Piece Comment

Review of Toxic Trail: Rails to Trails Meets Superfund


Fine piece of environmental reporting. Producer Guy Hand follows the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes in Idaho that's beautiful except that underneath he asphalt, there is toxic mining debris that nature lovers aren't as aware of as they should be. Sure there are a few signs that say "stay on the trail" or "wash hands before eating" but what does that really tell visitors and yes, even campers. Through essay-like descriptions and a variety of interview sources and outdoor ambiences, this piece draws you into a complicated issue by showing one example of which I'm sure there are many of deceptive Superfund sites. This short doc would work well on news magazine shows. It's a little longer than most features but well worth it.