{"id":13757,"date":"2026-03-18T11:34:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T16:34:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/freshwater\/?p=13757"},"modified":"2026-03-18T11:34:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T16:34:09","slug":"new-documentary-featuring-dr-val-klump-premieres-on-earth-day-at-uw-green-bay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/freshwater\/new-documentary-featuring-dr-val-klump-premieres-on-earth-day-at-uw-green-bay\/","title":{"rendered":"New documentary featuring Dr. Val Klump premieres on Earth Day at UW\u2013Green Bay"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dean emeritus and professor emeritus Val Klump is part of “The Natural World of the Bay<\/a>,” a new feature\u2011length documentary by filmmaker\u00a0Dan Larson. This film is the third in a series Dan has produced highlighting the local environment. His recent documentaries include\u00a0The Great Ledge<\/em>\u00a0(2017), focused on the Niagara Escarpment, and\u00a0The Power of the River<\/em>\u00a0(2023), which explored the Lower Fox River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay will host the local premiere of the film on\u00a0Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 6 p.m.\u00a0in the University Theatre. Pre\u2011event exhibits open at\u00a05 p.m.\u00a0so guests can explore\u00a0community tables\u00a0and talk with scientists, conservation groups and students advancing freshwater solutions across Northeast Wisconsin. The screening will be followed by a live\u00a0conversation with the filmmaker\u00a0and\u00a0 local experts\u00a0featured in the film, after which\u00a0guests are invited to explore student art focused on the estuary and meet representatives from local watershed organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cNatural World of the Bay\u201d takes audiences inside the world\u2019s largest freshwater estuary to reveal the bay\u2019s dynamic blend of birds, fish and plants, the nutrient cycles and invasive species that shape its health, and the people who influence its future. From interviews with biologists to community stewards, viewers will see stories of northern pike migration, the seasonal spectacle of migratory birds, and the complex role of nutrients that fuel productivity while also driving algal blooms and hypoxia (\u201cdead zones\u201d) in some seasons \u2013 challenges that state and regional partners are actively working to address in the Lower Fox River\u2013Green Bay system.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUW\u2013Green Bay had the\u00a0strongest connection to this film,\u201d Larson noted. \u201cFrom\u00a0UW-Green Bay emeritus scientists like Bud Harris\u00a0who helped frame the ecology of the bay, to collaborators at\u00a0UW\u2013Milwaukee\u2019s School of Freshwater Sciences\u00a0like\u00a0Val Klump\u00a0who\u2019ve advanced our understanding of\u00a0dead zones, to\u00a0Sea Grant\u00a0partners and on\u2011the\u2011water monitoring with\u00a0NEW Water, this is the\u00a0right place\u00a0to premiere a film about\u00a0freshwater science, community and solutions.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Event Details<\/h2>\n\n\n\n