Storytelling and Watershed Science: Premiering “Chessie’s Big Adventure”
High in the Blue Ridge Mountains south of Waynesboro, water begins its journey to the Chesapeake Bay. To illustrate the hydrologic* connection made by the South River, a rubber duck named “Chessie” travels the length of the South River and beyond.
Together with videographer David Verde, the South River Watershed Coalition (SRWC) produced this video to teach the science of watersheds through storytelling. Inspired by a 1960s film called “Paddle To The Sea”, our story uses Chessie, a character we follow on an adventure from the headwaters of South River over 300 miles to the ocean. Along the way, Chessie encounters landscapes, wildlife, and communities connected by rivers and their history.
In addition to premiering the 20-minute video, videographer David Verde and SRWC President Tom Benzing will explain the production process. In addition, the SRWC has secured the rights from the National Film Board of Canada to show “Paddle To The Sea”, the inspiration for this production.
*hydrologic: dealing with the occurrence, circulation, distribution, and properties of the waters of the earth and its atmosphere.
Angel David Verde is a full-time filmmaker and award winning visual creative. He has over 15 years experience in TV, Film, production, founding DV Entertainment in 2010. He specializes in non-fiction story driven projects, outdoor adventure, and natural history and conservancy films and videos. David has been working alongside Dave Hirschman and the South River Watershed Coalition since the inception of the South River Currents video series starting in 2020. The mission, goals, and outreach the videos produced for the SRWC aim to achieve, strike a deeply personal and fulfilling chord that David and his team feel truly privileged to get to be a part of.
Outside of his professional endeavors, David is an avid waterman and passionate outdoors person, a Honduran Immigrant, and a U.S. Air Force Veteran. In his spare time, he enjoys whitewater standup paddle boarding, river surfing, scuba diving, skiing, amateur astronomy, and letterpress printmaking.
Tom Benzing, SRWC President, lives on Porterfield Run, his watershed address on a small tributary to the South River in Augusta County. He is Professor Emeritus at James Madison University’s School of Integrated Sciences and serves as a trustee on the board of the Virginia Museum of Natural History. He enjoys fishing, hiking, and traveling.
The Wayne Theatre in Waynesboro presents “Science Talks” in partnership with the Virginia Museum of Natural History as part of its Signature Speaker Series. The South River Watershed Coalition is a proud sponsor of the Signature Speaker Series.
All of these events begin at 7:00 p.m. with a presentation and time for questions and answers.
Admission is pay what you will. Drinks and snacks are available for purchase from the Wayne Theatre.
Click here to find more information on upcoming talks and tickets.
The Science and History Talks are among a handful of fun and educational opportunities you can also watch virtually.
Be sure to check out all our past Science Talks on the Virginia Museum of Natural History YouTube Channel.
