In 2009, CWF and the award-winning filmmakers at George Gallant Productions Inc. took the Rivers to Oceans water videos series to new depths of understanding. Highlights included the release of a French-language documentary on the St. Lawrence Seaway, the translation of the original five Rivers to Oceans videos into Spanish and the development of new public education videos on wetlands.

Navigating Troubled Waters

In June 2009, CWF released a 30-minute French-language documentary called Navigating Troubled Waters. The investigative program aired 59 times on the Quebec television network Canal Savoir between June and December. Four French-language webisodes were posted to RiverstoOceans.ca for the public to download free of charge.

Navigating Troubled Waters follows the St. Lawrence River from its source in the Great Lakes to where fresh water mixes with salt water at the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean. Host Dr. Yves Jean, a past president of the Canadian Wildlife Federation and a Founding Fellow of the CWF Learning Institute, explores how the aging infrastructure in this historic region is in desperate need of repair. He also talks with some of Quebec’s most respected scientists about key issues, such as the impact of climate change on water quantity, the effects of development on water quality and the protection of the health of wildlife populations. While this kind of documentary had been produced before in English, the resources were not available in French until CWF stepped up to the challenge and developed the Navigating Troubled Waters videos.

Spanish PSAs
In 2009, CWF produced Spanish versions of its Rivers to Oceans water awareness PSAs and webisodes. This project is important for new audience engagement and partnership development. Most international conferences are offered in English, French and Spanish. In addition, CWF is working with newcomers to Canada as well as conservation organizations in countries with large Spanish-speaking populations, so these resources will be very beneficial for outreach. The translation project idea was first developed in 2008 when CWF hosted workshops at a water pavilion in Spain during the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Congress. At that time, we dubbed, or voiced over, one of our videos in Spanish as a pilot. The success of that project and the identification of a Spanish video host, brought the translation project to fulfillment in 2009.

Pablo Jaramillo, an English as a Second Language student from the University of Regina who is originally from Colombia, began to volunteer with CWF in May when we supported a student-led water awareness art project called H2Our Life: Now is Not Soon Enough! Jaramillo provided Spanish interpretation for CWF at the 5^th World Environmental Education Congress in Montreal and spoke about the water situation in his home country. Following the conference, Jaramillo worked with CWF and Gallant Productions to film Spanish versions of the five original Rivers to Oceans water videos. The public education announcements and webisodes feature some of Canada's best fresh water scientists who define and describe the problems and challenges faced by our rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands. Each topic provides a wealth of important information about critical Canadian water issues and offers information about how to take action, at home and at school, to help keep water, and the wildlife that depend on it, healthy. The five water videos currently available from the CWF You Tube Channel in English, French and Spanish are:

. Waste Water;
. Storm Water;
. Groundwater;
. Conserving and Protecting Water and
. Surface Water.

By piloting this project in Spanish, CWF is reaching new audiences with its messages about the critical issues facing Canada's international waterways and wildlife.

New Wetland Videos
New CWF Rivers to Oceans videos were developed in 2009 to raise awareness for the important role wetlands play in sustaining biodiversity in our world. The videos also showcase community members and conservation organizations working together to protect these ecosystems, which are critical for the survival of wildlife, water purification and reduction of carbon in the atmosphere.

The videos were filmed at the BC Wildlife Federation’s Introduction to Wetlandkeepers course in Whistler. CWF funded the 2009 and 2010 Sea to Sky series ofBCWF Wetlandkeepers workshops to help protect habitat in the Olympic area.

The wetland videos are now posted on CWF’s You Tube Channel in a variety of lengths. A30-second public education announcement, a60-second public education announcement, and a five-minute webisode are available for anyone to download free of charge. These videos can also be used as teaching resources.