Film Project Overview: Following a Vanishing Stream

Why this project? to forge deeper connections with local lands. One of the beautiful things that 2020 brought me was a renewed awareness for how special simple backyard adventures can be. This film seeks to highlight that awareness for the viewers, aiming to inspire them to take on their own backyard adventures...

High in the Boise Front Range, where the sagebrush transitions to conifers, a narrow thread of water begins its descent toward the valley. 

This is Dry Creek, a modest high desert stream that, from a distance, looks like countless others scattered across the American West. 

Follow it closely and a deeper story emerges: one of resilience, scarcity, and the quiet power of water in a landscape defined by changes.

This film sets out to tell that story the way explorers always have, by moving through the terrain itself.

Follow a group of runners as they journey the entire length of Dry Creek, starting at its confluence with the Boise River and climbing over 4,000 feet to its source. 

Along the way, the film will blend on location exploration with insights from archaeologists, hydrologists, ecologists, tribal voices, and local residents. Their expertise will help illuminate what waterways like Dry Creek mean for the natural world and for the people who depend on them.

Key Themes We Will Explore

Early human presence — Archaeological evidence reveals nearly 3,000 years of human activity along the creek, offering a deeper perspective on how people have adapted to this landscape.

Agricultural transformation — Dry Creek’s modern history is shaped by irrigation, ranching, and early settler land use, leaving a legacy that still influences the watershed today.

Wildlife interactions — Native Redband trout, beavers, otters and other species rely on the creek’s shifting flows, creating a complex web of ecological relationships.

Changing Climate — The film will unpack the science behind perennial creeks, groundwater interactions, and the broader watershed dynamics that define Dry Creek. Specifically exploring how a changing climate will affect these ecosystems.

If you'd like to help make this project happen, please reach out!
selfcoachedrunner@outlook.com