Western Reserve Public Media preparing for Sept. 27 premiere of CVNP documentary

Western Reserve Public Media’s local production team is in the field almost daily now working on our documentary Generations: Cuyahoga Valley National Park. This first-time, one-hour documentary will capture the story of our national park through the voices of people from all walks of life — park visitors, park personnel, historians, business and government leaders, environmentalists, educators, artists and many others. The documentary will look at all dimensions of the park, including its natural features (flora, fauna, habitats and geological features) and its social history (from Native American settlements through the post-industrial era). It will also tell the story of the park’s establishment in 1974, its evolution into the park it is today and the hopes for its future.

The documentary will premiere on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. in conjunction with PBS’s national release of The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, a film series by renowned documentary fimmaker Ken Burns.

Duilio Mariola, executive producer and director of Generations, reports that much is happening on the production front:

• The Goodyear blimp has contributed three “flyovers” so we can get aerial footage of the park. Two of the three flyovers have already taken place; the third is scheduled for this summer.

• A sneak peek of documentary footage is available at www.WesternReservePBS.org. The preview reel compiles a cross section of some of the materials we have gathered through various shoots.

• An important aspect of our production is the creation of an archival collection around the park. On Jan. 25, April 26 and May 17, Western Reserve PBS hosted history collection events at Happy Days Lodge in Peninsula. The public was invited to share memories, home movies, photos and memorabilia. Oral history interviews were videotaped for possible use in the documentary.

Companion teacher guide
Accompanying the documentary will be an interdisciplinary teacher guide for middle school classrooms. The theme of the guide is “preserve and protect,” and it will have lessons in mathematics, language arts, science, social studies and art. There will also be a board game, a virtual tour and podcasts created for the project. In fall 2009, Western Reserve Educational Services will present professional development workshops to help educators integrate the multimedia materials into their lesson plans.

Serving on the teacher team are project leader Ria Mastromatteo, education content producer with Western Reserve Public Media; Cathy Adler, language arts teacher, Brown Middle School, Ravenna; Amy Franks, visual art teacher, Bath Elementary; Darren Saylor, science teacher, North Olmsted Middle School; Melanie Stuthhard, social studies teacher, Revere Middle School; and Arrye Rosser, interpretive and education specialist, Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Funding for Generations: Cuyahoga Valley National Park has been provided by:

The Cleveland Foundation

The Herbert W. Hoover Foundation

National Park Service

PPG Industries Foundation

The John P. Murphy Foundation

FirstEnergy Foundation

George and Susan Klein & Family

The S. Livingston Mather Charitable Trust

NEOEA

The Harry K. Fox and Emma R. Fox Charitable Foundation

Additional support is provided by The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.