Rising Sea Levels | 3 SHORTS

Awarding-Winning THE RETREAT
Directed by Academy Award-Winning Thomas F. Lennon

THE RETREAT showcases three Rutgers scientists—ecologists Thomas “Motz” Grothues and Lisa Auermuller, along with oceanographer Oscar Schofield—alongside the Rutgers University Marine Field Station. This facility, part of the Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, serves as a year-round working lab for graduate and postdoctoral research, averaging 69 hours of use weekly. Located across from Little Egg Inlet in the Mullica River-Great Bay estuary, it plays a pivotal role in climate research.

“We know with sea level rise, water isn’t just going to come and go,” Auermuller states in the film. “It’s going to come and stay. What we know as of today’s high tides… will be the permanent condition moving forward.”

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Awarding-Winning Saliqmiut: people
along the coast, at the edge
Directed by Alan Rudolph Marcus

Saliqmiut: people along the coast, at the edge explores the impact of climate change on two communities in sharply different urban and natural settings. In January 2025, Los Angeles experienced the worst fires in its history, destroying more than 18,000 homes and structures. While in the small Canadian Inuit hamlet Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean the community is contending with coastal erosion, flooding and the town’s relocation. Saliqmiut adopts a novel fire and ice bifocal perspective to consider the local implications and adaption to the escalating effects of climate change.

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Awarding-Winning SALTED EARTH
Directed by Ben Hemmings

Dive into the gripping world of Salted Earth, a powerful 20-minute documentary that reveals the silent crisis reshaping the Mid-Atlantic: rising sea levels. This film doesn’t just present facts; it immerses you in a vivid narrative of environmental turmoil, where the relentless surge of saltwater threatens to obliterate forests and fertile lands. As we follow a passionate team of scientists navigating these brackish waters, their quest becomes not just about research but a lifeline for vulnerable communities. “Can our strategy against the rising sea succeed, or are we fighting an unwinnable war?” This burning question resonates deeply, urging viewers to confront the stark realities of climate change and the fragile balance of our coastal ecosystems.

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THE AWESOME FILM DIRECTORS:

THOMAS F. LENNON is the innovative director of the Documentary Film Lab at the Rutgers Filmmaking Center, part of the Mason Gross School of the Arts. He produced and directed the impactful film The Retreat and boasts an Oscar win in 2007, along with four Academy nominations.

Lennon is passionate about guiding his students through real-world projects, always seeking compelling stories. He recalls a striking 2020 article featuring Auermuller, highlighting the pressing challenges of rising waters and extreme flooding, which raised critical questions about whether researchers should relocate their work inland. This real-world urgency fuels his dedication to documentary filmmaking.

ALAN RUDULPH MARCUS is a filmmaker, cultural historian and Professor in Creative and Cultural Practice at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Cambridge Philosophical Society and a member of the Director’s Guild of America.

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OUR EXCEPTIONAL PANELISTS:

DR. P J RUESS, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Virginia Climate Center, lead writer of the first Virginia Climate Assessment, released November 2025. Dr. Ruess earned his PhD in Water-Food Nexus and Water Resources Management from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2022. He also holds an MS in Flood Forecasting and Emergency Response from the University of Texas at Austin (2017) and a BS in Paleo-Hydrology from the University of Virginia (2014). At George Mason University, Dr. Ruess focuses on the management of water and food resources, specifically addressing challenges posed by climate change in Virginia.

DANIEL MEDINA, PhD, PE, is an experienced senior water resources engineer with more than 30 years of expertise in water resource systems planning, green infrastructure, and climate resilience across the United States and internationally. As the leader of the Flood Action Alexandria program, he oversees a multidisciplinary team within the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services, advancing innovative strategies to tackle stormwater management challenges in dense, ultra‑urban environments.

MATT MEYERS, PE, Fairfax County Division Director of Environmental and Energy Coordination. Matt leads a skilled team in advancing the Community-wide Energy and Climate Action Plan, along with Resilient Fairfax, the county’s climate adaptation and resilience plan. With over 30 years in the field, including two decades in the county’s Stormwater Management program, Matt has lead stream health monitoring, watershed management, and capital improvement programs focused on ecological restoration, water quality and flood mitigation. He holds a master’s in Environmental Systems Engineering from Clemson University and a bachelor’s in Environmental Resource Management from Penn State.

SARAH BAGLEY, Vice Mayor, City of Alexandria, VA. Sarah was reelected on November 5, 2024, to serve her second three-year term on City Council from 2025 through 2028. She was appointed to serve as Vice Mayor by her colleagues. Originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, Sarah has been actively involved with local voter engagement, gun violence prevention and environmental activism since relocating to Alexandria. Sarah leads a non-profit that owns affordable housing communities around the country and provides social services to residents.

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MODERATOR:

ELLE KATHERINE CLEVELAND is an English and Communication Major at George Mason University, where she is dedicated to honing her skills in effective communication and literary analysis.

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EVENT SPONSOR: Climate Action NOW (CAN) 501c3. EVENT PARTNERS: Network NOVA, Trace – The Zero Waste Store, Climate & Clean Energy Working Group, Go Electric DMV.

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