In Search of the Hidden Cooper River

Monday, October 17, 2022

6:00 PM-7:30 PM

The Cooper River, a 16-mile tributary of the Delaware River in southwestern New Jersey, was once heavily polluted and nearly half sewage, but thanks to the Clean Water Act and many efforts from local organizations, this river is a thriving waterway — hidden in plain sight.

Camden County Parks Director Maggie McCann Johns and National Geographic Science Photographer Anand Varma led four Camden County youth on a six day expedition, June 22-27, on the Cooper River, from its mouth at the Delaware River to its source at Gibbsboro, NJ. This film chronicles that expedition, and the trials, tribulations and triumphs as they tell the story of a hidden gem that has now been uncovered, for the first time in recorded history.

The expedition passed through Camden, Collingswood, Cherry Hill, Haddonfield, Haddon, Tavistock, Lawnside, Magnolia, Somerdale, Voorhees, Lindenwold, and Gibbsboro.

This film was produced by Sandy Cannon Brown with videography by Dave Harp, an award winning team. This is the first public screening in South Jersey. It will be shown at film festivals, to include the DC Film Festival, Chesapeake Film Festival, will air on Mid-Atlantic public television, and be a resource for K-12 schools.

Expedition Partners: Camden County Parks Department, Upstream Alliance, UrbanPromise, Academy of Natural Sciences, Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, New Jersey Natural Lands Trust, Independence Seaport Museum, Environment New Jersey, American Littoral Society, American Rivers, and The Nature Conservancy

RSVP to Zack@upstreamalliance.org for reception; link below for movie premier.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVtX4bcjtjq30Ai-MtaxyY53nkNNhmduXHgVNz_pylzTk9Qw/viewform