Meet our Guests: Jenny Wallgren and Klamath River Restoration

Jenny Wallgren and Klamath River Restoration

Regulatory Manager for RES Klamath restoration project

Former Klamath River Dams, CA

September 26, 2024

Jenny Wallgren, in her white pickup, led our caravan of Wagoneers over winding and gravelly roads to access the now very dry Copco reservoir footprint. The Klamath river runs, shallowly through the valley through the river channel that was preserved under about 70 feet of water. Jenny points out to us, “There’s no riparian area right now…A river with no riparian area will just continue to destroy itself until it can plumb onto that, until it can establish a riparian area.”

Jenny Wallgren, an ecologist by training, moved across the country after working for 20 years in Texas to the Klamath Valley to work as the Regulatory Manager for RES (Resource Environmental Solutions) on the Klamath dams removal and restoration project. The removal project formally began in September of 2023 with the removal of Copco 2, one of the 4 dams on the Klamath River. This is the largest scale post-dam-removal restoration project that has ever been done and requires experts from a number of scientific fields to find solutions to problems that arise. It’s the revegetation efforts that excite Jenny the most. To carefully and creatively plant thousands of seeds in a recently inundated, totally bare area and watch over months as bright yellow poppies and red and green woody bushes rise up from cracked and concrete-hard soil creates an internal swell of pride and hopefulness. 

Jenny chuckles as a few of us ask about methods of revegetation. She tells us about reseeding via helicopter and snowshoe treks when the drained Copco reservoir was too muddy for teams to traverse safely, “I will say that some of the efforts we did were really funny to watch. Does anybody remember Moon Shoes from the 80’s and 90’s, where you’re walking kind of on trampolines…We had Moon Shoes. I think they worked the least, but they were the most fun to watch.” 

The dam removal process is still very fresh with the most recent dam removal of Copco 1 beginning on August 28th of 2024. Massive sediment buildup behind the dams and disturbance from construction is causing a large increase in water turbidity and other temporary water issues, but Jenny is hopeful for the near future where the Klamath will run free and healthy for the first time in over 100 years. 

by Linnea Krig

Meet our Guests: John Vradenburg

John Vradenburg

Supervisory Biologist, Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge 

Tule Lake, CA

September 25, 2024

By the time John Vradenburg was 8 years old, he knew he wanted to be a biologist in the Klamath area. John is now the supervisory biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife at the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge. Westies met with John in the Refuge visitor center, situated on the now mostly dry Tule Lake and wetlands. The lake was drained in 1905, to create farmland and irrigation for homesteaders. 

During this visit, Westies received a history of the Klamath Basin, and learned about the vital role that wetlands play in the ecosystem as a whole. John described wetlands as “Both the heart and lungs of the basin.” They are climate resilient systems, and in the case of the Tule Lake and surrounding wetlands, created a microclimate in the area. The Klamath Basin is situated along the Pacific Flyway, with over 80 percent of migrating waterfowl passing through the refuge. The Pacific Flyway is the primary migratory corridor for birds, extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Wetland habitat, John explained, is crucial for these migratory birds. 

Before getting into the reeds of water complexities in the area, John showed Westies a map of how the basin used to look, with acres upon acres of wetland, which John described as “the everglades of the west”. Glad to be safe from alligators, Westies tried to imagine this landscape before the 95% reduction in wetland, leaving just 13,000 acres of year round wetland.

While John expressed the severity of the water situation for both the community, farmers, and wetlands, he left Westies with an optimistic vision for the future. He explained the need to transition focus to issues that are important to everyone, rather than individual polarizing issues. Additionally, we need to diagnose and fix ecosystem processes holistically, rather than just the symptoms. This change will bring the community together, and if we can work together, everyone will be better off. Westies had a wonderful time learning about wetlands and the collaborative work that John and the refuge is engaging in. 

by Owen Schott

Meet our Educators: Aaron Strain

Aaron Strain

Professor and Chair of Politics at Whitman College

White Clouds Preserve, ID

September 21, 2024

“There’s been two times in my life when I thought writing would literally kill me.” Aaron Strain expressed in our circle of camp chairs on his first day integrating into our free-spirited community. He told us of death threats and the physical health crises he had experienced as byproducts of dedicating one's life to the satisfying affliction of articulating the world. He would come to spend nine days teaching a writing workshop for the 21 Westies at White Clouds Preserve in Custer County, Idaho. 

