A Story of Indigenous Resistance and Renewal from the Klamath River

On this week’s Terra Verde episode, host Hannah Wilton speaks with Amy Bowers Cordalis about her new memoir, The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life. Amy shares stories from the Klamath River and the Yurok homelands, tracing her family’s multigenerational struggle to protect the river, restore the salmon, and defend Indigenous sovereignty. From witnessing the largest fish kill in U.S. history in 2002, to watching the Klamath flow free again after the last dam came down in 2024, Amy reflects on the long arc of loss and healing, and how the river’s restoration offers a model for environmental justice and reconciliation. Amy Bowers Cordalis is a member of the Yurok Tribe, an attorney, fisherwoman, and advocate for Indigenous rights and environmental restoration. She is Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group, leading efforts to protect tribal sovereignty, lands, and waters—including the historic Klamath Dam Removal project. Former general counsel for the Yurok Tribe and an attorney at the Native American Rights Fund, Amy has earned honors as a UN Champion of the Earth and Time 100 climate leader. The post A Story of Indigenous Resistance and Renewal from the Klamath River appeared first on KPFA.