Members of the Virginia State legislature were treated to a screening of Shenandoah: Voices of the River at the historic Byrd Theater in Richmond on Jan. 14. The League of Conservation Voters hosted the event, where Downstream founder George Ohrstrom addressed the group of around 75 dignitaries.
Here is an excerpt of his address:
“…The catalyst for the film was the fact that the American Rivers Association named the Shenandoah the fifth most endangered river in America in 2006. The point of the film is to focus attention on the river because it needs our help. Unfortunately, it’s powerless to defend itself from the indignities we humans foist upon it. Some of our effects are worse than others, but the aggregate of our multiple effects is really debilitating. While there isn’t just one obvious problem with the river; there are a thousand serious ones. It’s not just industry, or development, or agriculture—it’s all of them, and other things too….”
