Shared Waters is a film that explores the long fight for clean water and cultural survival in the Elk Kootenai/ay River Basin, as the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho and other Ktunaxa Nation leaders confront unchecked coal mine pollution in British Columbia, and push for justice across international borders.
THe dilemma
Mountaintop removal coal mining in the Elk Valley dates back to the 1960s and is one of Canada's largest sources of metallurgical coal. This coal is used in a method of steelmaking that is becoming obsolete as other less polluting methods gain prominence. Despite mounting scientific evidence of pollution and harm, especially from selenium contamination, regulators have historically prioritized industry over protection. Now, with an International Joint Commission inquiry taking place under the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909, there is a rare window for change.
But even as solutions are sought, a massive mine expansion, the Fording River Mine Extension, threatens to prolong and deepen the crisis as plans move forward to strip away an entire mountain and continue mining into the 2060s. The pollution will be perpetual, and stakes generational.
Shared Waters is a short documentary film that reveals the far-reaching impacts of mountaintop removal coal mining in British Columbia’s Elk Valley. This lucrative industry has polluted water flowing into the United States for decades, threatening the cultural lifeways of the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho (KTOI) and the entire Ktunaxa Nation. Now, as public pressure mounts and the issue reaches the international stage, regulators in Canada and British Columbia face a pivotal choice: continue to protect industry, or rise to protect the water, people, and future of this watershed.
Told primarily through the leadership and lived experience of KTOI Vice Chairman Gary Aiken Jr., the film confronts the failures of environmental governance and centers a powerful Indigenous vision for justice, accountability, and restoration across borders.
FILM CAST
Gary AiTken Jr.
Vice Chairman, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho
Genny Hoyle
Environmental Director, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho
Nathan jensen
Fish and Wildlife Department Director, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho
Heidi Gravelle
Nasukin (Chief), Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it First Nation
RIch Janssen Jr. - MBA
Natural Resources Department Head,
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
Kathryn teneese
Chair, Ktunaxa Nation Council
erin sexton
Senior Scientist
University of Montana, Flathead Lake Biological Station
Danie Frevola
Research Scientist
University of Montana, Flathead Lake Biological Station
rita adams
Owner, Kootenai Canyon Anglers
Founder, Kootenai Watershed Allies
Paul Samycia
Owner, Elk River Guides and Outfitters
simon Wiebe
Mining Policy and Impacts Lead, Wildsight
mark entwistle
Senior Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of TorontoFILM Crew
jennifer ekstrom
Director, Producer; Kootenai River Campaign Lead, Idaho Conservation League
Jimmy Matlosz
Cinematographer, Editor
Siobhan Williams
Camera, Drone
Scott “HEk” Miller
Drone
Abby Urbanek
Writer 
Caitlyn Embree
Impact Producerpresented by the idaho conservation league
Founded in 1973, the Idaho Conservation League is Idaho’s leading voice for conservation. We are a statewide conservation organization devoted to protecting Idaho’s environment.
ICL’s mission is to create a conservation community and pragmatic, enduring solutions that protect and restore the air you breathe, the water you drink, and the land and wildlife you love.