MISSOULA, Mont. — Those who live near Pattee Creek know the creek has seen neglect over the years. But the City of Missoula's Stormwater Division is trying to reverse the damage — and now, the effort is heading to the big screen.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:
The division worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to obtain a grant that eventually led to the short film: Pattee Creek: Changing Course.
"Patty's kind of been a little bit forgotten. It's very small compared to some of the other creeks, but it's historically significant to the city of Missoula. And so we wanted to kind of just shine some light on it," said Marie Nelson, program specialist for the City of Missoula's Stormwater Division.
The film focuses on spreading the word about the importance of Pattee Creek and the steps residents can take to help protect water quality.
"We talk a lot about stormwater and the things that citizens can do to help protect water quality, we talk about it in the film. We talk about picking up your pet waste and getting your oil leaks fixed and washing your car on your lawn instead of on your driveway," Nelson said.
For Endeavor Films, based in Rhode Island, the opportunity to make a film for a local municipality was unique and resonated with the filmmakers' values.
"I think the favorite part for me is always feeling like you're learning something about a community, and that in some way you're able to support a message that's important to that community," said Whit Wales, principal at Endeavor Films.
Nelson said the project has sparked new energy around the creek.
"It's really created this sense of, not necessarily urgency per se, but a sense of purpose. People are getting excited about it. They're thinking about it," Nelson said.
The stormwater utility plans to distribute the film around the community, with the hope that it will increase awareness of not only Pattee Creek, but also what community members can do for it.
Click here to watch the full film.
