This is event is being sponsored by:The Apalachicola Riverkeeper, American Rivers, Carrabelle CARES, Carrabelle Waterfront Partnership, City of Carrabelle, City of Chattahoochee, Franklin County Dept. of Solid Waste & Recycling - Keep Franklin County Beautiful, Friends of the Carrabelle Waterfront, Main Street Marianna, City of Marianna Parks and Recreation.

CHILDREN’S Matinee (3:00 - 3:50 PM)

Antarctica ... the End? – 10min.
Children’s Award - Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2008
Sam Lowe-Anker
Seen through the eyes and voice of a 13-year-old boy, Antarctica looks at how climate change and human impact is affecting the frozen continent. Best Youth Environmental Film, Telluride MountainFilm, 2006 (USA, 2006, 10min) www.savethewhales.org, www.savethealbatross.org, www.stopglobalwarming.org.

Carpa Diem – 2min.
Sergio Cannella
Before sleeping, a child in her apartment is lovingly watching a fish in the aquarium. In the meantime her younger brother is being mindless of the open tap the water flowing out of the washbasin ... a waste that could turn into a tragedy. Many awards,including: Best Short, Vatavaran FF; Best Spot, Festival International Du Film Sur L’Énergie de Lausanne. (Italy, 2006, 2min) www.sergiocannella.it

Feed the Worms – 6min.
Philip Hassan
Local students at Scotten School answer the question, “how can you help the environment?” (USA, 2007, 6min)

Hawaii Reef Etiquette – 8min.
Ziggy Livnat
With the spirit of Aloha, learn how to enjoy, respect, and preserve the Hawaiian reefs. This PSA encourages action and shows viewers that one can make a difference. Best PSA, International Wildlife Film Festival. (USA, 2005, 8min) www.forthesea.com

Not Just Mine: Kids and Plovers on the Beach – 12min.
Joe Golling
Lucas is a procrastinating schoolboy trying to make the grade. He learns about the predicament of the small shorebird, the Western Snowy Plover, and finds the enthusiasm within himself to help make a positive change for the bird and for the beach they both share. (USA, 2007, 12min) www.westernsnowyplover.com

Rita – 6min.
Young Filmmakers Award - Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2008
Alison Teal Blehert-Koehn
This film is a true story about Alison, a seven-year-old girl who has been dragged around the world by her adventure travel guide/photographer/yoga-teaching parents and longs to be a kid and stay in one place long enough to have friends and go to school with children her own age. Unexpectedly, during one of the family’s expeditions high in the Himalaya of Nepal, she befriends a seven-year-old Sherpa girl named Rita. Alison sneaks out to join Rita and they embark on a wild and touching adventure over an 18,000 ft. pass near the base of Mt. Everest—a journey that plops them right in Alison’s dream world. Kids Choice, Telluride Mountainfilm, Best Family Short, Boulder Adventure FF, Nomintated for MTV Movie Award. (USA, 2006, 6min) www.alisonteal.com

Water Loving Doggies – 4min.
Will Kier There are places in this world and moments in time when PARADISE does exist ... join some furry friends down on the Yuba. (USA, 2007, 5min)

First Screening (4 - 6:30 PM)
Second Screening (7:30 - 10:00 PM)

Gimme Green – 27min.
Isaac Brown, Eric Flagg Lawns are undeniably an American symbol. But what do they really symbolize? Pride and prosperity? Or waste and conformity? Gimme Green is a humorous look at the American obsession with the residential lawn and the effects it has on our environment, our wallets and our outlook on life. From the limitless subdivisions of Florida to sod farms in the arid southwest, Gimme Green peers behind the curtain of the $40-billion industry that fuels our nation’s largest irrigated crop—the lawn. College Television Award, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences; Best Documentary Short, Beverly Hills Shorts Festival; Best Documentary Short, Phoenix FF; plus more. (USA, 2006, 27min) www.gimmegreen.com

Oil and Water Project – 33min.
People’s Choice Award - Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2008
Seth Warren Two kayakers embark on an endless summer-style 35,000 km road trip from Alaska to Argentina in a retro-outfitted Japanese fire truck without a single drop of petroleum. They converted their regular diesel engine to run on everything from pig lard to palm pulp and they traveled for 9 months in pursuit of the best whitewater in the Americas. The pair coordinated with schools, local governments, farmers, agricultural research centers and media to conduct demonstrations advocating for the use of alternative energy all along the way. Best Environmental Film, Taos MountainFilm, Everest Award Recipient for Advocacy. (USA, 2007, 34min) www.oilandwaterproject.org

The Story of Stuff – 19min.
Annie Leonard and Free Range Studios Film that takes viewers on a provocative and eye-opening tour of the real costs of our consumer driven culture—from resource extraction to iPod incineration. Annie Leonard, an activist who has spent the past 10 years traveling the globe fighting environmental threats, narrates the Story of Stuff, delivering a rapid-fire, often humorous and always engaging story about “all our stuff—where it comes from and where it goes when we throw it away.” Leonard examines the real costs of extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal, and she isolates the moment in history where she says the trend of consumption mania began. The Story of Stuff examines how economic policies of the post-World War II era ushered in notions of “planned obsolescence” and “perceived obsolescence” —and how these notions are still driving much of the U.S. and global economies today. (www.storyofstuff.com, www.freerangestudios.com , USA)

