Wetlands: Changing the Narrative Campaign

A multi-year, multi-media campaign to share stories about why wetlands are important through the voices of everyday Americans. 

In Wetlands: Changing the Narrative, we’re going to shine a light on the people who are reshaping our  relationship with the natural world. Hunters, anglers, ranchers, and small family farmers all depend on healthy wetlands for their way of life. From the most remote bison wallow in the Great Plains to the edges of the Everglades and beyond we’ll discover seemingly ordinary people making extraordinary impacts on their local wetlands through a mix of landowner stewardship, science, engineering, and sheer determination. Their stories, insights, and passion will be the conduit through which the wondrous natural history of our wetland heritage is presented to our viewers. Why Now? One answer to this question comes from a place of urgency. Anyone who has read the news lately has seen stories of habitat loss, species extinction, natural disasters, and pollution -- all things that

Wetlands: Changing the Narrative Wetlands: Changing the Narrative Project Trailer

scientists and environmentalists remind us can be mitigated with healthy, expansive wetlands.

But there is another, more positive reason for embarking on this effort now - momentum. Even though wetlands continue to be caught in the crosshairs of development and deregulation, there has been a palpable shift in public attitudes toward them.

Stories like these in Tennessee contain powerful messages that speak to the values of those who call Tennessee home.

Please click only once on each video recording to view in the window.

Terry Hamby

Changing the Narrative - The Tennessee Stories
Terry Hamby: duck hunter, landowner

Zac Fox

Changing the Narrative - The Tennessee Stories
Zac Fox: businessman, brewer

John McEwen

Changing the Narrative - The Tennessee Stories
John and Bill McEwen: anglers, landowners

Kristen Cecala

Changing the Narrative - The Tennessee Stories
Kristen Cecala: educator, scientist

Our Approach

The goal of Wetlands: Changing the Narrative is to bring diverse and hopeful stories about America's wetlands to American audiences through a range of traditional and new media avenues. “Story packages” will be built from single collections of footage, animation, and interviews and will seed programming aimed at those who get their information via tv, streaming, or social media. 

Campaigns will be launched in locations (regions, states, Tribal lands, localities) where wetland protections are under threat of being weakened or eliminated and where there is an active group of volunteers who are eager to participate in advisory committee meetings and champion the videos tailored to resonate with their community’s values.

The Team

Wetlands: Changing the Narrative will be led by Marla Stelk and her team at the National Association of Wetland Managers (NAWM). From her office in Portland, Maine she will lead a group of experienced filmmakers, advocates, and campaigners who together will source, produce, and share these stories across various media. The key creatives on the project are stationed across the country - from the Northeast to the Midwest to the Pacific and understand that every wetland story is both unique and universal…intensely local and part of a much larger picture. Some of the creative partners NAWM has engaged so far include:

Wide Awake Films (Kansas City, MO): For more than 20 years the team at Wide Awake has produced award winning films for television, museums, streaming, and commercial clients. Their clients run the gamut, including PBS, John Deere, The National Park Service, and the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.

Platte Basin Timelapse (Lincoln, Nebraska): Since 2011 PBT has used film and multimedia to bring the stories of our nation’s waterways to a wider audience. Known for their timelapse nature photography and keen understanding of river systems and watersheds, PBT stands ready to lend their expertise to whichever watery habitat we choose to film. 

How To Help