Will Canada’s recent trade stand-off with the U.S. influence its stance on the Columbia River Treaty? I’ve been rolling this question around in my mind lately….. Back when Elbow’s Up began in early 2025, Adrian Dix, British Columbia cabinet Minister for Energy Mines and Resources, threw a soft pitch during a webinar attended by many […]
Water
An award-winning river – the Columbia!
Since I first discovered the story of the heavily dammed international Columbia River back in 1998, I knew it was a really BIG story. When David Moscowitz and the Seattle-based publisher Braided River Press approached me about collaborating on a book, it was easy to say yes. Collaborations are always rich experiences, and sometimes fraught. […]
Challenging conversations: a unique Stanford symposium on the Columbia River
Last week, Americans and Canadians gathered at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California to discuss the Columbia River Treaty, its proposed agreement in principle, and the uncertain future of the watershed’s cooperative management. For me, it was a trip back to the undergraduate university where I first learned how to think independently and write well. […]
Hockey and gravity
This morning, major U.S. news outlets led with a story about Mark Carney winning his bid for the leadership of the Canadian Liberal Party, replacing Justin Trudeau and his sunny ways. Storm clouds have been on the horizon between the two countries for a while now. The wind is picking up. In his acceptance speech, […]
Salmon and Columbia River Treaty flood control
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, […]
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 […]