A special TV documentary, "Indiana State Parks: Treasures in Your Own Backyard," will air on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m. on Fort Wayne PBS39 (39-1).

This one-hour program chronicles the early years of Indiana State Parks and features the vision and wisdom of then Department of Conservation director, Richard Lieber. The program is a production of WTIU, Bloomington, and was nearly two years in the making.

Director/producer, Ron Prickel was on location at local Pokagon State Park on several occasions to capture the park's rich history and current recreational offerings. Old Pokagon photographs and a short, taped interview with Civilian Conservation Corps member Roger Woodcock are highlighted. Also featured is vintage 16mm film footage taken by Helen Swenson during the years she and her husband Ben managed the Potawatomi Inn, from the early 1930s to late1940s.

One impetus for the production was the recent release of the Ken Burns documentary, "National Parks, America's Best Idea," on PBS stations across the country. The WTIU production on Indiana State Parks is a companion feature that reviews Indiana State Park history, and previews the upcoming 100-year anniversary of Indiana State Parks in 2016. 

In addition to this showing on PBS39, other PBS stations across the state have shown it throughout September and October. Viewers should check local listings for other show dates and times.

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