Aaron Strain, an accomplished academic, is a professor at Whitman College with a M.A. in Latin American Studies from Stanford University and a Ph.D in Geography from University California, Berkeley. He is the award-winning author of The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez: A Border Story, along with two other books.

Peering through the circular frames of his glasses, Aaron swept the room, assessing the group’s level of engagement. He wrote bullet points on a pad of sheet paper, letters tilted in the typical manner of a lefty, as the group took notes on how to take better notes. Every lesson developed interviewing skills and fostered excitement for projects in narrative nonfiction. He called the group to examine their personal ethics around story-telling and the importance of painting every person with the complexity we all possess. Each day Aaron embraced our chaotic culture with patience and an intrigued smile. Sharing meals, memories, and games beneath the stunning landscape of the wildlife preserve, learning was holistic and inspiring. 

by Kiana Potter

Meet our Hosts: Stacia Morfin and Harry Slickpoo Jr.

Stacia Morfin and Harry Slickpoo Jr.

Guides of Jet Boat Tour of Hells Canyon by Nez Perce Tourism

Lewiston, ID, through Snake River until the border of ID, WA and OR

September 8, 2024

From a port in Lewiston, Idaho, Westies boarded a jet boat to tour important sites to the Nimiipuu Nation (also known as Nez Perce) up along the Snake River. The winds blew on our faces, lifting up our hair, filling our nostrils with the smell of wet rock as we zipped through Hells Canyon while mesmerized by the landscape of the beautiful mountains and river.

We were invited by Stacia Morfin and Harry Slickpoo, both proud members of the Nimiipuu Nation who helped us connect with the landscape through beautiful oral stories. Stacia’s family comes from the Place of the Red-tailed Hawk, a village site we toured. She looked at her ancient land while she showed us her 220-year old bighorn sheep skin dress, a beaded bag made from Italian glass beads, and many other items, including otter furs and eagle tail. We also unboarded at The Place the Light Touches the Earth, also known as Buffalo Eddy Nez Perce National Historic Park Site, the place where 8000-year-old Nimiipuu Nation petroglyphs live. 

One of the landscapes we stopped at was a mountain of a kilometer of basalt made by a slowed cooling of lava, which the Nimippuu Nation expressed as claw marks of Beaver and Coyote arguing about beaver dam. Harry showed how the land gives information through stories which is why it is important to the Native people. They emphasized how the original homeland is important in preserving the stories by being able to look at where the story was made.

The place names scattered around the area showed a deep meaningful relationship with the land and the Nimiipuu people. 

by Ayano Yoshikawa

Meet our Guests: Mary Patzel-Murphy, Conlan Murphy, and Amy Bilbeisi

Mary Patzel-Murphy, Conlan Murphy 

Owner and Operator, Frenchglen Hotel, Frenchglen, OR

Amy Bilbeisi 

Oregon Outback Star Safari Leader, Frenchglen, OR

September 22-23, 2024

It was mid-afternoon when we rolled into Frenchglen, Oregon, a quaint town with an official population of 12. The main (and only) street consisted of a K-8 schoolhouse, a general store, and the Historic Frenchglen Hotel. Its white siding and screened veranda has remained fairly unchanged since 1917, the year of the hotel’s construction. 

The tiny, 13-room hotel is run by Mary Patzel-Murphy and Conlan Murphy, who came into the lease around a year ago. Previously working from the Portland area, the couple run the hotel with the same gentle hands they use to raise their two toddler-age daughters. Mary is a former Westie (2010) who now works remotely in rural healthcare. Conlan, who has a background in the culinary arts, cooks the three daily meals the hotel provides.  

At our campsite in the hills above Frenchglen, we welcomed Amy Bilbeisi, a member of Oregon Outback Star Safari and owner of Blitzen Coffee House. In the growing darkness, she set up her large telescope and instructed us to look to the Northern sky. With a green laser pointer, she showed us Ursa Major (more commonly known as the Big Dipper), Ursa Minor, Polaris, Pegasus, Delphinus, and many more stars and constellations. Amy chirped and hopped over to her telescope to show us Saturn, whose rings were visible through the scope.

