Amazon River Basin:

The Kayapó Nation: Protectors of the Amazon by Conservation International, 2008 (3:02). The Amazon forest is increasingly threatened by deforestation caused by fires burning massive areas for agriculture production. Logging, gold mining, and dam construction are other serious threats. Because deforestation is one of the leading causes of climate change, not only does this loss threaten the survival of many indigenous communities such as the Kayapó, it impacts people the world over.

Columbia River Basin:

Clark Fork River Superfund Site by Makailah McKinley, 2011 (3:26). During a tour for Society of Environmental Journalists Conference at the Clark Fork River Superfund Site, this journalist filmed discussions of chemical pollution flowing to Lake Pend Oreille; copper in the Berkley Pit (one of largest open mines in the world) and the Milltown Dam Removal that addressed one of the US’s largest Superfund Sites.

The Hemlock Dam Removal Story – Columbia Basin Restoration by HydroPower Reform Coalition, 2010 (11:33). Hemlock Dam was built during the Great Depression on Trout Creek, a tributary of the Wind River, to provide water for a work camp. The dam was removed in the summer of 2009 and over 12 miles of upstream habitat was restored for Columbia River Steelhead. The Forest Service worked with local contractors, conservation groups, the Bonneville Power Administration, federal agencies and native tribes to secure funding for the dam removal and complete the restoration.

Hudson River Basin

Our Story, by Riverkeeper, 2011 (1:55). For over 40 years, Riverkeeper has been New York’s clean water advocate watchdog, defending the Hudson River and its tributaries and protecting the drinking water of nine million NYC and Hudson Valley residents. Riverkeeper has established globally-recognized standards for waterway and watershed protection, and mentored Waterkeeper’s nearly 200 Keeper programs worldwide.

What We Do: in Kenya, Jordan and Bangladesh, by RippleEffectImages (Michael Davie). Date: recent. (9:06). When droughts parch wells and streams in developing countries, it’s the women who suffer. They collect water daily, suffering headaches, backaches and miscarriages. Yet it is they who are fighting drought and deforestation by planting trees, digging sand berms and teaching children about unpredictability of floods.

Mekong River Basin

Discover Conservation International’s Greater Mekong Program, by Conservation International (Allan Michaud), 2010 (5:33). Mekong watershed issues in Cambodia include flooded forests; water, climate and food security; and hydropower dams that would impact fisheries and biodiversity conservation.

Nile River Basin

Death of the Nile?, by Andy Johnstone, 2009 (15:48). A film about the effects of climate change on the Nile. (Also featured in NWNL’s Nile River Basin pages.)

Tanzania: Clean Water, Brighter Futures, by Water Aid, 2010 (3:28). Western Tanzania drains into the Mara River and via Lake Victoria, into the Nile River (2 NWNL case-study watersheds). Yet Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. Weak infrastructure means that 2/3 of the rural population have no safe water to drink. This film shows the economic benefits to a small community if safe water is close to home.

Omo River Basin

When the Water Ends: Africa’s Climate Conflicts by Yale Environment 360 (with Media Storm and Evan Abramson), 2011 (16:00). In Kenya and Ethiopia’s Omo River Basin “some of the world’s first climate-change conflicts” are caused by droughts, deforestation, land degradation, population pressures, competition for pasture, farm land and access to water. As well, new dams will end the river’s annual floods, on which over 500,000 Ethiopians and 300,000 Kenyans depend. Do today’s short-term humanitarian efforts just save peoples lives so they can die tomorrow?

Raritan River Basin

Raritan River Basin: A Sustainable Perspective for New Jersey, by Associated Pictures LLC, 2011 (3:08). New Jersey’s Raritan River Basin represents the smallest of NWNL’s 6 case-study watersheds in Africa and North America. Associated Pictures created this piece to help NWNL raise awareness of the many values of the Raritan River as it flows through the nation’s most densely-populated state. (For a larger view and more info, see A Sustainable Perspective in NWNL’s Raritan River Basin pages.)

Rescuing the River, NJ News, 2011 (60 mins).

Scientists study fish to help determine the health of area stream, By Andre Malok/The Star-Ledger, 2010 (2:58). Using batteries and hand-held probes, Dep’t of Fish and Wildlife workers collect fish to determine protection this region of the South Branch of the Raritan will need from the Department of Environmental Protection. The targeted species are trout, excellent indicators of the health and condition of a stream.

Ventura River Basin

Watershed Revolution by Rich Reid, 2009 (2:30). Trailer for 30 minute film – click link on sidebar for trailer. The answers to “What is a Watershed?” are explored through interviews with residents in the Ventura Watershed. The challenges faced by this river and many others and the needs for open space, flood plain protection, sustainable agriculture and community awareness are documented with the high definition and time lapse cinematography.