The Big River book tour has brought me upstream from our event in Astoria to urban Portland. With a few hours to spare, I had a chance to swim at the confluence of the Columbia and the silty, aptly named Sandy Rivers. The map fragment shows how the Sandy joins the main river. The photo offers visual proof in the rippling current. Note the invitation from a few fallen cottonwood trees. My narrowed path in. The water was warm enough to stay long enough, and to feel the pull of the confluence.
Here, at the former site of an aluminum manufacturing plant, the natural world has been given a chance to heal. I came out, shook off water like a dog and felt cleansed in more than one way. When we work together to build a healthy future, the results can be powerful, indeed.
Flowing through mostly urban Portland, the Columbia presents here as grand and reliable. All this steadiness is made possible by the upstream storage the Columbia River Treaty (CRT) provides. CRT flood control has devastated the upper river ecology for 60 years. This provision will expire on Sept. 16, 2024. How will a new agreement find balance between American and Canadian interests?
The young cottonwood I found sprouting from established roots on the Sandy River’s shoreline reminded me of how change can work. Let’s hope that a new flood control agreement will grow out of old structures to form a fresh tree of greater promise.
Renewal is always possible when the natural world has some elbow room.
love your last line, Eileen.
PS halfway through your novel.