A new documentary follows University of South Florida biologists as they fight to protect a 769-acre preserve and golf course from development. The short film premieres 8pm Tuesday at New World Brewery in Tampa.
"We wana highlight just how fragile this space is, and how narrow this corridor is and how important it is too for Tampa Bay and the state of Florida," said USF biology grad student Jeannie Mounger in the documentary trailer.
Mounger helped create the grassroots campaign "Save USF Forest Preserve."
She and two other student organizers, Stephen Hesterberg and Christian Brown, are being highlighted by Luke Myers who directed and produced the short film.
Myers recently graduated from USF with a Master of Fine Arts degree.
The film called Choke Point takes viewers on a trek through the USF Forest Preserve off Fletcher Avenue in Tampa, using a wildlife corridor to show how vital the trail is to the animals.
“Because of development north and south of here, this property is like the only property that wildlife can use if they're moving through those areas, and so that's where the title comes from also because the land functions as sort of like a choke point that funnels all the animals through,” said Myers.
The 33-year-old said he hopes his documentary angers viewers because Myers, himself, finds it really upsetting that the university is considering developing the USF Forest Preserve, which is home to threatened and endangered species, and is also used as a natural classroom by biology students.
"I hope that everyone that has any connection to USF, I hope it like changes their relationship to USF by seeing it, like whether they are disappointed in their own institution, or shocked, or maybe they're not surprised at all,” he said. “I hope it motivates people to call the president out and… not allow this to go forward."
Myers explained why this first official project of his career is important to him:
"I'm in the same boat that… most people in Tampa Bay are in, whether they know it or not, which is that we're all like stakeholders of this property because this land filters the water that goes into the Hillsborough River that we all drink,” he said. “Developing this land would like directly affect our water quality."
Tuesday's debut event is sold out with about 60 people expected to attend, but the 12-minute documentary will be available on YouTube after the premiere.
