Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel project in the Straits of Mackinac is still tied up in court. The Canadian Company wants to bury its oil pipeline under the straits. But some state leaders and environmental activists want it completely shut down.
A new documentary follows two men who took a more than 400-mile paddleboard journey from the Straits to the State Capitol to call attention to the project and the potential environmental risks of the pipeline.
Chris Yahanda is one of the subjects of the film called "Troubled Water."
"My family has ties to the waters of Northern Michigan going back to the 1940s and William, the other subject to the documentary, has similar deep family ties to the area."
Throughout their trip battling weather, currents and tough conditions, they connected with environmental activists, Indigenous leaders and others with similar connections to the Great Lakes.
"Amongst all these different communities and people, there is a common thread of caring for Michigan's water," he explained.
Yanhanda hopes the documentary inspires others to step up and act to protect natural spaces.
"Feel inspired to stand up for their favorite place, no matter if it's the Great Lakes or a park down the street, or mountaintop somewhere."
"Troubled Water" airs on WKAR World at 9 p.m. on October 16, at 2 a.m., 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on October 17, at 3 a.m., 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on October 19 and noon on November 10. It's also available at pbs.org.
Interview Highlights
On where the idea for the trip came from
It was during COVID, we were just doing a small for-fun paddle camping trip up in northern Michigan on Lake Michigan, and while we were camped out on the beach, got a text notification about the Line 5 pipeline and being temporarily shut down for some maintenance issues. And it kind of struck us then and there that it was really a ticking time bomb in our favorite place. And we just then felt looking out on the lake the need to get more involved than just the sign in the yard and donating some money here and there to the cause.
On what he learned during the trip
The thing that surprised me the most was just the like the human relationships that we made throughout the trip and the appreciation for the various communities in the state. We ran into people and met people from all different walks of life, whether that was scientific researchers, activists, surfers. We got a pretty great relationship going with members of the Native community, and amongst all these different communities and people, there is a common thread of caring for Michigan's water, and connection with the outside and connection with nature.
On what he hopes people take from the documentary
We view it, more so than anything, as a love letter to the Great Lakes. And I think if anybody walks away with any message, it would be to feel inspired to stand up for their favorite place, no matter if it's the Great Lakes or a park down the street, or mountaintop somewhere, wherever it is, feel inspired to step up and help protect your favorite place. And when in doubt, do something.
Interview Transcript
Sophia Saliby: Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel project in the Straits of Mackinac is still tied up in court. The Canadian Company wants to bury its oil pipeline under the straits. But some state leaders and environmental activists want it completely shut down.
A new documentary follows two men who took a more than 400-mile paddleboard journey from the Straits to the State Capitol to call attention to the project and the potential environmental risks of the pipeline.
Chris Yahanda is one of the subjects of the film called "Troubled Water," and he joins me now. Thank you for being here.
Chris Yahanda: Thanks for having me.
Saliby: Where did the idea to take this paddleboard journey come from?
Yahanda: It was all really rooted in all the parties of the creation of the film's long family history in northern Michigan. Myself, my family has ties to the waters of Northern Michigan going back to the 1940s and William, the other subject to the documentary, has similar deep family ties to the area.
And I guess, more tangibly, it was during COVID, we were just doing a small for-fun paddle camping trip up in northern Michigan on Lake Michigan, and while we were camped out on the beach, got a text notification about the Line 5 pipeline and being temporarily shut down for some maintenance issues.
And it kind of struck us then and there that it was really a ticking time bomb in our favorite place. And we just then felt looking out on the lake the need to get more involved than just the sign in the yard and donating some money here and there to the cause.
And so, that's what led us all to start racking our brains together about ways we could get more involved and started reaching out to activists in the area, people that have been involved in the issue for a while, and asking them what their biggest areas of needs were and where we could maybe help out, lend a helping hand, and eventually ended on the idea of creating a documentary around a pretty ambitious paddleboard journey.
Saliby: You took quite a bit of stops, like I said, you went all the way from the Straits, from Mackinac Island, all the way down through the Grand River to Lansing. Was there a favorite stop you had?
Yahanda: Oh, it's tough to choose just one. There's so many beautiful spots, known and also hidden gems. I'd say the whole stretch of the Leelanau Peninsula was probably my favorite. Too many spots to just choose one.
But all the various dune features going down into the crystal clear blue water and a little less populated than when you get farther downstate. So, I'd say that was my favorite area. It's so beautiful.
Saliby: This was also not an easy trip. You battled weather, winds, currents. Is there something that you learned during this journey about Michigan or the Great Lakes or Line 5 that you maybe weren't expecting?
Yahanda: Yeah, I mean, I think that's a question we've gotten quite often, and my answer is, really, going into the trip, we expected to see beautiful things. We expected to come away with a greater appreciation and connection for the water.
But the thing that surprised me the most was just the like the human relationships that we made throughout the trip and the appreciation for the various communities in the state. We ran into people and met people from all different walks of life, whether that was scientific researchers, activists, surfers. We got a pretty great relationship going with members of the Native community, and amongst all these different communities and people, there is a common thread of caring for Michigan's water, and connection with the outside and connection with nature.
And so being exposed to so many different points of view and getting to create relationships with so many great people, that was probably a part of the trip that will stick with me the longest, and also probably the portion that I expected the least.
Saliby: What do you hope people who see this documentary gain from the experience of watching your journey?
Yahanda: Yeah, I think the number one thing is we view it, more so than anything, as a love letter to the Great Lakes. And I think if anybody walks away with any message, it would be to feel inspired to stand up for their favorite place, no matter if it's the Great Lakes or a park down the street, or mountaintop somewhere, wherever it is, feel inspired to step up and help protect your favorite place.
And when in doubt, do something. We, prior to making this, had never made a film before, but it was just, out of a desire to act and help. That's our hope is that we can inspire similar things and other people.
Saliby: Chris Yahanda is one of the subjects of the documentary "Troubled Water." It airs tonight at 9 p.m. on WKAR World and can be streamed at pbs.org Chris, thanks for joining us.
Yahanda: Thanks so much for having me.
