Goderich Signal Star, 2017-03-08, Page 3A documentary about the
tough times of Madagascar
Shaun Gregory
Huron Expositor
To create an exclusive
documentary about the
hardships of southern Mad-
agascar, a Goderich
researcher and local artist
are joining forces.
Researcher Amber
Walker -Bolton and aspiring
filmmaker Devin Sturgeon
invited the public to the
Huron County Museum
March 2 to educate them on
their upcoming enterprise.
In the front entrance of the
museum, framed photo-
graphs surrounded the room;
these pieces of art are being
sold to help pay for the film as
well as helping to accommo-
date Sturgeon's first-ever trip
to the foreign land.
The night ended with a
lecture by Walker -Bolton;
she informed the crowd of
the project and its two
themed focus - the near
extinction of the ring-tailed
lemur as well as its main
concentration on the people
of Madagascar.
Several studies have
proved that the ring-tailed
lemur is on the brink of
extinction, there are cur-
rently roughly 2,500 left and
according to the National
Geographic the herbivores
are an endangered species.
Walker -Bolton said she
wants to know what is trig-
gering these low numbers,
"do they look at them as a
food source or something to
be hunted?"
The excursion to the Ber-
enty Reserve is expected to
take a couple of flights as
well as a long ride through
the jungle, this is the desti-
nation where Walker -Bolton
has spent the last six years
doing research.
She will arrive in April
with Sturgeon set to follow a
month later to film the mat-
ing behaviour of the lemur.
She said it's a "brief moment,
since they only relate once a
year.'
Currently the area is suf-
fering from a massive
drought that has affected
roughly 850,000 people. -
"We want to just bring
awareness to the people of
Canada about what's going
on in Madagascar," stated
Walker -Bolton about the
intentions of the trip.
"People will see the film
and want to support our pro-
jects, it will also be an eye-
opener on what it's like to
run these types of conserva-
tion projects?'
If you would like to sup-
port the project there•is a
GoFundMe page called the
Madagascar Conservation
Documentary, they have
raised about $800 of the
$6,000 goal.
Walker -Bolton also men-
tioned that there is an
account at the Goderich Sco-
tia Bank, specifically
launched for this endeavour.
Looking to showcase your art?
For the past ten years, art-
ists, photographers, wood-
workers, sculptors, quitters,
and artists in all media have
known that early spring at
the Goderich CoOp Gallery
means just one thing. Time
to expose their skills. It's the
tenth anniversary year for
our annual community
show, where artists in all
mediums, are invited to dis-
play the arts and crafts on
which they have been qui-
etly, perhaps secretly
creating.
When we began this com-
munity show, ten years ago,
we were not sure what kind
of a reception it would
receive. After all, it takes a lot
of courage to actually put
your artistic efforts "out
there," to reveal the hidden
artist within. However, we
have found Goderich resi-
dents to be very supportive
of the arts, and especially of
these efforts by their friends
and family. With such a
receptive audience, artists
.are able to feel comfortable
showing off their artistic
efforts. While the GCG does
not hold any judging of the
work entered, we do look for
original pieces which will be
enjoyed by visitors of all
ages.
We will be accepting
entries anytime during open
hours from March 8-25.
Since we are still operating
on "winter hours," we are
closed Mondays and Tues-
days. Then, on April 1, we
will have an official opening
ceremony for the show,
"Exposing" all the partici-
pant's art, followed by a
reception from 2 p.m. to 4
p.m.
So grab your paints and
brushes, camera, clay,
sculpting tools, chisels,
needles and threads, knit-
ting needles...or whatever
you use to express your cre-
ativity, and get busy. At
some point, when you take
a break from your art
labours, be sure to drop in
to the Goderich CoOp Gal-
lery, 54 Courthouse Square,
lower level, and pick up
your entry form, or take a
minute to download your
entry form from our web-
site, gcgallery.ca. We invite
you to the Gallery for the
month of April, come and
expose your art.
Wednesday, March 8, 2017 • Signal Star 3
Shaun Gregory
Researcher Amber
Walker -Bolton
held a lecture
at the Huron
County Museum
in Goderich
March 2 about
a documentary
initiative relating
to ring-tailed
lemurs and the
adversities of
the people in
Madagascar.
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