Interview:
Karen Kocher,
Monica Flores,
directors, writers, and producers,
"Foreverland:
The Story of the Barton Creek Greenbelt"
Directed by Karen Kocher and Monica Flores, the documentary Foreverland: The Story of the Barton Creek Greenbelt recalls the grassroots campaign and ensuing bond election in the early 1990s that led to multiple city agencies and non-profit groups partnering on the preservation of Austin’s 1,000-acre natural sanctuary and recreational area. The documentary examines the groundswell of public support to expand the Barton Creek Greenbelt: the 1992 bond election that saw voters approve $20 million in land bonds for the Barton Creek Wilderness Park; and the recruitment of the Trust for Public Land to front the funding and to help facilitate the purchase of private land to build up the Barton Creek Greenbelt. The documentary includes interviews with the initiative’s leading figures—then-Parks Board Chair Beverly Griffith, Save Barton Creek Association’s George Cofer, Citizens for Open Space’s Ted Siff, and senior Park Planner Butch Smith—and the Trust for Public Land’s Ted Harrison. Foreverland will air at 9 p.m. April 15 and 10 p.m. April 20 on Austin PBS. The documentary is a companion piece to the Living Springs project. Created and produced by Karen J. Kocher, the Living Springs multi-platform documentary series offers an interactive tour of Barton Springs while recounting its history and importance to the City of Austin. Monica Flores previously worked with Galán Productions in various capacities on the documentary Songs of the Homeland and the documentary series Chicano!: The History of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement and Go Back to Mexico. Karen Kocher and Monica Flores previously directed Origins of a Green Identity: Austin's Conservation Pioneers, the 2021 documentary about past and present public and private efforts to preserve the city’s green spaces and water resources.
Aired: April 8, 2026. Web sites: https://livingspringsaustin.org/ https://www.facebook.com/livingspringsaustin https://video.austinpbs.org/ |
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