It was standing room only May 25, as over 75 viewers of all ages enjoyed the premier showing of the Friends of Massapequa Preserve's long-awaited film, Massapequa Preserve - a Natural Wonder in Your Own Backyard.

This 15-minute feature, almost two years in the making by a professional studio, focuses on the natural beauty of the preserve, season by season, as well as demonstrating some of the challenges Friends of the Massapequa Preserve face in their endeavor to enhance the protection, restoration, appreciation and uses of this community resource.

According to Richard Schary, president of the organization, the idea for the film was born after witnessing the public's highly favorable reaction to Friends of the Preserve's library photo showcase. "We decided we were ready to take it to the next level, to not only reach people with our photos, but to reach them with this film."

Schary, whose wife Lisa, a board member of the organization, narrates the film, called the video "a fantastic motivational tool, demonstrating for all our youngsters what beauty lies right in their own backyard." Schary and his wife are so pleased with the success of this video that they have proudly entered it in this year's Long Island International Film Festival.

Teresa Spinosa, Village of Massapequa Park trustee, attended the screening held at the Massapequa Public Library, Bar Harbour Branch, along with Mayor James Altadonna. "I really thought it was very well done," she said. "It was a real eye-opener for people who aren't aware of the problems in the Preserve in the past, and that this organization exists whose goal is to make the Preserve enjoyable and inhabitable for everybody."

Robert Harrison, an East Meadow resident, also attended the premier. He first became acquainted with the Preserve when his son did an Eagle Scout project there in 1995. Harrison, a photographer, has been visiting the Preserve ever since to capture the beauty of nature on film. "People of all ages attended the screening, and seemed to be engrossed in this movie about their heritage," he said. "It was clear they were appreciative about what the Friends of Massapequa Preserve had done for them, and for all Long Islanders, with the creation of this documentary."

Christine Marzigliano, a Seaford resident who attended the screening at the library, was optimistic that the film could be used as a tool to educate future generations about the importance of preserving open space on Long Island. "I want the Preserve to stay exactly the way it is so that our grandchildren a hundred years from now can walk through it the same way we did. Hopefully, the video can be used on many levels, whether grade school level, middle or senior high, to get children environmentally involved, so they can see what destruction can do and what preservation can do."

Copies of the video will be distributed free to members of the Friends of the Massapequa Preserve who renew their membership in 2004. To purchase a video, or to obtain membership information, call 541-2461 and leave a message.

The video will be shown at the Long Island International Film Expo 2004 July 10 at Bellmore Movies in Bellmore.