The battle to restore the Klamath River lasted generations. When the dams finally came down, salmon returned within three days - far faster than scientists expected, marking a turning point for Indigenous rights, ecological restoration and cultural survival.
Meet Amy Bowers Cordalis - attorney, activist and member of the Yurok Tribe - who helped lead one of the most significant river restoration efforts in modern history. Amy shares the story behind America’s largest dam removal project: from growing up alongside the Klamath River and witnessing the devastating 2002 salmon die-off, to becoming the first General Counsel for the Yurok Tribe and helping navigate a long fight against political, legal and corporate interests that many believed was impossible to win.
This isn’t just a conversation about dams or conservation. It’s about what comes after victory - and what repair truly means for ecosystems, communities, culture and our collective future.
In this episode:
How Amy blew up a dam on her birthday
Why salmon returned to the Klamath River in just three days
The cultural and spiritual connection between the Yurok people, the river and salmon
What the 2002 mass death of 70,000 salmon meant for Indigenous communities
How grief and anger led Amy to law school and environmental advocacy
Warren Buffett - and why his team ended up on the banks of the Klamath River
The surprising economics of dam removal and river restoration
Finding the joy in advocacy
What the Klamath story teaches us about hope, persistence and ability of nature and communities to heal
Timestamps:
00:54 - Introduction to the Klamath River story
02:26 - Meet Amy Bowers Cordalis
03:59 - The Yurok's relationship with the Klamath and the salmon
07:05 - The turning point in 2002
10:59 - How Amy's great-grandmother told her to take action
12:53 - 80,000 salmon died, no media showed up
13:38 - What a decades-long battle felt like on the inside?
15:13 - When Warren Buffet's team came out to the Klamath
19:02 - Midpoint reflections
20:43 - How the Klamath restoration changes the story of environmental activism
22:55 - Why restoration and economics can go hand in hand
23:49 - What it's like to blow up a dam, on your birthday
25:04 - How the elders have responded to the Klamath flowing again
27:32 - How salon beat scientific predication and returned after three days
29:23 - The myth of the lone hero
32:11 - Other river restoration projects happening in America
34:26 - What comes after victory? Healing.
38:21 - What the Klamath story tells us about what's possible
40:22 - Final reflections
Want to dive deeper?
👉 Find out more about Amy and her book 'The Water Remembers'
👉 Amy's non-profit Ridges to Riffles
About Fix The News:
Fix The News is a solutions-focused media platform sharing stories from the frontlines of progress - exploring what’s working in the world and the people making it happen.
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Production credits:
Hosted by Angus Hervey and Amy Davoren-Rose
Produced by Fix The News
Audio production: Anthony Badolato, Hear That!
This episode was produced in Australia on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Woi Wurrung peoples.
