Tells the inspiring story of four battles in which Native American activists…
Tar Creek
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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TAR CREEK is the story of the worst environmental disaster you've never heard of: the Tar Creek Superfund site. Once one of the largest lead and zinc mines on the planet, Tar Creek is now home to more than 40 square miles of environmental devastation in northeastern Oklahoma: acid mine water in the creeks, stratospheric lead poisoning in the children, and sinkholes that melt backyards and ball fields.
Now, almost 30 years after being designated for federal cleanup by the Superfund program, Tar Creek residents are still fighting for decontamination, environmental justice, and ultimately, the buyout and relocation of their homes to safer ground. As TAR CREEK reveals, America's Superfund sites aren't just environmental wastelands; they're community tragedies, too...until the community fights back.
'A powerful film showing a tragic situation for everyone who lives in the region...It is tragic that the non-Native residents of the town of Picher must leave their homes because of the failed efforts to clean up the site, but even more a case of environmental injustice that members of the Quapaw tribe, who were forcefully moved to this region from Arkansas a hundred years ago, must stay behind and continue to be exposed to lead.' Dr. David Carpenter, Director, Institute for Health and the Environment, A Collaborating Center of the World Health Organization, University at Albany
'I found Matt Myers' Tar Creek a complete revelation, a much richer and more tragic story than I had ever been aware of. Only a carefully organized visual presentation like his can vividly bring to life, for a general audience, the blend of science, economics, politics, history and raw human misery that are bound up in an environmental disaster of such scale. Students viewing it will certainly grasp both the extreme care required in the extraction of vital resources and the potentially devastating costs of carelessness.' Christopher H. Foreman, Jr., Director and Professor, Social Policy Program, University of Maryland, Author, The Promise and Peril of Environmental Justice
'Deeply moving and compelling. A tragic story of environmental degradation and community disintegration, layered on historical uprooting of Native Americans. The current health threats to children and the heart-breaking relocation and buy-out of families are contrasted against legislative and bureaucratic absurdities in this stunning documentary...Mining operations in this region of Oklahoma were both an environmental assault and a cultural assault. The film makers and those who were interviewed have done a tremendous service by presenting the many lessons to what I hope is a large audience.' Dr. Richard Clapp, Epidemiologist, Professor Emeritus, Department of Environmental Health, Boston University
'A moving film with a powerful message. Many of our basic industries may have provided us with solid benefits at one time but they have also left us with a hell of a toxic legacy. Our need for job creation will never be more important than our need for an ecologically sustainable economy. In fact, these two goals are inseparable and must always be so. Tar Creek confirms this lesson through a tragic story, but also points us in the right direction: We need to rethink our economy from the bottom up and ensure that we never compromise the health of our children and our environment for short-term financial and political goals.' David Naguib Pellow, Professor of Sociology, University of Minnesota, Author, Garbage Wars: The Struggle for Environmental Justice in Chicago, Power, Justice, and the Environment
'Highly Recommended...Heart-breaking...Provides a good balance of the facts and personal perspectives from local leaders, townspeople, archives, government representatives, public health officials, and tribal leaders. Many viewers could benefit from the scientific and political lessons learned as well as hearing the passionate perspectives of the communities directly impacted. Appropriate for most high school students and adult audiences, the film should be of great interest to students and advocates interested in environmental justice, public health, policy, and environmental management issues.' Kristan Majors, Emory University, Educational Media Reviews Online