Though our time in Frenchglen was short, it allowed us to gain a useful view of rural southeastern Oregon. Despite the fact that many who rely on the town are ranchers, living miles away, there is a strong sense of community. Many people come to the hotel for Mary and Conlan’s family style dinner, or visit Amy at the general store. We were sad to leave the tiny town, but we wouldn’t forget the hospitality shown by its tenants.

by Carlie Johnson

Meet our Guests: George De'Angelo and Choice Vaughn

George De'Angelo (left), Amanda Gardner (middle), and Choice Vaughn (right) at White Clouds Preserve, ID

George De’Angelo and Choice Vaughn

White Cloud Preserve, Clayton ID

September 17,2024

Today, the Westies participated in the White Clouds Preserve’s plant restoration project by pulling noxious weeds- Spotted Knapweed and Canadian Thistle, with George De’Angelo, Choice Vaughn, and our host Amanda Gardner. Before working on the weed removal project we were captivated by a conversation on various topics- cattle, organic agriculture methods, community driven conservation efforts, White Cloud’s history, and civil disobedience. They each brought in different perspectives on the controversial topics at hand, clearly forming the heart of White Clouds. 

George is the owner of Geologics LLC which is a plant nursery that focuses on habitat restoration work, with little chemical usage. He became a part of the White Clouds Preserve project four years ago when Amanda called him after coming across his work on Facebook. George’s current role at White Clouds is to support the replanting process and supervise volunteers and trainings. 

Choice is a Shoshone tribal member who is currently a resident on the White Cloud Preserve. Their role is to maintain all the plants on the property and serve as the Preserve’s photographer. As part of maintaining the plants, he creates his own fertilizer from local ingredients- salmon, sage, mycelium, and ash. He first met Amanda when he was exercising his treaty rights by spear fishing in the East Fork of the Salmon River which runs through the preserve. When Choice was fishing, approached by White Cloud member with a pistol on his hip, Choice thought he was going to get in trouble but instead was invited inside for a cup of coffee, where he talked with Amanda about what she was doing on the preserve. It was not until several years later that Choice started working with the preserve. 

by Caitlyn Taylor

Meet our Guests: Mitch Cutter

Mitch Cutter

Salmon and Energy Strategist, Idaho Conservation League

Clayton, ID

September 14, 2024

As we pulled up, Mitch Cutter waved to us from the front steps of White Clouds Preserve, in Clayton, Idaho. Joining us for dinner, he quickly fell back into the SITW routine, a program he knew well from his time as a student in 2014 and later as a tech manager. Today, Mitch works as a Salmon and Energy Strategist at the Idaho Conservation League, where he continues to pursue his passion for the environment. During our time together, he took us to several local spots, painting a picture of Idaho’s complex relationship with dams. At the Sunbeam Dam on the Salmon River, he shared how an unnecessary dam was removed, allowing resilient salmon to return in just two generations. Next, we stopped at the historic Yankee Fork Gold Dredge, where he explained how mining had disrupted the river's functions, but conservation efforts were hindered because it was a designated historic site.

Mitch primarily focuses on protecting salmon through policy, stressing the importance of removing dams. He argued that the benefits of removal far outweigh the drawbacks, delivering a pitch he had clearly shared with many legislators before. In fact, he was flying out to D.C. the following morning. Mitch described policy advocacy as one of the most inspiring parts of his job. Specifically, he shared about a time when the Idaho Conservation League enabled youth to travel to DC to tell their stories to legislators. He described how, as they attended meetings, the young people from local reservations voice’s became strong with passion as they spoke about the importance of salmon to their culture.

Mitch is determined to continue making change until the lower Snake River dams are removed and salmon populations can recover. He has come full circle ten years after his SITW program, now inspiring the current Westies to advocate for salmon protection.

by Cambria Bartlett 

Meet our Guests: Mark Tveskov

Mark Tveskov and students

Archaeologist, Anthropology Professor from Southern Oregon University

Maxville, OR

September 12, 2024

On a cold morning, the Westies walked from our Maxville campsite to an open, damp area where five people were digging and excavating six 1-meter square grids from the former housing sites of an old Black logging community. We watched as the archeologists carefully scraped away dirt to expose old tin cans, bottles, nails, a cast iron stove, and other remnants of human activity.

