We posted the teaser a bit ago, and now you can view the full edit of A River’s Reckoning, which tells the story of Paul Bruchez and his keen relationship with the Colorado River as a rancher and flyfishing guide. An official selection of the 2018 Wild and Scenic Film Festival, the film is a collaboration between Trout Unlimited and American Rivers. TFFJ contributors and friends Josh Duplechian and Russ Schnitzer played their parts behind the cameras.

“Paul Bruchez is a fifth-generation rancher whose family raises cattle in the upper reaches of the Colorado River near Kremmling, Colorado, where he also runs a private fly-fishing guide service.

“A River’s Reckoning” tells the story of Paul’s awakening to the importance of river conservation and the legacy of his family’s ranch when drought and urban water diversions deplete the Colorado River, threatening the ranch’s operations. When Art Bruchez, the family patriarch, is diagnosed with cancer, Paul and his younger brother Doug are forced to step in and take over.

This “river reckoning” pushes Paul and his family to confront new challenges and embrace new ways of thinking to keep their family’s ranch—and others in the valley—alive and productive. Paul and his brother rise to meet these challenges, working with neighbors, Trout Unlimited, American Rivers and other conservation groups and partners to find creative solutions that enhance their irrigation systems while restoring trout habitat in the river.

“A River’s Reckoning” is a beautiful story of family, grit, and legacy, all in support of sustaining a ranch at 10,000 feet that depends heavily on stewardship of the Colorado River. The film was recently honored as an official selection of the 2018 Wild and Scenic Film Festival.”

Learn more at waterpartners.tu.org