Beat the Heat Summer Film Series - Crash: A Tale of Two Species

Beat the Heat Summer Film Series - Crash: A Tale of Two Species

This
is the story of the fabric of life, and how every species is
interconnected – each one important, no matter how big or small. At its
center is the humble horseshoe crab, a creature which has remained
virtually unchanged for 350 million years. Its annual spring spawning
produces millions of eggs that are the lifeline for a tiny bird called
the red knot, which migrates 10,000 miles from South America to the
Arctic each year. Scientific and medical communities have discovered
that the crab also provides an indispensable testing agent for drugs and
vaccines, as well as resources for human optics and burn treatment.
But horseshoe crab numbers are plummeting from their new use as bait for
the fishing industry, dropping by two-thirds or more since 1990. And
the precious pyramid depending on this age-old creature is about to come
crashing down. Please join us tonight for a special screening of this
important film.