Undammed: Amy Bowers Cordalis and the fight to free the Klamath

Undammed: Amy Bowers Cordalis and the fight to free the Klamath | Patagonia Films

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2 ай бұрын

After witnessing a massive fish kill on her ancestral home waters, Yurok tribal attorney Amy Bowers Cordalis dedicated her life to reversing the generations-long destruction wrought by the Klamath River dams. Undammed follows her journey to free the Klamath, from testifying before Congress to passing down fishing traditions within her young family. Now that the Klamath dams are finally coming down, she remains confident that the future of her tribe is bright. “It’s not a test,” Bowers Cordalis says of the largest dam-removal project in US history. “It will work.”
Help restore the Klamath River by supporting Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group.
DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY: Shane Anderson
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Monika McClure, Alex Lowther, Nicholas Blixt
CREATIVE PRODUCER: Maya Craig
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Maya Craig, Seth Hahn
ORIGINAL SCORE: William Ryan Fritch
EDITED BY: Will Miller, Shane Anderson
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Jesse Clark
ADDITIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Shane Anderson, Derek Knowles, Josh Murphy, Edythe McNamee, Whitney Hassett, Jason Hartwick, Tyler Parker
SOUND: Daniel Smith
PROD COORD: Jessie Sears
PROD CONSULTANT: Ashley Bowers
SOUND MIX & DESIGN: Bijan Sharifi
GRAPHICS: Scott Hanshew
COLOR: James LeJeune
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About Patagonia:
At Patagonia, we appreciate that all life on earth is under threat of extinction. We’re using the resources we have-our business, our investments, our voice and our imaginations-to do something about it.

Пікірлер: 155

@TheWelschman 2 ай бұрын

We often forget that we're part of this land and not above it. If we take care of it, it'll take care of us. Let the waters flow!

@ssvocals 2 ай бұрын

Agree let the waters flow. But do it right. They created an environmental disaster. It won't be good for another 20 years because they decided to save money

@michaelsw0rd 2 ай бұрын

LET IT FLOW!!!!!!

@garymarshall3579 2 ай бұрын

Just wait untill the next flood come......and Salmon can't swim on sand, drought are coming~

@tombeno8746 2 ай бұрын

@@garymarshall3579 Just wait until the next illogical FUD comment...barely coherent.

@PDXDrumr Ай бұрын

Thank you, and well put. I'm a bit too emotional to say much on the dam removals, but it is glorious. 😊 all will be well 😊

@Andy-vt7sl Ай бұрын

What a fantastic spokesperson for your tribe you are, Amy. Thank you Patagonia for shining light on this worthwhile fight, its major victory, and the legacy this generation of Yurok created for the rest of us.

@carolpridgeon8200 2 ай бұрын

With tears running down my face I say "Thank You" for not giving up!!! All of us were indigenous at one time in our history. That awareness still rests deep in our hearts....for many, unaware, until we are reminded that we belong to Mother Earth and are stewarts to her needs. At that point our connection strengthens and we open to a way of life that embraces all creatures great and small and learn to live in harmony. Thanks again. Namaste'

@squid_fish 2 ай бұрын

As a twenty year Humboldt resident and lover of the river and KNF, it is too rad to see the Klamath possibly restored for us all to marvel in. ❤

@MediaMaverick_ Ай бұрын

Let’s remove the lower four Snake River dams next! So happy to see this progress.

@jesse75 Ай бұрын

I met Raymond Mats in 1977. Stayed up river, on his cabin, on the Klamath. I was just a teenager of 19. Sure had fun.

@1layer724 2 ай бұрын

The Yurok are such a resilient people, and the Klamath is such a beautiful and important river. Glad to see a large company using their platform to share things like this.

@applesauce_0743 Ай бұрын

Thank you to all of the tribes and people who fought hard for years to make this happen! Now onto the Columbia and Snake Rivers! Restore the land and our relationship to it, and restored lives and livelihoods will follow!

@BelindaFarage 2 ай бұрын

Blessings and strength! This was emotional. Dam removal is necessary for healthy waterways and healthy people. It needs to happen around the this wonderful Earth.