'Tar Creek is a stark warning against corporate greed and expensive, destructive, and community-destroying environmental catastrophes. Highly recommended, especially for public and school library collections.' The Midwest Book Review
'Powerful and disturbing...A sad tale about what a country will do to itself, and to its powerless native peoples, for the pursuit of wealth and war. It is dramatic viewing and highly recommended for anyone who lives in the United States or on the earth...Suitable for high school and college courses in cultural anthropology, development anthropology, environmental anthropology, Native American studies, and American studies, as well as general audiences.' Jack David Eller, Community College of Denver, Anthropology Reviews Online
'It's not such a pretty picture. . . nor is the story behind it, but writer-director Matt Myers, who grew up just 25 miles away, could find no peace until he told it...A hard-hitting environmental documentary.' Cyndy Patrick, Sierra Magazine
'Engrossing...This eye-opening program documents this environmental disaster and the human costs of mining practices.' Candace Smith, Booklist
'A searing portrait of human and natural damage wrought by one of the largest zinc and lead mines on Earth...The story is powerful...This film would be useful for environmental writing classes, or anywhere people need to be reminded that mining has a profound human cost.' Bruce Johansen, Journalism and Mass Communication Educator
'This award-winning video follows negotiations for a buy-out and relocation of local nonnatives...[A] grim exploration of our toxic legacy...Doesn't spare mine owners, bureaucrats, or politicians.' David Conn, formerly with Surrey Libraries, Library Journal
'A powerful documentary...The film recognizes the societal importance of the lead, zinc, and other metals that were extracted, but it raises important questions about the severe costs, many of which continue to be borne decades after production has ceased...Presents a strong, multipronged scientific case that touches on human biology, hydrology, ecology, geology, and atmospheric science...The science is well researched and credible, and the social story is compelling.' Ben Sayler, Black Hills State University, Science Books and Films
Citation
Main credits
Myers, Matt (film producer)
Myers, Matt (narrator)
Myers, Matt (film director)
Beer, Tanya (film producer)
Other credits
Director of photography, Robert Billings; original music by Watermelon Slim; edited by Matt Myers.
Distributor subjects
American Democracy; American Studies; Anthropology; Capitalism; Environment; Environmental Justice; Geography; Geology; Government; Health; History; Human Rights; Law; Mining; Native Americans; Natural Resources; Pollution; Social Justice; Sociology; Toxic Chemicals; WaterKeywords
WEBVTT
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- Will Rogers once said...
00:00:02.267 --> 00:00:04.366
Somebody asked him about land,
and he said,
00:00:04.367 --> 00:00:06.966
\"Well, they just
don\'t make much of it anymore.\"
00:00:06.967 --> 00:00:10.166
And we need... the Lord intends
for us to be good stewards
00:00:10.167 --> 00:00:13.299
of what he gave us,
and we did a terrible job here.
00:00:13.300 --> 00:00:15.566
We did a terrible job.
00:00:15.567 --> 00:00:20.332
- [singing] Oh
00:00:20.333 --> 00:00:26.599
Seen life, seen life
00:00:26.600 --> 00:00:27.932
- Knew nothing about Picher.
00:00:27.933 --> 00:00:30.166
I\'d spent half
of a football game
00:00:30.167 --> 00:00:32.532
in Picher, Oklahoma,
back in 1984.
00:00:32.533 --> 00:00:34.032
It was dark.
00:00:34.033 --> 00:00:37.132
Didn\'t have the opportunity
to appreciate the scenic view
00:00:37.133 --> 00:00:39.966
that Picher offers
with the chat piles,
00:00:39.967 --> 00:00:43.699
so I knew nothing, really,
about Picher at all.
00:00:43.700 --> 00:00:47.666
It became obvious fairly quickly
to me that, you know,
00:00:47.667 --> 00:00:49.666
we had a higher percentage
of kids
00:00:49.667 --> 00:00:53.366
that demonstrated more
difficulty in the classroom.
00:00:53.367 --> 00:00:58.432
Super kids, but they had...
They struggled.
00:00:58.433 --> 00:01:04.632
- We knew we had some problems
with the kids out there.
00:01:04.633 --> 00:01:08.666
- Little Chad...
I kind of hesitate to, you know,
00:01:08.667 --> 00:01:10.732
delve into it,
talk that much about it,
00:01:10.733 --> 00:01:15.966
because, well, he is our son,
00:01:15.967 --> 00:01:19.599
and we want him to be as normal
00:01:19.600 --> 00:01:25.532
as anybody else\'s kids,
you know.
00:01:25.533 --> 00:01:27.166
He has problems.
