act today, shape tomorrow
Audubon, in alliance with Toyota
WHO: Dorsey High School and L.A. Audubon
WHERE: Los Angeles, California
WHEN:
If you were a high school student in LA, chances are snow would be the last thing on your mind. Film, however, might be something more familiar. But it was a combination of film and snow (or the Western Snowy Plover to be more precise) that inspired a trio of Dorsey High School students to develop a short movie about this small shorebird that went on to take honors at a student film festival sponsored by Fox Studios and help the young filmmakers win scholarship money. The film, “Sharing the Beach with Western Snowy Plovers”, focuses on first describing Snowy Plovers, their habits and habitats—including the birds tendency to sit in footprints or tire-tracks, becoming nearly invisible. It then explains why citizens should care about Snowy Plover conservation efforts, and how beachgoers can help ensure the birds’ survival. In the film, the students suggest taking simple—but important—steps, like throwing away trash to minimize attracting predators, following dog leash laws and getting involved with the plovers through volunteer activities. The film can be viewed in both English and Spanish here. After the teens became involved with Los Angeles Audubon as volunteers removing invasive plant species from their beaches and participating in bird counts, they quickly learned about the plight of the Western Snowy Plover. As members of the Dorsey High School Film Production Program, the students wanted to tell a visual story to create more support and enthusiasm for the birds’ conservation efforts. The Western Snowy Plovers ’ West Coast breeding ranges have become increasingly fragmented due to environmental degradation and habitat loss. In fact, during the late 1970s, the plovers had vanished from more than half of the California coastal locations they had been recorded at before 1970—places like Los Angeles County. Though Snowy Plovers still winter on Los Angeles beaches, there have been no recorded nests there since the late 1940s. At the student film festival, Fox Studios executives judged the films, awarding scholarships to the top two films of the year. “Sharing the Beach with Western Snowy Plovers” won in the “Best Editing,” category and the student who edited the film received a $1,000 scholarship payable to the school of his choice. The students also received a Certificate of Recognition from California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, the first African American woman to lead a legislature in North America. Made in collaboration with Los Angeles Audubon’s Director of Interpretation Stacey Vigallon, who is also Volunteer Coordinator for the Snowy Plover Project, the film is an informative and optimistic introduction to the Snowy Plover that ends on a hopeful note: “Your efforts and interest can make a difference.”
If you were a high school student in LA, chances are snow would be the last thing on your mind.
Film, however, might be something more familiar.
But it was a combination of film and snow (or the Western Snowy Plover to be more precise) that inspired a trio of Dorsey High School students to develop a short movie about this small shorebird that went on to take honors at a student film festival sponsored by Fox Studios and help the young filmmakers win scholarship money.
The film, “Sharing the Beach with Western Snowy Plovers”, focuses on first describing Snowy Plovers, their habits and habitats—including the birds tendency to sit in footprints or tire-tracks, becoming nearly invisible. It then explains why citizens should care about Snowy Plover conservation efforts, and how beachgoers can help ensure the birds’ survival.
In the film, the students suggest taking simple—but important—steps, like throwing away trash to minimize attracting predators, following dog leash laws and getting involved with the plovers through volunteer activities.
The film can be viewed in both English and Spanish here.
After the teens became involved with Los Angeles Audubon as volunteers removing invasive plant species from their beaches and participating in bird counts, they quickly learned about the plight of the Western Snowy Plover. As members of the Dorsey High School Film Production Program, the students wanted to tell a visual story to create more support and enthusiasm for the birds’ conservation efforts.
The Western Snowy Plovers ’ West Coast breeding ranges have become increasingly fragmented due to environmental degradation and habitat loss. In fact, during the late 1970s, the plovers had vanished from more than half of the California coastal locations they had been recorded at before 1970—places like Los Angeles County. Though Snowy Plovers still winter on Los Angeles beaches, there have been no recorded nests there since the late 1940s.
At the student film festival, Fox Studios executives judged the films, awarding scholarships to the top two films of the year. “Sharing the Beach with Western Snowy Plovers” won in the “Best Editing,” category and the student who edited the film received a $1,000 scholarship payable to the school of his choice. The students also received a Certificate of Recognition from California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, the first African American woman to lead a legislature in North America.
Made in collaboration with Los Angeles Audubon’s Director of Interpretation Stacey Vigallon, who is also Volunteer Coordinator for the Snowy Plover Project, the film is an informative and optimistic introduction to the Snowy Plover that ends on a hopeful note: “Your efforts and interest can make a difference.”
The three award-winning filmmakers
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