Fish and Cow – 17min.
Rick Smith The Big Hole Valley lies in the southwest corner of Montana. High, cold, and remote, it is home to one of the last surviving populations of a unique and sensitive species of fish, the fluvial Arctic grayling. This film is a story about a group of dedicated ranchers and biologists finding common ground, not only to try and save this fish, but also to try and preserve the ecological health of the Big Hole Valley itself. Newcomer Finalist Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival (USA, 2007, 17min) www.bhrf.org

Protecting New Orleans, - 12min.
Marylou Tibaldo-Bongiorno Post-Katrina, Mississippi Delta restoration expert Dr. John Day shows how to rebuild Louisiana’s coastal wetlands in order to safeguard New Orleans against future hurricanes. He also draws parallels between New Orleans and Venice, Italy, and analyzes Venice’s struggle to save itself from devastating floods. Award for Scientific Approach, Montana CINE. (USA, 2006). www.bongiornoproductions.com

Against The Current – 19min.
Kathy Kasic Growing towns and cities, sustained drought, the quest for national energy independence, and climate change are all putting new pressures on dwindling water supplies. In the face of such water demand, fish and wildlife are often left out. And there is one simple fact: fish need water. Told through the wisdom of four people, two ranchers, a biologist, and an environmental lawyer, this film brings together unexpected partners restoring a river. Silver Telly, Bronze Telly (USA, 2007, 19 min) www.metamorphfilms.com

Over the years, I have enjoyed a long but vicarious relationship with the Apalachicola River and Bay through Helen Light, Steve Leitman, and Jeanni McMillan. It has always been clear to me that the Apalach was near and dear to their hearts and I’ve watched with great respect their efforts to know it and protect it. My original personal connection to the town of Apalachicola (and the River) was through Mike Kuhn during the initial restoration of the Gibson Inn. I contributed some visual design work to his effort and in kind enjoyed numerous nights at the restored Gibson. Having grown up in Southwest Louisiana I spent many wonderful summers on the Louisiana coast and there is much about Apalachicola that reminds me of that place and those days. Indeed, each time I drive into Apalach I feel that I am returning to my roots and feel very much at home there—I love Apalachicola.

But the river didn’t capture my heart until I paddled the length of it last October. Until then, with the exception of a couple of paddles just up the river from Apalachicola and a few more excursions from Cash Bayou into the margins of the east side of the Bay, I really didn’t know much about the Apalachicola River itself or the stresses that are being put upon it. In October, one stroke at a time over seven days, I slowly fell in love with the River and I also learned along the way the challenges it is facing. Maybe it was the river itself that seduced me. Maybe it was the heartfelt concern of those who spoke of the challenges she is facing. Regardless, the outcome has been the same—I want to join in the effort to protect her.

I originally hail from the state of Maine, a truly environmentally conscious and still beautiful state, where I grew up being taught to have a concerted respect for the land and also be a mindful steward to all of its accompanying natural assets, wildlife and water resources. Upon moving to Tallahassee in 1991, St. George Island and the Apalachicola Bay gave me my first real view of the magnificence of the area of North of Florida that holds the Apalachicola River. Now that I have lived in the Tallahassee area for nearly 17 years, numerous visits to that area have allowed me to develop a true admiration and appreciation for the ongoing protection of the Apalachicola region and waters which are so crucial to the livelihood of its marine and wildlife, and seafood and fishing industry. In my past work as public relations director for the Department of Community Affairs, the knowledge I have gained related to conservation and preservation will allow me to make a strong contribution toward the directive of the Apalachicola Riverkeeper Board and its supporters.

10 a.m. – 12 p.m.  River Tours
12 p.m. – 1 p.m. Seafood Lunch
1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Board Elections, Staff Presentations, and Special Guests:

• Yvonne Gsteiger, Environmental and Land Use Advisor to Florida’s Chief Financial Officer

• Dr. Skip Livingston – Drought & Critical Habitats of the Apalachicola Bay System

Members, please bring a guest. If you are not yet a member, come enjoy, learn and join us! For more information, please call our office at 850-653-7888. Donations appreciated!

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2008 Events Rescheduled and Membership Meeting Added (posted 1/31/08)

Note the updated calendar below reflects new dates for "Art For the Sky" and the Riverkeeper Roundup.  Also, the annual Membership meeting is tentatively set for March 29th, with details to follow.

We have begun planning our major Art for the Sky education & art project with the Franklin County Schools. We have a committee of 15 teachers, local school deans, principal, school board members, citizens, and Riverkeeper staff. The date for the project is April 7-11, the living painting will be constructed on Thursday 10 April. Please visit www.artforthesky.com.