P R E S S   A D V I S O RY

Contact: Captain Bill Sheehan, Riverkeeper and Executive Director
                Kathy Urffer, Special Projects Manager

Hackensack, NJ – Hackensack Riverkeeper, in its effort to protect, preserve and restore the Hackensack River and surrounding estuary, announces its newest community outreach event designed specifically to educate the community about environmental issues: RiverFilms. This series features screenings of documentaries along with discussions on the complex issues surrounding environmental degradation and restoration. In its mission to bring art into the lives of ordinary people, The Puffin Cultural Forum has partnered with Hackensack Riverkeeper in this outreach, which will continue on Tuesday, December 17, 2002 with the showing of Lavender Lake: Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal (52 minutes, Directed by Allison Prete). South Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal, opened in 1866, was once hailed as "one of the shortest and most important waterways in the world." It was also known as the dirtiest and was dubbed "Lavender Lake." Almost immediately after it opened, local residents called for it to be flushed out or filled in. One Hundred and thirty years of raw sewage, toxic sludge, drowned dogs, and dumped corpses later, the community continues to fight to clean up the Gowanus.

Joining us for this screening will be Ludger Balan of the Urban Divers to update us on the current status of the Gowanus Canal. Founded in 1998, The Urban Divers is non-profit member marine conservation collective committed to raise awareness for the restoration, conservation, and protection of our rivers, oceans and marine wildlife, with a special focus on the restoration of NYC Waterways. The Urban Divers work in conjunction with the River Project, marine biology research station for the revitalization of the Hudson River and supports the River Project with underwater research activities, and hosts public marine environment awareness events, and education programs specifically at Pier 26, on the Hudson River, The Gowanus Canal, and The Harlem River.

Please join us for this ongoing series. The schedule for future RiverFilms screenings is as follows:

Jan. 21^st, 2003 - Containment: Life After Three Mile Island, Directed by Nick Poppy. Poppy, a video editor at Comedy Central and film critic for Salon, IndieWire and Surface Magazine, was a resident of Middleton, PA during the 1979 near-meltdown at Three Mile Island. His family was forced to evacuate and later witnessed the sustained effects of the worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history. He highlights the legacy of the accident through a series of interviews, archival material and cinema verité scenes shot on digital video, placing them in the historical context of the rise of anti-nuclear activism. Poppy's work is especially timely in light of current terrorism fears. After the film, Kyle Rabin from Hudson Riverkeeper will speak on Riverkeeper's Campaign to close Con Edison's Indian Point nuclear facility.

Feb. 18^th, 2003 - Blue Vinyl, (2002) 101 minutes, Directed by Judith Helfand and Daniel B. Gold. This documentary provides a uniquely humorous take on a serious subject as filmmakers Helfand and Gold - armed with a camera and a chunk of Helfand's parents' blue vinyl siding - undertake a journey from Merrick, Long Island to Venice, Italy (via Louisiana and San Francisco) to find the truth behind the potential hazards of polyvinyl chloride production, use and disposal.

March 18^th, 2003 - Drumbeat for Mother Earth (1999), 54 min., Producers/Directors: Joseph DiGangi & Amon Giebel. Many scientists and tribal people consider persistent toxic chemicals to be the greatest threat to the long-term survival of Indigenous Peoples. Drumbeat for Mother Earth explores how these chemicals contaminate the traditional food web, violate treaty rights and travel long distances. The video features testimony from a variety of Indigenous Nations in the U.S., Central America and the Arctic as well as interviews with scientists, activists, and chemical industry spokespersons.

April 15^th, 2003 - Rivers to the Sea (1990), 46 minutes, Directed by John Brett. Containing some of the most spectacular underwater footage ever shot, this film explores the abundant life in Atlantic coastal rivers. The river is the thread that binds together species as different as salmon, lampreys, ospreys--and humans. Ospreys, kingfishers, cormorants, beavers, snapping turtles, sturgeons, and bass are some of the creatures that appear above or below the surface of the rushing river. The film stresses that humans have a role in the river's ecology.

All showings will begin at 7PM at the Puffin Cultural Forum, 20 East Oakdene Avenue, Teaneck. Please contact Kathy Urffer at 201-968-0808, or kathyu@hackensackriverkeeper.org with any questions or requests for directions.