Celebrate Wildlife Month with a screening of a marine life documentary.
The Idlewild Environmental Center is host a screening of “The Whale” at 7 p.m. on Friday July 25, at 222-02 149th Ave., at the intersection of 149th Avenue and Springfield Lane.
Every July, conservationists celebrate Wildlife Month, which is dedicated to celebrating the world’s diverse wildlife and encouraging further conservation efforts.
“The Whale” is a documentary following a young orca named Luna who is separated from his pod. During his period of separation, Luna attempts to befriend humans living on western Canada’s Natooka Sound. Narrated by actor Ryan Reynolds, “The Whale” explores themes of community, conservation, and the complex relationship between marine life and humans. The film also shares the contrasting opinions of townsfolk, as some believe the orca should be left alone to its own devices, while others embrace the friendliness of the wild marine creature.
Orcas are a species that form pods for life, with the offspring staying with their mother’s pods forming a matrilineal family group, led by the oldest female. Also known as killer whales, orcas are the ocean’s top predators and are found in every ocean around the world. All killer whale species are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection act of 1972, a national policy preventing marine mammal species from declining beyond the point where they stop being a significant part of the ecosystems in which they belong to.
The Idlewild Park Environmental Science Learning Center is an initiative led by the Eastern Queens Alliance, Inc. Specifically, the Eastern Queens Alliance provides environmental science education for public and private school students, and field trips. Additionally, the Eastern Queens Alliance hosts recreational and cultural activities in the Idlewild Park Preserve for children and adults, with the goal of having the community actively participate in environmental stewardship and educational workshops.
