TH LOCAL KANKAKEE MARSH DOCUMENTARY TO AIR NOVEMBER 5
Valparaiso, IN -- The locally produced documentary, entitled “Everglades of the North: The Story of the Grand Kankakee Marsh,”has been completed and will air at 8pm (CST) on Monday November 5th, 2012 on WYIN - Lakeshore Public Television of Merrillville, IN. It will also air in South Bend on November 8th on WNIT Public Television at 8pm (EST).
Lakeshore is the PBS “presenting station” for the film.
The one-hour television documentary tells the history of the Grand Kankakee Marsh and how people have used and perceived this wetland for more than 10,000 years.
The Grand Kankakee Marsh may have been as large as one million acres in northern Indiana and Illinois, and was home to some of the highest concentrations of wildlife and waterfowl in North America.
Less than 5% of the Kankakee River marshes survived modern development and the film explores the important role this wetland played in the history of the area.
It looks at the natural and cultural history of the area and the different uses of the land from the earliest Native Americans to the European settlement to modern agriculture.
“This has been an incredible experience,” said producer Pat Wisniewski, founder of For Goodness Sakes Productions in Valparaiso, “We’ve met scores of wonderful people who love the Kankakee River and its fabled marsh, and wanted to share their stories with us.”
Wisniewski teamed up with friend and syndicated columnist Jeff Manes of Lowell, who grew up on the Kankakee River and approached her about creating a story about the marsh. “It didn’t take long for us to realize we needed to make this documentary,” he said. “We need to tell this story.”
“It’s a missing piece of American ecology,” said Cedar Lake native Brian Kallies who has produced, shot and edited documentaries for PBS, WGN and the Showtime cable network. “The Story of the Grand Kankakee Marsh is a vital slice of Midwestern history,” said the former Lakeshore Public Television producer and production manager.
“I grew up fishing with my dad on the Illinois side of the Kankakee River” said producer Tom Desch, a native of Herscher, IL, who edited numerous shows for PBS, the Biography Channel and Animal Planet. “So, when I heard about the project, I wanted to be a part of bringing it to life”, he added.
“The Grand Kankakee Marsh is something that man had destroyed before he realized its value”, said Guy Carlson, of the Izaak Walton League – Diana Chapter. “Now we need to give something back to nature.” The chapter helped raise funds for the production of the film.
Major funding for this program has been provided by:
Lake Heritage Parks Foundation; Efroymson Family Fund, a CICF Fund; South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority; Legacy Foundation; Dean and Barbara White Foundation; Albert’s Jewelers; Dorene and Jerry Hammes; Newton County Community Foundation; Jasper Foundation, Inc.; Waterfowl U.S.A.; Izaak Walton League of America; South Shore Arts; Indiana Arts Commission; National Endowment for the Arts; Jimmy F. New Foundation; The Nature Conservancy
Additional funding sources will be listed on the documentary website when it becomes available.
A trailer is available on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKZQ772Yx6M&feature=plcp
Contact: Patty Wisniewski, Executive Producer/Camera 219-508-7364 [email protected]