@jimbear3797 2 ай бұрын

830000 dead salmon and counting....

@johnkilty5091 Ай бұрын

@@jimbear3797 Smolts. Stop exaggerating. They can hatch more in a couple of weeks. The mature salmon that were in the river were tapped and are now in holding pens along side the river. Read more and post less.

@jimbear3797 Ай бұрын

@@johnkilty5091 perhaps you need to get out of the city and see what is going on out there

@woIf 16 күн бұрын

I hope by the time I am old we will all finally begin to collectively recognize and honor the generations of indigenous people from hundreds of tribes across north america who have risked their lives and their freedom to protect the land from exploitation and destruction.

@BungayLad Ай бұрын

I often wondered why we were told the story of "Chicken Little" when young. Anytime an effort is made to correct some of the wrongs we have inflicted on this planet, a cadre of naysayers comes out of the woodwork to condemn the efforts. Too often they have selfish, short term, motives. In a few short years when the restoration efforts bear fruit, and the rivers are productive again you will find none of them around. Stay on track and continue the quest as you have imagined it. I wish you good luck and success in your endeavors. I am watching similar efforts in the river valley where I grew up in Connecticut, where one of the most polluted rivers in the Northeast is finally receiving an ongoing effort to restore it. One more dam to go. My only regret is that I probably won't live to see it fully restored but take pleasure in knowing it is happening.

@jennymauger 2 ай бұрын

Meeting with New Zealand government today in/on our coastal waters to uphold our rights & obligations. Thank you Yurok Nation for tuning in to the beat of Creator, wholeness & harmony, water, life force itself 🙏🏼🐚💧🩵🌊🐟🐋♾️

@carolpridgeon8200 2 ай бұрын

Yes!!

@TiredAmerican247 2 ай бұрын

Salmon aren’t native to New Zealand.

@davidsaylorprice7162 2 ай бұрын

What a beautiful story of unimaginable resilience and fortitude that gives me hope. My tears of joy, my hope for the same fate for the snake river dam removal. Thank you for being a beacon of light and strength in such troubled times

@lag9765 2 ай бұрын

Thank you for having a vision of the future....

@MrSoarman Ай бұрын

At 78, I PRAY I live long enough to see the river return to at least a decent return run of healthy salmon.

@aidantong9572 Ай бұрын

Respect.

@prolificnorthwest 2 ай бұрын

What a beautiful film about such an amazing and historical event. Thank you!

@westcoastslider 2 ай бұрын

Measure twice, cut once! Not enough foresight and considerations was put into the concept of dam building from the beginning. Thank you for your time and effort to seeing this mistake corrected.

@LifeAsANoun Ай бұрын

for certain, this is the best commercial I've ever seen. I'm glad my adblocker was off.

@alanlyles3856 2 ай бұрын

Well done!!!

@squid_fish 2 ай бұрын

Salmon are the cornerstone of species in this region. ❤

@jojeanje 2 ай бұрын

Amazing. Thanks a lot

@RainyDayz 2 ай бұрын

Amazing work! Beautiful river. Free the fish!

@darrelquebedeaux7195 2 ай бұрын

Great work!

@caseybenito6056 2 ай бұрын

Thank you🎉🎉🎉

@EJJ-qq5ef 2 ай бұрын

Great work on dam removal. I would love for y'all to reconsider if jet boats and nylon gill nets are "traditional" fishing practices.

@johnkilty5091 Ай бұрын

Telling the local tribes how to fish is kinda like telling your boss how to run his company. Both are in poor form and will not be well received.

@stevencampbell365 2 ай бұрын

Go Strong Beautiful Lady 💪🙏

@martinpavlik8529 2 ай бұрын

Nice work ..

@patfinnegan467 2 ай бұрын

Very well done! Thank you.

@davideverett5214 2 ай бұрын

It's seems destruction happens quickly and justice slowly!