Maxville is a former segregated logging town with White and African American loggers whom the Bowman-Hicks Lumber Company brought to the Northwest. The town existed from 1924 until 1933 when the company abandoned the town due to the Great Depression. The people later abandoned Maxville in 1946 after a snowstorm, changing Maxville to a ghost town. Gwen Trice, a descendant of the original logging family and creator of the Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center, asked Mark Tveskov, an experienced archeologist from Southern Oregon University and a friend of Gwen’s, for documentation of materials in Maxville through archeological research as one of her plans in reviving the ghost town. 

As we were talking, Mark’s team found a small piece of a vinyl record in the African American House. Mark intends to extract the music from the remnant with help from a professor interested in Ethnomusicology. He also explained how a jingle found in the site is thought to be from horses that carried logs, based on pictures and oral stories complied by Gwen Trice and other Maxville descendants.

This archeological study is intended to help understand how the landscape and material culture of Maxville performed structured racism and segregation in the Pacific Northwest. Mark Tveskov and his team sampled archeological records from two locations, one of an White family’s house and another of a Black family’s house to compare. He gave us a tour of one of the White family house's remains, facing a magical morning view of nearby mountains, explaining findings of fragments of ceramic, plastic doll faces and crystal doorknobs, which the Black house remains did not have. There is currently no chapter in the logging history of the Pacific Northwest that includes the perspective of colored people, and Mark is helping to change that with this research.

by Ayano Yoshikawa

Meet our Guests: Amanda Gardner

Amanda Gardner

Executive Director of White Clouds Preserve

East Fork Salmon River, Idaho

September 17, 2024

“Hungry & Out of Work? Eat an Environmentalist.” 

Amanda Gardener found this welcoming sticker at the transfer station shortly after she moved to Custer County, Idaho. It was obvious to Amanda that ranchers in the area were not throwing their doors open for the environmentalist movement. 

Amanda is the Executive Director of White Clouds Preserve, a nonprofit organization focused on stewardship, education and community connection in rural Idaho. We stayed on the property for a couple of days before getting to speak with Amanda, and we were overflowing with curiosity about the preserve. The lodge we stayed at sits above the East Fork Salmon River, along a valley bottom surrounded by mountains. White Clouds works to host a range of wildlife- elk, coyotes, salmon, to name a few. They also host organizations like Americorps and other education groups who stay at the lodge for retreats. The preserve is a small spark of conservation embedded within a vast expanse of cattle ranching. 

Amanda wears many hats in her community and has used those connections to build the perception of the preserve, and even make a few friends. Amanda started working at the local bar to meet people in her community in a casual setting. She is also one of three full time employees of the Custer county fire department.

As we’re sitting in the chair circle (chircle) and saying goodbye to Amanda, a silver truck pulling a horse trailer rolls across the side of the valley. Amanda waves. It’s Justin, her ranching neighbor, and she's certain he is waving back.

by Annika Schwartz

Meet our Guests: Julian Matthews

Julian Matthews

Julian Matthews

Board Member, Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment, Lewiston, ID

September 9, 2024

On a scorching afternoon in Lewiston, Idaho, Julian Matthews met with us on the banks of the Snake River to discuss his work as an activist. Julian was born in Coeur D’Alene Idaho, and currently lives in Pullman, Washington where he serves as a board member of the Chamber of Commerce in addition to working for Human Resources in Nez Perce Tribal Enterprises.Throughout his life Julian has been a passionate advocate for environmental issues and Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) treaty rights.

Not content with the status quo, Julian sees it as his responsibility to work towards a just and equitable future for his community. Those values are exemplified in his current role as a board member of Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment, a non-profit that formed around protesting the transport of Exxon Mobil’s megaloads through tribal lands in 2013. The megaloads were massive shipments of oil refinery equipment en route to the Tar Sands in Alberta. First Nations in Canada opposed them and the protests were initiated as an act of solidarity. Today, Julian is working towards breaching the lower four Snake River Dams alongside cultural preservation initiatives, and programs aimed at uplifting tribal youth. 

