Throughout the 80s, environmentalists lost in the woods and in the courtrooms. There just weren’t many laws that protected trees. But there were laws that protected animals. And the idea started to percolate: what if they could protect the old growth by protecting an animal that depended on it.

Depending on who you are, the northern spotted owl is either the hero of this story, or the villain. And the Endangered Species Act is either an incredible conservation tool, or a hammer that smashes rural economies. But those beliefs miss the fact that it was a single sentence in an entirely different law that locked up the forests. How a reclusive bird halted the march of chainsaws. 

For a transcript of this episode, go to: https://www.opb.org/article/2020/09/22/timber-wars-episode-3-the-owl/

Ep 3: The Owl

Salmon are essential to Columbia River tribal people. These fish represent not only a food source but a way of life. As a white kid growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Tony Schick heard a lot about salmon &mdash; how important they are to this region, and how much trouble they&rsquo;re in now. But the history he learned was not the whole story. As an investigative reporter for OPB and ProPublica, he&rsquo;s been working to uncover and understand a more sinister version of events. And along the way, he connected with a guy named Randy Settler and his family.
&ldquo;Salmon Wars,&rdquo; a production from OPB and ProPublica, tells the story of salmon in the Northwest in a way you haven&rsquo;t heard before &ndash; through the voices of one Yakama Nation family&nbsp; who have been fighting for salmon for generations. We&rsquo;ll dive into hidden history. We&rsquo;ll investigate who&rsquo;s to blame for the salmon vanishing, and what can be done before it&rsquo;s too late.&nbsp;
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Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

We hear the voices of tribal elders who remember Celilo Falls before The Dalles Dam silenced this sacred fishing spot. Many of the voices you hear in this episode were shared, with permission, by Confluence. Confluence is a nonprofit focused on the Columbia River system. The organization has collected oral histories from Native people, many of whom remember Celilo Falls before the dam.

Bonus Episode: Celilo Memories

Salmon hatcheries set up by the federal government prioritized ocean fishermen over river tribes and created genetically inferior fish. In this final episode, we visit a tribal hatchery to see how they’re doing things differently. And we’ll hear from 11-year-old Aiyana about how she thinks about carrying on her family’s legacy.

Ep 6: The Future

Salmon have been on the decline for more than 100 years. The federal government knows why. It knows who killed the salmon. And how. But for decades it’s been telling a tale of progress, and obscuring the ugliest truth.
We’re going to uncover it.
 

Ep 5: The Crime

Salmon used to be plentiful and they’ve been a staple of tribal diets for centuries. Since the early 1900s, salmon populations in the Columbia River have steadily declined thanks to overfishing, dams, habitat loss and warming waters. Hatcheries are one way the U.S. government has tried to make up for the loss of wild salmon. But it hasn’t worked. In this episode, we examine what the decline of salmon has meant for Columbia River tribes.

Ep 4: The Salmon’s Struggle

You heard from Randy Settler’s cousin, LiaDonna Lopez Whitefoot, in the most recent episode of Salmon Wars. She’s the one who was fearless in the face of a blockade of boats trying to block Native people from accessing fishing sites. She worked closely with Randy’s mom in the family fishing business. In this bonus episode, we’re bringing you more of her memories from that time, and of Randy’s mom, Mary, in particular.

Ep 3: The Owl

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