Kelowna, B.C. – Late last summer, after learning of the threat posed by invasive zebra and quagga mussels, Brynne Morrice set out to learn more and do what he could to protect Okanagan and B.C. waters. A few short months later, the part-time Okanagan resident, part-time New York actor and filmmaker has released a short film, “Mussel Threat,” which premiered today during a news conference in Kelowna. The film illustrates just how dangerous the mussels are, and is a rallying cry for the protection of our beloved waters.
For Morrice, his interest in the mussels was sparked after noticing a Don’t Move a Mussel billboard – part of a campaign launched by the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB)’s WaterWise program. And then, after reading stories in local media about the board’s frustration at the lack of significant action by senior levels of government after two years of sounding the alarm, Morrice decided to do something.
“I was at the lake swimming and thinking about it – about the risk to our lakes and beaches. It got to the point where I was literally losing sleep over it, thinking about how we’re gambling with the future of B.C. every day we don’t do something.”
In response, Morrice got in touch with the OBWB, gathered names of people to interview, started filming and then started a Kickstarter campaign last November to raise funds to help with the costs of the project. After hitting his goal within three days, and with support for the project continuing to grow, Morrice promised an even better film with the additional funding. Within a month, Morrice raised over $5,000. As a result, his research had him speaking with people fighting mussels in New York and Pennsylvania, Colorado, California and more. His filming started in the Okanagan, but took him to the Kootenays and into Arizona – a state on the front lines of the mussel-fight.
For more information, visit www.protectourfreshwater.ca.
To view the film, go to vimeo.com/protectourfreshwater.