Hyporheic Zone Restoration: The Documentary Film
The documentary film, “Engineering with Nature: sustainable solutions for a changing climate,” tells the story of the construction of the hyporheic zone restoration project on Thornton Creek in Seattle, Washington. The film has recently been released for the public to view on-demand for a modest donation. It is available here:
This film tells the human side of the story I have begun to tell in my earlier Science Topic, “Can the Hyporheic Zone be Restored? Designing and Constructing a Bold Experiment.” It tells the construction story with the full impact that only a film can deliver. Here is what I wrote about it, after viewing it for the first time at the 2019 Seattle International Film Festival:
“As a boy growing up near Thornton Creek in urban Seattle, I never dreamed that, someday, this unappreciated and mistreated stream would be brought back to life. And I certainly never dreamed it would become the focus of such a story of innovation, resilience in the face of climate change, and hope. Inspired by the potential of re-engineering the streambed to bring back its ability to clean and cool the water, the people behind this remarkable endeavor overcame doubts, delays, floods, and the severe challenges of the urban environment to design and build a new, state-of-the-art restoration project. Along with getting a fascinating lesson in the ecology of the streambed, watching this film gave me a heartwarming reminder of the wisdom of nature, the perseverance of dedicated people with vision, and the necessity of doing stream restoration in our own communities, wherever they may be. It happened at Thornton Creek. It can happen again. It gives me hope. People everywhere need to hear this story!”
I hope you enjoy this powerful documentary about positive action for the environment!