If you haven’t listened to Wide Open, an audio series about the 1973 US Endangered Species Act by Montana journalist Nick Mott, it’s worth a listen. His episode about the Tennessee Valley Authority and the small fish that almost stopped a dam being completed made me think of the Columbia River salmon populations. Before dams, […]
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Flexible Concrete and the Imagined Valve
I was contacted recently by a reporter from Canada’s national newspaper, about a comment president-elect Donald Trump made during the campaign. Paraphrasing here: if the US needs water, there is a valve that can be turned. Water from Canada can come down here where it’s needed. For those of you wondering….there is no valve. Back […]
Columbia River Treaty Agreement-in-Principle!
Indigenous people will have input on management of what the tribes have long referred to as “one river.” There is no legal muscle here. Just a different set of values in the mix. A foot in the door, opening out into a more compassionate home for fish and other voiceless residents of the basin?
Coming Together in Portland
How will a new Columbia River Treaty flood control agreement find balance between American and Canadian interests?
The path of Mt. Rainier’s Snow
Touring Big River since June 1 has brought me into the sights of Mt. Rainier. On clear days, this pinnacle rises high above the Seattle skyline and busy port. I’ve been lucky enough to see it often during my time here. Most of the snow on Mt. Rainier descends to the ocean. The snow on […]
River Miles and Stones
This week, a unique book about the Columbia River will launch June 1, 2024 at the Nelson Museum and Art Gallery at 7 p.m. Big River represents an important literary milestone: the first truly international project about this powerful river. A few years ago, I was contacted by Braided River, a non-profit press based in […]