THE BONACKERS PBS Premiere Broadcast on WLIW-TV/ The WNET Group

The Bonackers premieres Thursday, April 24 at 8 p.m. on WLIW and www.wliw.org/live, followed at 9 p.m. by Conversation with Joanne Friedland-Roberts, an interview with the director. See all broadcast dates.

Meet Long Island’s fiercely independent men and women whose families have cultivated the land and seas of the East End for almost 400 years in the one-hour local documentary, The Bonackers, directed by Joanne Friedland-Roberts.

Struggling to survive in the midst of the mansion-filled Hamptons, these farmers and fishers may well be the last of their kind. Some younger generations take up the family business, but most are forced to seek more stable jobs and move to more affordable areas of Long Island. The Bonackers must decide if they can sustain the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, or if leaving the land that has been in their families for hundreds of years is not just prudent, but inevitable.

The Bonackers’ traditions, wisdom, challenges, stories and sagas unfold as we head out onto their boats and bays and into their pick-up trucks, farms and fields. Director Joanne Friendland Roberts investigates the nuance of the term “bonacker” from the perspective of “old bubbies,” young locals, “Posey Lesters,” and town historians. Woven into the film are historic footage and photographs and the songs of East End musicians which show the decades-old fascination with the region’s – and nation’s – first European settlers.

Between the effects of a changing climate, the rising cost of living in the Hamptons, and the decline of their cultural identity, can the Bonackers endure the escalating hardships they experience year after year, passing the lifestyle on to future generations? Will they adapt to the presence of newcomers at the risk of losing the connection to the land and water they valued for so long?

This one-hour documentary inspires us to think more deeply about what we stand to lose if centuries-old cultures disappear, only to be found in the halls of museums. At its core, TheBonackers encourages introspection on what kind of relationship with our local community and natural resources we want to cultivate.

Stay tuned after the documentary premiere on Thursday, April 24 for an interview between Hari Sreenivasan (Amanpour and Company) and the director. Conversation with Joanne Friedland-Roberts will air from 9-9:30 p.m.