About this episode

Amy Cordalis discusses the struggle to remove dams from the Klamath River and restore its ecosystem.

Yurok Attorney Amy Cordalis is one of many Indigenous leaders who have fought for the un-damming and healing of the majestic Klamath River Basin, spanning Oregon and California. She tells the story of the decades-long struggle to remove dams that have choked the life flow of the river and severed salmon migratory routes, and how a combination of traditional ecological knowledge, environmental law, and old-fashioned diplomacy helped remove 4 of 6 dams and ushered in a $515 million settlement agreement to restore the river and riparian lands. This is an episode of Nature’s Genius, a Bioneers podcast series exploring how the sentient symphony of life holds the solutions we need to balance human civilization with living systems. Visit the series page to learn more. Featuring Amy Cordalis (Yurok Tribe member whose ceremony family is from Rek-woi at the mouth of the Klamath River), a devoted advocate for Indigenous rights and environmental restoration as well as a fisherwoman, attorney, and mother deeply rooted in the traditions of her people, is the co-founder and Executive Director of the Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group and leads efforts to support tribes in…

People in this episode

Host: Kenny Ausubel

Guest: Amy Cordalis

Topics covered

• Indigenous rights
• environmental restoration
• Klamath River
• dam removal
• ecological knowledge

Keywords

• Yurok Tribe
• salmon migratory routes
• traditional ecological knowledge
• environmental law

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group

Places: Yurok, Klamath River Basin, Oregon, California, Rek-woi, the Klamath River, Klamath Dam

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