On Wednesday, September 17th, the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association and RhizomeUp!Media will host a community screening of Trouble in the Headwaters at Roberts Creek Hall.
This hard-hitting, 25-minute documentary by filmmaker Daniel J. Pierce examines the disastrous 2018 flood in Grand Forks, BC, and the hydrological connection to clear-cut logging in the Kettle River Watershed. The film features the research of Dr. Younes Alila, professor of forest hydrology at the UBC Faculty of Forestry, whose decades of peer-reviewed research have shown how government and industry have consistently underestimated the flood risks caused by clear-cut logging.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Pierce and Alila, and Suzanne Senger, Executive Director of the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association.
Local Watershed Threats
Here at home, the Sunshine Coast faces an urgent threat from proposed logging by BC Timber Sales (BCTS) in the recharge zones of Aquifers 560 and 552. These aquifers provide drinking water for Gibsons and West Howe Sound, and supplement the supply for more than 20,000 users in the Chapman system.
Despite years of community advocacy for a Water Sustainability Plan, BCTS plans to auction cutblock TA0159 on Mount Elphinstone’s southeast slopes in the coming weeks. Logging in this sensitive headwaters area poses serious risks, including slope destabilization, reduced aquifer recharge, erosion, turbidity, and landslides. We only need to look at Whitaker Creek to see the kind of damage that can occur when forests are removed from these critical recharge zones.
Province-Wide Tour
The Sunshine Coast screening is part of a grassroots film tour organized by community groups across BC, each working to protect their watersheds and primary forests. Screenings are taking place between September 4th and 17th in Kelowna, Grand Forks, Nelson, Penticton, Vernon, Prince George, and Roberts Creek, with additional dates to be announced later this year.
Event Details
Trouble in the Headwaters – Film Screening & Panel Discussion
Date: Wednesday, September 17th
Time: Doors open 7:00 PM
Location: Roberts Creek Hall, 1309 Roberts Creek Road
Admission: By donation
Featured Speakers:
- Dr. Younes Alila – Professor of Forest Hydrology, UBC
- Daniel J. Pierce – Film Director
- Suzanne Senger – Executive Director, Sunshine Coast Conservation Association
Media Contacts
Suzanne Senger, Executive Director
Sunshine Coast Conservation Association
📧 executive@thescca.ca | 📞 604-741-884
Daniel J. Pierce, Film Director, Ramshackle Pictures
📧 daniel@ramshackle.ca | 📞 778-320-8789 | 🌐 ramshackle.ca