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.