BURLINGTON, Vt. — Over the course of 14 days, a relatively inexperienced paddler named Jordan Rowell kayaked the entire 120-mile length of Lake Champlain. His watery trip from Whitehall, New York to the northern reaches of Missisquoi Bay in Quebec is the subject of a new documentary premiering April 21st in Burlington.
No Other Lake celebrates the unique beauty of Lake Champlain and confronts its greatest challenges, 50 years after the enactment of the Clean Water Act. Jordan, a University of Vermont student studying natural resources, and local filmmaker Duane Peterson III teamed up to get a better understanding of their home watershed. The pair stopped along the way to talk with people about the future of the landmark lake, including farmers, members of the Abenaki community, and water quality experts.
In 40 minutes, viewers are taken on a journey that includes a hike up Mt. Mansfield with author and 350.org founder Bill McKibben, a morning of pulling invasive water chestnuts with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, and a conversation about inclusivity in the outdoors with UVM People of Color Outdoors Club member, Andrew Romano.
“So many young people are overwhelmed by media coverage of climate change and other global environmental issues, to the point that they start to feel like there’s nothing they can do as an individual to help,” Rowell said.
“We wanted to provide an entry point to some of the things happening here at home in a way that showed how people could have a direct impact,” Peterson agreed.
The filmmakers describe No Other Lake as an adventure-conservation documentary. Their goals are to inspire people to better connect with the natural world around them, see issues from a different point of view, and get involved with stewardship efforts happening close to home.
No Other Lake, will premiere at Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center in Burlington, VT at 7pm on April 21st and will be followed by a discussion with the filmmakers. The screening is free with a suggested donation of $10 to support the Lake Champlain Committee’s maintenance and development of the Lake Champlain Paddlers’ Trail. Tickets can be reserved at www.lakechamplainfilm.com.
The production of No Other Lake was supported by Grand Isle County Natural Resources Conservation District, Lake Champlain Basin Program, UVM Four Office, and the John M. Bissell Foundation. The screening has additional support from Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center.
This project has been funded in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement (LC-00A00695-0) to NEIWPCC in partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program.
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