@socialweedia 2 ай бұрын

gives me hope

@shaneclark207 2 ай бұрын

"The water knows where to go....." Powerful. 👍🏼👊🏼🤙🏼

@Mianzkieee 2 ай бұрын

bringing back to lifeeee! yiehooow! 🤙

@healthygreenbrave Ай бұрын

Hazah! Change is possible!

@WhiteBuffalo032 2 ай бұрын

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!! Thank you....

@papabear1417 Ай бұрын

A beautiful film. Humans must look after nature and live as part of the ecosystem, not destroy it.

@williamlloyd3769 2 ай бұрын

Appreciate the video as it does a good job of laying out the background

@ASmithee67 2 ай бұрын

There is a lot of videos about dam removals. Can you do something about the estuary changes?

@timkeane2907 Ай бұрын

I grew up in Klamath Falls and very eager and interested in how this affects Klamath Lake and hopefully turns it into a clean and not algae filled body of water.

@eleanormattice3598 2 ай бұрын

We of the Pacific Northwest look to restore the Snake river salmon habitat with dam removal. Salmon are an icon of Washington state. Good work to all who have worked to free the Klamath including farmers/ranchers who understand the river's importance to fisheries and water quality.

@BeautifuLakesStreamsBiologists 2 ай бұрын

We the knowledgeable of the Pacific Northwest look to the use of rational science rather than group "think" to restore watersheds and rivers. The problem is there are too many of you and not enough of us.

@ccarter0069 11 күн бұрын

There are more of us, and we spend the dollars. No worries mate

@suntitan4429 2 ай бұрын

Hopefully more rivers will be restored soon after they see how this restores the land

@garrydurfey9700 2 ай бұрын

Amen.

@irishryano 2 ай бұрын

Love this!!! Congrats on all the hard work and perseverance!! Celilo Falls next! Free the Columbia! Let the damned salmon swim free!!

@Clark42EoC 2 ай бұрын

I live near the Klamath river and removing the dams the way they have has released arsenic and other heavy metals. Right now the local radio is telling people it's not safe to even swim in the Klamath river. No good deed goes unpunished. I'm glad they're being removed but I worry about it while it heals.

@unboxinglife2308 2 ай бұрын

The way they removed the dams is atrocious!! They have killed this river

@BeautifuLakesStreamsBiologists 2 ай бұрын

The high levels of organic sludge in the Klamath is fairly unique to this basin due to it's geochemistry and ecology. They were warned about the toxic sludge killing the salmon, but the political pressure from naive groups like patagonia over-rules actual science in our society. The fish are dying this year. If it keeps up for six years, there will be no more salmon as the runs will be depleted. All we can hope for now is all that sludge to destroy just one year of the river's biology instead of six.

@loragunning5394 2 ай бұрын

The toxicity of the sediments built up behind the dams was known before the dams were removed and the timing of the dam removals were made accordingly. These toxic elements have been present in the Klamath drainage basin for thousands, if not tens or hundreds of thousands of years but, prior to the dams being built, leached slowly into natural run-off, with the parts-per-million being well below toxicity levels to fish or other wildlife along or within the river. It was the damming of the river that created this toxic sludge build up in the first place. It was known and accepted as a price to pay for having foolishly dammed the river in the first place, without taking into account the consequences of such actions decades afterwards, that bringing down the dams would indeed create a toxic situation for all living things downstream. This river will heal itself, with or without human intervention, but rather massive human intervention is planned and is in fact already underway. Nature will flush the toxins out of the false lake beds, probably faster than most folks think. And yeah, it may not be safe to swim in the water for a while but please do not blame those who are trying so very hard, after fighting for so very long, to restore the river to it's once wild and untamed state. Blame rather those who built the dams so many decades ago, with no thought or consideration for what the consequences would be to the many lives, human included, would be decades after they, the decision makers, were gone. Nature always heals herself and she has healed many far worse wounds than this before.

@Clark42EoC 2 ай бұрын

@@loragunning5394 no good deed goes unpunished.

@squid_fish 2 ай бұрын

The siskiyou local radio is full of kooks and influenced by wealthy farming families who oppose it 😢

@ccarter0069 11 күн бұрын

Netting the river basically bank to bank could be a major problem! And whomever has the tendency to ask if I am "first nation" stop. Use your brain. Use a rod and reel like the rest of us if you really care. Period. Yes, the dam removal is good.

