|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Village of Palmetto Bay will be hosting several special events to celebrate Earth Day, including the remarkable Earth Day by the Bay documentary film, Everglades Rising, which will be screened at Thalatta Estate Park on Friday, Apr. 23. The event runs from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., with an art exhibit followed at 8 p.m. by the film.
Natural history filmmaker Richard Kern Jr. will present a unique learning experience about the subtropical habitats of the Everglades. There’ll be information about the hydrology and the watershed, as well as some of the fantastic inhabitants of “America’s wetland.” At the end of the film, participants will have the opportunity to have a Q&A session with the filmmaker.
Richard Kern Jr., executive director for Encounters in Excellence, is excited about the opportunity.
“Everglades National Park was the first National Park established to protect an entire ecosystem,” Kern said. “It’s a subtropical mosaic of habitats, flora and fauna, many of which exist nowhere else on the planet. How important is this imperiled ecosystem? So important that we are now undergoing the largest wetland restoration project in the history of our planet. It’s that important.”
Katie Murphy, Director of Development & Communications for The Alliance for Florida’s National Parks, agrees about the importance of the subject and the documentary.
“The Everglades is comprised of land and water, yes, but it’s also made of people and communities,” Murphy said. “We strive to unite these two aspects of the Everglades and believe that this documentary will inspire people to find a way to connect with this land in a way that’s meaningful to them and will embolden them to become true allies in the safeguarding of this beautiful wilderness.”
The younger Kern’s father, filmmaker Richard C. Kern, also is an artist who has been making oil paintings of wildlife and landscapes for the past 40 years. The Earth Day by the Bay event will feature an exhibit of his paintings, focusing on the many faces of Fisheating Creek, where the Kern family has a cabin.
Thalatta Estate Park is located at 17301 Old Cutler Rd. Those wishing to attend must pre-register and purchase tickets at $5 per person and space is limited. No on-site ticket sales, and registration will close once capacity is reached. To register and for information go to
www.palmettobay-fl.gov/1237/Earth-Day-2021, or call 305-259-1234.
The Mayor’s Environmentalist of the Year and the Earth Day Art Contest winners also will be publicly recognized during this event.
Earth Day Art Contest Winners are:
2021 — Faith Quammie, 7th grader from Southwood Middle School, and
2020 — Sophia Pichirilo, 6th grader from Southwood Middle School.
This is the fifth year in a row that Southwood Middle School students won this art contest since it began in 2017.
Mayor’s Environmentalist of the Year Award Recipients:
2020 winner, Henry Clifford; 2021 winner, Leopoldo Llinas, and 2021 runners-up, Ines Meander and James Woodward.
These are individuals in the village that “have made an outstanding contribution to environmental activity and leadership. They have demonstrated achievement through volunteerism, leadership and/or other services considered extraordinary in nature.”
Community Cleanup continues through Saturday, Apr. 24. Shade Palmetto Bay Tree Giveaway Drive-Thru takes place on Saturday, Apr. 24, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Ludovici Park, 17641 Old Cutler Rd.
Palmetto Bay also will celebrate National Arbor Day on Friday, Apr. 30.
