Humbling, hopeful ‘Wings over Water’ at Peoria Riverfront Museum

With so many wetlands drained and plowed, conservationists such as Charlie Potter, CEO of the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation and a producer of the new “Wings over Water” documentary, decided people don’t know enough about it and resolved to “change the perceptions,” he told a preview audience at Peoria’s Riverfront Museum, where the state’s largest screen will show it this year.

The result is a joyful, informative and alarming film.

Featuring stunning 3D, high-definition cinematography by director Andrew Young (“Backyard Wilderness”) and footage from Michael Male and Neil Rettig, the 45-minute gem showcases the importance of wetlands in the upper Midwest, the millions of migratory birds that depend on it, and threats to the vitality of the freshwater marshes of the Prairie Pothole region. An area of some 300,000 square miles extending from Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas and Montana into the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, the Prairie Pothole area is where more than 60% of North American ducks are born.

The delicate dynamics of migration and mating is moving, reminding viewers that some of the feathery, fragile birds come from Costa Rico, New Mexico and Arkansas to the Prairie Potholes. The mundane yet majestic continental travelers contribute to an ecosystem of harmony that’s also key to plants and people, from flood management to insect control.

Narrated by award-winning actor Michael Keaton, the film aims to increase public awareness and mention the story of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, key legislation enacted 30 years ago by far-sighted conservationists hoping to provide a continent-wide insurance policy for birds and their habitats.

“Wings over Water” is emotional as well as educational, since the loss of such habitat is also the loss of wildlife that greatly benefit the planet’s water, air and food.. Assisted by Wetlands America Trust, Dorsey Pictures, Peorians Diane and Doug Oberhelman, Ducks Unlimited and others, “Wings over Water is a magnificent call to action.