Shows
The Progressive Page TurnerAmy Bowers Cordalis - The Water RemembersFor the first time in over a hundred years salmon are returning to historical spawning grounds in the Klamath River. After four hydroelectric dams were removed the river came back to life. Wild salmon, once on the brink of extinction have returned in astonishing numbers. More than just a regional victory, the dam removal from the Klamath River could be a blueprint for ecological restoration. I spoke with Amy Bowers Cordalis of the Yurok Nation about her book The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life.
2026-02-2630 min
The Red Nation PodcastThe Water Remembers w/ Amy Bowers CordalisRPH is BACK! Amy Bowers-Cordalis joins RPH Co-host Elena Ortiz to talk about her new book, the liberation of the Klamath River and her family's contributions to that struggle. This is a story of hope and triumph. Watch the video edition on The Red Nation Podcast YouTube channel Empower our work: GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/empower-red-medias-indigenous-content Subscribe to The Red Nation Newsletter: https://www.therednation.org/ Patreon https://www.patreon.com/redmediapr
2026-02-161h 04
Sustainability Now! on KSQD.orgThe Water Remembers—My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life with Amy Bowers Cordalis Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation GroupThe removal of four dams from the Klamath River in Northern California is rapidly becoming one of the great recent success stories in conservation and restoration. The riverbank habitat is returning to its former condition and salmon have been spotted swimming upriver past the sites where the dams once blocked their passage. Along with this comes the restoration of the indigenous peoples’ way of life, heavily dependent on those fish. Join Host Ronnie for an update on the Klamath in a conversation with Amy Bowers Cordalis, who has just published The Water Remembers—My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a Ri...
2026-02-1654 min
Sustainability Now! on KSQD.orgThe Water Remembers—My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life with Amy Bowers Cordalis Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation GroupThe removal of four dams from the Klamath River in Northern California is rapidly becoming one of the great recent success stories in conservation and restoration. The riverbank habitat is returning to its former condition and salmon have been spotted swimming upriver past the sites where the dams once blocked their passage. Along with this comes the restoration of the indigenous peoples’ way of life, heavily dependent on those fish. Join Host Ronnie for an update on the Klamath in a conversation with Amy Bowers Cordalis, who has just published The Water Remembers—My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a Ri...
2026-02-1554 min
KSQD 90.7 FM Santa CruzSustainability Now! February 15, 2026: The Water Remembers—My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life with Amy Bowers Cordalis Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation GroupThe Water Remembers—My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life with Amy Bowers Cordalis Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group On Sustainability Now, Sunday, February 15th, 2026 The removal of four dams from the Klamath River in Northern California is rapidly becoming one of the great recent success stories in […]
2026-02-1200 minKSQD 90.7 FM Santa CruzSustainability Now! February 15, 2026: The Water Remembers—My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life with Amy Bowers Cordalis Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation GroupThe Water Remembers—My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life with Amy Bowers Cordalis Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group On Sustainability Now, Sunday, February 15th, 2026 The removal of four dams from the Klamath River in Northern California is rapidly becoming one of the great recent success stories in […]
2026-02-1200 minKSQD 90.7 FM Santa CruzSustainability Now! February 15, 2026: The Water Remembers—My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life with Amy Bowers Cordalis Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation GroupThe Water Remembers—My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life with Amy Bowers Cordalis Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group On Sustainability Now, Sunday, February 15th, 2026 The removal of four dams from the Klamath River in Northern California is rapidly becoming one of the great recent success stories in […]
2026-02-1200 minSustainability Now! from KSQD RadioSustainability Now! February 15, 2026: The Water Remembers—My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life with Amy Bowers Cordalis Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation GroupThe Water Remembers—My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life with Amy Bowers Cordalis Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group On Sustainability Now, Sunday, February 15th, 2026 The removal of four dams from the Klamath River in Northern California is rapidly becoming one of the great recent success stories in […]
2026-02-1200 min
Your CallAmy Cordalis on her family's fight to save the Klamath RiverIn 2024, the removal of four dams on the Klamath River marked a historic victory for an Indigenous-led movement, achieving the largest river restoration project in history.
