The Diatom

For the last 30 years renowned Utah-based botanist and environmental activist Sam Rushforth has been contracted with the state of Utah to protect its water supply. Every 4 to 6 weeks he drives hundreds of miles from his home to several remote reservoirs in Utah's Wasatch mountain range. He collects an ornate microscopic organism called the diatom. The diatom is one of the most numerous and diverse organisms on the planet, the basis of the aquatic food chain, produces much of the oxygen on earth, and is a key scientific indicator of the health of a water system. In order to philosophically understand a deeper, hidden connection to our natural environment, this 18-minute experimental mixed-mode 'science film' focuses on Sam's engagement with a vast isolated landscape, then travels through the microscope to the diatom itself.