New York City has tried to stuff a lot of things into its back yard. Dead horses, dead mobsters, lots of sewage and garbage – these are the things that turned Jamaica Bay into a messy collage for decades, chasing out oysters and most swimmers from an oasis that touches a broad swath of Brooklyn and Queens.

But while there are plenty of villains behind the pollution of the bay, it also has its share of heroes who have led to a renaissance and a revival of a gorgeous area that most New Yorkers have never seen.

If you're too lazy to board the A train and head to the island of Broad Channel and see the progress for yourself, the next best thing is to watch Dan Hendrick's compelling documentary, "Saving Jamaica Bay." Narrated by Susan Sarandon, the film shows the beauty of a bay that is unbelievably just a dozen miles from Manhattan's massive skyline.

While there's amazing nature footage that would have made Marlin Perkins proud, the film is a compelling piece of journalism, showing how regular people can stand up to powerful interests and make real change.

Following a retired firefighter, Dan Mundy Sr., and his son, Dan Mundy Jr., a fire battalion chief, the documentary explains how some do-it-yourself environmentalists actually beat City Hall, getting the Bloomberg administration to deal with a Brooklyn sewage plant that they argue is killing the bay's marshlands.

Hendrick and the younger Mundy sat down with Errol Louis on "Inside City Hall" on Friday, talking about the importance of the bay to the city's eco-system and how some planners are still pushing to expand JFK Airport into it.

While New Yorkers like Mundy and Hendrick have been instrumental in helping save the bay, the film makes it clear that our government is ultimately the one body that will decide whether the bay will sink or swim.  When the environment seemed to be much less of a partisan issue, Gateway National Recreation Area – which includes Jamaica Bay – was created by President Nixon and Congress in 1972. It's clear from the documentary that federal protection of the site has been key to its turnaround.  And that's why it's so encouraging to see the Army Corps of Engineers building wetlands in the middle of the bay.

The bay's biggest battle lies ahead. The film shows Hurricane Sandy swamping Broad Channel in 2012 and its residents struggling to recover. While rebuilding a home is challenging, it's nothing compared to figuring out the bay's future as global warming threatens to dramatically push up the water level in the coming decades.

Hendrick's film is a reminder to New Yorkers that before they hunker down in their homes for the weekend or go on a fancy jitney to the Hamptons, they should wander out to their back yard and see what all the fuss, drama – and beauty -- is about.

 

Bob Hardt