2026-02-0950 min
Native America CallingTuesday, December 30, 2025 — The Menu: A memoir and a documentary film document two tribes’ connections to food sovereigntyA historically devastating salmon die-off on the Klamath River in 2002 was among the influences putting Amy Bowers Cordalis (Yurok) on her path of conservation. She recounts that moment, along with her family’s multigenerational fight to save their ties to the river, in her memoir, “The Water Remembers.” She is an instrumental voice in what became the largest river reclamation project in U.S. history.
The story of the Blackfeet Tribe’s revitalization of their historical ties to buffalo is the subject of the documentary “Bring Them Home”/“Aiskótáhkapiyaaya.” The film is directed by Blackfeet siblings and Oscar...
2025-12-3059 minNative America CallingTuesday, December 30, 2025 — The Menu: A memoir and a documentary film document two tribes’ connections to food sovereigntyA historically devastating salmon die-off on the Klamath River in 2002 was among the influences putting Amy Bowers Cordalis (Yurok) on her path of conservation. She recounts that moment, along with her family’s multigenerational fight to save their ties to the river, in her memoir, “The Water Remembers.” She is an instrumental voice in what became the largest river reclamation project in U.S. history.
The story of the Blackfeet Tribe’s revitalization of their historical ties to buffalo is the subject of the documentary “Bring Them Home”/“Aiskótáhkapiyaaya.” The film is directed by Blackfeet siblings and Oscar...
2025-12-3059 min
New Books in Biography & MemoirAmy Bowers Cordalis, "The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life" (Little Brown, 2024)For the members of a Northern California tribe, salmon are the lifeblood of the people—a vital source of food, income, and cultural identity. When a catastrophic fish kill devastates the river, Amy Bowers Cordalis is propelled into action, reigniting her family’s 170-year battle against the U.S. government.
In a moving and engrossing blend of memoir and history, Bowers Cordalis propels readers through generations of her family’s struggle, where she learns that the fight for survival is not only about fishing—it’s about protecting a way of life and the right of a species an...
2025-12-231h 02
New Books in Environmental StudiesAmy Bowers Cordalis, "The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life" (Little Brown, 2024)For the members of a Northern California tribe, salmon are the lifeblood of the people—a vital source of food, income, and cultural identity. When a catastrophic fish kill devastates the river, Amy Bowers Cordalis is propelled into action, reigniting her family’s 170-year battle against the U.S. government.
In a moving and engrossing blend of memoir and history, Bowers Cordalis propels readers through generations of her family’s struggle, where she learns that the fight for survival is not only about fishing—it’s about protecting a way of life and the right of a species an...
2025-12-231h 02
New Books in Indigenous StudiesAmy Bowers Cordalis, "The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life" (Little Brown, 2024)For the members of a Northern California tribe, salmon are the lifeblood of the people—a vital source of food, income, and cultural identity. When a catastrophic fish kill devastates the river, Amy Bowers Cordalis is propelled into action, reigniting her family’s 170-year battle against the U.S. government.
In a moving and engrossing blend of memoir and history, Bowers Cordalis propels readers through generations of her family’s struggle, where she learns that the fight for survival is not only about fishing—it’s about protecting a way of life and the right of a species an...
2025-12-231h 02
New Books with Miranda MelcherAmy Bowers Cordalis, "The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life" (Little Brown, 2024)For the members of a Northern California tribe, salmon are the lifeblood of the people—a vital source of food, income, and cultural identity. When a catastrophic fish kill devastates the river, Amy Bowers Cordalis is propelled into action, reigniting her family’s 170-year battle against the U.S. government.
In a moving and engrossing blend of memoir and history, Bowers Cordalis propels readers through generations of her family’s struggle, where she learns that the fight for survival is not only about fishing—it’s about protecting a way of life and the right of a species an...
2025-12-231h 02
New Books in the American WestAmy Bowers Cordalis, "The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life" (Little Brown, 2024)For the members of a Northern California tribe, salmon are the lifeblood of the people—a vital source of food, income, and cultural identity. When a catastrophic fish kill devastates the river, Amy Bowers Cordalis is propelled into action, reigniting her family’s 170-year battle against the U.S. government.
