The Chilkat Valley is featured in four short public service announcements that will appear on public television in Alaska.
“Non-Point Pollution,” “Just Think,” “Marine Debris” and “The Watershed” are the work of the Takshanuk Watershed Council, videographers Mario Benassi and Mark McNamara and several Haines School students, who served as actors and producers.
Several minutes long, the films will air as “fillers” on AlaskaOne and UATV. Besides helping promote the council and providing students with filming experience, the shorts will help boost the council’s resume.
Council education coordinator Pam Randles said the group recently was turned down for an EPA videography grant.
“We want to do larger videos but we have to establish a track record that we know what we’re doing. We have to establish our credibility as movie producers to get bigger money and get bigger jobs. So it’s a win-win.”
“Non-point” pollution refers to roadway oils and other toxins that drift into ditches and drains and ultimately into local streams and inlets.
“Just Think” is a message about leaving trash on public lands featuring junior high school students enrolled in the council’s Chilkat Forest Investigators program and produced by student director Eli White. It premiered at a recent fund-raiser for the council’s bird observatory program.
Benassi said there’s no limit on how many times the messages may air.
He said the council hopes to create a full-length documentary of the Chilkat Valley in the future.
Mario Benassi Jr. composed music used in the videos.