changing Landscapes, Changing Visions series at the OMA. Currently on view, the amazing black and white photographs by Clyde Butcher of untouched lands and waters are presented in conjunction with a documentary film by Elam Stoltzfus.The film, Big Cypress Swamp – The Western Everglades, explores the mysterious and secretive environment of the Big Cypress Swamp.

The discussion is followed by a question and answer session.

Date: April 25, 2010
Time: 1:30pm
Location: Orlando Museum Of Art
The presentation is free.

Please call 407 896 4231 or visit www.omart.org for more information.

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[okay, here's the article I promised]

Liquid Assets: The Rare And Enchanting Treasures Of Coastal Dune Lakes

So rare, only a few hundred exist in the world — but it’s not an animal.

So delicate, they can only be found in certain specific conditions — but it’s not a plant.

They are coastal dune lakes, a phenomenon occurring when a freshwater lake sits immediately adjacent to an ocean, separated only by a coastal dune.

Nestled just within this ridge of sand (ranging from a few feet to more than seventy feet in height) and slightly above sea level, these unique ecosystems are fed by rain and sometimes creeks. These neighboring bodies of will periodically exchange water, depending on conditions. When dune lakes fill up, they burst through the dune barrier (called “pop out”) sending a river of fresh water rushing to the ocean. Alternately, during a hurricane or heavy winds and/or when the lake is low, ocean water can go rushing into the lake, an event known as “flush in.”

Coastal dune lakes are known to exist in just a handful of places– Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar, the Pacific Northwest, and Florida’s Walton County in the Panhandle region– making these little-known marvels a treasure for nature lovers and a must-see for eco-tourists.

It is the coastal dune lake’s potent combination of rarity and beauty that drew documentary filmmaker Elam Stoltzfus to them. Stoltzfus recently directed and produced a short film called Coastal Dune Lakes: Beaches of South Walton. The award-winning documentary explores the unique biodiversity of coastal dune lakes in the Florida Panhandle and details efforts of locals to protect them.

Building on the success of his short film, Stoltzfus now seeks sponsorships for an hour-long documentary called Coastal Dune Lakes of the World. The new film will contrast the condition of coastal dune lakes in Northwestern Florida with those in New Zealand and Australia. The documentary will explore the habitats of increasingly elusive and/or endangered plants and animals and illustrate the importance of preserving the ecosystem around the perimeter of coastal dune lakes. Coastal Dune Lakes of the World will also showcase a comparative study of each region through research, threats, and current management practices.

To learn more about opportunities to contribute to the making of the documentary, visit www.coastaldunelakes.org.

A behind-the-scenes look at pre-production of Coastal Dune Lakes of the World reveals a picture of international cooperation. Stoltzfus plans to establish a partnership with scientists and historians from New Zealand and Australia in gathering research and planning his documentary. Though from different cultures, Stoltzfus and these advisors are united by their appreciation of the beauty of coastal dune lakes.

Stoltzfus’s passion for capturing the beauty of the natural world on film has been previously expressed in numerous award-winning films including Big Cypress Swamp: The Western Everglades, that aired nationally on Public Television stations in September 2009.

The native Pennsylvanian credits his Amish-Mennonite upbringing for instilling in him a love and reverence for nature.

“Being outdoors was just an everyday experience on the farm,” says Stoltzfus. “The creeks and woods and connecting with the soil was a part of life.”

But can that connection to coastal dune lakes be maintained? As Stoltzfus’s documentary details, the tenuous existence of coastal dune lakes is under constant threat worldwide from both natural and manmade forces.

Natural threats to the ridges that define coastal dune lakes include erosion, an ever-present concern, but particularly during Florida’s annual hurricane season. But some have taken steps to fight nature with nature. Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is located 45 miles west of Panama City, Florida and encompasses 182 acres, including three major coastal dune lakes and two smaller ones. To protect the sandy buffer between the lakes and the ocean, 500,000 sea oats were planted. This vegetation will help maintain the integrity of the sand and dunes against the wind.

Development also factors into the future of coastal dune lakes. While the value of beachfront property has dropped in some areas, strong demand for development along the coast remains. The poetically-named town of WaterColor, a development located on Western Lake in Walton County, has established a no-construction buffer around their coastal dune lakes, but this is the exception rather than the rule. Additionally, grassroots groups have formed, giving a greater voice to citizen-based organizations interested in the preservation of coastal dune lakes.

At present, coastal dune lakes are considered as ‘globally imperiled’ by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, a non-profit organization administered by Florida State University.

And making the issue even more complex, coastal dune lakes constantly evolve. These emerging, subtle changes have been detected only through years of close and constant observation. Further, each coastal dune lake also has its own characteristics and behaviors. While Western Lake exhibits the normal ‘pop out’ and ‘flush in’ pattern, nearby Eastern Lake has functioned at times like a tidal estuary. However, due to man’s intervention, it is now under distress, becoming closed off and stagnant, filling up with nuisance grasses and algae pads.

All of this only adds to the mystique of coastal dune lakes for Stoltzfus who emphasizes the need for further research.

“The more we learn about coastal dune lakes, the more we discover there’s more to learn,“ he says. “What we hope to do with the documentary is combine education, information, and entertainment about these rare and mysterious bodies of water on a global level. It’s a perspective that really hasn’t been seen before.”

The question remains, will Stoltzfus’s new documentary be a celebration of man living in balance with his environment worldwide or a testament to a lost treasure?

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