The Rio Xingu-Photo Slideshow

These photos are from the three communities of Altamira, Illah da Fazenda, and Arara Da Volta Grande.  In Altamira, in some places the river will rise, while in Illah da Fazenda and Arara da Volta Grande the river will dry.  Faced with incredible uncertainty, these communities are still vibrant, beautiful, and living deeply connected with … Continue reading »

Tsimane and Beyond

Hello all, The past month has been quite a whirlwind of events! I arrived at Tsimane fishing lodge in the Isiboro-Secure National Park and Indigenous Territories almost a month ago.  From the lodge I accompanied one of the Indigenous leaders of the area from community to community by boat recruiting people to go and join … Continue reading »

Fishing?

Even though I am falling in love with fly-fishing– I walk along the street and find myself absentmindedly casting my invisible spey rod, I crave standing in the water, staring at my line, I feel rejuvenated and alive after a day on the water, I think about the passion and love that fly-fishermen exude for … Continue reading »

The Blue Kazoo

It was one of the first nice days of summer, in the middle of September.  I went fishing on the Morice with former guide Tony Harris and a friend of his.  Originally from England,Tony guided on the Morice for about 30 years.  He has a calm presence about him and a great sense of humor. I … Continue reading »

Babine Fish Fence

On the Babine there is a fish counting fence that stretches across the width of the river. As the salmon come up the river, they are funneled through small openings in the fence and into holding pens so they can be identified by species and recorded as they pass through.  They are generally counted from … Continue reading »

N’gagooada

Roy Vickers, renowned artist and story teller tells the story of N’gagooada. When translated, N’gagooada means means, “bumping heads.” But Vickers explains that actually, N’gagooada actually means “the two killer whales who put their heads together and swam in a circle.” This is the story of how the people of Kitkatla came to know when … Continue reading »

Great article in the Oregonian by Ken Morrish about Bristol Bay in Alaska

This Isn’t Just a Natural Wonderland…It’s an Economic Engine Bristol Bay mine could harm Oregonians’ jobs By Ken Morrish, from the Oregonian Published: Wednesday, July 06, 2011 My first real job was on a salmon tender in Alaska’s Bristol Bay, when I was 19. We gathered hundreds of thousands of pounds of wild sockeye salmon from the gill-netters … Continue reading »

Smoke House

 The building was once a wood shed.  Now three logs smolder in the middle of the dirt floor. An old trash can lid sits on top of the cottonwood, pushing the smoke out to the corners of the building.  Red embers softly glow and crackle, carving out the undersides of the wood.             Dark poles … Continue reading »