This is the story of the Santa Clara Creek Watershed that serves as the primary water source, cultural identity, and spiritual sanctuary to the Pueblo of Santa Clara. Since 1998, three large wildfires impacted Santa Clara Creek, resulting in largely denuded slopes, exposed soils gave way, and leading to large-scale catastrophic flooding. In the wake of these events, Santa Clara Pueblo partnered with federal, state, and private partners to restore Santa Clara Creek from the top of the watershed down. Over a decade and 5,000+ hand-built erosion-control structures later, the Pueblo shares how they interweaved traditional ecological knowledge and Western science to restore the center of their universe at Santa Clara Creek.
The video was screened at the following events:
Natural Areas Conference – October 7, 2024 in Manhatten, KS
Arizona Tribal Fire & Climate Resilience Summit – October 10, 2024 in San Carlos, AZ
Southwest Fire Ecology Conference – November 18, 2024 in Santa Fe, NM
Watch the full film!
Documentary shorts on topics related to the film:
1. Building Nature-Based Structures with Garrett Altman – Learn more about the techniques used to restore the watershed after fire.
2. Effective Post-Fire Restoration Methods at Santa Clara Pueblo – Learn more about the strategic approach Santa Clara Pueblo used to restore their watershed.
3. US Army Corps of Engineers and Engineering With Nature With Chris Haring – Learn more about USACE’s program and their role at Santa Clara.
4. Creating Partnerships for Post Fire Management with John Waconda – Learn more about how people came together to accomplish the incredible restoration of the Santa Clara Creek Watershed.
5. Indigenous Perspectives on Land Management – Learn more from Indigenous leaders about how they view the watershed and post-fire restoration.
