'High Tide in Dorchester' Documentary Makes MPT Debut April 24

SALISBURY, MD---High Tide in Dorchester, a documentary by Tom Horton of Salisbury University’s Environmental Studies Department, makes its TV debut on Maryland Public Television (MPT) 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 24.

Co-produced with cinematographer David Harp and filmmaker Sandy Cannon Brown, the film follows Horton through Dorchester County, MD, where he spent much of his youth. He revisits the tidal Chesapeake Bay landscapes of his childhood, many of which are now underwater.

“The latest projections for the Chesapeake region are two feet or more of sea level rise by mid-century and as much as six feet by century’s end,” he said. “That’s a troubling combination of higher water and sinking land around the bay.”

At that rate, Dorchester could slip from its position as the fourth largest of Maryland’s 23 counties in land area to the 14th, he added.

For the documentary, Horton interviewed long-time Dorchester County residents, area watermen, academics and others to get an idea what changes they have seen, how those changes have impacted the area and what can be done to help preserve the community’s landscape and culture going forward.

An Eastern Shore native, Horton covered the environment for the Baltimore Sun for 35 years. He also has written nine books about the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. His accolades include the John Burroughs Award, one of the highest honors for nature writing.

For more information call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU website at www.salisbury.edu. For a full MPT schedule visit http://www.mpt.org/schedule.