Throughout the first month of 2018, CalTrout hosted 3 screenings of A River’s Last Chance, an award-winning documentary film by North Fork Studios. A River’s Last Chance tells the story of salmon, timber, weed, and wine along California’s mighty Eel River. At the North Coast premiere, our final screening, we hosted 800 (!) people at the Eureka Theater. That was right off the heels of our two sold-out shows in the Bay Area.
The film’s incredible popularity is a testament to how many people care about the Eel River and are eager to help it recover after the last century of abuse from logging, extensive water diversions, overfishing, and multiple barriers limiting river flow, such as dams. The ecosystem is compromised, and the salmon have suffered — but the Eel is resilient. It has shown signs of recovery and has the ability to thrive once again. Getting this message out is a big step. Thank you all for attending and showing your support! We’re glad that so many stayed for the Q&A after, asking insightful questions to the filmmakers, guests & experts that appeared in the film, and CalTrout’s North Coast Director Darren Mierau. Congratulations and thank you to North Fork Studios, Shane, Jeff, and Jason for producing such a quality film that has sparked huge interest.
Eel River recovery is one of CalTrout’s Keystone Initiatives. Through our leadership in the Eel River Forum and the development of the Eel River Action Plan, CalTrout is leading the way for the Eel’s return to abundance with a headwaters-to-sea approach. Restoring the estuary, ensuring adequate flows for fish, removing barriers, and engaging in the Potter Valley Project relicensing process are all part of our comprehensive plan.
If you missed the screenings, follow A River’s Last Chance Facebook page where future screenings will be announced. We will likely announce them on our page also. Post-film tour it will be released on Vimeo on Demand; sign up to receive updates from the filmmakers.
