7 minute read
Finding the story within the stream
Documentary film project combines the best of teaching and practice
The camera zooms in as ecologists in waders, knee-deep in water, reach into the DuPage River and pull out freshwater mussels, collecting them in large nets to examine their viability. These images are juxtaposed with footage of laboratory spaces, aquatic wildlife in and around the water, and the tools of urban life like cars, highways and construction equipment sitting right on top of waterways in the Chicago suburbs.
Together, these images represent the key elements that make up the short film “Mussel Matters: Saving Critical Species in DuPage County,” a new documentary that focuses on the Upper DuPage River and Salt Creek watersheds and efforts to protect them for the betterment of a region that is home to nearly one million people in 77 municipalities.
“Mussel Matters” is the product of a collaboration among North Central College, The Conservation Foundation, the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, and community partners Morton Arboretum, the City of Naperville, the Naperville Park District, and the Oak Brook Chapter of Trout Unlimited. It’s a story about modern science working to intervene against the hidden impact of modern life, giving nature a boost that will benefit humans as much as other species living in the region the College calls home.
This has been a tremendous learning opportunity for our students, and a great way for us to engage community members to think about how we — as individuals and communities — see, manage, enjoy and impact our rivers and streams.”
That idea of mutual benefit also played out in the production of the short film, which provided valuable interdisciplinary experience for several North Central College students involved with making a final product that contributes to raise awareness of important issues in environmental studies.
Reyna Oliva ’25, an interactive media studies major, played an integral role in getting the film to the finish line as a production assistant. It was a rare chance for an undergraduate student to work on a professional film. As part of a small film crew, she gained experience that many film students don’t get until they’re out of school.
Oliva worked directly with project leads to put the film together, shooting B-roll footage to help illustrate the themes of the documentary. She was also entrusted with editing together the film trailer, as well as producing a featurette on the For Love of Water (FLOW) Film Festival, which featured the public premiere of “Mussel Matters.” (See sidebar on next page)
“This has been a great opportunity to learn about video shooting, production, and editing, all while learning about the environment and the environment around me throughout the process,” Oliva said.
Having done photography for The Chronicle, the College’s student newspaper, Oliva developed further interest in videography after taking Video Storytelling in 2022. She has made two documentaries during her coursework at North Central. Her experience made her stand out when she applied for the production assistant role.
“Mussel Matters” was Oliva’s first project working alongside industry professionals, and she found their expertise beneficial as she plans for a career in filmmaking. “I asked them questions about portfolios and experience I’ll need for future jobs,” she said.
Jessica Ramirez ’27, Tina Kesar ’25 and Emma Akers ’26 also contributed to the film project, and four students created the graphic art work used to promote the event: Erin O’Connor ’26, Jane Ferguson’27, Alissa Madalinksi ’27, and Kathryn Wagner ’25.
The film came about thanks to Dr. Reed Perkins, professor of environmental studies and director of the environmental studies program at North Central. After reaching out to potential partners, establishing new connections, writing a proposal for the project and generating the budget, Perkins applied for grant funding from the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrological Science, Inc. (CUAHSI).
Specifically, CUAHSI’s Let’s Talk About Water (LTAW) grant is intended to help serve local communities and the study of the environment while also providing experience and expertise in filmmaking.
Viewers of the documentary may be surprised to learn how important native mussels are to keeping local waterways clean.
“Freshwater mussels ... live in rivers and streams, taking in water and then filtering out pollutants and other particles before passing it back into the waterway,” said Joe Limpers from the Urban Stream Research Center (USRC), one of the organizations featured in the film. “One adult (freshwater mussel) can filter between six and 20 gallons of water in just one day. But the chance of a juvenile freshwater mussel surviving to adulthood in the wild is slim — less than one percent.”
If humans living near local waterways engage in unsound practices, the mussels will continue dying out. That’s why ecologists have been propagating mussels at the USRC since 2012 — to reintroduce them into streams.
“Since opening, the research center has propagated over 24,000 mussels, but raising these seemingly simple creatures is not an easy task,” Limpers said. “The vigorous, intense process is quite involved and can take almost two years depending on the type of mussel.”
Perkins said the purpose of the documentary is both to help people understand this process, but also to raise awareness that what we do with our lawns, cars and trash affects the ecology around us. The more we pollute, the harder it is for other species like mussels to survive and help keep our waterways clean and fresh.
“This has been a tremendous learning opportunity for our students, and a great way for us to engage community members to think about how we — as individuals and communities — see, manage, enjoy and impact our rivers and streams,” he said.
“Mussel Matters” premiered at an invitation-only event on March 21 to more than 100 people close to the project, including elected officials and members of the three producer organizations and community partners. It was then shown to the public for the first time at the FLOW Film Festival the following night.
Oliva summed up the experience when talking about her reaction to seeing the finished film.
“There are things ... that will make people more aware,” she said. “And it was so cool to see my name in the credits of the film!”
FLOW Film Festival: Raising awareness about local waterways conservation
The For the Love of Waterways (FLOW) Film Festival was held on March 22 at Pfeiffer Hall. More than 200 attendees watched a collection of eight short films featuring local waterways from Chicagoland to South Africa as well as the people who work to protect them.
In addition to “Mussel Matters: Saving Critical Species in DuPage County,” the festival included:
• “I Am Red - The Colorado River”
• “The Worth of Water”
• “Restoring Our Rivers”
• “How ‘Forever Chemicals’ Polluted America’s Water”
• “Road Salt: Street to Stream”
• “The Studio”
• “Alice's Garden: Solutions for Clean Water in Milwaukee and Beyond”
“The overarching goal of FLOW is to use short films to increase the knowledge, concern, and action about our local water and sustainability issues,” said Dr.Reed Perkins. “FLOW and the original film ‘Mussel Matters: Saving Critical Species in DuPage County’ have helped shape the conversation about how Chicagoland values and invests in its ecological health.”
To plan the festival, Perkins worked with Dr. Jennifer Smith, professor of English and chair of the department of English, Dr. Amy Buxbaum, associate professor of communication, Dr. Steve Macek,
professor of communication and chair of the department of communication and media studies, and Hale Ekinci, professor of art and design and chair of the department of art and design. They discussed which films they felt would fit with the message of “Mussel Matters” and reached out to the filmmakers to get them involved. They called their discussionbased collaboration “a blessing.”
