“Nature’s Keepers” documentary to look at Pike’s conservation legacy

Filmmakers set summer timeline

By SANDY LONG

PIKE COUNTY, PA — Filmmakers from Foundry Communications were in Milford last week to kick off an ambitious public television project focusing on Pike County.

The film, titled “Nature’s Keepers,” will examine Pike County’s 150-year history of land stewardship and conservation. Filming will take place throughout the county this summer, and the final project is expected to air on more than 150 stations.

Filmmakers Carl Dietz and Andrew McCoy met with a group of local individuals involved in the project. The discussion revolved around significant environmental issues that have confronted Pike County and the county’s successful resolution of these challenges through compromise and collaboration.

“We’ve produced shows all around the world, from Chile to Europe and across the United States, and I can honestly say Pike County is one of the most beautiful and interesting places we’ve been,” Dietz said. “We are looking forward to spending more time here, and sharing with the public television audience this area’s important role in America’s conservation movement and Pike’s current efforts to preserve its natural heritage.”

Foundry Communications, of Albany, NY, will work with Heron’s Eye Communications, based in Pike County, and many local individuals and businesses to produce the film.

Balancing growth with conservation

“Nature’s Keepers is an opportunity for us to share our history, express our community’s values and declare our intention to choose a future based on conservation,” said the film’s producer, Krista Gromalski, of Heron’s Eye Communications.

“Every community deals with tough issues. Vital communities, like Pike, are ones where people participate and become engaged in processes that have far-reaching effects,” said Gromalski, who managed the successful campaign to pass the county’s Scenic Rural Character Preservation Bond referendum last fall. “Pike has a long history of engaged citizenry, which has created a fascinating legacy.”

A fundraising effort is underway to support production of the film. The Delaware Highlands Conservancy (DHC), a 501c3 tax-exempt local land trust, is the project’s fiscal sponsor. Executive director Sue Currier said the DHC is pleased to be involved in the project. “The film will tell Pike’s story of a community that values natural resource conservation and seeks to lead land stewardship. It will also be an educational tool that other communities can benefit and learn from.”

For more information contact Gromalski at krista@heronseye.com or 570/647-6407. Contributions to the film’s production can be made payable to “Nature’s Keepers” and sent to the Delaware Highlands Conservancy, P.O. Box 218, Hawley, PA 18428.