Slide Shows, Ideas Shared at Pecha Kucha Night

Occoquan, Va. –– What can you talk about in six minutes? A lot.

About 30 people gathered at Occoquan Town Hall on Saturday night for the Pecha Kucha Nature Night (pronounced Peeka-Coocha) to share some of their favorite photographs taken in nature and the stories that go with them.

Elected officials and residents alike all made slideshow presentations that each lasted six minutes, with each of the slides showing for no more than 20 seconds a piece.

Occoquan Ernie Porta presented a slideshow about a trip he and his wife took in 2004 to Eqypt to watch the “transit of Venus.” With pictures taken with a camera and his telescope, Porta wowed the audience as he showed the small black dot (Venus) pass in front of the enormous sun.

It took about five hours for the planet to pass across the sun, and earthbound people will be able to witness the “transit” again on June 5 and 6 in Hawaii, he said.

Back here on earth, Liz Cronauer of the Fairfax County Park Authority made her presentation on sustainable trails.

“One of the most common problems we come across is that people try to put trails on flat land, but the land is too flat. Sustainable trails need to be built on hills with a 60 percent slope, which is quite steeper than most people think,” said Cronauer.

She also showed examples of how many flat trails often become areas for water to pool after rain storms.

Pecha Kucha means “chitter chatter” in Japanese, said Prince William Conversation Alliance Executive Director Kim Hosen.

This is the latest in a series of Pecha Kucha events held by the alliance.