@samshepperrd 2 ай бұрын

There is a lot of very well backed political opposition to undamming. Agriculture and cities who promise their citizens unlimited cheap water.

@scottsam6960 2 ай бұрын

Salmon is life

@loui9102 2 ай бұрын

☮️

@jimpikoulis6726 2 ай бұрын

We like to visit patagonia

@jamievolk5248 2 ай бұрын

Free The Rivers!!

@DillonPrecisionFan 2 ай бұрын

Glad to see it! White Salmon, Elwha, and now Klamath...Columbia and Snake next? Shouldn't forget about the good works being done on the East coast rivers too!

@BigDan7114 2 ай бұрын

They are literally damming and creating barriers on all the Great Lakes tributaries for lamprey international Canada and the US

@johnkilty5091 Ай бұрын

Sandy River too. Took out marmot Dam 9 years ago. Flows free to the ocean.

@maxkitaev3524 19 күн бұрын

Ладно Apple и Yandex. А почему в моем турецком Spotify ее нет? Как Роспотреб до него добрался?

@JvyTe 2 ай бұрын

Bring back natural rivers.

@siriusFish1 2 ай бұрын

I just hope the dream still isn't to sell Yurok Salmon all over the world. Subsistence fishing is one thing, commercial fishing in the rivers will stifle recovery. Either way I'm rooting for the Klamath, the fish and the tribe.

@TiredAmerican247 2 ай бұрын

Exactly, what was Patagonia thinking by focusing the film on a fisherman who gill nets the Klamath for the very fish we are trying to support. Not to mention commercial fishing isn’t good for any fishery….period.

@1indapink3indastink Ай бұрын

@@TiredAmerican247uhm.......they were thinking of native American rights and how their land, language and way of living was taken from them at gunpoint. Let me guess, you're vegan or some 💩 like that!

@robertturner1308 Ай бұрын

Agreed. I am all for saving the salmon and letting them live their natural lives without fishing of any kind by humans. Go vegan!

@TiredAmerican247 Ай бұрын

@@robertturner1308 vegans don’t do anything for conservation. Kick rocks with that vegan nonsense.

@gup8175 2 ай бұрын

“Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.” - Chief Seattle

@timkeane2907 Ай бұрын

Amy are you related to Jaime Bowers by chance?

@olyokie 2 ай бұрын

I live near the Elwa. Its all good folks. Get rid of those fn dams.

@BeautifuLakesStreamsBiologists 2 ай бұрын

Tell us about the spring chinook that still have failed to return to the elwah.

@user-kl8tw8ww7g 2 ай бұрын

If you gill net large amounts of salmon before they can spawn, that will not help the population of the fish. I am so against the practice of netting on rivers. Kills many fish other than the target species. Seen it here in Michigan with the tribes .

@briankenyon1543 2 ай бұрын

Are you first nation native??

@robertturner1308 Ай бұрын

@@briankenyon1543Why is that relevant?

@SeanHickeyMarineServices 2 ай бұрын

And it’s so many more than the Yurok, the Trinity and Hoopah have fought for the basin as the creator has called for them to do in the past and forever and this should be the legacy they demonstrate to the world and our country ❤️☸️🙇🏻‍♂️

@caseysherrill2663 2 ай бұрын

nice plug for 1000$ waders and 600$ boots. On the other hand grudens bibs for a mearlt 100$ that most fisherman wear. i get it but also i do not. Money is needed to stay alive and that what Patagonia is about, if they were not they would have a cheaper line for the everyday person but its exclusive. Welcome to yuppie trying to be hippies

@BeautifuLakesStreamsBiologists 2 ай бұрын

I have no need to over pay either.

@squid_fish 2 ай бұрын

That’s really what you gathered from this video? Grow up

@user-hb8lx7sw1d Ай бұрын

The Truth will be revealed and the meek shall inherit this Earth.