In a moving and engrossing blend of memoir and history, Bowers Cordalis propels readers through generations of her family’s struggle, where she learns that the fight for survival is not only about fishing—it’s about protecting a way of life and the right of a species an...
2025-12-231h 02
Native Circles"The Water Remembers": Amy Bowers Cordalis on Healing the Klamath RiverIn this episode, co-hosts Dr. Farina King and Dr. Davina Two Bears welcome Amy Bowers Cordalis, a member of the Yurok Tribe and author of The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life (October 2025). Amy discusses her family’s generations-long fight to protect the Klamath River, a vital ecosystem and life line of the Yurok people. She shares insights from her book, which chronicles this history and the landmark legal battle that led to the removal of four dams, one of the world’s largest river restoration efforts. The dam remova...
2025-12-0549 min
Access UtahAn indigenous family's fight to save a river and a way of life on Access UtahWe talk with Amy Bowers Cordalis about her new book "The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life."
2025-12-0146 min
History of California Podcast170 - Amy Bowers Cordalis, The Yurok People, California History, and The Art of Dam RemovalIn this episode of The History of California Podcast, host Jordan Mattox sits down with attorney, author, and Yurok Tribe member Amy Bowers Cordalis for an intimate conversation about her new book The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life. Amy shares the story of her family's deep roots along the Klamath River, the Yurok creation narrative that shapes their worldview, and the tribe’s intergenerational struggle to protect salmon and restore ecological balance. Together, Jordan and Amy explore the 2002 Klamath fish kill, the complex legal fight for dam removal, the...
2025-11-2649 min
Rising Tide: The Ocean PodcastAmy Bower Cordalis and a River’s RebirthIn the latest episode, David Helvarg and Natasha Benjamin speak with Amy Bowers Cordalis of California’s Yurok Tribe about her life and her new book, The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family’s Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life. Amy, the former general counsel for the Yurok Tribe, the largest tribe in California, living along the Klamath River, shares the story of her family’s leadership in the historic effort to remove four dams on the Klamath following the devastating 2002 fish kill. She reflects on how the Yurok and neighboring Klamath Basin tribes mobilized, organized, and pe...
2025-11-1728 min
KPFA - Terra VerdeA Story of Indigenous Resistance and Renewal from the Klamath RiverOn 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 los...
2025-11-0729 min
EcoNews ReportThe Water Remembers with Amy Bowers CordalisThe Yurok people are a fishing people. Since time immemorial, the Klamath River provided for the Yurok, with salmon, eels, eulachon, and other food. Colonization fundamentally upset the balance that existed. The Yurok faced genocide, and those that survived were confined to a small portion of their territory. The Klamath, once a mighty salmon stronghold, was choked by fish-killing dams. But the Yurok persisted. In her new book, The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life, Amy Bowers Cordalis details the long struggle by her family and people to resist, restore...
2025-11-0129 min
Good CitizenAmy Bowers CordalisAmy Bowers Cordalis illuminates how saving nature may save humanity, as she traces her historic battle to un-dam the Klamath River. She is an attorney, Yurok Tribe member, and the author of The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Family's Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life.Find her at: amybowerscordalis.comFor more, visit goodcitizenpodcast.com.Follow us on Facebook @TRPresidentialLibraryInstagram @trlibraryX @TRPresLibrary.And sign up for our newsletter at trlibrary.com/newsletter to stay up-to-date on the TRPL!--
2025-10-3126 min
Book Friends ForeverThe Water Remembers by Amy Bowers Cordalis read by Amy Bowers Cordalis, Geneva Mattz, and Lavina BowersThe Yurok Tribe and an Indigenous family share a moving multigenerational story of their fight to undam the Klamath river—the largest river restoration project in history—and save the planet. Includes exclusive audio content!
The Water Remembers is the story of Indigenous resistance and an American family’s fight to preserve its legacy. For more than half a century, between 1905 and 1962, the Federal government constructed one of the largest reclamation projects in the country at the headwaters of the Klamath River, comprised of four dams. They did not include salmon ladders and this denied fish access to hundreds of miles...
