A Letter from Our Producing Director

When I met with Dave Mosby and Scott Hamilton of U.S. Fish and Wildlife in November of 2023, I asked them what place could best tell the story of compost and the return of prairie and wetlands to mining wasteland. They both agreed: Cardinal Valley, Webb City's habitat restoration project.

One month later I was in Webb City, Missouri, riding through Cardinal Valley with John Nichols, Habitat Manager. He told stories of the work being done, the people involved, the progress, and the challenges. The tour also included the city's treatment plant where the compost was being produced, where they are making use of their own biosolids, and saving many thousands of dollars. I've been an avid composter for years and nothing excites me more than to see it happening on such a huge scale and to be applied to scarred lands with such success. With almost 1,000 acres set aside for restoration and preservation, Webb City is poised to be a national treasure and we want to share their story.

Stories like Cardinal Valley's don't just document restoration—they ignite it. When communities see what's possible with compost, commitment, and vision, they begin to imagine their own damaged landscapes coming back to life. Your support doesn't just help us finish this film. It helps prove that nature is resilient, and that even the most scarred places can recover and thrive. Together, we can turn one town's triumph into a movement.

Meredith Ludwig, Producing Director