Today, “water wizard” Bill Zeedyk is a legend in the ecological restoration community. But when he began this work over 25 years ago, after retiring from the U.S. Forest Service, his ideas were considered almost heretical.
Building on the work of Luna Leopold (son of famed conservationist Aldo Leopold), the river guru Dave Rosgen, and influenced by indigenous practices of tribes in NM and AZ, Zeedyk coaxes straightened streams back on their natural meandering course, lifts the creek, raises the water table and recreates lost habitats. All while using simple restoration techniques he designed or innovated upon. These constellations of “Zeedyk structures” have slowly gained favor and now his methods have even been institutionalized.
A 5-Part DocuSeries
Each episode is guided by a different host (along with Zeedyk), in a different location highlighting different tools from the toolbox. While each episode builds upon the prior, each can stand alone.

Episode 1: “Willing to Try Things” lays the foundation of Zeedyk’s pioneering contribution of induced meandering to the field of nature-based restoration and how it began to take off.

Episode 2: “All about a Bird: A 1000 Acts of Restoration” highlights the Endangered Gunnison Sage Grouse and how a host of partnerships and private landowners’ pull together to save this unique bird.

Episode 3: “Fire & Flood” illustrates restoration in the age of increasing catastrophic wildfires and their post-fire impacts and how hybridizing treatments comes with the terrain.

Episode 4: “Country Roads, City Roads” explores the biggest impact on watersheds and how practical approaches make win-win-win scenarios possible.

Episode 5: “Watershed Wide: Putting it All Together” in Zeedyk’s hometown watersheds: A river’s re-winding through a town center, pushing the boundaries of induced meandering on a wildlife refuge, and a large family ranch implementing Bill’s techniques.