Junction Creek success being filmed

BY BILL BRADLEY

The restoration of Junction Creek in Greater Sudbury has been such a success that it will be documented in a film. It will be used as an example of what community groups can do to restore damaged ecosystems.

"We now have all the money we need, just over $100,000, to create a 20 minute documentary short on what has been accomplished here," said Carrie Regenstreif, acting co-ordinator of the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee.

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) has given the local conservation authority $50,000 to help develop a film about the effort.

"A documentary film about a Sudbury environmental success story will help inspire new audiences to take on rehabilitation challenges in their own communities," said Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci in a release last Wednesday.

The documentary, which is to be created through the NOHFC's Emerging Technology Program, will be distributed throughout the community, including schools. It will also be entered in film festivals. "We expect to enter it in the 2009 Cinefest," said Regenstreif.

The film is being limited to 20 minutes because a main target group is children.

"We wanted to provide the film as an excellent resource for children. A short film is ideal for the attention span of children. We wanted to make it as easy as possible for teachers," said Regenstreif.

Filming has already begun, thanks to earlier donations-$27,000 from Vale Inco. When the company was fined by the province for an environmental infraction, they asked that their fine be directed to the stewardship group, she said. That helped get the project off the ground.

"We already got some footage in May for our release of 1,000 brook trout."

Northern Ontario filmmakers and writers have been hired. "Our director is Drew Gauley from New Liskeard. He has a keen interest in the environment. Our writer is Lowell Cochrane, who spent many years in Sudbury. He has done work for Science North, including writing the Climate Change Show featuring comedian Rick Mercer," said Regenstreif.

Other contributors have been  EJLB Foundation ($10,000), the TD Bank Friends of the Environment Fund ($5,000), Sudbury Community Foundation ($1,500) and Golder Associates ($1,200), among others.

"This means we have over $100,000 and that gives a budget for marketing as well," she said. Filming will continue into the fall with editing the footage occurring over the winter.

Junction Creek is approximately 20 kilometres long and flows through the central core of the city. During the past 100 years, the creek suffered serious environmental damage as a result of urban and industrial practices.

Since 1999 the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee, a volunteer working group of the Nickel District Conservation Authority, has co-ordinated creek clean-ups as well as fish stocking. "The film will tell the story of the group's success so far, but we also hope it will help get more people involved in the ongoing stewardship of Junction Creek."

So far the film has not been named.

In 2007, the Junction Creek Stewardship Committee received a Canadian Environment Silver Award, restoration and rehabilitation category, for its work on Junction Creek.

"We hope to also produce an education kit with activities for children to go with the film."
For more information, phone 525-8736.