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| | Thursday, October 10, 2019
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Guardians of Our Troubled Waters
What if we could smell our local rivers long before we could see them? What if our legacy was dead streams, poisonous water and a dying ecosystem? This was the story of the Cocke County community not very long ago. Mark Twain suggested that our rivers were “too thin to plow but too thick to drink”, and that describes the French Broad River, the Pigeon, and many other regional waterways just a couple of decades ago. Industry brought better paying jobs to our community but it also brought pollution so toxic that it killed the fish, the cows and in some cases, the community where cancer rates were off the charts. Many people grew up believing that all rivers were supposed to be brown and smelly and distasteful. But enter the River Heroes like Wilma Dykeman and Gay Webb in Newport, and the Dead Pigeon River Council. Their passion, their activism and their call to save our waterways awoke communities to the need for river stewardship. Their call still echoes today in the environmental efforts, land conservancies, river keepers, green businesses and engaged communities who are working to be the stewards that nature is asking us to be. The Pigeon River once a polluted waterway, today is pristine, and is the leading whitewater river in Tennessee. The Center for Cultural Preservation, Western North Carolina's History and Documentary Film Center, has announced the release of award-winning film director David Weintraub’s new film, Guardians of Our Troubled Waters, which lauds the ordinary people who did extraordinary things to protect our rivers and streams. Guardians chronicles these stories and the early heroes who stood up against the destruction fighting against toxic pollution from factories that would have forced thousands of farmers from their ancestral land. The film focuses on three communities: Western North Carolina, East Tennessee and South Florida as well as the heroes who stood up against those who were killing our rivers. According to Director Weintraub, “So much of what we take for granted today, whitewater rafting and kayaking, fishing, drinking water and the thriving brewery community harkens back to those who refused to allow profits to come before human health and the health of river ecosystems. These stories are vital because they remind us about who we are and why our natural resources are critical for our survival and that of our cherished wildlife.” Guardians of Our Troubled Waters will have its Tennessee premiere on Saturday, October 26 at 10am at Newport Cinema 4 at 424 Heritage Blvd. in Newport. Tickets are $5 and advanced reservations are strongly recommended by registering online at www.saveculture.org. Those who order online get a $5 discount on the DVD which will be available at the premiere. The film is a collaboration with a number of organizations including the Wilma Dykeman Legacy Foundation, Clean Water Expected in East Tennessee(SWEET) and the Pigeon River Fund. The Center for Cultural Preservation is a cultural nonprofit organization dedicated to working for mountain heritage continuity through oral history, documentary film, education and public programs. For more information about the Center contact them at (828) 692-8062 or www.saveculture.org.
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Return to Today's News Stories - Front PageThursday, April 29, 2021
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