When EEDC heard about twelve-year-old Ryder Cario presenting in front of the Town Council about the Papermill Branch Stream Restoration a couple of weeks ago, we knew we wanted to speak to him.
Ryder, son of Kody Cario, the Project Manager for the Town of Easton Engineering Department, was familiar with stream restoration, and not only because of his father. His sixth-grade science class at Easton Middle School was working in partnership with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to compare parameters measured by the sixth graders from the previous year, who took them at the start of the project. This year’s class hoped to see how the stream width and depth, chemical properties, sediment, and stream life were affected after completion, but due to COVID, this didn’t happen. That’s when Kody suggested that Ryder use his interest in photography, videography, and editing to create a video about the restoration.
Using multiple DSLR cameras to photograph and video the scene and scenery, Ryder also utilized a GoPro camera and a drone for parts of the presentation, putting it all together in Adobe Premiere Elements. The process for completing the 10-minute video took the father and son approximately 20 to 25 hours, with Kody supplying the detailed informational content and taking some of the pictures during active construction hours. Video link here.
Once the video was completed, Kody shared it at work, and when Council President Megan Cook saw it, she invited Ryder to a meeting. Ryder’s message during the informative presentation was clear: we should all care about the health of the Chesapeake Bay, as he does. Ryder presenting to the Town Council 7 minutes and 40 seconds into the meeting here.
Ryder is pleased with the encouragement he’s received and is looking to make more videos about Easton in the future. “I have some ideas about the town and its history,” he said. “Some hidden features of Easton or things people don’t know about as much would be kind of cool to share.”
Both father and son look forward to working together again on other projects. It was a great experience,” said Kody. “It tied a lot of things together: his interest in videography and photography and video editing and my work at the town, that I enjoy. So, it was just like a confluence of scenarios that came together to allow this idea of a video to happen that made sense. The fact that COVID happened and the sixth-graders weren’t going to be able to explore the stream. The video has been really well received, and it’s encouraged us to think about some other ideas to showcase the town we live in. While he’s only 12, Ryder really loves Easton, just as I love Easton. We just had a good time together.”
As for the future, Ryder sees himself owning a videography business that would serve consumers and businesses. There is no doubt that he’s heading in that direction. He even has a website that showcases his talents https://www.rydersforge.com. We look forward to seeing what’s next.
