OWINGS MILLS, MD, April 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Maryland Public Television (MPT) is preparing to celebrate the Chesapeake Bay region once again in April with its 16th annual Chesapeake Bay Week®, a slate of programs highlighting the importance and fragility of the nation’s largest estuary.
During the week of April 19 - 25, MPT will offer 22 hours of content celebrating the bay’s history, people, natural resources, and efforts to protect its diverse ecosystem, including seven programs viewers will see on the statewide public TV network for the first time. The programs are also available to view on the station’s livestream at mpt.org/livestream.
The cornerstone of this year’s Chesapeake Bay Week is the premiere of the MPT production, Chesapeake Beacons. The new half-hour film offers an aerial survey of the bay’s most treasured navigation landmarks: from the twin Cape Henry lighthouses near Virginia Beach at the mouth of the bay, north to the Turkey Point Lighthouse at its headwaters in Cecil County, Maryland.
MPT’s annual Chesapeake Bay Week is a unique broadcasting initiative and part of the statewide public TV network’s ongoing commitment to celebrating the bay and examining critical issues faced by communities throughout the Chesapeake region. The entire week’s schedule is available at mpt.org/bayweek/schedule/.
The cornerstone of this year’s Chesapeake Bay Week is the premiere of the MPT production, Chesapeake Beacons. The new half-hour film offers an aerial survey of the bay’s most treasured navigation landmarks: from the twin Cape Henry lighthouses near Virginia Beach at the mouth of the bay, north to the Turkey Point Lighthouse at its headwaters in Cecil County, Maryland.
MPT’s annual Chesapeake Bay Week is a unique broadcasting initiative and part of the statewide public TV network’s ongoing commitment to celebrating the bay and examining critical issues faced by communities throughout the Chesapeake region. The entire week’s schedule is available at mpt.org/bayweek/schedule/.
New programs airing during Chesapeake Bay Week 2020:
Chesapeake Beacons – Monday, April 20 at 9 p.m.
Chesapeake Beacons offers views of Chesapeake Bay lighthouses that few have ever seen. Filmed with stunning bird’s-eye aerials and up close and personal tours that capture their iconic, time-honored beauty, viewers visit a dozen lighthouses, and learn why each unique beacon came into existence, how it was built, and explore its legends and lore. A trailer is available at youtube.com/watch?v=SaOPvPummnk&feature=youtu.be.
Tidewater – Monday, April 20 at 9:30 p.m.
Located at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia’s Hampton Roads is home to the nation’s highest concentration of military assets, making its vulnerability to sea-level rise a threat to American national security. Tidewater is a 30-minute documentary exploring the attempts of a wide range of stakeholders, from ordinary citizens to the U.S. Navy, to tackle the challenges posed by climate change and sea-level rise within this community. A trailer is available at youtube.com/watch?v=YQt-weNC-9A
A Voice for the Rivers – Tuesday, April 21 at 8 p.m.
Once havens of beauty and abundance, the rivers and creeks of Maryland’s Eastern Shore are suffering. Water quality is poor. Excess nutrients from pollution create algal growth, which chokes out light, oxygen, underwater grasses and estuarine life. A Voice for the Rivers is a half-hour documentary profiling four riverkeepers: dedicated scientists, environmental activists, educators, volunteers, and advocates who work daily to protect and restore the Eastern Shore’s rivers.
Shad Run – Tuesday, April 21 at 8:30 p.m.
In the Potomac River, American shad were once so abundant that the river was said to “run silver” each spring when millions of shad returned to its waters to spawn. By the 1970s, shad populations along the east coast were depleted due to overfishing, pollution, and dam construction. Shad Run chronicles the demise and subsequent triumphant return of the American shad, with a special focus on the individuals who led the charge to protect this important native fish. A trailer is available at vimeo.com/155451219
Nassawango Legacy – Thursday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Amidst a patchwork quilt of farm fields and drainage ditches, one Eastern Shore stream stands out for its wild beauty. This short film chronicles a family’s multi-generational efforts to protect Nassawango Creek, a Pocomoke River tributary. It also highlights ongoing efforts of environmental non-profit The Nature Conservancy to ensure the 18-mile waterway flourishes into the future as an 11,000-acre preserve.
Cold Stunned – Thursday, April 23 at 7:45 p.m.
Every year, hundreds of endangered “cold-stunned” sea turtles wash ashore in Cape Cod Bay, at risk of illness or even death due to the frigid winter waters. This short film explores the work that the National Aquarium in Baltimore does, together with conservation partners, to rescue, rehab and release these turtles into warmer waters. A trailer is available at: youtube.com/watch?v=q8EayEahGr8
Oysterfest – Thursday, April 23 at 8:30 p.m.
Oysterfest is a collection of three short films showcasing the Bay’s favorite bivalve. Lifeline: A Chesapeake Oyster Documentary chronicles the decline of the Chesapeake’s native oyster population, with a particular focus on the impact of overharvesting. The Incredible Oyster Reef explores oysters as a keystone species, and highlights the ecological significance of the wild oyster reef as a home for fish, crabs and other marine life. The Local Oyster Stout tells the story behind the development of Maryland’s first farm-to-table oyster stout beer.
Additional Chesapeake Bay Week programs of interest
Maryland Farm & Harvest: Water & Agriculture Special – Tuesday, April 21 at 7 p.m.
This special themed episode of Maryland Farm & Harvest looks at one of Earth’s most valuable natural resources: water. From a Chesapeake oyster farm impacted by unusually heavy rainfall to innovative strategies for draining wet farm fields while minimizing agricultural runoff, and an Eastern Shore grain farmer using recycled wastewater to irrigate his crops, this episode looks at the essential role water plays in food production around the state.
Outdoors Maryland: Blue Ribbon River – Tuesday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m.
This special Outdoors Maryland episode explores the Gunpowder River through the eyes of those who enjoy it and those protecting it for future generations. A Chesapeake Bay tributary and a source of drinking water for millions, the Gunpowder is a world-class trout fishing river. It also features class III whitewater rapids, and from its headwaters to its mouth, sustains the area’s complex and diverse ecosystems.
Special Eatin’ series block – Saturday, April 25, 7:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.
MPT serves up all five of its half-hour Eatin’ programs – starting with Maryland Crabs: Tradition & Taste, followed by Eatin’ Crabs: Chesapeake Style, Eatin’ Crabcakes: The Best I Ever Had, Eatin’ The Chesapeake: The Five Feats, and finishing with Eatin’ Oysters: Chesapeake Style.
Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22
On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, MPT features three one-hour PBS programs, starting with the documentary Climate Change – The Facts, followed by the first installment of H2O: The Molecule that Made Us, and then NOVA: Killer Floods, which looks at what caused cataclysmic floods of the past and asks whether they could strike again.
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About MPT
Launched in 1969 and headquartered in Owings Mills, MD, Maryland Public Television is a nonprofit, state-licensed public television network and member of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). MPT’s six transmitters cover Maryland plus portions of contiguous states and the District of Columbia. Frequent winner of regional Emmy® awards, MPT creates local, regional, and national television shows. Beyond broadcast, MPT’s commitment to professional educators, parents, caregivers, and learners of all ages is delivered through year-round instructional events and the super-website Thinkport, which garners in excess of five million page views annually. MPT’s community engagement connects viewers with local resources on significant health, education, and public interest topics through year-round outreach events, viewer forums, program screenings, and phone bank call-in opportunities. For more information visit mpt.org.
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