Due to the snowstorm, I was not able to get to Dyke Marsh to lead today's
sceduled walk. Unlike some unlucky folks, we have had electricity all day, but
only intermittent phone service. Like Marc Ribaudo, I watched my feeders after
shoveling snow, and was delighted to have 2 Brown Creepers show for suet. This
has never happened before.
Speaking of Dyke Marsh, there is a new film being shown about the marsh being
shown that I would like convey to listserve readers. See below:
The premiere of a new documentary film, "On the Edge: the Potomac River's Dyke
Marsh," will be held on March 21 at the John F. Kennedy Center as part of the
D. C. Environmental Film Festival, Washington, D. C., at 7:00 p. m.
A second showing will be held on March 28, at 7:30 p.m., Old Town Theater, 815
King Street, Alexandria.
The two events are sponsored by Friends of Dyke Marsh, a local conservation
organization.
"On the Edge" explores the history and value of Dyke Marsh, a U. S. National
Park Service nature preserve just south of Alexandria on the Virginia side of
the Potomac River. The film includes comments by U. S. Virginia Senator John
Warner, Virginia Congressman Jim Moran, scientists, local conservationists and
other local supporters.
The 40-minute film examines the wetland's birds, fish, plants and other natural
resources, and its role in the ecological system. It highlights the threats to
the marsh like invasive species and air and water pollution from
development in Northern Virginia and challenges viewers to capitalize on
opportunities for conservation and restoration. Half the marsh has been
destroyed or impaired. Evidence of dumping in the marsh is still evident
today.
"On the Edge" was produced by Virginia Village Productions, Dave Eckert,
producer and director, and includes didgeridoo music.
The Kennedy Center premiere, to be preceded by a presentation at 7 p.m., is
free. The Old Town Theater screening costs $5.00. Both events are open to the
public.
"'On the Edge' is a wake-up call to a nation that has lost almost half its
wetlands," said Dyke Marsh President Ed Eder. "This film challenges us to act
now to restore the nation's wetlands and do more to protect nature's
precious biodiversity."
Dyke Marsh is one of the largest naturally occurring freshwater tidal marshes
in the national park system. A 380-acre wetland, Dyke Marsh is a remnant of
the extensive marshes that once lined the river but have been lost to human
activity. Congress preserved it in 1959, saying that in this place wildlife
values should be "paramount." Naturalist Louis Halle wrote in the 1940s that
Dyke Marsh was "the nearest thing to primeval wilderness in the immediate
vicinity of the city [Washington]."
The website for the DC Environmental Film Festival for further information on
the Kennedy Center showing is www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org.
Larry Cartwright
prowarbler@xxxxxxxxx
