I have been waiting a long time for this, the debut of "Everglades of the North: The Story of the Grand Kankakee Marsh" is Monday, Nov. 5.
Here is the word:
"Everglades of the North" - a film about the Grand Kankakee Marsh
LOCAL KANKAKEE MARSH DOCUMENTARY
TO AIR NOVEMBER 5TH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 23, 2012
Valparaiso, IN -- The locally produced documentary, entitled "Everglades of the North: The Story of the Grand Kankakee Marsh," has been completed and will air at 8pm (CST) on Monday November 5th, 2012 on WYIN - Lakeshore Public Television of Merrillville, IN. It will also air in South Bend on November 8th on WNIT Public Television at 8pm (EST).
Lakeshore is the PBS "presenting station" for the film.
The one-hour television documentary tells the history of the Grand Kankakee Marsh and how people have used and perceived this wetland for more than 10,000 years.
The Grand Kankakee Marsh may have been as large as one million acres in northern Indiana and Illinois, and was home to some of the highest concentrations of wildlife and waterfowl in North America.
Less than 5% of the Kankakee River marshes survived modern development and the film explores the important role this wetland played in the history of the area.
It looks at the natural and cultural history of the area and the different uses of the land from the earliest Native Americans to the European settlement to modern agriculture.
"This has been an incredible experience," said producer Pat Wisniewski, founder of For Goodness Sakes Productions in Valparaiso, "We've met scores of wonderful people who love the Kankakee River and its fabled marsh, and wanted to share their stories with us."
Wisniewski teamed up with friend and syndicated columnist Jeff Manes of Lowell, who grew up on the Kankakee River and approached her about creating a story about the marsh. "It didn't take long for us to realize we needed to make this documentary," he said. "We need to tell this story."
"It's a missing piece of American ecology," said Cedar Lake native Brian Kallies who has produced, shot and edited documentaries for PBS, WGN and the Showtime cable network. "The Story of the Grand Kankakee Marsh is a vital slice of Midwestern history," said the former Lakeshore Public Television producer and production manager."I grew up fishing with my dad on the Illinois side of the Kankakee River" said producer Tom Desch, a native of Herscher, IL, who edited numerous shows for PBS, the Biography Channel and Animal Planet. "So, when I heard about the project, I wanted to be a part of bringing it to life", he added.
"The Grand Kankakee Marsh is something that man had destroyed before he realized its value", said Guy Carlson, of the Izaak Walton League - Diana Chapter. "Now we need to give something back to nature." The chapter helped raise funds for the production of the film.
Contacts:
Patty Wisniewski Executive Producer/Camera 219-508-7364 forgoodnesssakeproductions@gmail.com
Jeff Manes Producer/Writer 219-775-3038
jeffmanes@sbcglobal.net
Brian Kallies Producer/Camera/Editor 773-610-5819
bk@briankallies.com
Tom Desch Producer/Camera/Editor 773-837-1915
deschvideo@gmail.com
Guy Carlson Treasurer - Izaak Walton League - Diana Chapter
(219) 309-7080 GCarlson@netdsb.com
Brandi Anstine Lakeshore Public Television
(219) 756-5656 banstine@lakeshoreptv.com
Major funding for this program has been provided by:
Lake Heritage Parks Foundation
Efroymson Family Fund, a CICF Fund
South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority
Legacy Foundation
Dean and Barbara White Foundation
Albert's Jewelers
Dorene and Jerry Hammes
Newton County Community Foundation
Jasper Foundation, Inc.
Waterfowl U.S.A.
Izaak Walton League of America
South Shore Arts
Indiana Arts Commission
National Endowment for the Arts
Jimmy F. New Foundation
The Nature Conservancy
Additional funding sources will be listed on the documentary website when it becomes available.
A trailer is available on YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKZQ772Yx6M&feature=plcp
That's the YouTube Video above

This is going to be an awesome production. Was very proud to be a part of it!
What a wonderful, yet very sad documentary. Once again another example of how humans can be some of the most ignorant and destructive animals on the face of the earth. It will take 100's of years and I will never see it, but how can we start to right this terrible wrong?