From the outside, many of the battles Julian is fighting seem sisyphean, but that doesn’t seem to phase him; in his mind it's just a matter of time. “If you have a commitment…if you just keep pushing it and pushing it and pushing it…eventually they’re gonna give.” If the fire in his eyes was any indication, he won’t be giving up any time soon.

by Ben Anderson

Meet our Guests: Tate Meehan and Cameron Wagner

Tate Meehan and Cameron Wagner

Geo-physicists, Army Corps of Engineers

White Clouds Preserve, ID

September 14th, 2024 

During our first morning at the White Clouds Preserve in Central Idaho, we had the opportunity to chat with Tate Meehan and Cameron Wagner, two geophysicists working for the Engineering Research and Development Center within the Army Corps of Engineers.  We met them in a garage on the preserve, just a few yards from our campsite where they showed us their various ground penetrating radar and lidar gadgets, including two heavy lift drones and a terrain conductivity meter. They use this technology to create a topographic map with radar in order to model various changes in terrain such as soil moisture or snow depth. They are researching how this novice radar technology interacts with various terrain types in hopes of utilizing this technology elsewhere, eventually to collect data from space. 

Tate endured a lengthy proposal process to get funding for his research from the Army Corps of Engineers. The source of this funding comes with many implications, namely that it somehow will benefit the United State’s Department of Defense to carry out their military endeavors. This particular technology could be used to survey terrain during warfare, enhancing the safety of mission operations. However, Tate’s passion for his research stems from elsewhere. The data collected from this research can be used to inform land management, particularly for ranchers. Additionally, as we experience the impacts of climate change, this radar technology can be used to monitor changes in soil moisture and snowpack.This project is the first that Tate is leading himself, representing the culmination of years of study, and passion for using physics to understand our changing world. 

by Johanna Duncan 

Meet our Guests: The White Salmon River

The White Salmon River

August 25, 2024

We kicked off the traveling portion of Semester in the West last week with a rafting trip on the White Salmon River, a tributary of the Columbia that joins the Big River just across from Hood River. I thought this would be a nice way to frame the first half of the semester–as we move through the Columbia, Snake, Salmon, and Klamath river drainages. Thirteen years ago, Condit Dam was removed from the White Salmon River, opening it back up to salmon spawning. By moving through the river canyon on rafts, students were able to observe up close the impacts the dam and reservoir had on the land and the vegetation. As we moved through the dam site, several students commented that they would never have known there was a dam there if it was not pointed out to them. Yet, they also noticed subtle changes in the land. As soon as we passed through the former dam site, suddenly there was more moss on the rocks, there were more trees growing closer to the water, and the riparian zone just seemed healthier. And yet, above the dam site, the land is recovering, with new trees finding root in the recovering riparian zones. Rafting with a geologist, Professor Lyman Persico, opened up to our view to the geological processes at play in both damming and undamming the river, evident in sediment deposits, and our guides spoke of the changes they have seen over many years of guiding on the river. And, we also had a lot of fun on this educational float.

In a few weeks we will be in the Klamath Basin witnessing the largest dam removal and river restoration project in North American history. Students will be able to compare how the White Salmon looks thirteen years after removal with how the Klamath looks now. And as we move through the Snake River system, they will be able to imagine possible futures, based on comparisons, while also realizing that every river system is different and unique, which is the point of covering so much ground–and water–in this, our Semester in the West experience.

By Stan Thayne

Meet our Educators: Gwen Trice

Gwen Trice

Founder & Executive Director, Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center, 

Joseph, OR/ Maxville, OR

September 10, 2024

Gwen Trice’s old blue truck led our caravan on a turn-off from the main logging road outside of Enterprise, OR. When we finally stopped, she climbed out and stood proudly on the wrap-around porch of a large log cabin, which we later learned was a reconstructed supervisor’s lodge. Leaning on her cane and beaming at us in the twilight, she welcomed us all warmly to Maxville. 

Maxville was a logging boom-town operated by Bowman-Hicks Lumber Company from 1922 to 1933. It was also a heavily segregated town; despite the fact that many of the Black and White workers did the same type of labor, they lived on opposite sides of town in vastly different housing situations. 

Although the town’s site holds many memories of hurt and oppression, it also holds opportunity for regrowth. As archeologists excavate pieces of Maxville’s past, Gwen is working on shaping its future. For our group, Maxville took on the role of an emotional catalyst. Sitting in the great-room of the supervisors lodge, Gwen guided us through conversations about our roots. Without knowing it, we were engaged in healing our own trauma and learning more about each other. Through emotional connections, silly games, and improvised skits, we aided the realization of Gwen’s vision of Maxville as an “amnesty space”.

