Central Park NC will present the compelling documentary "Last Call at the Oasis" at the Sunrise Theater, in Southern Pines, Tuesday, Jan 15, at 6:30 p.m.

Following the film, a member of Save Our Sandhills will speak on its work, and Candace Williams, of the Sandhills Area Land Trust, will also speak on local water supply efforts.

"Water issues have been at the forefront of many communities across North Carolina over the past decade," said CPNC Executive Director Nancy Gottovi. "Increased pollutants in our water supply from pharmaceuticals, industrial dumping and runoff, deteriorating infrastructure, and the controversial practice of fracking present critical challenges to our health and our state's economy."

"Last Call at the Oasis" presents a powerful argument for why the global water crisis will be the central issue facing our world this century, she added.

Featuring activist Erin Brockovich and noted experts like Peter Gleick, Alex Prud'homme, Jay Famiglietti and Robert Glennon, the film illuminates the vital role water plays in everyone's life, exposing the defects in the current system and depicting communities already struggling with its ill effects.

This event represents the coming together of five leading community organizations in this area that support the protection of our environment and water: Central Park NC, Sandhills Area Land Trust (SALT), Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative, Sustainable Sandhills, and Save Our Sandhills.

SALT works with private landowners to negotiate voluntary conservation agreements (Conservation Easements) on private property. Since its founding in 1991, SALT has permanently protected more than 8,200 acres of working farms, water supplies, endangered ecosystems and urban open-space in its six-county service region.

Sandhills Farm to Table Cooperative is one of the most successful of its kind, bringing the freshest local food to local people - "Neighbors Feeding Neighbors."

Sustainable Sandhills is dedicated to making the communities of the Sandhills region sustainable for current and future generations, through education, demonstration and collaboration,

The mission of Save Our Sandhills is to "save and protect the Sandhills woods, streams, farmland and wildlife for the benefit of our citizens and future generations. We are also seeking to save and protect those special features and qualities of our towns that make them such wonderful places to live, all of which will be accomplished in concert with other organizations."

Central Park NC is a nonprofit organization with a mission to promote a new economy based on the sustainable use of natural and cultural resources in central North Carolina.