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 […]
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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 […]
Nerding out about dams
He was smart, deeply interested in the ecological impact of dams, and understood immediately the national importance of the columbia River Treaty.
Winter Drought
For a while now, I have been following a remarkable turn of events in the upper Columbia River region. The Columbia River Treaty (CRT) is an international agreement between the US and Canada, for flood control and enhanced hydroelectricity. The CRT was entirely designed to provide spring storage of winter snowmelt, so that summer and […]
Mapping Revisited
A reader of The Geography of Memory recently praised the originality of the maps. I blushed, mostly because I developed them myself (with considerable help from Charles Syrett, the ace map-guy from Nelson, B.C., Canada. Check him out!) Since my earliest days as a writer, I have sketched maps, some of which have their own […]
Ground breaking US government support of Salmon
Today, the Biden-Harris Administration and Dept. of the Interior announced an historic agreement to support the reintroduction of ocean salmon to the upper Columbia River, including $200 million over 20 years, and another $8 million over two. This support of the tribal people and the fish central to their cultural lives comes at a critical […]