Few people, perhaps no one, has been more involved in pushing for the removal of Matilija Dam than Paul Jenkin, campaign coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation and founder of Matilija Watch. Paul was there in 2000 when U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt climbed on top of a giant crane and removed a 16,000 pound chunk of the dam.

He's still there now, guiding and directing the process through innumerable delays and complications, including rebuilding bridges and levees, all designed to handle the release of 9 million cubic feet of sediments behind the dam. The dam was built in 1947 and quickly filled because of bad design.

The dam prevents the once flourishing runs of southern steelhead trout from migrating upstream to their ancestral spawning grounds and the sands for replenishing Ventura County's beaches from migrating downstream.

We talked about why it's taking so long and costing so much (est. $200 million) to remove this chunk of aging infrastructure, why it's so important to the region and the entire country to let this river return to its natural state, and the amount of effort it takes to do big things. We also talked about Paul's background, his careers and perspective.

We did not talk about Shohei Ohtani's interpreter's gambling problems, the Reddit IPO or the Benin Bronzes.

You can keep up to date with the status of the dam, and other local environmental issues at VenturaRiver.org where Paul posts frequently.