Gwen has a personal connection to the Maxville of old: her father and grandfather were among the 40-60 Black workers recruited by Bowman-Hicks to log in the area. Soon after Bowman-Hicks abandoned the area, Gwen’s family moved to La Grande, Oregon, where she grew up amidst the societal and legal racism of the mid-twentieth century. 

As she spoke about her experiences as a Black child in that era, her slow, measured voice often became emotional. “My process includes my tears,” she told us, chuckling and wiping her eyes. For Gwen, the struggles of Maxville’s legacy are still raw. Through her work in public schools with the program “Seeding Hope and Healing”, Gwen gets to meet many students of color who have had experiences of race-based oppression. She strives to create a space where they can work through that trauma, “building muscle tone” to come out of difficult experiences.

Our time with Gwen was revolutionary. Her grounding presence inspired an emotional vulnerability and honesty of the highest caliber in her listeners, and we all share Gwen’s hope that many more people will be able to engage with Maxville in such a meaningful way. Gwen believes the continued un-earthing and reconstructing of Maxville’s past will create a haven for education, artistry, and authentic love of people and place.

by Carlie Johnson

Meet our Guests: Eric Crawford

Eric Crawford

Snake River Campaign Director, Government Affairs, Trout Unlimited

Lewiston, ID

September 9, 2024

We met Eric Crawford at a rest stop off Highway 12, near Lewiston, Idaho, nestled up against the Clearwater River. From his first words, Eric’s enthusiasm was palpable. He greeted us with handshakes and smiles before he began to tell us about his life’s mission. 

As the Snake River Campaign Director for Trout Unlimited, Eric’s objective is clear: removal of the four Lower Snake River dams. Eric stands firmly on one side of what is a fiercely debated issue. To him, the salmon are of the utmost importance. He spoke fervently about the issues caused by the dams and the limited time we have to fix these problems as they become further exacerbated by climate change.

Citing the importance of salmon to the native tribes of the area, salmon’s ecological importance as a keystone species in their ecosystem, and our ability to compensate for the negative effects of dam removal, Eric crafted a compelling argument as to the urgency and importance of these dams’ removal.

Eric didn’t just come to persuade us, either. He willingly took on our questions and concerns, speaking candidly about the difficulty of his job, and the complicated, multi-faceted range of issues that come with negotiating dam politics. When asked about whether he’s considered the possibility of failing his mission, he said it’s just something you can’t think about. He has to believe that the dams will be breached. 

by Theo Rollman

Meet our Educators: Roger Amerman

Roger Amerman

Enthnogeologist

Stites, ID

September 8, 2024

It was a smokey late Friday afternoon when we pulled into the driveway of the Nez Perce Longhouse in Stites, Idaho. Roger Amerman, renowned Choctaw ethnogeologist, beadwork artist, and close colleague and friend of Whitman College, greeted us right away with cheerful introductions and hugs with former students. A circle formed immediately, drawn to Roger’s contagious excitement as he dived into his life and the surrounding area. Ethnogeology, as he explained, is the study of Native American engagement with the environment- soils, geologic phenomena, and natural resources- over the course of over 16,000 years. 

Soon many of us got to work carrying the large poles (lodgepole pine) from Roger’s property down the road to the yard of the Longhouse. With the sun setting, we followed Roger’s instructions to set up the traditional teepees. The teepee entrance always faces East; orientation in the landscape and the cosmos is central to the Nez Perce way of life. Over dinner, he had us all laughing over stories from his Whitman years.

The next day we visited the Heart of the Monster, a geological monument near the town of Kamiah. The large grassy mound marks a central part of the Nez Perce origin story; when Coyote killed the Monster, who had broken laws of the land by eating all the animals, he discarded the parts of its body across the land. Roger also took us to see the lesser known Lungs of the Monster. In the smoky heat, we stood on the hill looking over the ridges of the Lungs as he reflected on his approach to geologic research. He spoke about the importance of collaborating with all the demographics of a given community- elders, government officials, non-official groups, and all the other “cats.” He also spoke about the universal benefit of incorporating Indigenous knowledge into Western science; “We believe we’re the only ones keeping us connected to the land! And if we lose it, our situation as human beings is at best, precarious,” Roger said. His knowledge of the area yielded other benefits- ice cream and a secret swimming spot. 