00:01:27.167 --> 00:01:30.399
- And I said, \"Well, you need
to come down here and see
00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:32.599
what we\'ve got.\"
00:01:32.600 --> 00:01:34.399
And I said,
\"It\'ll blow your mind.\"
00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:37.232
So they run up here and took
a bunch of blood samples
00:01:37.233 --> 00:01:40.232
from these
Quapaw Indian children.
00:01:40.233 --> 00:01:43.199
And, man, they found
high lead counts.
00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:45.566
That\'s when it started,
right there.
00:01:45.567 --> 00:01:47.232
But, see, they wouldn\'t ever
come in here
00:01:47.233 --> 00:01:49.232
and check the kids in Picher.
00:01:49.233 --> 00:01:51.332
The health department wouldn\'t...
Oklahoma.
00:01:51.333 --> 00:01:54.732
But then they started checking,
and they found a monster.
00:01:54.733 --> 00:01:59.199
- [singing] Ooh
00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:03.866
Oh, oh, oh
00:02:03.867 --> 00:02:09.032
That old white line
00:02:09.033 --> 00:02:12.700
Boys, is coming to an end
00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:19.599
- And so we actually went
door-to-door
00:02:19.600 --> 00:02:22.599
in the mining communities
and knocked on doors
00:02:22.600 --> 00:02:26.399
and found out how many people
had children six and under.
00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:29.699
And could we do lead testing
on those children?
00:02:29.700 --> 00:02:32.432
And we tested
a little over 100 kids
00:02:32.433 --> 00:02:35.832
and found out that 43% of those
kids had elevated blood leads.
00:02:35.833 --> 00:02:36.999
Myers: [whistles]
00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:40.766
- So the extent of that
was really shocking.
00:02:40.767 --> 00:02:44.299
- And the EPA came and did
a risk assessment,
00:02:44.300 --> 00:02:45.532
human health risk assessment,
00:02:45.533 --> 00:02:48.266
as well as finally did
a record of decision,
00:02:48.267 --> 00:02:50.466
and they felt like
the primary risk...
00:02:50.467 --> 00:02:52.832
Or primary pathway
was through dirt.
00:02:52.833 --> 00:02:55.432
And some of the yards
tested very high
00:02:55.433 --> 00:02:57.732
in terms of lead toxicity.
00:02:57.733 --> 00:02:59.699
When you think about
where kids get lead,
00:02:59.700 --> 00:03:02.532
they\'re really at increased risk
for a couple of reasons.
00:03:02.533 --> 00:03:05.732
One is, a child absorbs
more lead through the gut
00:03:05.733 --> 00:03:08.299
than an adult does,
about 50% more.
00:03:08.300 --> 00:03:10.899
But with
pediatric lead toxicity,
00:03:10.900 --> 00:03:13.832
it causes what we call
developmental issues.
00:03:13.833 --> 00:03:18.066
It\'s only of importance between
zero and six years of age,
00:03:18.067 --> 00:03:20.266
and it affects the developing
neurologic system,
00:03:20.267 --> 00:03:23.566
mostly what we consider
to be soft neurologic signs:
00:03:23.567 --> 00:03:26.099
school issues
more than medical issues.
00:03:26.100 --> 00:03:27.399
So that\'s really the difference.
00:03:27.400 --> 00:03:30.699
The trouble is, you can\'t
ever make that go away.
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Once it occurs, it\'s permanent.
00:03:33.233 --> 00:03:35.632
Myers: How does a place
get this bad?
00:03:35.633 --> 00:03:37.832
Some old cities are colored
with lead paint,
00:03:37.833 --> 00:03:40.132
yet you don\'t hear
of levels this high.
00:03:40.133 --> 00:03:42.299
When you tell someone
about lead poisoning like this,
00:03:42.300 --> 00:03:45.866
they need an explanation,
but words don\'t quite do it.
00:03:45.867 --> 00:03:50.332
And with this much lead waste,
43
Distributor: Bullfrog Films
Length: 54 minutes
Date: 2012
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 9-12, College, Adults
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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