2025-10-2804 min
The Nation PodcastsThe Water Remembers with Amy Bowers Cordalis | A People's ClimateFor the first time in over a century, the Klamath River flows free again—thanks to the vision, courage, and determination of the Yurok Tribe. In this episode of A People’s Climate, Shilpi Chhotray talks with Amy Bowers Cordalis, a member of the Yurok Tribe and leader in the largest dam removal project in U.S. history. From devastating fish kills and lost salmon runs to confronting corporations and navigating the law, Amy shares a story of environmental restoration, Indigenous sovereignty, and the power of nature-based solutions.
2025-10-1830 min
A People's ClimateEp. 4 - The Water Remembers with Amy Bowers CordalisThe largest dam removal in U.S. history.For the first time in over a century, the Klamath River flows free again—thanks to the vision, courage, and determination of the Yurok Tribe. In this episode of A People’s Climate, Shilpi Chhotray interviews Amy Bowers Cordalis, a member of the Yurok Tribe and leader in the largest dam removal project in U.S. history. From devastating fish kills and lost salmon runs to confronting corporations and navigating the law, Amy shares a story of environmental restoration, Indigenous sovereignty, and the power...
2025-10-1830 min
Science FridayThe Story Behind The Largest Dam Removal In U.S. HistoryThe Klamath River, which runs from southern Oregon to California, used to be a top salmon run. But after a series of hydroelectric dams was installed along the river around 100 years ago, salmon populations tanked.This is the prologue to a remarkable story of a coalition that fought to restore the river. Led by members of the Yurok Nation, who’ve lived along the river for millennia, a group of lawyers, biologists, and activists successfully lobbied for the removal of the dams. The fourth and final dam was taken down last year.Joining Host Flora Li...
2025-10-0920 min
Science FridayThe Story Behind The Largest Dam Removal In U.S. HistoryThe Klamath River, which runs from southern Oregon to California, used to be a top salmon run. But after a series of hydroelectric dams was installed along the river around 100 years ago, salmon populations tanked.This is the prologue to a remarkable story of a coalition that fought to restore the river. Led by members of the Yurok Nation, who’ve lived along the river for millennia, a group of lawyers, biologists, and activists successfully lobbied for the removal of the dams. The fourth and final dam was taken down last year.Joining Host Flora Li...
2025-10-0920 min
A People's ClimateA People's Climate - TrailerThis isn’t climate talk as usual. This is environmental justice.A new climate podcast by Counterstream Media and The Nation. Hosted by Shilpi Chhotray and powered by Wildseeds Fund. The climate crisis is here—and the solutions being pushed? They’re failing. Tech gimmicks, shallow policy fixes, and corporate greenwashing won’t save us.What will? People power. The communities on the frontlines are fighting for their lives and our future. They’re the ones with real solutions—not just for the 1%, but for everyone.Host Shilpi...
2025-09-1802 min
Drum Circle NewsYurok Legacy, United Nations Champion of the Earth 2024 Amy Cordalis | Drum Circle NewsJoin us for an in-depth 45-minute interview with Amy Cordalis, a Yurok leader recently recognized in Time's Top 100 Climate List and as a United Nations Champion of the Earth. Amy shares the incredible history of her family, from her great-grandmother's pivotal role in the Salmon Wars to her great-grandfather's Supreme Court case that secured fishing rights for Yurok citizens. We explore the journey that led her to co-find the nonprofit Ridges to Riffles (R2R), which played a crucial role in the historic removal of the Klamath River dams. Amy talks about the challenges and triumphs she...
2025-07-0442 min
Young & IndigenousAmy Cordalis at BIONEERS | Healing Women Heals Mother EarthThis special crossover episode marks the launch of our Young and Indigenous at Bioneers series and continues the ongoing conversations from Healing Women Heals Mother Earth. Co-hosts Haley and Santana speak with Amy Bowers Cordalis, a Yurok attorney and activist, about the historic removal of the Klamath River dams. Recorded live at the 2025 Bioneers Conference, the conversation explores how restoring the river is inseparable from cultural survival and personal healing. Amy shares powerful reflections on health, justice, and what it means to fight for the future of your people and the planet, one foot in front of the other.
