Monday, October 24, 2011



A tour of landscapes and wildlife in the Kissimmee Basin. Cinematography by Elam Stoltzfus, edited by Joe Davenport and music score by Ian Weir. This segment was created as an artist expression, but also to share the beauty in landscapes of what we saw in the past 18 months. We hope you enjoy the view.

The Kissimmee Basin: the Northern Everglades documentary takes an in-depth and fascinating look at how changing the Kissimmee River's shape has, in turn, changed lives -- and ultimately the history of this beautiful landscape.

"...the high percentage of endangered species in this country live on private property. And our agricultural lands in America really represent some of the greatest examples of stewardship. And the reason why there are still opportunities to have additional acquisitions for a new national park or a new state park is because some business, some family, has been caretaking that land for generations. - - Adam Putnam, Commissioner, FL Dept of Agriculture

For more information go to: www.NorthernEverglades.com
FaceBook at: http://www.facebook.com/NorthernEverglades
YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/user/NorthernEverglades
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheNEverglades
Blog: http://northerneverglades.blogspot.com/

Friday, October 21, 2011

On October 20 I was able to travel to Vero Beach to meet up with Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and US Fish and Wildlife Services Director Dan Ashe to capture a video interview discussing the proposal of the Northern Everglades Headwaters Wildlife Refuge.  Both leaders of large agencies understood the importance of protecting the water resources at the headwaters of the Everglades systems and preserve an important part our natural heritage: the Florida Ranching communities.  Pelican Island NWS staff along with Director Charlie Pelizza were wonderful hosts to the group.  Consultant Rick Smith met up with me to provide crew support and meet new people.

On hand was Carlton Ward and Joe Guthrie to present a map of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition map and to discuss Florida black bear research.  The story about the Kissimmee Basin: the Northern Everglades and the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition are beginning to overlap in content and contacts.  Its been an incredible experience to travel on a few of the large landscapes in heartland of Florida in the past two years.  Now there will be another chance to get a close up look and journey through these lands in 2012.





Frame grab from video - USFWS Director Dan Ashe

Frame grab from video - DOI Sec Ken Salazar


Friday, October 14, 2011

On October 11th I traveled to Albany Ga to pick up Jim Fowler at his Mud Creek Ranch.  From there we traveled to the NE side of Albany to record the audio narration for the documentary at Albany Recording Studio.  Ed McRee was the engineer for the recording session.  Jim Fowler added his own interpretation  and characterization to the reading of the script.  This is always exciting to hear the words begin to come to life.   Now we go to the audio edit session to put together all the best takes.  From there the narrative will be laid down in the timeline in the editing program.  Next is the matching up of the video footage to visually tell the story.  Slowly coming together, like pieces to a puzzle.

Elam Stoltzfus, Producer & Jim Fowler, Narrator

Ed McRee, Engineer, Albany Recording Studios

Friday, October 7, 2011

Last week (September 30 & October 1) I traveled to the Adam's Ranch located along Lake Marion to meet up with Carlton Ward and Joe Guthrie.  On Friday afternoon David Houghton with the National Wildlife Refuge Association and Desiree Sorenson-Groves came to talk and visit with us.  David gave a great video interview about the new proposed Northern Everglades Headwaters Wildlife Refuge proposal, the importance of this project for Florida citizens and water conservation.  It was an honor to hear about a large concept plan of preservation and conservation in the Kissimmee Basin.  

(frame from HD video clip)

(image by Carlton Ward Jr.)

“One is a real focus on the youth of America as we become increasingly Urban, kids don’t enjoy outdoors like I did as kid growing up with the big outdoors….  So, how do we get the kids away from the games and get a little mud on their feet?  An Urban Refuge system could be part of that,  but its about public - private partnership with large landscapes…..” - -  David Houghton, Vice President, National Wildlife Refuge Association

___________

On Saturday Rick Smith and I traveled south through the Seminole Reservation to the ranch owned by FWC Commissioner, Ron Bergeron, Florida Wildlife Commission.  Bergeron is a great story teller spinning tales about old Florida, the Gladesman and the old Florida Cracker.

(image by Rick Smith)

(frame from HD video clip)

“Florida has beautiful natural resources, best in the whole world.  Number one fishing in the world, the Everglades being one of the ten natural wonders of the world, we are very blessed from seagrass to sawgrass.”  - - Alligator Ron Bergeron, Commissioner - Florida Wildlife Commission






Monday, September 26, 2011

Kissimmee Basin: Northern Everglades Part 4 of 4

Hello friends and partners of the Kissimmee Basin: the Northern Everglades documentary project,

We posted a new video segment Part 4 of 4 - a short 3:10 minute demo/sample video clip on the Northern Everglades channel.  This concludes the demo/sample clips of video stories on YouTube.  We will continue to post other segments and clips.  A new teaser will be coming soon along with a trailer.



Please repost and share the YouTube links in your social media pages.

A few new sponsors that have joined the project this month are:  Robert Culpepper and The Felburn Foundation which provided a matching grant.

Plans are to go into the audio recording studio to record Jim Fowler's narrative in the next few weeks.  We have collected a great collection of old archive photos (Florida Archives) and several old film clips of the Kissimmee River before the canal and during the construction of the canal.  Also purchased the rights for a Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover to help tell the story of a super model, politician and environmentalist.   You will need to wait and hear the full story in the documentary.  Believe me, its a great story and it was a "game changer" in the history of the Everglades. 

"When there’s a place that becomes so a part of you, like the Kissimmee, like the Everglades ... it takes on, for me, a mystical, spiritual sort of a reality for my life.  It’s more than a tourist destination. It’s more than a nice place to visit, to go and recreate. It’s much more."  -- Terrence "Rock" Salt, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army Corps of Engineers

Thank you for your interest and support.
Elam Stoltzfus, Producer

For more information go to: www.NorthernEverglades.com

Morning cattle drive with Lefty Durando and cattle hands. Yeehaw Junction, FL

Monday, September 19, 2011

Kissimmee Basin: the Northern Everglades overview

Project Overview

The Kissimmee Basin: the Northern Everglades invites you to take a trip up the Kissimmee Valley back through time to discover the well reasoned, yet unforeseen consequences of a flood control project that turned the 103 mile-long meandering river full of life, into a 52-mile long, multi-million dollar over-engineered channel that over drained the surrounding wetlands, caused the disappearance of large flocks of wading birds and caused a significant decline of an abundant freshwater fishery.
Meet the cattle ranchers whose families have cared for the Kissimmee River Basin for generations.
Discover the high stakes surrounding Kissimmee’s future and how changes made to it’s waterway are directly affecting the well-being of millions of people and many species of fish and wildlife.
Witness innovative and collaborative solutions actively at work among interests traditionally in competition with one another..
Lush and ethereal cinematography and rare historic photos bring the Kissimmee’s story into sharp focus. In-depth interviews bring you face-to-face with the engineers, activists, ranchers, military personnel and politicians who populate the pages of this river’s history.
The Kissimmee Basin: the Northern Everglades takes an in-depth and fascinating look at how changing the Kissimmee River’s shape has, in turn, changed lives – and ultimately the history of this beautiful landscape.