During our jet boat tour through Hell’s Canyon the following day, Roger added his valuable wealth of knowledge and distinct energy. A constant message throughout, occasionally followed by a fistbump, was “petroglyphs don’t lie, baby.” These symbols, as he explained, revealed the exact legacy of the area. The big-horned sheep depicted on the rocks, as opposed to deer and elk, reveal the central animal to the Sahaptin people living in the region thousands of years ago. 

Wildfire smoke forced us to depart from Roger a day early. As we stood in the yard of blue flowers saying our goodbyes, he asked us all to name our favorite mythical creature and three reasons why. His was a centaur- fusion of man and animal. Going forward, he encouraged us to not overlook conflicting truths. In his words, “pay attention. Even if each family has a little bit of a different story, you don’t throw any of that data away. You see how you can use that to tell a better story.” 

by Alice O’Brien

Meet our Guests: DR Michel

DR Michel

Executive Director of The Upper Columbia United Tribes

Kettle Falls, WA

September 5, 2024

One hundred and one river miles from Grand Coulee Dam, lies a place called Kettle Falls. If paddling or driving by, you won’t see nor hear the impressive falls that provided a meeting place of salmon, water, and people for thousands of years. In 1940, the installation of Grand Coulee dam created the reservoir dubbed Lake Roosevelt, drowning the falls, as well as much of the history and culture along with it. 

Perched above the bank of Lake Roosevelt and the former Kettle Falls, Westies met with DR Michel. Michel is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. With decades of experience in resource management, forestry, business, Michel has a deep understanding and passion for all things salmon. Michel now works as the executive director of the Upper Columbia United Tribes (UCUT). UCUT is a non-profit which focuses on improving river conditions for salmonids, wildlife, and humans.

Michel spoke to Westies about the complex state of the salmon run on the Upper Columbia, as well as upstream environmental pollutants, with large downstream effects. Michel shared with Westies about a metal processing plant on the Columbia river north of the U.S. Canada border, that contaminated the river with metal toxins. He went on to speak about the pathways forward to a cleaner river.The Westies were lucky to speak with Michel, as he reflected that he was not educated about the cultural and tribal significance of Kettle Falls growing up, and is now working to change that for today's youth. 

Michel holds an optimistic view that we can use both technology and traditional practices to bring a healthier run of salmon. “We’re talking about passage within the current construction, to avoid those politics around dam removal…we still feel like there is enough room and technology to make a substantial run.” Through Michel’s knowledge and optimism, Westies furthered their understanding of the politics and practices regarding salmon recovery in the Columbia Basin, as well as the everlasting impacts of Grand Coulee Dam. 

by Owen Schott

Meet our Guests: Matt McDaniel

Matt McDaniel

Hatchery Manager at Chief Joseph Dam Hatchery Program

Bridgeport, WA

September 3, 2024

We began our meeting with Matt McDaniel outside of the visitors center at Chief Joseph Dam. Matt was dressed casually and in sunglasses like the rest of us, but his American flag fish polo shirt stood out and made it immediately apparent that this man has a deep passion for his job. McDaniel, currently the Hatchery Manager at Chief Joseph Dam Hatchery Program, explained that he fell in love with fish hatcheries after getting a job at another hatchery after he graduated college. 

Chief Joseph Dam produces the second most amount of power in the United States after Grand Coulee. Inconveniently, the dam lacks a fish ladder making it impossible for salmon to migrate to their spawning grounds up river. The Chief Joseph Dam Hatchery Program, owned by the Colville Tribes, sits in front of the looming concrete dam as a mitigation effort to provide salmon for both tribal and recreational fishers.

Matt McDaniel led our group down to the raceways where they keep adult fish prior to harvesting their eggs and sperm. The most memorable part of our visit was viewing the room in which the hatchery program incubates millions of salmon eggs in cold water (around 45 degrees fahrenheit) after the fertilization process. The hatchery program aims to release 2.9 million hatchery smolt into the Columbia River this year and generally expects a >1% return rate of previously released adult hatchery fish from the ocean. 

