Baduwa’t Documentary 2023

Can traditions of the past and better land practices save the Baduwa’t watershed before it’s too late?

A Documentary Film Coming in 2023

Unite to RECLAIM Baduwa’t. RESTORE traditional land practices. PROTECT a climate refuge now or it will be lost in the future.

Baduwa’t, also known as the Mad River, is one of the most remote watersheds Northern California. For the Wiyot people, it’s never been Mad, it’s always been Baduwa’t. The Wiyot tribe had managed this watershed sustainably for thousands of years until 1849 when colonizers, seeking the quickest way to transport gold from the North Coast to San Francisco, erroneously named the river Mad - that name was adopted by the United States government, but not the Wiyot tribe.  Since then, Baduwa’t faces threats that could mean the end of a unique watershed. Not only is this river a climate refuge for wildlife and fisheries, it’s also the drinking water for over 90% of Humboldt County’s population.

Reclaiming the name Baduwa’t brings the Wiyot tribe recognition of a watershed occupied and managed traditionally by them and neighboring tribes for thousands of years.  

In this film, we reveal how poor land management practices have impacted the Baduwa’t ecosystem, and how applying tribal traditional ways and improved land practices can shift the balance toward recovery and can significantly impact the ecological balance and the community.