@marcosalmendariz9197 2 ай бұрын

Thank the fish for giving it's life? I'm sure that's not what the fish would think....🤷🏻

@chrisstaylor8377 2 ай бұрын

You should stop using modern set nets

@scott6252 2 ай бұрын

Now if man could just fix the ocean and the climate and turn back time .

@mikebengyak199 15 күн бұрын

Win for all of us in the pacific North west. I am so sorry to tell you, The work is far from done. 1968 I learned about the of the other side. It was one heck of an interesting time. Not good just interesting !! No, I am not Santa

@LosBocadillosDelRio 2 ай бұрын

#freetherivers

@cabin567 2 ай бұрын

Too funny, Plastic Gillnet across mouth of the river = Good / Dam=Bad 🤔😂🤣😂

@briankenyon1543 2 ай бұрын

Oh, you must be a first nations native huh?

@johnkilty5091 Ай бұрын

I have no idea what you are talking about. I have driven past the mouth more than a hundred times since the late 60's. Never once saw a gillnet stretched across the mouth of the Klamath. Neither have you. You may have seen nets used, but not in the way you describe. White fishermen use the same nets. What's your problem?

@ccarter0069 11 күн бұрын

@johnkilty5091 You poor, poor dumb soul....

@jeromedamian5740 2 ай бұрын

I was there. I walked that river. I saw nothing but death I smelled nothing but death, . All because of greed. Salmon steelheand and silvers. All dead .

@garymarshall3579 2 ай бұрын

lies and more lies for the World Economic Forum~

@jimbear3797 2 ай бұрын

830000 dead fish and counting

@robertbriggs1968 2 ай бұрын

The Klamath River is dead it's going to be decades before the River will heal.

@WibbyKDX 2 ай бұрын

Removing the dam caused another massive fish kill

@NateKnows 2 ай бұрын

2 sides to every story. Obvious which side this piece is on

@michaelcampos954 2 ай бұрын

Damns are built generating clean power to many. How much pollution do you release by demolishing them?

@robertturner1308 Ай бұрын

I am glad to see the Klamath restored for the sake of the animals. Hopefully all people will move to a vegan diet and let animals live. Overfishing and industrial farming of animals are unsustainable, inefficient, and cruel. I have been vegan for almost seven years now and it is a great diet/lifestyle. Hopefully even native people will adopt a vegan diet. It is the most ethical diet.

@benbishop5073 2 ай бұрын

The columbia, snake, Clearwater etc have amazing runs of large healthy fish unparalleled in the lower 48. Predators and mismanagement of them is a much larger problem for fish populations than any dam, farming, mining, or logging etc ever has been. The foreign fleets in the ocean, gill nets on the Klamath, otters, mergansers, seals are all unregulated and are direct killers of fish. Historically, natives trapped and managed predators not only for fur, but to help their food supply, in this case fish. Interestingly, the early 2000’s fish kill only occurred down river, miles below the dams. It did not seem to effect the trout and suckers upstream and has been rumored that it might have been poison. It only happened one time in known history and it seems fishy. The release of the muck behind the dams will no doubt have a much more lethal impact on the fish and all other river wildlife than anything we’ve experienced so far. I guess we’ll see

@BeautifuLakesStreamsBiologists 2 ай бұрын

Seeing the larger picture is always a good thing , but most of these viewers will never get past their emotional reactions.

@ssvocals 2 ай бұрын

you should go up there now and see all the dead otters and the dead fish, all aquatic lives, birds, deer. They irresponsibly took the dams out. They could have done it right but they destroyed everything.

@loragunning5394 2 ай бұрын

How would "done it right" have looked to you? Not trying to be combative, just curious. Remember, the decision to decommission the dams was made almost 15 years ago and the time since then has been spent trying to figure out the best and least harmful way to do that.

@aaronpoloni 2 ай бұрын

Why don’t you talk about all of the negatives. The deer and elk starving to death stuck in the sediment. How about the 800,000 salmon smolt that died? Wait until this years run of adult salmon die because if the silt in the water. You folks are utterly clueless to the reality of your feel good decisions. I grew up in the area and know many people seeing these consequences in real time.