2025-06-2754 minYoung & IndigenousAmy Cordalis at BIONEERS | Healing Women Heals Mother EarthThis special crossover episode marks the launch of our Young and Indigenous at Bioneers series and continues the ongoing conversations from Healing Women Heals Mother Earth. Co-hosts Haley and Santana speak with Amy Bowers Cordalis, a Yurok attorney and activist, about the historic removal of the Klamath River dams. Recorded live at the 2025 Bioneers Conference, the conversation explores how restoring the river is inseparable from cultural survival and personal healing. Amy shares powerful reflections on health, justice, and what it means to fight for the future of your people — and the planet — one foot in front of the other.
2025-06-2654 minYoung & IndigenousTrailer | YAI at BioneersIn this special series, the Young and Indigenous podcast team dives into conversations with 16 Indigenous and allied environmental leaders, recorded over three days at the 2025 Bioneers Conference. With a crew of eight young Native changemakers, this marks our most ambitious series yet — capturing voices from across Turtle Island and beyond. From water protectors to culture keepers, the interviews span a rich diversity of Tribes, geographies, and movements, offering powerful insight into what it means to lead, heal, and resist in today’s world. In these times, we look to these leaders — young and old — to shine light on the solution...
2025-06-2001 min
Resources RadioFour Dam Removals on the Klamath River, with Amy Bowers CordalisIn this week’s episode, host Margaret Walls talks with Amy Bowers Cordalis, cofounder and principal of Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group, about efforts to remove four dams on the Klamath River in California and Oregon. Cordalis discusses her experience growing up on the Klamath River as a member of the Yurok Tribe, the ecological damage to the Klamath River Basin and the Yurok Tribe that has been caused by the dams and nearby agricultural production, and the process that led to the removal of the dams.
References and recommendations:
“Undammed” video with Amy Bowers Cordalis; https://www.patagonia.com/st...
2024-07-2037 min
Fish Water PeopleUndamming the Klamath: A Deep Dive, with Amy Cordalis and Mark BransomHistory is being made right now on the Klamath River. By the end of 2024, four Klamath River dams will be removed — the largest dam removal and river restoration project in U.S. history. We talk with Amy Cordalis, a member of the Yurok tribe, about tribal empowerment, what a restored Klamath River means to native people, and her optimism for the future. Mark Bransom of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation also joins the conversation to walk us through the dam removal process, what we can expect from sediment release from the reservoirs, and post dam removal restoration activities. Join us...
2023-08-101h 08EcoNews ReportSuing the Feds for Klamath WaterDespite the wildly wet year, the Bureau of Reclamation has threatened to reduce flows in the Klamath River below the mandatory minimum for salmon. Such an action will dry up critical habitat for salmon at a time when salmon populations are critically low. Now, the Yurok Tribe and fishermen are in court together to challenge the low flows. Amy Cordalis, legal counsel for the Yurok Tribe and a tribal member, and Glenn Spain, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association join the show to discuss their new litigation and other issues imperiling salmon run...
2023-04-1627 min
Young & IndigenousS2 | Ep. 009 | Celebrating Indigenous WomenWhat does it mean to be a woman? What does it mean to be a Tribal woman? Selena or Hailey? Join us as we discuss identity and inspirations with the YAI team. Featuring voices of our female mentors Frances Charles and Amy Cordalis. Thank you to Apple Podcasts for featuring Young and Indigenous during Women’s History Month.
2023-03-1844 minEcoNews ReportThe Klamath River is a Person, My FriendThe Klamath River is now a person with full legal rights under Yurok Tribal Law. Amy Cordalis, General Counsel for the Yurok Tribe, joins the green gang to talk about what this means for the river and why giving recognizing “personhood” for the river is both a big and little leap under the law. (As Mitt Romney sez: “Corporations are people too, my friend.”)Support the show
2019-10-1330 min