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 […]
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Can Canada turn off the faucet?
When will Canada’s recent shift to economic sovereignty reach the Columbia River Treaty? Or are changes already in the works? In six weeks of travel across the upper Columbia River basin, I can confirm that the famous Canadian modesty reigns. Canada’s contributions to the international river system have long been underrated by the U.S.. My […]
Travelling the upper Columbia basin
Since August 22, I’ve been sinking in to the landscape and people that inspired my writing life. Thank you to Braided River Press, U.S.-based publisher of my latest book, Big River, for making this trip possible. It’s been so good to come “home” – to these inspiring Canadian mountains. Their beauty, set against the troubled […]
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. […]
A blue-violet miracle
At first glance, the recent discovery of a modest flower in the midst of a wet field of invasive grasses at the north end of Kootenay Lake seems to have no connection to the Columbia River Treaty. But in this era filled with first glances, we need to learn to dig deeper, to understand what […]
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. […]