Documentary looks at Eel River Basin
In partnership with the Eel River Recovery Project and the Institute for Sustainable Forestry, KEETTV will present the documentary “Harmony in The Eel River Basin,” which will premiere on Monday at 10:30 p.m.
This documentary is produced in conjunction with and on the heels of the PBS series “The Age of Nature,” which aired in October and is available on PBS Passport. That series showcases areas around the world where humankind’s destruction of the natural environment is not the end of the story. Regeneration of various habitats are showcased in the series.
“Harmony in The Eel River Basin” follows the path of “The Age of Nature” series by asking similar questions about the local watershed and the surrounding forest ecosystem’s health. The film looks at how to improve biodiversity and return the streamflow on the Eel River. There is a discussion about forest management, including the reintroduction of using controlled burns on public and private lands to manage the forest better.
Local experts with exten
sive knowledge of the Eel River Basin guide viewers through this watershed and provide answers on how to
be stewards to the land. All have a common goal to reshape the public consciousness around the Eel River
and encourage active participation and communication with all who care for the natural world.
Experts include:
· Ernie Merrifield, a Wailaki descendant and environmental advocate, who talks about his ancestors’ knowledge of resource management and his perspective on what the natural world means for life on Earth.
· Patrick Higgins of the Eel River Recovery Project, who has worked for years on all aspects of the Eel River. He not only appears in the film, but played an extensive role in the shaping of it.
· Yana Valachovic, county director-forest adviser for the UC Cooperative Extension on the North Coast, who grew up in the Eel River Valley. She still calls this area home and has insightful observations around resource management, informed by her extensive knowledge.
· Tim Bailey, project specialist for the Watershed Research and Training Center, who has a passion for forest health and watersheds.
· Lucy Andrews, a doctoral candidate in environmental science, who shares her extensive knowledge of land management.
KEET will show a rebroadcast Dec. 22 at 8:30 p.m. and the documentary can also be streamed at www.KEET.org.
“Harmony in The Eel River Basin” is produced with a grant from PBS and “The Age of Nature” series.