Videographer Douglas Crawford, left, with producer Paul Bockhorst and editor Rusty Colby, right, document the restoration of natural beauty at Fossil Creek in their new documentary, 'A River Reborn: The Restoration of Fossil Creek.'

Special sneak preview
of documentary illustrates
Fossil Creek restoration

The story of how students, scientists, environmental advocates and businesses joined forces to return a creek to its full and natural force is told in A River Reborn: The Restoration of Fossil Creek, a public television documentary that will preview 7 p.m. Sept. 23 in Ardrey Auditorium on the Northern Arizona University campus.

A River Reborn, produced by NAU and the Museum of Northern Arizona, recounts both the natural and human history of one of the brightest jewels of Arizona's rim country. Producers of the film and people involved in the creek's restoration will be on hand to discuss it at the NAU preview screening.

The documentary examines the ecological effects of a 100-year-old dam and hydroelectric facility on Fossil Creek, and chronicles the impact NAU research had on the 15-year process that led to the hydroelectric decommissioning.

Flagstaff native Ted Danson narrates 'A River Reborn,' which chronicles the impact NAU research had on returning the creek to its free-flowing status.

"Fossil Creek is one of the last free-flowing, year-round streams in Arizona and the site of one of the most significant watershed restoration efforts ever undertaken in the Southwest," said Stefan Sommer, executive producer and director of education at NAU's Merriam-Powell Center for Environmental Research.

Produced by Emmy Award-winner Paul Bockhorst and narrated by actor Ted Danson, the one-hour documentary features the scientists and environmental advocates who fought for the creek's restoration and how they made it happen.

Danson, who grew up in Flagstaff during the time his father was the director of the Museum of Northern Arizona, narrates in the film, "The Fossil Creek story provides a beacon of hope and an inspiring model for the restoration of degraded streams and waterways."

NAU research on Fossil Creek demonstrated the negative impact of the dam and water diversion on threatened and endangered species of native fish, and predicted the recovery of those populations after full flow restoration.

"When I came on board the Fossil Creek project, there was already one report on the table by an environmental consulting firm that suggested full flows would actually be detrimental and hurt native fish," said Jane Marks, a stream ecologist at NAU featured in the documentary. "I put together a team of scientists made up of graduate students and colleagues from NAU to evaluate the possible effects of returning the creek to its full flow. We found compelling reasons that native fish, insects, and many endangered species would benefit from returning Fossil Creek to its original state."

Fossil Creek nurtured a rich diversity of life for millions of years, but in 1908 the water was diverted for the generation of electricity to power mining operations. Now, in this historic turnaround, the hydroelectric facilities have been stopped and the river is returned to its natural flow.

"A number of private environmental organizations, state and federal agencies, and Arizona Public Service reached a comprehensive agreement through constructive engagement and dialogue," Sommer said. "The result is a notable win-win settlement that is worthy of wide attention, especially at a time when debates over environmental protection are more often characterized by friction and heat than by reason and light."

The Fossil Creek area is also of great significance to the Yavapai-Apache Nation whose people have inhabited the region for many generations. Tribal member Vince Randall appears in the documentary and will speak at the preview showing.

A River Reborn is scheduled to air on KAET Arizona Public Television and other PBS stations around the country in early 2007.

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