Matt was incredibly straightforward with us about the issues of disease and resource competition posed by hatchery fish as well as their positive impacts on the environment and people. He does not see a future where wild fish populations return to their pre-dam and pre-overfishing levels, but he is hopeful that the integration of hatchery fish will continue to stabilize struggling river ecosystems. 

by: Linnea Krig

Meet our Guests: John Sirois

John Sirois

Traditional Territories Advisor of the Confederated Tribes of Colville Reservation

Methow Valley

August 29, 2024

As the traditional territories advisor of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville reservation, John Sirios stood before us, providing an invaluable educational opportunity. We met him on his ancestral lands in the Methow Valley, x̌ʷnámx̌ʷnam, also known as Hummingbird. It was a plot of land purchased by the Methow Conservancy and returned to the Colville tribes with no strings attached in an effort to welcome the Methow descendants back home. Formerly known as the Wagner Ranch, the land sits along the Chewuch river and has become a communal space for the Methow descendants to learn, celebrate, and preserve culture.

John taught us about the creation story of salmon, the struggle within the Colville tribes to find a space to gather, and the uphill battle to preserve language and culture.  As he spoke, he also highlighted some of the corporations and dams that oppress their way of life. Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph Dam, cemented in the Columbia river, obstruct the passage of salmon, decimating the fish population, and in turn the culture of the Methow descendants. Learning about this directly from an indigenous perspective was enlightening and lit a fire for the necessity of change. The people of the Colville tribes continue to fight for the removal of the dams, demanding accountability and action for the betterment of all living things. 

by Kiana Potter

Meet our Guests: Rick Desautel

Rick Desautel

Colville Tribal Member

Coulee Dam, WA

September 4, 2024

On a sunny September morning we arrived at the Colville Tribal Museum overlooking the mighty Grand Coulee Dam. We were there to meet with Rick Desautel. Rick, along with almost half of the members of the Colville Reservation, are part of the Sinixt tribe whose homelands stretch along the Columbia River into Canada and the Arrow Lakes region of British Columbia. Despite the Sinixt’s very real existence, the Canadian government declared them extinct in 1956. Since then, the national border has severed ties between the Sinixt and their homeland. Over the past decade surviving tribal members including Rick have waged a legal battle, fighting for their rights to access traditional territory once again.

As we sat in a large quiet room, Rick passionately told us his story. It all began with the shot of an elk in what the Sinixt consider traditional hunting grounds in Canada. Rick was the one to take that shot and after a long legal process Rick was granted an aboriginal of Canada by the Supreme Court of Canada. Now, after being granted rights in Canada, the Sinixt are working to re-familiarize and bind with the land as well as gain status as First Nation people. Rick talked about their existence alongside the battle for Salmon describing that “We need to get home just like the salmon need to get home.” Living in a world where simply existing is a protest, Rick is hopeful and continues to work with the community to regain connection to their sacred land.  

by Cameron Collister

Meet our Hosts: Nakia Williamson

Nakia Williamson

Director of the Nez Perce Cultural Research Department

Stites, ID

September 7, 2024

Ring. As a blanket of smoke settles over the Nez Perce reservation, we stand in stillness, listening to the resonance of a bell. 

Nakia Williamson, a Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) tribal member from Lapwai, Idaho, sang a traditional song as the horizon grew intensely apocalyptic. Smoke from wildfires scattered across Idaho compounded, filling the valley to its brim. As the director of the Nez Perce cultural research department, he spoke on behalf of the land; his thoughts flowing effortlessly, echoing the South Fork Clearwater River behind us. 

Post-mining, where the landscape now brims with tailings, the Sahaptian name for the Clearwater changed to a word akin to “dirty water.” The Sahaptian language is inherently relational: words are defined by their reciprocity, and their vowel-rich sounds blend into the environment itself. English, however, is a language full of arbitrary structure and rigidity. When teaching English speakers, Nakia thinks carefully about his word choice and the human-environment separation our language creates. He says he is not an environmentalist, as environmentalism implies human detachment from nature. 

Instead, Nakia spoke of a deep interconnectedness with the land in which “Natural Law” is understood. Written in the landscape, nature holds time-honored, ancient knowledge. Natural Law is boundless; it cannot be contained to a book or three-credit course. So, we interact, dig our hands into the earth, and listen…

by Ava Frans