Trouble in the Headwaters, a new short documentary by filmmaker Daniel J. Pierce, links destructive flooding in Grand Forks, B.C., to extensive clear-cut logging in the watershed
Trouble in the Headwaters, a new film by Daniel J. Pierce, offers a glimpse of the extensive clearcuts in the Kettle River watershed.
Photo: Daniel J. Pierce / Ramshackle Pictures
There’s trouble in these headwatersWatch now: Trouble in the Headwaters, a short documentary about the hidden impacts of clear-cut logging in B.C., is now available on YouTube.
Last week, I had the absolute pleasure of being in Victoria for the premiere screening of Trouble in the Headwaters, a short documentary by filmmaker Daniel J. Pierce about the hidden impacts of clear-cut logging in B.C. (It was great to connect with some of you there!)
The 25-minute film — which you can now watch in full! — follows Dr. Younes Alila, a professor of forest hydrology at the University of British Columbia, as he investigates the links between clear-cut logging in the Kettle River watershed and extreme flooding in Grand Forks, B.C. With compelling field footage and scientific insight, The Narwhal presents a documentary that reveals how loss of forest cover has triggered a cycle of flooding, landslides and drought — transforming the landscape and endangering communities downstream.
“What is happening in the Kettle River basin is typical of what has been happening and will continue to happen for decades in other drainages across all of B.C.,” Alila told a crowd during a Q&A session after the screening. Clear-cut logging in the Kettle watershed, like elsewhere in the province, is extensive: two-thirds of it has been harvested in the last 30 years.
“I think of the 2021 atmospheric river: the flooding of Merritt, the flooding of Princeton, the landslide on the Duffey highway,” Daniel added. “If you sort of pull on the thread and you look upstream, it’s the same picture in all of these places. The big Chilcotin landslide from last summer — if you look upstream across the whole Chilcotin plateau: dramatic forest cover loss. So, yeah, this is such a bigger story than we had time to get into in this film.”
The conversation following the screening was extremely insightful, offering a broader context into the flooding issues in Grand Forks, the controversy within forest management over how the impacts of logging on water are measured — and how a better way forward may be possible.
I hope you’ll set aside half an hour to watch the documentary and share it with some friends. And if you’re curious about organizing a screening where you live, you’ll find a form to express interest on Daniel’s website.
The Narwhal has once again received national — and international — recognition for stunning storytelling and photography, with four awards last week. Our latest honours include a first-place finish at the Indigenous Media Awards, a gold and a silver at the Digital Publishing Awards and a silver at the National Magazine Awards.
The award-winning stories share a common thread: deep, on-the-ground reporting from remote Indigenous communities, brought to life through intimate storytelling and gorgeous photography.
Two of the awards honoured an article about the Blackfeet guardians who are working to restore buffalo to the landscape, reported by Jimmy Thomson and photographed by Gavin John. Gavin shared a toast last week (pictured above, right) with senior editor Michelle Cyca (centre), who helped bring the story to life, and Joy SpearChief-Morris, with whom he collaborated on a recent story from Kainai Nation.
Also, Manitoba-based photojournalist Tim Smith took the gold for best photo storytelling at the Digital Publishing Awards, for capturing the story of five Cree nations who are working together to conserve traditional lands. That story was written by Manitoba reporter Julia-Simone Rutgers and published in partnership with the Winnipeg Free Press.
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