@BeautifuLakesStreamsBiologists 2 ай бұрын

Reality is not the friend of propaganda. They have been warned about the organic toxic sludge. Now they are trying to hide that story. Dead salmon tell no lies. It is interesting how propaganda and patagonia look similar on paper.

@dphillips4351 2 ай бұрын

Dam is gone and gill nets come out. No fish left, no enforcement of fish taken. You can’t believe you will have more fish with such a smaller river flow. You will regret this decision!

@skyy7761 2 ай бұрын

You literally destroyed this river again. At what point you think letting all the water out in 3 days was a good idea ?!?!?!

@dhbikerczar 2 ай бұрын

Removing these dams are such a major loss of clean every. Sorry, I live by the snake. I'll take a reservoir over the windmills and solar any day. We have more population all the time and something has to give. A few salmon does not make up for all the other losses by removing the dams.

@DillonPrecisionFan 2 ай бұрын

I recommend reading Cadillac Desert, the promise of cheap hydro power is a myth...more like government subsidized power and agriculture. Don't get me wrong, I like agriculture, but not agriculture in a desert!

@briankenyon1543 2 ай бұрын

You obviously haven't done even the smallest amount of research have you "biker" your yank dams haven't produced a viable energy output for a FKN long time.

@theoriginalnewtboy 2 ай бұрын

There was no loss of clean energy, these dams were actually obsolete and would have cost far more to rehabilitate and bring up to federal minimum standards for power generation than building new, actually clean generation projects that reliably and safely produce more power cheaper, so that’s what they did. In fact, hydro power got another subsidy here because the power companies essentially sold the dams to the state to avoid the cost of their removal, putting that huge (some estimates are $500 million) cost on the public and private coalitions, not the dam’s owner/operators. Another reason there was no loss of clean energy because of the dam removals is because hydro power is not “clean”, it destroys rivers and river adjacent habitats, just like this one has been doing. It wasn’t just a few salmon, it was repeated massive fish kills that essentially ended multiple salmon runs that in turn feed the upper river forests. The entire lower river would often be very toxic in summer….no swimming, no pets, sick wildlife, dead or sick fish…and algae stink. What other losses are you referring to? These dams weren’t designed or used for flood control or irrigation.

@johnkereczman7959 2 ай бұрын

Put the money that was wasted here on removing the dam into fish passageways and then you wouldn't have killed this entire run of fish, wells wouldn't be drying up putting 1000s of people without water, deer and elk wouldn't be dieing from being stuck in the muck, and you would have maintained the most reliable engery source this country has. Disgusting.

@theoriginalnewtboy 2 ай бұрын

These dams were obsolete and would have cost far more to upgrade to minimum federal standards than they could earn back in their lifetime, so the company essentially sold them to California and the state is paying for the removal, letting the owners off the hook twice. They have already replaced the generation capacity with renewable sources. Fish ladders are expensive and wouldn’t solve the water quality issues, these lakes were poorly designed bathtubs that turned into algae ponds in summer making the entire lower river toxic in summer. There aren’t thousands of people living in the area, and only some have had well issues. This was not a reliable energy source hydro power isn’t. It’s heavily subsidized, like here, or it would never be economically viable.

@unboxinglife2308 2 ай бұрын

Funny, the county has declared a state of emergency because the river is now toxic and all the fish have died. Good job 👏 The Shasta Indians disagree with her assessment and they actually live where the dams were built. Not all the native tribes are for this.

@BeautifuLakesStreamsBiologists 2 ай бұрын

It will be interesting to hear their perspective. Thanks for mentioning this.

@hopeofdawn 2 ай бұрын

Funny, the articles I've read interviewing the Shasta say just the opposite. Search for /klamath-oregon-dam-removal-shasta-indian-nation-native-american-indigenous-culture/ and you'll see.

@ccarter0069 11 күн бұрын

@hopeofdawn So Dems like yourself believe the Dem media and algorithms? Lol😂 look at this comment section. The vast majority of the comments are negative, and they are all shoved down to the bottom...... You don't know anything based on a biased article.