Why I blew up a dam on my birthday, with Amy Bowers Cordalis

Why I blew up a dam on my birthday, with Amy Bowers Cordalis

From Climate Curious by TEDxLondon

May 21, 2026 · 11 min

About this episode

Amy Bowers Cordalis discusses her efforts to restore the Klamath River and salmon populations, highlighting the influence of her grandmother and the significance of Indigenous rights.

“The river heals, the river's free, the salmon are free, and so are the people,” says Yurok Tribe attorney and devoted advocate for Indigenous rights and environmental restoration Amy Bowers Cordalis on the Climate Curious podcast. In conversation with Maryam Pasha, Amy breaks down how exactly she won the right to release the Klamath River and restore salmon populations from the brink of extinction, the importance of her grandmother’s guidance, and how the river remembered its path. Recorded live at TED 2026.  Learn more about Amy’s work and read her book, ‘The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life’: https://amybowerscordalis.com/ Listen to the full episode: https://tedxlondon.com/podcasts/how-historys-biggest-wild-salmon-restoration-project-in-the-klamath-river-happened-with-amy-bowers-cordalis/ Join the Climate Curious conversation on socials: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/climatecuriouspod/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@climatecuriouspod YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtF6xzNkVIczlDmVcH8FCMA LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/10996041/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TEDxLondon Website…

People in this episode

Host: Maryam Pasha

Guest: Amy Bowers Cordalis

Topics covered

  • Indigenous rights
  • environmental restoration
  • salmon populations
  • Klamath River
  • advocacy
  • personal stories

Keywords

  • Klamath River
  • salmon restoration
  • Indigenous rights
  • environmental advocacy
  • Amy Bowers Cordalis

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Yurok Tribe, TEDxLondon

Books & works: The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life

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